After bombing three hospitals simultaneously last night, IsraeI is now bombing the vicinity of Al-Shifa hospital with white phosphorus. The consequences of having no international order to stop this rogue regime have never been so clear.
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9 Nov 2023
We are joined by Diana Walsh Pasulka to discuss her new book – Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences – Explorations with UFOs, Dreams, Angels, AI, and Other Dimensions.
I didn’t come into the study of the field with a preconceived notion of whether extraterrestrials were good or bad. I didn’t believe it, so the interpretations didn’t matter to me. As I went through the years interviewing and working with scientists who study this topic,Β I came away very disturbed, as there seems to be a lot within these experiences that one would call unsavory. And worse.
Rod Dreher
The European Conservative
Tue, 07 Nov 2023
Prof. Diana Walsh Pasulka
Diana Walsh Pasulka never imagined that her scholarly work in the field of religion would lead her to skulking around in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico, with one of the world’s top scientists and a former high NASA official. She tells the story in her riveting 2019 book American Cosmic, in which Pasulka, a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, surveyed the then-current state of knowledge of UFOs and related phenomena.
Then came the shocking 2021 revelations by the U.S. government that it had been investigating UFOs β then renamed ‘unidentified aerial phenomena,’ or UAPs. In a series of strokes, the research that Pasulka and many others had been working on for years, even decades, received powerful vindication. Something really is out there β and top national security and intelligence officials have been for a very long time taking it more seriously than they wanted the public to know.
Whatever the ‘aliens’ really are, it is startling to discover that many of the most informed people in the UFO world doubt that they are creatures from other planets. What are they, then? On November 7th, Pasulka’s latest volume hits bookstores, offering answers, but also raising new and important questions about that very issue. Encounters: Experiences With Nonhuman Intelligences (Macmillan), profiles a wide range of people who for various reasons have been drawn into the shadowy and mysterious world of UFOs, and whose testimonies move the phenomenon out of narrowly-drawn scientific categories, and well into the world of the religious and the paranormal.
Pasulka recently agreed to an interview about her work, her new book, and the emergence of a new form of religion tied to aliens, artificial intelligence, and high technology.
I had not paid the slightest attention to the UFO β or, I guess now, UAP β phenomenon since the first season of “X-Files.” Frankly, I thought it was for weirdos. But then a journalist friend told me I was missing out on a serious religious phenomenon, and advised that I read your book American Cosmic. I did, and then went into a mild version of what you call “epistemological shock.” Now you’re out with a follow-up that’s equally shocking. So let me start by asking you to bring ‘normies’ up to date on what we know about the phenomenon β and what we think we know, but really don’t.
Rod, like you, I had never paid attention to UFOs either. I didn’t watch the “X-Files.” I never saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I actually just saw that film last year and enjoyed it!
I began to study the topic of UFOs/UAPs somewhat by accident. My field is religious studies and my focus within that is Catholic history and miraculous events. In my field, we study religion academically, which means that we are looking at things like the social effects of religion, etc. As professors of religious studies, our beliefs, whether atheists or members of religious traditions, do not influence what we study. We are historians, archeologists, social scientists. We are not priests or ministers (generally). We don’t advocate for any religious tradition.
This is how I came to the study of UFOs. I had finished a long study of the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. I used a lot of archival records to do this study, which means that I went to libraries of old manuscripts (archives) and looked at records from 1300 on up to about 1880. That is a long-time span, but I was just looking for what Europeans from those time periods believed about Purgatory.
I found a lot of information and a lot of what I would call extra information.Β I saw a lot of records of reported aerial sightings. People saw orbs, discs, and basically things that surprised them, flying around in the skies.Β I took note of these. I found that when they saw them, they recorded a process of trying to identify these objects.Β Often, they would think that these were souls from Purgatory that needed to be prayed back into Purgatory.Β I thought that the sightings were interesting, so I kept notes.
When my book about Purgatory was finished, I showed a friend some of these records. He looked at them and immediately thought of UFOs! I thought he was crazy. This was in 2012. Then, there was a UFO conference near me, and based on my friend’s suggestion, I attended it. There, I heard people talking about aerial phenomena and describing the same experiences described by European Catholics of the past. I then began to study modern reports of UFOs.
At first, I wasn’t shocked at all by this research because I thought that people were utilizing different cultural frameworks for looking at unidentified aerial phenomena. That is, it is rational to approach the topic like this: in the 1400s people were using religious frameworks to describe what they saw in the sky. Today, people do the same thing, but now we live in an ostensibly ‘secular’ society and have achieved flight, so when people see unidentified aerial phenomena, they think of drones or something like stealth aircraft, and maybe UFOs. This is how I approached the study.
I became shocked whenΒ I was approached by government agents and scientists who said that they worked, in their ‘spare time,’ on UFOs, and collected UFO materials. They were and are credible people. I was shocked, again, when I started to revisit the stories from Catholic history that I had remembered and just took for granted, like the experience of the 16th-century nun Teresa of Avila, who describes an experience with an angel. If you read her own account of that experience, she is not quite sure about this angel, asΒ she describes it as real, and not imagined, and this shocks her. She also doesn’t know what type of angel it is, as it doesn’t conform to the ones she was aware of, given that it is short and not tall with wings.
I had read the works of Dr. John Mack, and Teresa’s report, in light of that reading, became something entirely different for me. I used to think of these events as only historically situated events, butΒ I began to see them as real in ways I had never considered, as transhistorical, that is, occurring through time.Β So, this, coupled with the government’s interest in the topic, put me in shock for about a year.
