Tag: Commerce

Bill to Ban Tik Tok Would Give Government Sweeping Powers to Crackdown on Tech

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Bill to Ban Tik Tok Would Give Government Sweeping Powers to Crackdown on Tech

A person who violates the act could be fined up to $1 million or punished with up to 20 years in prison. The broad and vague definitions in the legislation caused many to wonder if people could be handed such harsh punishments for using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to get around future government censorship that could come as a result of the bill.

A spokesperson for Warner insisted that the legislation wasn’t designed to target individual users and pointed to the language that says someone “must be engaged in ‘sabotage or subversion’ of American communications technology products and services, creating ‘catastrophic effects’ on US critical infrastructure, or ‘interfering in, or altering the result’ of a federal election, in order to be eligible for any kind of criminal penalty.”

But the bill will give the Commerce Secretary the authority to deem what is considered “sabotage or subversion” or any of the other threats listed above. The legislation has grave implications for civil liberties and could be used against any individuals or tech and media companies the Biden administration, or any future administration would want to target.

Previously:

Tik-Tok bills could dangerously expand national security state

Railroads Have Invested Heavily in Congress. They Need Their Payoff in the Senate.

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

A showdown over a looming railroad strike heads to the Senate floor this week, after a group of progressive Democrats, led by Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., pushed to modify a tentative agreement to include seven days of sick leave. The expanded agreement passed the House 220-206 on Wednesday, and the fight now moves to the Senate, where it remains unclear if there is enough Republican support to overcome a filibuster and send the agreement to President Joe Biden’s desk.

Railroads Have Invested Heavily in Congress. They Need Their Payoff in the Senate.

Related:

Why America’s Railroads Refuse to Give Their Workers Paid Leave

The answer, in short, is “P.S.R.” — or precision-scheduled railroading

Giorgia Meloni says Italy committed to EU, NATO and Ukraine

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed her government’s support for the European Union, NATO and Ukraine on Tuesday, October 25, in her first address to parliament, one month after her far-right party won a historic election victory.

Giorgia Meloni says Italy committed to EU, NATO and Ukraine

Related:

Meloni wins final confidence vote, pledges support for Ukraine

Ahead of the vote, Meloni had defended her policy aims, stating that the only way to facilitate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is by helping Kyiv defend itself militarily.

“Peace can be achieved by supporting Ukraine … it is the only chance we have for the two sides to negotiate,” she said.

Way to stick it to the establishment! /s

The Wolfowitz Doctrine Led to the Disastrous War in Iraq: Now it is Leading to a Potentially Even More Cataclysmic War in Asia

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The Project for a New American (Racist )Century is omnipresent in the capitals of Europe today. From Dublin to Berlin—Ukrainian colors are on flagpoles, bus stops and buildings. The subtext is blonde hair and blue eyes.

The Wolfowitz Doctrine Led to the Disastrous War in Iraq: Now it is Leading to a Potentially Even More Cataclysmic War in Asia

Biden’s Tech-War “Goes Nuclear”

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Biden’s Tech-War “Goes Nuclear”

So, where is all of this heading, you ask?

To more conflict, more confrontation, higher prices, lower standards of living and, eventually, a disintegration of the prevailing order. That much is certain. The problem, of course, is that the China hawks now control the levers of power in Washington which means that the attacks on China will intensify, decoupling will accelerate, and a massively-destabilizing international crisis will soon follow.

Related:

Explained: How Americans In Chinese Tech Firms Might Have To Choose Between US Citizenship And Job

The Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back: The Best Way to Respond to Saudi Arabia’s Embrace of Putin

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)2 Comments

The Best Way to Respond to Saudi Arabia’s Embrace of Putin

But this claim is unjustified. OPEC has never cut production in such a record tight market and these production cuts will lead to unsustainably low oil inventories, sending the price of oil skyrocketing out of any “acceptable band.” Furthermore, the G-7 oil price caps plan is not targeted at OPEC; it is strictly limited to Russian oil.

Nor can this Saudi move be justified by the non-existent global recession its leaders cite. Presently markets are very tight, with lush 73 percent profit margins for Saudi Arabia. In other words, there was no immediate need for Saudi Arabia to reduce supply unless they were seeking to harm the U.S. to the benefit of Russia.

Non-existent global recession?!? Low oil inventories?!? Maybe Biden shouldn’t be releasing our oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?! As for never cutting production, before, looks like they have!? 🤷🏼‍♀️