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๐—ก๐—–๐—ง ๐—ช๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—› ๐Ÿญ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—–๐—ข๐—ก๐—–๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ โ€˜๐—œ๐—ก๐—ง๐—ข ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ช๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—›: ๐—ข๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ช๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—›โ€™ ๐—œ๐—ก ๐—ž๐—จ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—” ๐—Ÿ๐—จ๐— ๐—ฃ๐—จ๐—ฅ NCT WISH and Malaysia NCTzen, what an amazing night we created together! ๐Ÿ’šโœจ Hold onto these precious memories and keep shining bright ๐ŸŒŸ Until we meet again next time! #NCTWISH #INTOTHEWISH #OurWISH #NCTWISH_CONCERT_TOUR #OurWISH_KUALALUMPUR #iMeMY #iMeMalaysia...

21,879 gรถrรผntรผleme โ€ข 5 ay รถnce โ€ขvia X (Twitter)

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Should the global tech community continue investing in Malaysia? Given recent events, I raise this question respectfully for the consideration of Prime Minister Yang Amat Berhormat Datoโ€™ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (Anwar Ibrahim), for the people of Malaysia, and for our friends in the Malaysian tech community. The answer will be of interest to anyone in global tech thatโ€™s considering building, investing, or expanding in Malaysia, including executives at Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, founders of tech unicorns like Coinbase and Solana, and investors at the worldโ€™s largest venture capital funds like a16z and Polychain. As context, I am the former CTO of Coinbase and former General Partner at a16z. In October 2024, I opened a startup society called Network School in Malaysia, because I felt Iโ€™d been invited in by the governmentโ€™s pro-tech policies. Specifically, the KL20 initiative set out Malaysiaโ€™s ambition of becoming a top 20 global tech hub. Their MDEC digital nomad visas and MM2H investor visas were created to facilitate an influx of global talent and capital. And the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone was announced to facilitate the flow of capital and talent between Malaysia and Singapore, where I live. When taken in combination with Malaysiaโ€™s datacenter buildout and its policy of welcoming visa-free visits for 98% of the world, it seemed like Malaysia might be a great place to build a global tech hub that was simultaneously inexpensive and easy to visit (especially for non-Westerners). And thatโ€™s what we did, by creating Network School. Itโ€™s an international tech community with its first node in Forest City, Malaysia. We picked Forest City because it had millions of square feet of empty space, because it was one hour from Singaporeโ€™s capital markets, and because it was within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone. Then, within 18 months, without a single penny of government money, we built Network School into a global attraction that brought thousands of engineers, investors, and builders from 70+ countries to learn technology, burn calories, earn online, and have fun, integrating with the local Malaysian economy along the way. Indeed, in terms of quantifiable contribution to the Malaysian economy, weโ€™ve already invested 100M+ MYR in our campus to make it startup-friendly. For perspective, thatโ€™s about 4% of the budget of Johor, the Malaysian state where Forest City is located. We employ dozens of Malaysians directly and indirectly at every level from executive to staff. Weโ€™ve backed Malaysian tech startups like Collektr, hosted events for local teams like Superteam Malaysia, and are major customers of many local businesses like barbers, laundromats, and restaurants. Weโ€™ve also revitalized the multibillion-dollar Forest City project, causing millions of MYR in real estate appreciation. And, as the video below describes, we were on the cusp of a 500M+ MYR expansion to grow our community, as well as a global merit scholarship with my friend Amjad Masad of Replit. However, that emerging multi-billion dollar success story โ€” which should rightfully have been hailed as a huge victory for the pro-tech policies of the Malaysian government โ€” is at risk of being derailed by a fake story spread by an anonymous account named MP4P. In short: on the day before the July 11 Johor elections, MP4P posted an Instagram post falsely accusing Network School of harboring illegal aliens. The sensational accusations caused a tizzy in Malaysia, until Malaysian authorities came to our campus on July 14 to investigate. (I should note that the officers were very polite and professional.) After checking hundreds of physical passports from 40 countries, including dual passport holders, the authorities confirmed to the press on July 15 that all travel documents were in order. During the process, we cooperated fully; in the thread below you can see a photo of the men, women, and children of Network School smiling and holding up their passports in the bright daylight. Our faces are shown and our names are known; we have nothing to hide. With that said, the process is the punishment. What MP4P did is very similar to the American crime of โ€œswattingโ€, because MP4P created a hoax report of a serious threat, thereby forcing the Malaysian police to take time away from protecting the Malaysian people towards investigating a nonexistent issue. Moreover, this anonymous MP4P account has also called for Malaysia to boycott Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoftโ€ฆa move that would cost ordinary Malaysians thousands of jobsโ€ฆeven while MP4Pโ€™s own Instagram collaborators promote their Apple and Google apps! I mean, we arenโ€™t talking about a credible accuser, but just someone screaming inconsistently at the top of their lungs on social media for traffic, an all-too-common phenomenon these days. Anyway, at this point, all further investment we were planning to make in Malaysia is on hold until we get sufficient assurance that such issues wonโ€™t recur. So are the investment plans of many of our friends, including the execs and investors at global tech firms that we brought to Forest City. Because to put it very plainly: we have invested 100M+ MYR in Malaysia, while creating jobs for dozens of Malaysians, and our faces and names are known. Our Malaysian executives and employees deserve the benefit of the doubt over anonymous internet trolls. There are two paths forward. In the first case, if Malaysia still wants continued global tech investment, if it wants to be a top 20 tech hub, if it wants us to revitalize Forest City, then we request an audience with the Prime Ministerโ€™s office to discuss the terms of a memorandum of understanding between Network School and the Malaysian government, similar to the document recently signed between the Solana Foundation and the Kazakhstan government. Specifics can of course be discussed, but we would publicly commit to abiding by all Malaysian laws (we already do) and respecting Malaysiaโ€™s sovereignty (never in question). In return, theyโ€™d get to know our friendly community, and realize that we actually chose Malaysia because we thought it was a great place to build a tech hub where engineers from the global South, investors from the West, and builders from Malaysia itself could meet new people, build cool things, and perhaps create millions of dollars in economic growth in the fullness of time. That vision of peace and trade, internationalism and entrepreneurialism, is still on the table. We arenโ€™t asking for any money โ€” just a meeting, to help restore confidence in Malaysia as an investable jurisdiction. Alternatively, if you donโ€™t want our investment, or those of our colleagues at billion dollar funds and trillion dollar companies, we will of course respect your wishes, and reallocate our capital to other countries instead. Either way, we will remain friends and abide by your decision. Please let us know.