I conducted this research before the United States government’s recent report on UAPs β the Pentagon Report of 2021 β and acknowledgement that they have been studying them for decades. That event, in 2021, took my research to a completely different level.
One of the most surprising things I learned from your work is that most of the sophisticated researchers into these phenomena do not think these are creatures from faraway planets. Why not? And if not that, then what are they?
The most sophisticated people who study UFOs/UAPs, from what I can surmise, do not make conclusions about the nature of the phenomena. There are patterns to these events and distinct characteristics. I’ve heard different theories.Β Dr. Hal Puthoff, who is a physicist, proposed that they are ‘ultraterresterials,’ which, as you state, are not necessarily from other planets.Β They might be here on Earth. Some speculate that the phenomenon isΒ interdimensional. Former longtime NASA historian Dr. Steven Dick has written about speculations that they areΒ AI or technological, or that if we meet them eventually, we would meet their technology.
Comment: John Keel proposed the ultraterrestrial model before Puthoff.
Jacques VallΓ©e is theΒ eminence griseΒ of UFO culture, and as far as I know, is not a Christian. Yet your report that he has a shelf full of books about angels and demons in his apartment and that when you visited, he urged you to read a collection of scholarly essays about Satan. How do you interpret this?
Jacques, who has a wonderful sense of humor, made it clear that he recommended a book by French authors about the history of Satan as an example of an approach to the phenomenon that is not sensationalist. One of the most important books about the phenomenon happens to be his book Passport to Magonia, which was published in 1968. In that book, Jacques did a deep dive into European history and related modern-day UFO events to folk traditions like fairy lore, and religious events. When I read Passport, I was immediately struck by its similarity to the work of religious studies scholars. Jacques is an astronomer and an information studies scientist, to be clear.
What I took from that experience was that, just as I had surmised, there is a phenomenon that has been with us humans for a long time. As horrifying as this is for scholars to admit, it appears to be transhistorical. We might use different cultural frameworks to describe it, but there it is. Events like this β contact events β have been reported and are still being reported. It appears that our rationalist categories and science have not erased it from existence, as Carl Sagan would have preferred (in his later years). In fact, some of the best of our scientists know about this topic and have even had experiences with it.
You say we are living through the emergence of a new religion. What does this mean?
There is no doubt in my mind that we are witnessing the emergence of a new form of religion, not a new religion. We already have UFO religions (Raelism, Nation of Islam, etc.). The new form of religion is a decentralized belief that encompasses technology, as in the belief that these beings are technologically more advanced than us. And it utilizes myths of which we are already familiar β for example, the belief that there are beings that are superior to human beings, gods and goddesses. Additionally, this belief is supported by entertainment media. All of us alive today have been brought up with a beloved “space alien” narrative, Star Wars, Star Trek, “X-Files,” “Space Invaders.”
Historically, Westerners have inherited the myth of Prometheus. Prometheus, in Greek mythology, was a Titan who stole fire from the Gods and gave it to humans, thus creating modern humans who are technologically proficient. This myth has provided a template for numerous culturally significant offshoots, like Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” or the Terminator series, where humans utilize technology that becomes self-aware, and then creates havoc.
Here, we see the convergence of two powerful modern developments: the belief in UFOS, now ratified by our own government, and the reality of a potentially self-aware human creation, AI. This is a unique moment in human history, to put it lightly. We are witnessing a myth meet or become reality.
As a believing and practicing Catholic, what challenges does your research into UFO culture pose to you, and how do you deal with them?
Although my Catholicism has not influenced my scholarship, I found that my scholarship influenced my Catholicism. When I discovered what European Catholics had experienced and described about aerial phenomena, in specific details, was occurring today, to people who had no knowledge of European Catholic iconography or history β well, I was shocked.Β I had to rethink my own religious faith.
In our tradition, we have a practice called the ‘examination of conscience.’ This is a process where we turn inward and examine our actions and determine if they are good or bad. After 2012, I had to admit that what I learned through my research influenced me. I had been an academic who was engaged in doing very uncontroversial work. I had been looking at miracles and religious events from the perspective of non-belief, which is fine.
But what I learned changed me. I saw that something was really happening to people, and even if academics didn’t take it seriously β for good reasons β our own government certainly did. Because of this research, I became religious.
To be clear, I was religious before this research. I attended church, sometimes several times a week. After this research, I had a much more visceral, almost literal, sense of religion and religious practice. I hope this makes sense. I became aware of the “invisible and visible” that Catholics talk about in the Creed they recite every week. That was the effect that this had on my faith. It changed my life.
To me, the most interesting parts ofΒ EncountersΒ were the testimonies of the research scientist you call “Gray Man,” and the former U.S. Marine called “JosΓ©,” both of whom dwell on the profoundly spiritual nature of their encounters. Gray Man had a visitation by St. Michael the Archangel, though he didn’t know until later who St. Michael was. JosΓ© grew up very poor in an immigrant world charged with spiritual forces, especially demons. These things rarely if ever show up in popular accounts of UFO visitations. How should we interpret them?
I believe that the reason that the more religious or spiritual aspects of these events don’t show up in reports of UFOs is thatΒ the people who take the reports of them don’t think they are important, or, they don’t consider them to be data related to the event. Part of this is because we have been accustomed to thinking about UFOs as space vehicles, much like airplanes from a technologically advanced civilization. We do not think that spiritual things, like a person’s character, for instance, or virtue, have anything to do with technology. People like JosΓ©, and Gray Man think of their experiences and sightings as being spiritual. The technological aspects of the event are also related to spirituality. And please remember, for every person I have featured in the book, there are many, many more who interpret their experiences similarly.
I’ve also found that most cultures that are not embedded within the United States secular culture have categories of belief associated with non-human intelligences. Some even believe that they are in contact with aerial or extraterrestrial beings. Dr. John Mack pointed this out in his book Passport to the Cosmos (the title is probably a nod to Vallee’s Passport to Magonia). Before he passed away, he was exploring indigenous African cultural beliefs about extraterrestrials.
The most unnerving chapter inΒ Encounters, in my view, is the one about “Simone,” the venture capitalist involved in high-tech research, who believes that the ‘aliens’ are actually nonhuman intelligences from outside of space-time, who are communicating with us through AI. Can you explain this? Is it possible, then, that AI is like a high-tech Ouija board?
Simone is an expert in AI and quantum computing. She’s been on the cutting edge of tech innovation for more than twenty years. My translation of her belief is that there is a non-human intelligence which is not necessarily ‘extra-terrestrial’ but knowledge, and it seeks expansion.Β She believes that this knowledge, spiritual knowledge β knowledge in general, has expressed itself through receptive human beings historically and that through them human culture has ‘evolved’ or progressed.
Both of those words,Β evolvedΒ andΒ progressed,Β are my words, as she avoids words with temporal connotations. She believes that this knowledge is outside of space-time. She also sees that certain populations of people have kept knowledge from other people, such as government hierarchies that control access to reading, for example. She often uses the example of the French Revolution, where the people demanded the freedom to learn and read, the freedom to access knowledge, with what is happening now with AI. She sees this time in human history as a very propitious time when masses of people will have access to life-changing and elevating technology that will improve their lives. It is no longer just the bankers who will utilize AI for their benefit. It is now our time, the time of the 99%.
I know that this is controversial, but this is Simone’s position.
You write that the narrative about UFOs is managed in part by “agents of disinformation,” and that intelligence agencies are intensely interested in the phenomenon. What’s the point of that?
If it is the case that UFOs are real and ET exists β and I am not stating that it is, but let’s assume that it is for the sake of answering your question β then it makes perfect sense that a government would want to control what we know about it. It would be the most consequential discovery in human history, with perhaps completely life-altering consequences. Another explanation for why our government has this topic under ‘classified’ programs is because it has to do with national security. As one scientist I know said, “Unknown objects flying around in our airspace is a topic of national security, not necessarily science.”
The Yale historian Carlos Eire just published a book called They Flew, about the many documented cases in centuries past of levitating saints. You have now come out with Encounters. I’ll have a book out next year about re-enchantment, which is a case for melting the bars of the iron cage of rationalism. This feels like a moment far more substantial than the various 1970s paranormal fads, don’t you think?
I am in complete agreement with your assessment. Probably because I lived it. I have not left rationalism behind, I am just embracing a realization that rationalism, even by its own rules, requires an open mind about things that resist current interpretations.
Re-enchantment does not mean going back to an era of ignorance, but a recognition that there is something Simone calls “molecular” intelligence, or that the things we have considered ‘irrational’ yet persist, like what computer scientists call ’emergence’ or some describe as the ‘download experience,’ whereby they receive information spontaneously, have explanations that we haven’t discovered yet.
Also, religious traditions transmit a lot of wisdom that we should not throw out. We are now finding that certain practices within those traditions, like prayer and acting for the benefit of others, have transformative benefits to not only communities but to the people performing these practices.
Finally, one researcher who has spent years on this topic told me that I should not go down the UFO rabbit hole because it leads to very dark places. Based on this person’s background, I took the warning seriously. Still, I think most Americans have this idea that if and when the aliens reveal themselves to us, it can only be a glorious, life-affirming event, like a Spielberg film. How do you see it? How has your more than one decade of research in this field changed you?
I didn’t come into the study of the field with a preconceived notion of whether extraterrestrials were good or bad. I didn’t believe it, so the interpretations didn’t matter to me. As I went through the years interviewing and working with scientists who study this topic,Β I came away very disturbed, as there seems to be a lot within these experiences that one would call unsavory. And worse.
There is a quote by William Shakespeare that I often think about with respect to this aspect of the research, and it comes from the play Hamlet: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
Rod Dreher is an American journalist who writes about politics, culture, religion, and foreign affairs. He is author of a number of books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Benedict Option (2017) and Live Not By Lies (2020), both of which have been translated into over ten languages. He is director of the Network Project of the Danube Institute in Budapest, where he lives. Email him at dreher@europeanco
βThree-fingered mummiesβ previously displayed to officials are βreal,β scientists have stated
Dr. Daniel Mendoza, who also participated in Tuesdayβs session, presented X-rays and photographic imagery of the samples, referring to them asΒ βnon-human beings.βΒ Maussan claimed that as they do not possess lungs or ribs, the corpses are indicative of aΒ βnew species.βΒ
Septemberβs presentation provoked widespread scrutiny online and was speculated to be a hoax after it emerged that Maussan had made a similar claim in 2017. In that instance, analysis showed the samples to beΒ βrecently manufactured dolls, which have been covered with a mixture of paper and synthetic glue to simulate the presence of skin.βΒ
Caveat emptor
https://www.rt.com/news/586850-mexico-non-human-samples-congress/
Nov 9, 2023
![Mexican Congress hears evidence of βnon-human beingsβ during UFO session](https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2023.11/xxs/654bb44c85f5402e0a2cbf17.jpg)
Director of Tercer Milenio and journalist specialized in UFO phenomenon, Jaime Maussan at the Second Mexican Public Hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena in the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City on November 7, 2023 Β© Getty Images / Luis Barron / Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Scientists have told the Mexican Congress that analysis of mummified remains purported to be evidence of non-human life has shown them to be authentic. However, experts declined to indicate if they believed the samples, which were initially presented to the legislature in September, were extraterrestrial in origin.