Balaji

3,984,687 gรถrรผntรผleme โ€ข 25 gรผn รถnce

๐Ÿถ I sincerely want to thank all the INSPIRITS who have once again filled the seats, both today and yesterday. Earlier, I noticed that there werenโ€™t just Koreans, but also many people who came from overseas. I'm sure you could watch through Hello Live, but you came all the way to Korea just to see us, and I sincerely thank you for that. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Incheon Inspire Arena for providing this beautiful venue. Although it's a bit farther than Seoul, thank you so much for coming without any inconvenience or complaints. This time weโ€™ve spent together is so precious to me. Today, you all sang passionately, and you looked at us with such loving eyes as we worked hard. Once again, I sincerely thank you. You sang "Voice of My Heart," right? I think the person who wrote this song would be touched. Iโ€™m deeply grateful that you sang it with such beautiful voices. This song was written by our brother, Jae-yoon. Whenever I listen to this song, I remember the difficult times when we were recording our first album. It brings back memories of how much we struggled, and I cried a lot when singing this song in the past. But today, as I listened to it, I found myself smiling. It feels like we started in Seoul, and I thought the tour would never end, but now, today, this final moment is here. Yesterday and today, these last moments made me feel so deeply connected to Korea. I kept thinking, "Please donโ€™t make any mistakes; letโ€™s do our best." But then one of my friends made a mistake, and I made one too yesterday. I was thinking about that, so I suggested we rehearse again, and Myungsoo said, "We have to do it because itโ€™s been 15 years." He said we must do it because it's been 15 years, and I said, "Wow, youโ€™re still holding onto that." So, when I changed my posture and started, I already knew. I even knew what would happen next. (๐ŸฐAh, you knew! You even knew he was going to turn around?) It was so funny. Anyway, these moments, which can only be seen in the concert, are (๐Ÿฐlimited, so itโ€™s special). We are also human. We make mistakes too. I suddenly remembered how, in the past, we performed like machines during our concerts, trying so hard not to make any mistakes. We moved carefully, (๐ŸฐIf we made a mistake, weโ€™d get scolded a lot. ๐Ÿˆโ€โฌ›Stop it already, please) and Iโ€™d think (๐ŸซŽ Does this go until the third verse?). But now, we make mistakes too. I do too. Itโ€™s part of being human. I hope you see that as a charming side of INFINITE. And when you make mistakes with the lyrics too, let's cover for each other and embrace it. This is our concert, right? Letโ€™s be understanding of each other. I just wanted to share that with you. Anyway, I hope you are always healthy and happy. Please donโ€™t get sick until we meet again, and I hope we can meet again with smiles. As for us, weโ€™ll be preparing for albums or something, and we might get to meet you again. In the meantime, youโ€™ll probably return to your daily lives, and if you miss us, what will you do? I would treasure today, and yesterday. Stay healthy until we meet again. Thank you.

์™”๋‹ค๊ฐ”๋‹ค

14,110 gรถrรผntรผleme โ€ข 1 yฤฑl รถnce

241128 NewJeans Press Conference Spaceshare Samseong COEX Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul | 8:30 PM "Termination of the Exclusive Contract between NewJeans and ADOR" Host: To start, letโ€™s have the members introduce themselves. ๐ŸงธKim Minji: Yes, weโ€™ll begin with introductions. ๐Ÿ‘–NewJeans: Hello, we are NewJeans. ๐ŸฆฆHanni Pham: Before we begin, how about we each introduce ourselves briefly? ๐ŸฑKang Haerin: Hello, Iโ€™m Haerin. ๐ŸถDanielle Marsh: Hello, Iโ€™m Danielle. ๐ŸงธKim Minji: Hello, Iโ€™m Minji. ๐ŸฆฆHanni Pham: Hello, Iโ€™m Hanni. ๐ŸนLee Hyein: Hello, Iโ€™m Hyein. Host: Members, please feel free to take your time and share what youโ€™ve prepared. ๐ŸฆฆHanni Pham: First of all, it snowed for the first time yesterday, and the weather has gotten really cold. Thank you so much for coming to this suddenly arranged event today. We truly appreciate it, knowing how difficult it is to make time for something like this. (๐Ÿ‘–NewJeans: Thank you.) Before we get into the details, Iโ€™d like to emphasize that the YouTube Live we did in September and the content-certified letter of correction we sent to ADOR two weeks ago were decisions made and carried out collectively by all five of us. The reason weโ€™ve convened this emergency press conference is quite straightforward: the deadline for the corrections we demanded ends today at 12:00 PM. However, as of the close of business today, neither HYBE nor ADOR has shown any willingness or effort to address our demands or make any improvements. In fact, weโ€™re scheduled to leave for an overseas event tomorrow morning, flying to Japan, and we wonโ€™t be back until next week. During that time, weโ€™re deeply concerned about the possibility of HYBE or ADOR engaging in media manipulation or other tactics. To ensure our position is accurately conveyed, we discussed this matter extensively among ourselves and decided to hold this emergency press conference. The reason weโ€™ve decided to leave ADOR is very simple. Iโ€™m sure many of you hereโ€”those familiar with our situationโ€”already understand this. NewJeans is an artist under ADOR, and ADOR has an obligation to protect NewJeans. That is the most basic responsibility of a company. However, ADOR neither has the capability nor the will to fulfill this duty. Remaining with ADOR would only waste our time and continue to subject us to emotional distress. More importantly, thereโ€™s nothing for us to gain professionally by staying. For these reasons, all five of us have concluded that we have no reason to remain with ADOR. ๐ŸงธKim Minji: Yes, we hereby announce that the exclusive contract between NewJeans and ADOR will be terminated as of midnight on November 29th. Currently, however, HYBE and ADOR are playing word games, claiming that โ€œHYBE is at fault, not ADOR, so this cannot be considered a breach of contract.โ€ But as everyone knows, HYBE and ADOR are practically one and the same. The ADOR we originally worked with has changed significantly, and even the directors who were previously part of the company have all been abruptly dismissed. Now they are trying to draw a distinction between HYBE and ADOR, but ADOR has been transformed entirely to suit HYBEโ€™s preferences. Theyโ€™ve severed ties with the directors who worked so hard alongside us, and the trust we had with ADOR has completely collapsed. The claim that we should maintain our exclusive contracts with such a company is something we simply cannot accept. As such, we submitted a request for corrections regarding the breaches of contract. As mentioned earlier, the correction period ends at midnight tonight. Yesterday, you may have seen a begrudging statement from ADOR beginning with โ€œThis is in accordance with the notice of corrective measures,โ€ but it was nothing more than a superficial response with no real intent to make improvements. Theyโ€™ve also sent performative emails that fail to address a single one of the issues we raised. Weโ€™ve communicated our concerns multiple times, both through our live broadcast and the content-certified letter, but their insincere attitude has left us exhausted. Itโ€™s clear to us once again that they have no genuine regard for us and no intention of addressing our concerns. With the end of the workday and less than four hours remaining until midnight, no corrective action has been taken. Therefore, all five of us will officially terminate our exclusive contracts as of midnight on November 29th. ๐ŸถDanielle Marsh: Once our exclusive contracts are terminated, the five of us will no longer be ADOR artists. We plan to leave ADOR and freely pursue the activities we truly want to do. That said, we will proceed with all previously scheduled and contracted activities as planned. This includes our advertising commitments, which will all continue as agreed. We want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the advertisers who have supported us, and we hope to reassure them that thereโ€™s no need to worry. Our intention in terminating our contracts is not to cause harm to anyone else, and we are determined to ensure that this does not happen. We sincerely hope to move forward without negatively impacting others in the process. ๐ŸฑKang Haerin: Iโ€™ve seen several articles regarding penalties, but we have not breached our exclusive contractโ€”not once. Weโ€™ve been doing our best in all our activities up until now, and we believe there is absolutely no reason for us to pay any penalties. On the contrary, it is ADOR and HYBE who have violated the terms of the contract, and this is precisely what has led to the current situation. Naturally, we believe the responsibility lies entirely with ADOR and HYBE. ๐ŸนLee Hyein: Finally, as of midnight tonight, the five of us may not be able to use the name โ€œNewJeansโ€ for the time being, regardless of our wishes. However, the essence of who we are as NewJeans will never change. We have no intention of giving up the name โ€œNewJeans.โ€ To some, the name โ€œNewJeansโ€ may seem like just a name or a trademark issue, but for us, itโ€™s far more than that. This name holds all the meaning of everything weโ€™ve worked on together, from the day the five of us first met until now. Thatโ€™s why we will continue to do everything we can to fully secure the rights to the name โ€œNewJeans.โ€ ๐ŸฆฆHanni Pham: We faced mistreatment not just towards us, but also including our staff. Countless preventions and contradictions, deliberate miscommunications, and manipulation regarding multiple areas. A company that no longer has any sincerity in the art and music that it's creating and is rather fixated on appearing like a well-working company despite only having thoughts about making money and don't have any conscience about the negative effect they create through their non-authentic means. This is not the type of work ethic we respect, nor want to be a part of, and to continue working under a company with no intention of protecting NewJeans would only do us harm. So that is why we, the five of us, together, have agreed to leave the ADOR. And for us to clearly express ourselves before misleading information is released and to abandon this, we have chosen to hold an emergency press conference today. ๐ŸถDanielle Marsh: Once we leave ADOR, we will aim to proceed freely with the activities that we really desire. Especially with the schedules that have already been arranged, we will try our very best to continue... and without any complications. We really wish to be able to release new music for Bunnies next year, as soon as possible, whenever. And we really hope that we have the opportunity to meet you guys from all around the world. Lastly, we are well aware that from today we may not be able to use our current name, NewJeans. However, that doesn't mean that we are giving up on the name at all. And we will continue to fight for NewJeans. Regardless of our name, just remember that NewJeans never dies. ๐ŸงธKim Minji: I believe that a personโ€™s mindset is incredibly important. I think itโ€™s courageous people who change the world and live their lives with greater independence. Having the courage to act on what you truly want, without weighing and calculating how much you can accomplish, isnโ€™t something everyone possesses. For me, it was possible because I had Bunnies, our fans, supporting me, as well as my fellow members by my side. I also drew a lot of courage from watching our CEO. On the days we worked together, I saw a CEO who always worked the hardest and was always surrounded by good people. One of the things our CEO said that stuck with me was, โ€œI want to set a precedent.โ€ That sentiment inspired me deeply and gave me great courage. In life, we hold many principles and convictions, but standing by themโ€”even at great personal costโ€”isnโ€™t easy. I believe that if you donโ€™t take initiative to solve your own challenges, nothing will change, and no one else will do it for you. Thatโ€™s why the five of us decided to hold this meeting todayโ€”to stand up and speak openly about our intentions. Of course, many challenges still lie ahead, and we donโ€™t know what obstacles we may face. But the five of us have decided to unite, gather our strength, and embrace the challenges to come. We hope youโ€™ll continue to support us and watch over our journey. Finally, I sincerely hope that environments where people can work and interact with mutual respect, free from harassment, can be created everywhere, whether itโ€™s in schools or workplaces. Thank you. ๐Ÿ“นNewsen #NewJeans #๋‰ด์ง„์Šค #NEWJEANS_NEVER_DIE