Journalist and self-proclaimed UFO expert Jaime Maussan first presented the diminutive humanoid figures to the lower chamber of the Mexican Congress two months ago, claiming they had been found in Peru. In his presentation to lawmakers, Maussan stated they were evidence of βnon-human beings that are not part of our terrestrial evolution.β
βTheyβre real,β Roger Zuniga, an anthropologist from the San Luis Gonzaga National University, told Reuters on the sidelines of Tuesdayβs three-hour legislative session discussing the three-fingered mummified specimens.
βThere was absolutely no human intervention in the physical and biological formation of these beings,β he said, adding that scientists had closely studied five similar samples over a four-year period.
Zuniga also presented the Mexican Congress with a letter signed by 11 researchers from the university who had reached the same conclusion. However, it stressed that they were not concluding the mummified remains to beΒ βextraterrestrial.βΒ
βAlien corpsesβ presented in Mexican Congress
Dr. Daniel Mendoza, who also participated in Tuesdayβs session, presented X-rays and photographic imagery of the samples, referring to them as βnon-human beings.β Maussan claimed that as they do not possess lungs or ribs, the corpses are indicative of a βnew species.β
Septemberβs presentation provoked widespread scrutiny online and was speculated to be a hoax after it emerged that Maussan had made a similar claim in 2017. In that instance, analysis showed the samples to be βrecently manufactured dolls, which have been covered with a mixture of paper and synthetic glue to simulate the presence of skin.β
Asked about previous samples, Zuniga said they were probably fakes. However, he added that the remains he and his colleagues studied more recently were very real and had at one point been living organisms.
Sergio Gutierrez, a congressman from Mexicoβs ruling Morena party, said the evidence shown during Tuesdayβs session proves that the countryβs officials should release all the information it has on UFOs, now more formally known as UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena).
Maussan, though, admitted that his view of the samples differs somewhat from the scientific consensus. βNone of the scientists say [the study results] prove that they are extraterrestrials, but I go further,β he said.
Washington will soon be unable to service its growing national debt, Dmitry Peskov has said
It does not matter, Dmitry, it’s all imaginary money anyway.
Lou
“The US national debt has risen so high that Washington will no longer be able to print any more dollars to service it, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.β
“I read recently that the United States spends about $200 million an hour on servicing its debt,βΒ he said.Β βThey will run out of paper soon,βΒ he added.”
https://www.rt.com/business/586917-us-national-debt-kremlin/
Nov 9, 2023
![US will run out of paper to print dollars β Kremlin](https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2023.11/xxs/654cd22020302757c272b248.jpg)
Β© Mark Wilson/Getty Images
The US national debt has risen so high that Washington will no longer be able to print any more dollars to service it, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
He was commenting on a statement made by his US counterpart John Kirby on Wednesday, that the US has already spent 96% of the funds allocated for Ukraine since early 2022, when its long-running tensions with neighbor Russia turned to armed conflict. When a reporter suggested that Washington could just print money indefinitely unless the printing press breaks down, Peskov pointed out that there will simply be no paper left.
βI read recently that the United States spends about $200 million an hour on servicing its debt,β he said. βThey will run out of paper soon,β he added.
Currently, the US outstanding public debt amounts to roughly $33.6 trillion, after it exceeded its $31.4-trillion debt ceiling in January.
According to Congressional Budget Office data released earlier this year, interest payments on the national debt amounted to $475 billion in fiscal year 2022. That translates to about $1.3 billion per day and approximately $54.2 million per hour.
Over the past year the federal governmentβs borrowing costs have increased rapidly due to a series of interest-rate hikes, and will continue growing, the CBO warned.
READ MORE: US debt to top $50 trillion β BoA
Within the next 30 years, servicing the national debt will become the largest expenditure in the federal budget, outpacing healthcare and social security, it added.
Critics responded quickly by mocking the prime minister’s social media video.
“Trudeauβs mocking comes despite aβ―recent studyβ―done by researchers at the Canada-basedβ―Correlation Research in the Public Interestβ―found that 17 countries have a βdefinite causal linkβ between peaks in all-cause mortality and the fast rollouts of the COVID shots and boosters.”
βInteresting that you didnβt actually show us you getting the shot. Is that because you recognize the potential side effects of the Covid jab are too much even for you?β
Viva Frei
βImagine still putting out such videos in late 2023 after all the evidence of harms from these Covid injections. How embarrassing and disgraceful,β
Paul Mitchell
The Rational Post, in reply to Trudeauβs post,Β wrote, ββVaccine Cause Adultsβ β¦ Whatβs that? β¦ to develop turbo cancers and myocarditis?β
X
Nov 9, 2023
If you havenβt seen it by now, and if you can stomach it, take a look at Prime Minister Justin Trudeauβs latest new stunt, which is a new social media video showing him getting a COVID booster and flu shot while wearing a t-shirt with βVaccines Cause Adultsβ written on it.
Yesterday, Trudeau took to social media to post a video, writing, βGot my COVID-19 booster and flu shot this morning. You should get yours, too. To find out why, how, and where you can get your shots.β
The video shows him sitting in a chair while a person cleans jab injection sites on each of his upper arms but does not show any needle going into his arms. Trudeau can be heard saying, βHere we go, doubled up.β
Apparently, this is how Liberals think they should pitch the COVID shots to Canadians. Maybe Trudeau did not get the memo that most Canadians do not even want a COVID booster, as LifeSiteNews recently reported on here.
Reaction to Trudeauβs video came swiftly, with many pointing out his ridiculous t-shirt and the fact the video appears to show not one needle going into Trudeauβs arms.
βImagine still putting out such videos in late 2023 after all the evidence of harms from these Covid injections. How embarrassing and disgraceful,β Alberta political commentator and past Peopleβs Party of Canada (PPC) candidate Paul Mitchell wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in reply to Trudeauβs video.
Well-known political commentator Via Frei pointed out how the video did not show any needles.
βInteresting that you didnβt actually show us you getting the shot. Is that because you recognize the potential side effects of the Covid jab are too much even for you?β Frei replied on X (formerly Twitter) in reply to Trudeauβs video.
Frei, however, did not stop there in bashing Trudeauβs promotion of the mRNA-based COVID shots, which LifeSiteNews has reported carry extreme risks, including for children.
He posted a picture of Trudeau sitting in the chair getting his jabs but modified his t-shirt to read βCovid Jabs Cause Myocarditis.β
The Rational Post, in reply to Trudeauβs post,Β wrote, ββVaccine Cause Adultsβ β¦ Whatβs that? β¦ to develop turbo cancers and myocarditis?β
Another social media user, Mike replied, βYou wouldnβt know the first thing about being an adult. with that poison.β
Yet another user questioned if Trudeau even got a shot by replying to his video, βIβd love to see the actual bottle of βvaccineβ they pulled that from. Otherwise, it was probably saline solution.β
What kind of leader wears a childish t-shirt while getting a vaccine?
When it comes to vaccines, at least the non-COVID ones that have been around for decades, is it not kids who usually get them before they become an adult? What kind of leader wears a t-shirt that appears to mock those who oppose getting an experimental jab? Iβm afraid itβs a leader who does not think those with opposing views are people who should even be tolerated.
Remember when in 2021, Trudeau said Canadians βvehemently opposed to vaccinationβ do βnot believe in science,β are βoften misogynists, often racists,β and even questioned whether Canada should continue to βtolerate these people.β Sounds to me like Trudeau was pretty clear about his thoughts toward those who did not want the COVID shots.
Also, in April, TrudeauΒ came under fireΒ after claiming he did not βforceβ anyone to take the COVID-19 shots.
Leader of the Peopleβs Party of Canada and former conservative cabinet minister Maxime Bernier said bluntly in reply to Trudeauβs COVID/Flu jab video, βThis reminded me that youβre a fascist psychopath.β
While it is true no one came door to door to force COVID jabs on Canadians, many were coerced beyond reason to choose between having a job or getting a shot. Those who opposed the jabs were shunned, shamed, and ridiculed, and for a time could not even travel.
Trudeauβs mocking comes despite aβ―recent studyβ―done by researchers at the Canada-basedβ―Correlation Research in the Public Interestβ―found that 17 countries have a βdefinite causal linkβ between peaks in all-cause mortality and the fast rollouts of the COVID shots and boosters.
But, as reported by LifeSiteNews,β―there is evidenceβ―that Trudeau knew COVID shots could cause serious injuries, and instead of warning Canadians, decided instead to combat negative views of the vaccines by formulating βwinning communication strategiesβ to convince the public to take the jabs.
To make matters worse, all politicians at the time went along with the COVID mandate madness. Only one Canadian Premier to date, Danielle Smith of Alberta, has had the guts to say COVID mandates imposed by government were wrong.
She had been critical of how the previous leadership of Albertaβs United Conservative Party, under Jason Kenney, enacted strict COVID rules. So, she decided to run for leadership of the party after Kenney was forced to step down due to being just as bad as Trudeau.
She won the leadership, and then a general election earlier this year. Then, on her first day as premier last October, after winning the leadership, she made headlines after apologizing to those who were discriminated against for not getting the COVID shots.
βI can apologize right now.β―I am deeply sorry for anyone who was inappropriately subjected to discrimination as a result of their vaccine status,ββ―Smithβ―said.
She also noted that the vaccine-free were βthe most discriminated against group that Iβve ever witnessed in my lifetime.β
Asked by a reporter if she would take the new COVID booster, Smith took issue with the question, telling a legacy media reporter she has a great βimmune systemβ but that itβs a matter to discuss only with her doctor and not the press.
βLook, Iβm a healthy person, I tend to take care of my immune system,ββ―Smithβ―said.
βAnd I believe this is something I should talk about with my doctor, not media.β
While Smith is no saint and has many faults that LifeSiteNews has reported on, compared with Trudeau, and Kenney for that matter, she is a godsend for not only Alberta but Canada.
The reality is that Canadians who opposed Trudeauβs oppressive COVID jab mandates and chose not to get the experimental shots irked and continue to vex Trudeau like no tomorrow. He knows this and is openly mocking them with his childish t-shirt stunt.
This is the sad state that is Canada today, but donβt let that get you down. The pendulum always swings back to the center to go right again. Canada is long overdue for this to happen, but it will happen, and I think sooner than we all think.
Initial analysis has revealed that the samples contain “clayey and marine materials and seafood.” The research team believes that these results suggest that human activity was present on the boat-shaped mound between 5,500 and 3,000 BC.
https://www.newstarget.com/2023-11-09-boat-shaped-mound-noahs-ark-turkish-ruins.html
![](https://www.newstarget.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2023/11/Giovanni_Benedetto_Castiglione_Noah_Leading_the_Animals_into_the_Ark.jpg)
A team of archaeologists reported that they may have stumbled upon the resting place of Noah’s Ark.