1tokki

37,928 gรถrรผntรผleme โ€ข 1 yฤฑl รถnce

BREAKING: Mark Carney tried to trick Rebel News โ€” but we caught him and he backed down! Iโ€™ve got amazing news. It started out as terrible news. And the moral of the story here is: never trust a Liberal. Hereโ€™s the story: Remember back in 2019, when Trudeauโ€™s hand-picked debates commission banned Rebel News and True North from sending reporters to the election debates? We went to court for an emergency hearing, and the judge said Trudeau had violated our constitutional rights, and ordered him to let us in. Trudeauโ€™s staff spent the next two years studying that court ruling, scheming up new ways to get around it, to ban our reporters from the 2021 election debates. So we had to go back to court โ€” and this time, it was just us. But a judge once again sided with us, and ordered Trudeauโ€™s people to let us in. So hereโ€™s where the story gets crazy. Itโ€™s 2025 now. Thereโ€™s another election. But Mark Carney is the PM, not Trudeau. And this time, when we applied for accreditation, they said we were welcome to attend! In fact, they said we could send as many reporters as we liked. Sixteen of us applied, and 16 of us were accredited. I knew that was a trick. I knew they were lying. And it proves my point about Mark Carney โ€” heโ€™s Trudeau 2.0. Just as evil, but smarter and harder-working. I knew there was something going on that they were hiding from us. So we had our lawyer Chad Williamson press them on it. Chad is the same lawyer who beat the debates commission in court in 2021. So Chad started interrogating them in a series of letters. And slowly but surely, he discovered their plan to block us. Carneyโ€™s debate commission said all 16 of us could attend. But they finally confessed their trick to Chad: only one of us would be allowed to ask questions. The other 15 would have to sit in silence. It was a new rule they made up. It was a secret rule. That applied only to Rebel News. And if we didnโ€™t hire Chad to interrogate them, we would have walked into a trap โ€” and by the time we realized it, it would have been too late to rush to court! They planned to keep it all a secret until we showed up. I know you might think Iโ€™m exaggerating. Iโ€™m not. Sixteen Rebels were allowed to attend. But 15 of us couldnโ€™t ask any questions at the press conference. They said the rule was just one reporter per news company. But we know thatโ€™s a lie. The CBC has several reporters for English Canada. And they have several reporters for Quebec. Newspapers have multiple reporters too โ€” for example, Postmedia is one company, but it is permitted to bring reporters for each of its newspapers, for example, the National Post and the Ottawa Citizen and the Calgary Herald. We pointed this out, and so the debates commission changed the rules again. They said the CBC was allowed multiple questions because they had different reporters in French and English. Well so do we โ€” including our star Quebec reporter, Alexa Lavoie! They said that Postmedia was allowed multiple reporters because they covered different regions. Well, so do we. Drea Humphrey is in B.C., Sheila Gunn Reid is in Alberta, David Menzies is in Ontario, Alexaโ€™s in Quebec and Iโ€™m always running around somewhere. Do you see what I mean? They were making it up on the go โ€” special, secret rules just for us. They tried to trick us into NOT suing them, so that by the time we discovered this, there would be nothing we could do about it. But we found them out. And just a few days ago, we told them we were done negotiating, and they should get their lawyers ready, because we were going back to court for a third time, for an emergency injunction. Chad went back and forth with them NINE TIMES. You really have to read all nine letters. They knew we werenโ€™t going to stop fighting. And thatโ€™s when Carneyโ€™s staff blinked. They let us in. They knew that if we took them to court for a third time, and if their tricky rules were shown to the Federal Court of Canada, they would lose for a third time. So Carneyโ€™s people blinked. They wrote back to us, at the last minute, calling off our lawsuit, by agreeing to allow not one, not two, not three, not four, but five Rebels to ask questions โ€” and for each of us to have cameramen, too. Granted, itโ€™s not the full 16 we asked for, but it still makes us the largest group of question-askers at the debates. Like I say: amazing news. But it started off as terrible news. Thereโ€™s a moral to the story here. Number one: never trust a Liberal โ€” especially Mark Carney. Number two: always fight for your rights. Sometimes the other side is more scared of you than you are of them. I think our lawyer Chad scared Carneyโ€™s lawyers. Number three: be sure to tune in to the leaders' debates, both the French one tomorrow night, and the English one, Thursday night. Because weโ€™ll be at both โ€” because itโ€™s the question and answer scrum at the end that weโ€™re interested in. Number four is where you come in. We told Chad to start preparing the lawsuit last week, and he put his full team on it. We truly thought we were going to court. Only when we had the written letter of surrender from Carneyโ€™s people did we stop the lawsuit. But between the lawsuit preparations and the negotiations, we racked up $9,000 in legal bills. Thatโ€™s in addition to the costs of getting our whole team out there: Drea from B.C., Sheila from Alberta, etc. Weโ€™re all going to stay in an Airbnb together, to save money โ€” oh, and weโ€™re also bringing the billboard truck! Itโ€™s going to be huge. We really are going to make it our debate. And thatโ€™s only possible because of my last point โ€” we have you to help us level the playing field. Our ability to attend the debates, and ask the questions you care about, rather than what the regime media like the CBC cares about, is only possible due to your generosity โ€” to help us pay for our lawyers, not just this time, but the huge court victories in 2019 and 2021 that put us in a strong position this year. Itโ€™s insane that it has fallen to us, and the mainstream media hasnโ€™t even mentioned these outrageous attempts at censorship. But then again, they donโ€™t want Rebel News in there either, do they? Between Chadโ€™s legal wrangling, the half-drafted lawsuit, our travel costs and our Airbnb, I estimate that we need $12,000 to cover our debate costs. Could I ask you for a personal favour to chip in? It was a David vs. Goliath battle just to get in. And once weโ€™re in, it will be a David vs. Goliath battle to push aside the regime media types who will try to block us from getting to the microphones. And then it will be a third David vs. Goliath battle to actually put questions to Mark Carney and Jagmeet Singh and Pierre Poilievre, too. Rebel News and one other independent media outlet were both in court back in 2019 fighting the debates commission. By 2021, it was just us by ourselves โ€” but our victory allowed all other independent media to attend. And our victory this time, too, will redound to the benefit of everyone. In other words, Rebel News fights for our reporters, and our viewers, but the benefits of our fights and the precedents we set benefit every journalist in the country, whether they admit it or not. REPORT by Ezra Levant ๐Ÿ๐Ÿš›:

Rebel News

96,962 gรถrรผntรผleme โ€ข 1 yฤฑl รถnce

"I'm telling the administration...that if they don't release those [videos I've seen], then I have the capabilities of getting those videos and releasing them." ~Burlison (Transcript and comments by me on one of my fav segments in a long time.) ~ Will Cain: "Missouri Republican Congressman, Rep. Eric Burlison, joins me now. Congressman, thanks for being with us here today. You and I, Congressman, I think we've had a very candid conversation together. We have both talked about the fact that I am open and curious about this subject of UAPs, but I do feel like we're at a place where evidence needs to start meeting expectations. What we've seen today, what does this tell us? Does this meet any expectation?" Burlison: "I think that there's...we have to take a step back and recognize the historic nature of this. Every president prior to President Trump has really demurred any kind of questions on this. They dismissed them, they would not talk about it. People would, if anything, snicker or sneer anytime this kind of subject came up. So the fact that we have a president who is open and willing and trying to be transparent is something to celebrate. "That being said, I think that this is a teaser, this is a kind of a, you know, something to open up with. This was the low-hanging fruit kind of videos and content for this administration to release. A lot of this has been...some of this has been out there before. It's not been acknowledged, right? So, you're looking at Apollo 17 video..." Cain: "I've seen the same thing said by Rep. Tim Burchett Press Office. That this is sort of the beginning, and there will be other releases that could leave Americans with a holy crap moment. I believe that's a direct quote from Congressman Tim Burchett." (This is what Burchett tweeted today: Burchett: "The 1st drop will be big but in comparison to what is coming they will be a drop in the bucket. I would say 'Holy Crap' is coming." I hope so. Or people are going to be upset that the videos and evidence didn't meet the hype, and you may see a lot of people losing interest in this topic. Last month, he told Elizabeth Vargas: โ€œIโ€™ve seen pictures and video of things that defy any reason that we have." ~Burchett And also last month, he told NEWSMAX: โ€œIf they would release the things that I've seen, you would stay up. You'd be up at night worrying about or thinking about this stuff... And for the record, I'm not suicidal and I don't take risks.โ€ ~Burchett (That's some major hype there and, again, I hope future videos live up to it. I'm gonna guess that Burlison is NOT a fan of getting people's expectation up like that.) Cain: "My question for you, or the congressman, would be: Why? Why slow roll this out like it's a season of 'Game of Thrones'? Like, why would Episode 1 be somewhat uninspiring - leave us with more questions than answered - if there's something coming after the teaser? What's the point in staging the release?" Burlison: "So, again, this...just from talking with the White House and this administration, this is not an easy thing to do. There's not one huge repository of all of these documents and videos and photos. Despite what most people believe, they're really...at least we haven't found that one, you know, big repository. So what the Agency is doing is going and finding, first and foremost, the items that are readily available to be released. And they wanna be quick...move quickly and release those." (Okay, so they haven't located the best videos yet? Then what was Burchett shown? And if what he was shown is really THAT amazing, why haven't those videos or photos been released? Drip, drip? The excuse that they haven't been able to locate them yet doesn't hold water IF Burchett's take is accurate and they showed him SOMETHING that blew his mind and will blow our minds. Or, did he just hype it up and whatever he saw is really not that impressive? As I've asked several times in the past: Do these amazing videos actually exist?) Burlison: "I would ask you, would you prefer to have them wait for, you know, years, what would probably take years if they were to do a comprehensive study and then release it all at once, in one big batch? I would prefer that they release it as they find it, and I think that that's...this administration wants to be transparent and do that." (Great! How about releasing what Burchett was referring to in his interviews?) Cain: "My criticism is not for the decisions of the administration." (Well, if the Trump administration isn't releasing the best of the best videos that they already have in their possession because they're afraid of how Americans (and the world) might react (fear and panic), then they DO deserve some criticism, right?) Cain: "My criticism is for the expectation built by many out there that have these conversations, that there will soon be a bomb to drop when it comes to revelations about aliens." (Burchett, and then Rep. Anna Paulina Luna with her repeated comments about interdimensional beings. Luna: "...this is something you can go back and watch with the Congressional hearings - but I was actually able to ask some of the witnesses, 'What are these things?' And they keep saying interdimensional. "I wouldn't call them aliens. I really like what Grusch calls it. He says that they're interdimensional beings and he's very specific about that." Grusch has NEVER said that, nor has any witness who testified in front of Congress, so I have no idea where she's getting that from.) Cain: "And, if that's true, are we trying to prepare the American people with a slow drip, drip, drip tease of this stuff? If not, then Congressman, I would say, if this is all we've got, then I'm not sure that there's anything the American government really has that tells us anything about the existence of aliens? I'm just beginning to feel like this entire story is teased out always just beyond our reach." (That's why we need just ONE (for starters) clear and close-up video of an object performing maneuvers that we thought were impossible. And as of right now, we don't have that. I've said this many times. Does that type of video exist?) Burlison: "I can sense your frustration. I've experienced it personally myself. I've seen videos that I think are in the process of being declassified, so I think that there is more to come. If they're not going to be declassified, I'll probably do an effort to release them myself under Speech and Debate." (In short, the Speech or Debate clause says that a Senator or Representative can speak freely about anything, or share anything, in either house of Congress and have absolute immunity from civil or criminal liability. I'll link to an example in the replies.) Burlison: "But again, a lot of the footage that I've seen is similar to what has been released today. There's some that are pretty interesting, and especially given the environment and the circumstances of the videos. Whether they are videos of UAP that are flying around Russian submarines or a video of our aircraft that are firing on some of these UAPs? I've seen those kind of videos. And so I'm teasing that because I know that...I'm telling the administration, through you (Will Cain) at this moment, that if they don't release those, then I have the capabilities of getting those videos and releasing them." (How much better are those videos than what we've seen today?) Cain: "Can I say one more thing about this, congressman? I expect you and I will have much longer conversations like we have in the past, where we have fewer time constraints. But what I'm seeing here, and we're sharing today, and what's been released, there are probably hundreds, perhaps 1000s, of explanations for what we see on these video screens. They don't lead us directly to extraterrestrial or out-of-this-world explanations. "Is there something else? Is there some other proof that you've seen? Is there a more compelling video that can't be described or explained as a drone or a light refraction or any other thing. Again, I'm not cynically dismissing these things, as I've always mentioned to you. I'm open and curious. I just don't think the evidence is meeting the moment." (I agree with Cain. The government-released or government-acquired footage just doesn't get us over the hump with the masses and skeptics.) Burlison: "I think you and I are at the exact same place. I continue to look for these things and try to follow the narrative that people are saying. Follow the historical narrative that we have a crash retrieval program, and this is the kind of information I keep getting presented. It doesn't mean that we don't stop looking." Cain: "Fair." (If we have recovered craft and bodies of non-humans, and it can be PROVEN, then these videos from today will be forgotten instantly.) Burlison: "And I have...and so the White House and the ODNI is looking for the next places to go investigate. And I think that...and they've actually been open in asking me where those next places should be, and so we're offering..we're gonna be working to offer those locations. A lot of this, Will, is gonna be in the hands of these agencies that are quasi-private or private companies, and that's gonna be a harder dig for this, for this administration to do, but that's where I think we're gonna get to the truth." (Let's start with the "holy crap" videos Burchett hyped and saw and see if they are as good as he's claiming.) Cain: "Well, to his defense, the President hasn't made big promises about what this would reveal. I don't think I can say that about everyone who purports to have seen something that there are big revelations, and so far, the evidence in the videos haven't met the promises. I do hope we continue to see more, congressman. I hope you do fight so we can see more. Obviously, transparency and answers is what we're seeking here on what would be a gigantic issue. Congressman Burlison, thanks, as always, for your time." Burlison: "Anytime."