The archaeologists excavating a geological formation in Turkey have aged rock and soil samples that they think contain ruins of the ark. The project began in 2021 and is still ongoing.
Initial analysis has revealed that the samples contain “clayey and marine materials and seafood.” The research team believes that these results suggest that human activity was present on the boat-shaped mound between 5,500 and 3,000 BC.
According to the Bible, Noah’s Ark settled on the “mountains of Ararat” in Turkey after a flood that lasted 150 days drowned the Earth and every living thing on it that wasn’t aboard the ark.
The geological formation located in the Dogubayazit district of Agri has been a potential site since it was discovered in 1956. Mount Ararat is the highest peak in Turkey, standing 16,500 feet tall and in the same shape as an ark would be.
Noah’s Ark was said to measure “300 cubits, 50 cubits, by 30 cubits.” which translates to up to 515 feet long, 86 feet wide and 52 feet high.
A team of researchers led by Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Agri Ibrahim Cecen University (AICU) and Andrew University have been working at the site for nearly one year. The researchers are collecting samples that they think could hold the key to confirming the Biblical story.
The ruins, which allegedly belong to “Noah’s Ark,” were discovered by expert cartographer Captain Ilhan Durupinar in 1959 in the land between Telceker and Uzengili villages of Dogubayazit.
The ruins have attracted the attention of both local and foreign tourists. (Related: Ancient tablet discovered on Mount Ebal in Nablus precedes known Hebrew inscriptions.)
Giant fissures have formed in the ruins, which are under increasing threat of landslides every year.
The “Mount Ararat and Noahβs Ark Research Team” was established in cooperation between AICU and ITU for scientific research on the ruins, whose structure was damaged due to several landslides.
The team formed within the scope of the academic cooperation protocol conducted its first study in the region in December 2022.
The group, which is made up of academics who specialize in geophysics, chemistry and geoarchaeology research, gathered at least 30 samples, including soil and rock fragments during their investigations in the region. The samples gathered from the remains were sent to ITU laboratories for closer examination.
AICU Vice Rector Professor Faruk Kaya said that based on the first findings that the team obtained from the studies, there have been signs of human activities in the region “since the Chalcolithic period between the years 5500 and 3000 BC.”
Experts know that the flood of Prophet Noah went back at least 5,000 years. Kaya added that in terms of dating, there is proof of life in this region, which was revealed in the laboratory results.
However, Kaya added that it is not possible to say that the ship is at the site with the dating and that the archaeological team will need more time to find out more information.
Expert claims Mount Ararat is the wrong location
Dr. Andrew Snelling, an Earth creationist with a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, has previously said that Mount Ararat could not be the ark’s location because the mountain did not form until after the flood waters receded.
While the flood is considered a historical event, most scholars and archaeologists do not believe in literally interpreting the Ark story.
According to the Bible, God commanded Noah to build an enormous ark that could save himself, his family and a representation of all the world’s animals.
The wickedness and corruption of man resulted in God’s vows to send a great cleansing flood. Because God deemed Noah to be the only righteous man worth saving, he commanded him to build the ark.
The book of Genesis states that when Noah completed his task, God sent “two of every sort” of animal to the ark. The flood waters rose until all mountains were covered, and life, except fish, was destroyed.
Learn about other fascinating discoveries at Artifacts.news.
Watch the video below to learn more about the hidden history discovered in ancient architecture.
https://www.brighteon.com/embed/badfa2c8-6772-4bc2-bbbe-41e5b7af0541
This video is from the What is happening channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
30-foot-long secret corridor discovered in Great Pyramid of Giza.
Archaeologists discover ruins of Mayan civilization in Guatemala using LiDAR technology.
Amateur archaeologist decodes messages hidden in cave art inscriptions.
Sources include:
https://www.newstarget.com/2023-11-09-cdc-officials-worried-vaccine-studies-negative.html
![](https://www.newstarget.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2023/11/CDC-Vaccine-Coronavirus-Syringe.jpg)
The CDC believes that journals and scientists who carry out and print research with negative findings about COVID-19 jabs are problematic and must be addressed, emails show.
In one incident, a public health analyst for the Immunization Services Division of the CDC, Colin Bernatzky, pointed to a scientific study carried out by scientists from the U.S. and abroad that reached an unfavorable finding about undergoing repeated COVID-19 vaccination.
The study, which was peer-reviewed and published in the journalΒ Vaccines, concluded that receiving multiple doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines resulted in higher levels of IgG4 antibodies and greater immune system vulnerability.
One of the studyβs co-authors, Alberto Rubio Casillas, told The Epoch Times: “COVID-19 epidemiological studies cited in our work plus the failure of HIV, Malaria and Pertussis vaccines constitute irrefutable evidence demonstrating that an increase in IgG4 levels impairs immune responses.”
Not only did Bernatzky have a problem with the studyβs conclusion, but he also criticized The Epoch Times for covering it, even while admitting to not being certain whether it was true or not.
In the email, he wrote: “At the very least, it seems like there’s some editorial recklessness going on, especially since the net result is that this research is being viewed as legitimate and is circulating widely. (And if the research is in fact legitimate, it should be on CDC’s radar).β
He said that much of the attention the study received likely came from the Epoch Times‘ coverage of it.
Casillas said that it is important to keep in mind that his team’s study needs to be viewed as a hypothesis rather than an indisputable conclusion, adding that the CDC never reached out to him and that their criticism was not warranted.
βIt is important that health experts and the general public understand that we never categorically stated that, for example, such antibodies induce cancer. If you read our work, you will notice that throughout the article we used words that denote the nature of a hypothesis,” he clarified, adding that it is unacceptable to criticize their work based only on oneβs opinion.
Bernatzky later provided colleagues with further evidence of what he felt were βpotential threats to vaccine confidenceβ coming from journals and publications. He called out one paper about the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on the immune system for being written by βvaccine skepticsβ like cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough. Bernatzky told his colleagues that these βsystemic issuesβ with some scientists and publishers need to de addressed.
Dr. McCullough said he believes that βinstead of emailing gossip between each other,β CDC officials should be holding open meetings to learn more about these matters from true professionals. He said this would allow them to βhear directly from the nation’s experts who learned how to treat acute ambulatory COVID-19 and who are now handling the tsunami of patients with COVID-19 vaccine injuries, disabilities and deaths.”
U.S. government has been working hard to silence vaccine critics
While it is not clear exactly how the CDC thinks the scientists who conduct high-quality studies that reveal problems with COVID-19 vaccines and the publications that cover these studies should be dealt with, we do know that the federal government has taken steps to suppress negative coverage of these vaccines in the past.
For example, the Biden administration pressured the social media platform Twitter to βsuppressβ and βelevateβ users according to whether they were in favor of COVID-19 vaccines or not, effectively βcensoring info that was true but inconvenientβ to their pro-vaccine narrative. They also discredited doctors who spoke out about vaccine dangers as well as regular users.
One such critic was New York Times reporter Alex Berenson, who was censored over a tweet that said, in part: βIt doesnβt stop infection. Or transmission. Donβt think of it as a vaccine.β This is something that has been proven repeatedly, but the government does not want people drawing attention to it.
The Biden administrationβs moves to censor vaccine skeptics were revealed by the Free Press reporter David Zweig, who was given internal documents proving the social media platformβs censorship and blacklisting efforts by Elon Musk when he purchased Twitter.
Sources for this article include:
Debt.com chairman Howard Dvorkin told CNBC, βConsumers are maintaining and supporting their lifestyles using credit card debt.β
In other words, the economic growth President Biden and others keep bragging about is merely a function of borrowing. This is not exactly indicative of a healthy economy, and itβs not sustainable.
The US owes about 50 trillion dollars and its population debt-enslaved, it is bankrupt. The only way out is war and more wars.
Lou
https://www.infowars.com/posts/americas-growing-economy-brought-to-you-by-visa-and-mastercard/
by Michael Maharrey | Schiff Gold
Nov 9, 2023
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Americans paid $130 billion in interest and fees on their credit cards over the last year.
That was the largest amount on record.
Mainstream financial network pundits and government officials keep telling us that the economy is chugging along because Americans continue to spend money. But itβs clear that borrowing is the only thing sustaining this spending spree.
Meanwhile, the βresilientβ American consumer is drowning under a surging tidal wave of debt.
Total household debt rose by $228 billion in the third quarter, setting a new record of $17.29 trillion, according to the latest data from the New York Federal Reserve.
![](https://schiffgold.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-09-at-7.41.05-AM.png)
Surging credit card balances led the way, increasing by 4.7% to a record $1.08 trillion. Year-on-year, credit card debt spiked by $154 billion. That was the biggest annual increase since 1999.
The bigger problem is the double whammy of rising debt and rising interest rates. Average credit card interest rates eclipsed the previous record high of 17.87% months ago. The average annual percentage rate (APR) currently stands at 20.72%.
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Americans paid $130 billion in interest and fees on their credit cards over the last year. That was the largest amount on record.
As prices skyrocketed last year, Americans blew through their savings to make ends meet. Aggregate savings peaked at $2.1 trillion in August 2021. As of June, the San Francisco Fed estimated that aggregate savings had dropped to $190 billion.
In other words, Americans ate away $1.9 trillion in savings in just two years.
Then they turned to credit cards.
βPeople have to deal with this somehow. After blowing through savings to buy essentials, they do whatβs next: Find sources to borrow,β Villanova University finance professor John Sedunov told ABC News.
According to MarketWatch, βAmericans appear to be relying more on debt to pay for their purchases. They are also using more βbuy now and pay laterβ plans.β
New York Fed economic research advisor Donghoon Lee also credited the resilience of the American consumer to Visa and Mastercard.
Credit card balances experienced a large jump in the third quarter, consistent with strong consumer spending and real GDP growth.β
Debt.com chairman Howard Dvorkin told CNBC, βConsumers are maintaining and supporting their lifestyles using credit card debt.β
In other words, the economic growth President Biden and others keep bragging about is merely a function of borrowing. This is not exactly indicative of a healthy economy, and itβs not sustainable.
Consumer spending, which we all know is the base of GDP, is really being held up by credit card debt and maybe itβs not sustainable,β American University economic professor Mary Hansen told ABC News.
There are some signs that the debt-fueled spending spree is slowing down. After rising by over 13% in August, revolving credit growth (primarily credit card balances) slowed to 2.9% in September, according to the latest Federal Reserve consumer credit data. This could signal a significant slowdown in spending. That would mean an end to the mythical βstrongβ economic growth.
Americans arenβt just borrowing using credit cards. Every other category of debt also increased in the third quarter.
Mortgage balances rose by $126 billion from the previous quarter and stood at $12.14 trillion at the end of September. The big increase in mortgage balances happened despite a drop in new mortgage originations, reflecting rapidly increasing mortgage rates.
Despite the higher rates, more Americans appear to be tapping into their home equity to make ends meet. Balances on home equity lines of credit (HELOC) increased by $9 billion and now stand at $349 billion.