Joe Murgia

22,530 gรถrรผntรผleme โ€ข 3 ay รถnce

War Diary Day 1,391 Blaise Metreweli, the Chief of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, sticks it to the Killer in The Kremlin. And all his creepy helpers. I agree with every fucking word. VPDFO! (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) ๐Ÿ“ท Welcome inside MI6. This iconic building, familiar to movie fans everywhere, is the home of Britainโ€™s foreign intelligence agency. But whilst hundreds of my team pass through the entry pods each day, the truth is that most of our work happens many miles away from this place - out of sight, hidden from the world, undercover, recruiting and running agents who choose to place their trust in us, sharing secrets to make the UK and the world safer. You might pass one of our officers on the street or sit next to them on a plane when youโ€™re about to set off on an adventure of your own, or in a foreign city taking selfies by the sights. Whether itโ€™s in seemingly everyday places, or on the front line embedded with our military, MI6 is there. In my first few weeks, Iโ€™ve heard repeatedly that MI6 is trusted and respected globally, two things that we never take for granted. We are seen as a source of hard power, soft influence and rapid innovation. Iโ€™ve also heard that people want to believe in MI6. Itโ€™s my job to make sure they can. Today, I want to talk about human agency. We all have choices to make about how we deal with the undercurrents shaping our world. About how, in our new, faster, more dangerous and technology-mediated world, it will be our rediscovery of our shared humanity, our ability to listen, and our courage that will determine how our future unfolds. Conflict is not inevitable. Understanding human nature is in my bones. From a family shaped by devastating conflict, I grew up with a deep sense of gratitude for the UKโ€™s precious democracy and freedom. I spent much of my childhood overseas, which is where my passion for travel and adventure began. I studied anthropology, and later psychology and AI, exploring how we make sense of the world and each other. Itโ€™s why I was drawn to MI6: it offers strong purpose, a chance to serve and a belief in the positive power of human connection. Like the Service, Iโ€™m operational to my very core. Over nearly three decades, my career has involved recruiting and running agents in hostile territory; and leading operations in warzones to defuse threats and support peace. Always in teams, always learning from others. Over the years, Iโ€™ve worked with hundreds of brilliant partners โ€“ and indeed occasionally those weโ€™d label as adversaries โ€“ across dozens of countries, tackling weapons proliferation and terrorism. During my time at MI5, I saw close up what it takes to defend Britain from being targeted by hostile states. Youโ€™ll find many like me in my organisation: powerfully motivated to protect our precious country; curious about how our world is changing, joining dots and taking action, across domains. But it was in my last role as โ€˜Qโ€™, where it was my job to turn emerging technologies from threats to opportunities that I could most see the world changing. As I dug deep into data and extraordinary innovation, I could see how technology was rapidly reshaping not just our capabilities but also conflict and trust, truth and global power. Let me lay out how I see the global issues MI6 must tackle. Because the greatest danger we face is to misunderstand the nature of the problem. Letโ€™s be in no doubt. Our world is more dangerous and contested now than it has been for decades. Conflict is evolving and trust eroding, just as new technologies spur both competition and dependence. We are being contested from sea to space, from the battlefield to the boardroom. And even our brains, as disinformation manipulates our understanding of each other and ourselves. Across the globe, we are now confronting not one single danger, but an interlocking web of security challenges โ€“ military, technological, social, ethical even โ€“ each shaping the other in complex ways. We are now operating in a space between peace and war. This is not a temporary state or a gradual, inevitable evolution. Our world is being actively remade, with profound implications for national and international security. Institutions which were designed in the ashes of the Second World War are being challenged. New blocs and identities forming and alliances reshaping. Multipolar competition in tension with multilateral cooperation. But thereโ€™s something distinctive that will make this change unlike any other: the impact of advanced technologies, which will accelerate the pace and scale of every threat and opportunity, and increasingly, individualise them too. Advances in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum computing are not only revolutionising economies but rewriting the reality of conflict, as they โ€˜convergeโ€™ to create science-fiction-like tools. Thereโ€™s incredible promise in all this for all of us, from green technologies to hyper-personalised medicine. But also peril. AI-powered robots and drones are brilliant for scaled manufacturing but devastating on the battlefield. Discoveries that cure disease can also create new weapons. And as states race for tech supremacy, or as some algorithms become as powerful as states, those hyper-personalised tools could become a new vector for conflict and control. Power itself is becoming more diffuse, more unpredictable as control over these technologies is shifting from states to corporations, and sometimes to individuals. And at the same time, the foundations of trust in our societies are eroding. Information, once a unifying force, is increasingly weaponised. Falsehood spreads faster than fact, dividing communities and distorting reality. We live in an age of hyper-connection yet profound isolation. The algorithms flatter our biases and fracture our public squares. And as trust collapses, so does our shared sense of truth โ€“ one of the greatest losses a society can suffer. The defining challenge of the twenty-first century is not simply who wields the most powerful technologies, but who guides them with the greatest wisdom. Our security, our prosperity, and our humanity depend on it. Our world is being remade. And for the first time, we are all at the heart of it. My Service must now operate in this new context too: not just expert on hostile states, terrorism, proliferation and more, but also fluent in technology, able to anticipate the second and third order effects of advances that reshape the world in minutes not months. And as China will be a central part of the global transformation taking place this century, it is essential that we, as MI6, continue to inform the governmentโ€™s understanding of Chinaโ€™s rise and the implications for UK national security. Iโ€™m going to break with tradition and wonโ€™t give you a global threat tour, but will focus here on Putinโ€™s Russia. We all continue to face the menace of an aggressive, expansionist and revisionist Russia, seeking to subjugate Ukraine and harass NATO. I find it harrowing that hundreds of thousands have died, with the toll mounting every day, because of Putinโ€™s historical distortions and his compromised desire for respect. He is dragging out negotiations and shifting the cost of war onto his own population. But Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring. The pressure we apply on Ukraineโ€™s behalf will be sustained. Because it is fundamental not just to European sovereignty and security but to global stability. Alongside the grinding war, Russia is testing us in the grey zone with tactics that are just below the threshold of war. Itโ€™s important to understand their attempts to bully, fearmonger and manipulate, because it affects us all. I am talking about: Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. Drones buzzing airports and bases. Aggressive activity in our seas, above and below the waves. State-sponsored arson and sabotage. Propaganda and influence operations that crack open and exploit fractures within societies. Countering this activity is the work of intelligence and security services across Europe and the globe. And as the Foreign Secretary made clear in a speech last week, the UK is defending itself against this Russian information warfare โ€“ sanctioning Russian media outlets pushing Kremlin narratives. The export of chaos is a feature not a bug in this Russian approach to international engagement; and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculus. So, how should we respond? Itโ€™s not enough now just to understand the world. We must shape it too. MI6 is well-positioned to respond to these threats and wider global instability. And we will continue to evolve, just as we have throughout our long history. The UK government has invested in our intelligence agencies and we are all using our unique powers to keep the British people safe. Our โ€˜open and connectedโ€™ partnerships across the UK Intelligence Community, with HMGCC, NSSIF and the wider tech ecosystem in the UK will become even more important โ€“ because in the digital battleground, no single organisation can prevail alone. As a global agency, MI6โ€™s inbuilt strength is our partners and our people. The risks I have set out require us to work ever more closely with our colleagues in MI5, GCHQ and in defence and diplomacy. But also with our Five Eyes partners, with the E3, the EU, NATO, those across the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and beyond. And with many valued partners whose identity needs to remain secret. Together, we integrate our diverse talent, data and tools to meet the threat. AI is a domain in which we will excel, using the technology to augment, not replace, our human skills. Every digital trace, every byte of data, every algorithmic decision has implications for the safety of the lives of the courageous people who work with us as officers and agents, and for the UKโ€™s strategic advantage. Mastery of technology will infuse everything we do. Not just in our labs, but in the field, in our tradecraft, and even more importantly, in the mindset of every officer. We will become as comfortable with lines of code as we are with human sources, as fluent in Python as we are in multiple other languages. Under my leadership, MI6 will continue to attract Britainโ€™s best and most creative minds: linguists and data scientists, case officers and engineers, behavioural experts and technologists. We need people who walk in the shoes and get in the heads of our adversaries. We need people who think differently, challenge assumptions, and act decisively. All can thrive and make a difference at MI6. At an operational level, we will sharpen our edge and impact with audacity, tapping into โ€“ if you like โ€“ our historical SOE instincts. Weโ€™re at our best when weโ€™re hustling to make things happen, because our intelligence is most valuable when it changes reality on the ground. We will take calculated risks, where the prize is significant and the national interest clear. We will never stoop to the tactics of our opponents. But we must seek to outplay them. In every domain. In every way. So intelligence must drive action. Action must deliver advantage. And advantage must serve Britainโ€™s security and prosperity. But at the core, our deeper contribution is also our simplest โ€“ how we unlock human agency. Our fast-paced, tech and threat-infused world now generates more heat than light. As nations retrench and rearm, we are losing opportunities to listen to whatโ€™s really going on. Iโ€™ve seen time and again throughout my career, that this is where MI6 matters most: we listen and we hear. We understand, because we take time to learn languages and cultures, complex technical and historical detail, immerse ourselves in whatโ€™s really driving the situation. Across the globe, right now, our officers are finding people with the courage to step forward, and they are taking time to sit and listen to break these tightening cycles of violence. They listen for nuance, for connection, for opportunity. Over the years, Iโ€™ve listened to terrorists who have told us how to defuse the bomb because they know that more violence wonโ€™t help. To proliferators and smugglers whoโ€™ve told us where to find the dangerous material, motivated to protect their childrenโ€™s future. To people trapped in authoritarian regimes who know, deep down, that their humanity is being chipped away โ€“ and that telling us whatโ€™s really going on is an important release, allowing us all to find better ways to navigate our changing world. So, we will work with our agents. And we will continue to engage directly, and with respect, with states and organisation currently working against us. Away from the glare of the media, we will use MI6โ€™s convening power wherever we can to make a material difference, bringing parties together to defuse tensions. But the response to the increasing risks we face wonโ€™t be delivered by the UK intelligence community alone. Wider society has a role to play too. That includes work taking place in schools across the country so our children donโ€™t get duped by information manipulation. Letโ€™s all check sources, consider evidence, and be alive to those algorithms that trigger intense reactions, like fear. It also means everyone in society really understanding the world we are in โ€“ a world where terrorists plot against us, where our enemies fearmonger, bully and manipulate, and the front line is everywhere. Online, on our streets, in our supply chains, in the minds and on the screens of our citizens. We must all stand together against this. As we do today with our friends in Australia after the shocking antisemitic terrorist attack this weekend. My thoughts -and those of my whole organisation โ€“ are with the family, friends and loved ones of the victims. Light will always win over darkness. In rising to meet these challenges we, in MI6, will remain anchored to our values: courage, creativity, respect and integrity. And to our principles: accountability and trust are not constraints on our work; they are the foundations of our legitimacy with the British public. Recently, I had the privilege of meeting and thanking a foreign agent who has worked with us for decades, taking extraordinary risks to help keep the UK safe. I asked why. They said simply, โ€˜Your values. Your integrity and respect. None of us have a future without themโ€™. This moment reinforced to me that we must remain a very human agency. And so, to sustain that trust, MI6 will continue to be more open. Not for the sake of visibility, but because it matters โ€“ and as my MI5 counterpart Sir Ken McCallum said recently - because it is a strength. We will continue the practice of speaking publicly, broaden our channels of engagement, and sustain our focus on attracting the most diverse talent to join our Service. Transparency does not mean revealing what must remain secret. It means showing the British people who we are, what we stand for, and why our work matters. We need your trust and support for the difficult and often dangerous work our agents pursue, every day of the year. In an age of uncertainty, one constant remains: the choices made by human beings still determine the shape of the world. Yes, technology can illuminate possibilities: but information requires judgement; complexity demands clarity; and only people can decide which path to follow. The United Kingdomโ€™s global voice has never rested solely on strength โ€“ it has rested on trust, principle, and the ability to understand others as well as ourselves. That is also the essence of intelligence: not simply knowing the world, but interpreting it through a uniquely human lens. Ours is the quiet service, the hidden service. It is one rooted in a profound belief that when human beings act with purpose and integrity, they can steady a faltering world. When the Berlin Wall fell, it was our shared belief in freedom that carried Europe forward. When acts of terror targeted open societies, it was intelligence, cooperation and resolve that preserved them. And when adversaries blur fact and falsehood, our task is to defend the space where truth can still stand. As we step into the future, the tools at our disposal will evolve. But what will always matter most is the human element โ€“ the person who stands in the shadows and says: this is right, and that is wrong. That choice โ€“ the exercise of human agency โ€“ has shaped our world before, and it will shape it again. Because in the end, it is not what we can do that defines us, but what we choose to do. Thank you. Published 15 December 2025

John Sweeney

42,257 gรถrรผntรผleme โ€ข 7 ay รถnce

Happy 4th of July USA ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿฅณ New York's Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers the speech that President Trump should be delivering to mark the occasion ๐Ÿ‘ "Good morning, my fellow Americans. Season after season, year after year, the tides have come in and out of New York harbor long before the name New York had ever been spoken. Lenape dugouts crossed these currents. " "It was on these waters that tall masts crested the horizon, captained by explorers like Verrazano and Hudson, after whom we've named our bridges and rivers. And ever since, ships full of travelers weary from long journeys have passed through the Narrows, the winds of the Atlantic at their backs. " "When those passengers lifted their heads to glimpse what lies just beyond the waves, what did they see? They saw land lush and teeming with life. They saw men waiting at the docks to take them into bondage. They saw tenements rife with squalor. " "They saw industry rumbling with activity, steam and smoke rising. A city on the move. They saw a towering monument to freedom, her torch glowing worldwide welcome. They saw New York City. They saw America. Tomorrow. " "Our nation marks 250 years since we declared our independence. 250 years of a grand experiment in self governance. An experiment so audacious that some in 1776 doubted it would last more than a few years, let alone a quarter of a millennium. " "From Lexington to Los Angeles, Selma to Seneca Falls, Morrisania to Midwood, Americans will come together for a day, just as we do each year. Families will gather around the grill. Fireworks will fill the night sky. This will be no ordinary day of celebration. " "250 years presents a rare opportunity for more than 340 million people to turn together both towards one another and towards ourselves, to take measure of who we are as a nation. When we look at America, what do we see here at City hall, as I sit behind George Washington's desk alongside new Americans who came to this country, I cannot see all of America. " "But like so many who came before, I can see New York City. The city I see today looks very different than the one that greeted George Washington in July of 1776. Our city simmered under the yoke of oppression the British had imposed, a colonial rule so repressive that 250 years ago, 80 miles south, a small group of newspaper editors, farmers and soldiers signed their names on a document declaring truths that feel self evident now but were revolutionary then, establishing the ideals our nation still strives to fulfill. " "The British did not take it well. War broke out. And that August, as the largest battle of the Revolutionary War unfolded in Brooklyn, batteries on Governor's island took aim at British ships anchored just offshore. We were outgunned, we were outmanned, and we were soundly defeated. " "After only a Few months, it appeared our fledgling attempt at democracy was on the precipice of collapse. But that night, with the moon overhead, thousands of our soldiers silently climbed into ferries and flat bottomed boats and escaped to Manhattan. The Continental army survived to fight another day. " "Independence may have been declared in Philadelphia, but it was rescued in New York City. George Washington was the last to leave Brooklyn. As he waited at the river's edge, the sun beginning its rise, he would have looked out over New York City's waters and seen what so many have seen in the 250 years since. " "An opportunity to begin anew. Those opportunities, like everything in New York City, are not given. They are won. In 1838, 11 years after New York outlawed slavery, a, recently emancipated black man by the name of James Weeks sought to begin anew as well and to help hundreds of others do the same. " "He bought property in Brooklyn, won himself the right to vote, and sold lots to others newly freed. When they landed in New York harbor, they knew they had something waiting for them that they had never had before. A, home. Weeksville still stands today. A living, breathing testament to what we know America to be. " "A place each of us has the power to make. The harbor was busy those years as ships poured in from around the world. Hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants arrived with stomachs aching from a famine manufactured by imperial cruelty. Chinese sailors settled in what is today Chinatown. " "Millions more traveled under the Statue of Liberty and through Ellis Island. Jewish people escaping pogroms, Italians fleeing poverty, Syrians seeking economic opportunity. Each of these new arrivals peered through portholes onto a city that was changing as fast as the nation. " "They saw merchants peddling their wares on the docks, streets being laid out on a grid, buildings rising into the clouds. They could not yet see the nativism they would face, the jobs they would be refused, the landlords who would not rent to them, and the abject labor and living conditions they would withstand. " "But no matter how much smog hung over the harbor, they still saw an opportunity to begin anew. Over the years that followed, despite laws enacted by the federal government to bar their entry, despite sweatshop fires that killed hundreds of women, despite riots aimed at their very existence, immigrants made homes here in New York City. " "And they helped to make New York City. That legacy of every generation of Americans insisting that the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness extends to them too, is no relic of the past. It carried millions of black Americans north during the Great Migration. " "It drew hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans to New York City after the Second World War. It invited countless others from the West Indies and South Asia and West Africa and across the world. And it is what brought my family to the city when I was seven years old. My family did not arrive by boat, although we saw the Statue of Liberty. " "From the window of the plane, even from the air, we could make out the promise of America, the promise of the beautiful, patriotic work of rendering America, year after year, a little more faithful to its founding ideals. There is a term so often used to describe our nation and those who have shaped American exceptionalism. " "American exceptionalism, that conventional wisdom tells us makes our freedom a little more free, is how we dug the Erie Canal and irrigated the west, is why children in faraway lands grow up dreaming of one day moving here. And yet, the irony is that the story of America has so often been written by those who were told by others with power and influence and wealth that they were anything but exceptional. " "For generation after generation, we have been told that when the world has sent its people to our shores, it has not sent its best. It sent Puritans and Sikhs and Quakers and Muslims and Jewish people who were banished for praying the wrong way, worshiping the wrong gods, angering the wrong people. " "It sent peasants and serfs from slums and shtetls who were treated as less because they hardly owned clothes, let alone land. It sent immigrants from whom power was something someone else had. We are told that America is exceptional because we are richer, stronger, more powerful than everyone else. " "The truth, my friends, is that America is exceptional because here nothing is fixed into place. The frontier may be closed, we may have walked on the moon, but the work of fulfilling the values first enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, that work endures, and it belongs to us all. " "It belongs, too, to our newest Americans, those standing here with me today, all of whom were recently naturalized nearly a decade ago. I, too, felt what you feel. The joy of no longer being just a New Yorker, but an American, too. You each hold a special power, the power to determine what America means. " "The powerful have always known their answer. America, in their view, is an arena of supremacy, where only a select few are allowed freedom, where not all are created equal. America, if you ask them, becomes less the more people it welcomes. America, they will tell you, belongs only to those with the right accent or the right shade of skin. " "The rest of us, they insist, should be grateful for merely being allowed to visit. How small they are, how weak, how unoriginal. At every moment in our past, those who led through Exclusion and isolation have tried to win power and enrich themselves by turning us against one another. " "Division is the oldest trick in politics and the cheapest. But time and again, including 250 years ago, those forces of division have been vanquished by the forces of progress. As Thomas Paine once wrote, this new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty. " "Hither have they fled. And yet today, too many of our leaders do not believe in a vision of this nation as an asylum for the persecuted, but rather as one that persecutes those seeking asylum. As we mark 250 years, what do we see? " "We see a city of contradictions within a nation of contradictions. We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world, one where children go to sleep hungry while the world's first trillionaire hungers for more. We see monopolies that dominate every industry and oligarchs who buy elections. " "We see mass agents terrorizing our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vans. We see a nation whose immense wealth has been built by those with calloused, dirt streaked hands, those who toil on factory floors and chisel into stone. " "And we see a nation that has allowed so much of that wealth to be held instead in the soft hands of a precious few. Yes, we see America in a health insurance industry that exploits the sick. But that is not all we see when we look for America. We see it, too, in the nurse who works a double shift and then stops on her way home to check on an ailing neighborhood. " "Yes, we see America in corporate landlords for whom negligence is a business model. We see it, too, in the father who tucks his children into bed beneath a ceiling stained with leaks, who wakes before dawn to go to work and still believes his country can do better by his family. " "Yes, we see America when we spend our tax dollars on bombs and bailouts, when we sell our elections to the highest bidder. Yet we see it just as clearly in every American who still believes this country belongs to we the people. We see America each time neighbors link arms with neighbors without asking how long they have lived here or what papers they have as ice invades our neighborhoods. " "We see America each time those young and old stand in the beating rain or the stifling heat to cast their ballots. We see America each time working people demand more, not just for themselves but for their fellow Americans. There are some who respond to those who ask for more from America with a simple love it or leave it they say. " "But patriotism has never been about pretending our nation is without flaws. Patriotism is every act of righteous dissent. It is every march led under the heavy sun. It is every protest held a decade before its time. It is precisely because we love this nation that we will not leave it. " "After all, who loves America more than those who have sacrificed so much to make it free Today? I think not only of the 4th of July, I think too of the 9th of July. Five days after the Declaration of Independence was signed, it arrived here in our New York City. " "Redcoats had disembarked on Staten island. More than 100 British ships loomed just offshore. Across this city, the Continental army prepared for an invasion. George Washington commanded his brigades to assemble just a few feet from this building. " "It was known then as the Commons. Today we call it City Hall Park. There, within range of British guns, Washington ordered his generals to read the Declaration aloud. And with the world's mightiest empire poised to attack, Washington told the people of New York City what we will celebrate tomorrow. " "That we had declared our independence. That freedom was within reach. That evening, danger loomed. Conflict was not a question, but a certainty. And yet, when those early New Yorkers marched toward the statue of King George III that stood in the Bowling Green, a statue they would melt down into bullets for their young army, they walked in unison, grounded not in the pursuit of plunder, but in ideals that for the first time had a name. America. " "Those ideals upon which our nation was built, they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them. Ours is a nation working each day towards the perfection in which it was conceived. A nation striving each day to better itself. " "Therein lies the work of America. The striving, the bettering, the reaching towards perfection. What a privilege each of us has to live in a nation that every one of its inhabitants can shape. What a responsibility each of us possesses to prove ourselves worthy of all those who came before. " "What power each of us holds to bring America ever closer to the greatness so many have seen when they looked upon these shores. The greatness that for 250 years has been America. Thank you. God bless America, God bless New York City and happy fourth of July. "

Farrukh

72,231 gรถrรผntรผleme โ€ข 1 ay รถnce

This is Apollo. This story still stings. I returned from a tour in Iraq in early 2015. My wife was pregnant with our first son. I knew I would not be going anywhere for several months, unless there was a dire need. We decided the time was right to get a dog to add to our growing family. I don't remember how we found Apollo. We got him from the shelter, but I don't know if Dolly saw him online or if we just stumbled across him. I was struck by his amazing eyes. I'd had an Australian Shepherd before and I knew it was a breed that I loved. He hopped right in my car. Dolly even took the back seat so I could sit next to my new best friend. Together, we brought him to his new home. What a great dog he was. We immediately became tied at the hip. I took him for walks, runs, and hikes off leash. I put in the time to train him; we would walk to the bakery or the butcher shop (at the time, we lived the town life), tell him to sit outside, and he would be there on the sidewalk still sitting here when we came out. It was wonderful having such a happy and well-trained dog. Everybody loved him. They'd never seen a dog with eyes like his. I'm sure he loved all the attention too. My first concern came with my newborn son. He did not do as well with children as I would have liked. At times, he gave him a sideways glance that I didn't like. I kept an eye on him as best I could when he was around my son, but he had given me no reason not to trust him, so I didn't worry much. He was wonderful in every other way. Then, suddenly, he wasn't. We had a notary over to collect signatures from us so we could close on a refinance of our home. After sitting at our dining room table for about an hour, signing papers, the notary rose to leave. Apollo, who had been sitting at my feet, must have been startled by the sudden movement. Like a bolt of lightning, he bit. Just once, but it was a shock. The notary was a real mensch. He didn't get angry. He showed humanity. He knew that we would never have had Apollo unrestrained if we had had any idea that he would do something like that. If only everyone was so understanding as he. But fear crept into my heart that there was something about my dog that was not compatible with the family life that we had. We kept Apollo on a shorter leash after that, both figuratively and literally. The off leash hikes were a thing of the past, but we hoped this would prove to be just a one-off anomaly. It wasn't. A month and a half later, just days out from another deployment, I was sitting in my living room talking to a very good friend, a Master Gunnery Sergeant in the USMC (who, as an aside, donated $1,000 to our GiveSendGo campaign to #SaveLucy, thank you ๐Ÿ™). Apollo was familiar with him already, so I was off my guard, and didn't notice Apollo giving him the stinkeye until it was too late. Apollo lunged and bit. He immediately backed off, but the horrid realization came to me at that moment that my fears were true. My options were limited on the eve of a deployment. To socialize Apollo and train this behavior out of him would take time. I didn't have time. We also didn't have family in the area and Dolly was pregnant again. I couldn't leave my pregnant wife alone for the duration of my tour with a dog who had shown a tendency to bite. I couldn't turn a blind eye to the sideways look he occasionally gave my infant son. Not anymore. I made the devastating decision to rehome him. On what I knew would be our final ride together, he hopped right into the front seat and looked at me, tongue dangling out of his mouth in a happy, sloppy pant, his nub of a tail bobbing up and down, wondering what wonderful adventure daddy was taking him on this time. I'm sure he was confident it was going to be a great time no matter what. It felt like betrayal to me. When we reached the shelter, he faithfully followed me in. We sat in a corner. He leaned against my legs and I stroked his head one final time. It felt like we sat there forever, but I didn't mind. I would have been happy for time to stop, to stay in that moment, just me and my dog, stripped of all externalities, for eternity. But time didn't stop. At length, the door opened and a lady entered. Apollo pressed in against my shins. His 40 pound weight felt heavy. Crushing. I gave him one last embrace, then closed my eyes. "That's a good boy," I whispered, though I couldn't bring myself to look. "I'll always love you." She took Apollo and led him through the door, never for me to see him again. Even today, when I close my eyes, I can still feel the weight of his warm body pressing against mine, trusting me to keep him safe. That was as hard a thing as I've ever done in my life. It was a no-kill shelter, but I played things close to the chest. I did not tell them the worst details. I only mentioned my fear of possible aggression against my child while I was deployed. I did not want to jeopardize Apollo's chance at another opportunity. For months, I kept checking the shelter's website for information about him, but I never saw an update. I do not know what became of him, sadly. I got back home and Dolly asked me where Apollo was. I don't remember if I said anything. I was numb. I hadn't told her where I was going or what I was doing. I had not wanted anything to change my mind. I knew my heart wasn't in it, but I wasn't going to be stopped. It was the right thing to do for my wife, son, and community. Her tears flowed when she realized what I had done. She also loved Apollo. I went to lay on the bed upstairs and be alone. Just weeks later, in a mudhole in the desert, I met my sweet Lucy and my heart began to heal. Saving her from that war zone helped me deal with the lingering guilt I felt about Apollo. I continue to feel the sting of that experience. I wouldn't change what I did though. I love dogs. I will always stand up for dogs when they are mistreated. I will adopt unwanted dogs when I am able. A great measure of a man is how he treats dogs. I aim to always pass that test. But I will always defend human life. Only humans are made in the image of God. I hope and pray that God has a place for dogs when this life is over, but humans He created with souls destined for glory. "You have never talked to a mere mortal," CS Lewis explained. "Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors." I completely agree. I love dogs. They have no guile in them, no duplicity. A dog will not tell you a lie. I like them better than I like people, often. But I cannot choose a dog over a life that was uniquely created to glorify the Almighty (Isaiah 43:7). I will always protect human life. That is why I served. That is why I deployed several times. To protect people, even when they didn't realize they needed protecting. I failed once. I received a report about a plot to blow up a bomb in Beirut. I got it out with all the speed and precision I could, but it got bogged down by the sideshow of the editing process for hours. I got distracted and didn't follow up on it aggressively. In the end, I'm sure the bureaucrats in their cubicles transliterated the names correctly. I'm sure they crossed every T and dotted every I. But at a price. A devastating price. I woke up the next morning to read in the news that a bomb had gone off in Beirut. It was carried out by the people my report said would carry it out. It took place in the exact locale I said it would take place. 43 people dead. Hundreds wounded. Families shattered. I didn't know these people, but my heart sank. Human life is sacred. I will always work to defend it. If I can save a few dogs along the way, great. That is also the Lord's work. But I will never keep a dog that is a danger to my neighbors. Whatever their sins, their harassment, libel, and cunning deceits, they are made in the image of God with souls destined for eternity. Lucy, my 11-year-old dog that survived ISIS, is no danger to my them. I know it in my very bones. The Mountains Have Eyes said that the DA told him I was not a responsible dog owner when he called to inquire about Lucy. This viewpoint is informed by a false impression given to her by our gossipy, well-connected neighbors, not by the facts. I want to tell her about Apollo. Dolly Spice- Jones ๐ŸŒฑ๐ŸŽต Leisha

Brendan M. Jones ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

15,769 gรถrรผntรผleme โ€ข 2 ay รถnce