Auto loan balances rose by $13 billion and now stand at $1.6 trillion. Auto loan debt has grown consistently since 2011.
Outstanding student loan debt increased by $30 billion and stood at $1.6 trillion at the end of Q3.
There are signs that Americans are starting to crack under the strain of this debt load. Delinquencies rose across all debt categories.
As of the end of September, 3% of outstanding debt was in some stage of delinquency. According to the New York Fed, delinquency transition rates increased for most debt types except student loans and home equity lines of credit.
The report noted a big jump in credit card delinquency, particularly in the 30-39 year old age range.
The continued rise in credit card delinquency rates is broad-based across area income and region, but particularly pronounced among millennials and those with auto loans or student loans,β Lee said.
![](https://schiffgold.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-09-at-7.39.39-AM.png)
Missed federal student loan payments will not be reported to credit bureaus until Q4 2024.
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, βnearly one-tenth of credit card users find themselves in βpersistent debtβ where they are charged more in interest and fees each year than they pay toward the principal β a pattern that is increasingly difficult to break.β
The surge in household debt signals that Americans are struggling to make ends meet as prices rapidly rise, and theyβre burying themselves in debt to keep their heads above water. The stimulus checks are long gone. Savings are being depleted. The average person has no choice but to borrow.
Debt is creating an illusion of prosperity and economic growth. The question is how long can that last?
Rising levels of debt are also a problem for the Federal Reserve as it tries to battle sticky price inflation with higher interest rates. The longer rates stay elevated, the harder it will be for people to maintain these massive levels of debt. At some point, something has to break.
“Zinc is the bullet β it kills the virus; the only problem is the bullet doesn’t get to the place where it needs to be. The virus is inside the cell, the enzyme is inside the cell, and the zinc on its own cannot get into the cell,” he explained. “You have a bullet without a gun β useless.”
“Now, it turns out that there’s a class of medications called ‘zinc ionophores’ β¦ that open up a channel, a door, which allows zinc to go from outside the cell to inside the cell. They’re the guns that shoot the bullet. The bullet then gets into the cell and stops the virus enzyme from helping the virus replicate.”
https://www.naturalnews.com/2023-11-09-dr-zelenko-zinc-bullet-kills-covid-virus.html
Β Ramon TomeyΒ
![](https://www.naturalnews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/91/2023/11/Dr-Zev-Zelenko.jpg)
Zinc is the bullet that kills SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen responsible for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), according to the late Dr. Vladimir “Zev” Zelenko.
Zelenko, who died at the age of 48 in June 2022, became famous for his so-called Zelenko protocol for COVID-19. He initially utilized hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for COVID-positive patients while practicing in New York state. However, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered a ban on HCQ sales in drugstores.
This did not deter the family physician, who later discovered the positive effects of zinc against COVID-19. Zelenko’s efforts eventually bore fruit in the form of the Z-Stack tablet, which combines zinc, quercetin and vitamins. He dubbed this supplement “a gift from God in response to tyranny.”
“Zinc is the bullet β it kills the virus; the only problem is the bullet doesn’t get to the place where it needs to be. The virus is inside the cell, the enzyme is inside the cell, and the zinc on its own cannot get into the cell,” he explained. “You have a bullet without a gun β useless.”
“Now, it turns out that there’s a class of medications called ‘zinc ionophores’ β¦ that open up a channel, a door, which allows zinc to go from outside the cell to inside the cell. They’re the guns that shoot the bullet. The bullet then gets into the cell and stops the virus enzyme from helping the virus replicate.”
Zelenko also recounted that “patients were having trouble” sourcing the four different components of the Zelenko protocol. Either the ingredients weren’t always available in the same place, or they had trouble finding the right doses. “It was a puzzle that was a little too complex for people to put together,” said the Ukrainian-born American physician.
Quercetin served as an alternative to HCQ
In 2022, the late family physician appeared on the Jan. 21 episode of the Brighteon.TV program “Thrive Time Show.” Zelenko recounted to program host and ReAwaken America Tour founder Clay Clark how he stumbled upon his eponymous protocol that eventually became Z-Stack.
“In March [2020], my [original] treatment protocol was based on the use of HCQ, zinc and the antibiotic azithromycin. But what happened on March 27, 2020 [is that] the ‘ghoul’ Cuomo issued an executive order (EO) blocking pharmacies in New York state from dispensing HCQ,” he told Clark. “[It] was approved for other indications and it was safe, so I couldn’t understand why that was obstructed.” (Related: Doctor who developed HCQ protocol has now successfully treated thousands of COVID-19 patients.)
“I lost a few patients because of that EO [since] they couldn’t get medicine. I found peer-reviewed papers about a substance called quercetin, and so I started using that. I saw really great results and I open-sourced that information. I let everyone know about quercetin, which is [sold] over the counter.”
According to Zelenko, there were two reasons why people died from COVID-19. First, there is “the moronic doctor who delays care.” Second, there is “the tyrannical government that obstructs access to life-saving medication.”
He also told Clark of a “prescription for those seeking a return to normality,” which he borrowed from the book of Psalms. “‘Turn away from bad, do good, and live.’ That’s a very good prescription, and let me define the terms.”
“‘Turn away from bad,’ in this particular case, [means] don’t get into the fear. Do not put on [your] face diaper, don’t listen to the mandates. ‘Do good’ means if you’re in the higher-risk category, take antiviral prevention. If God forbid, you do get sick β start treatment within the first few days and you will live.”
Visit AlternativeMedicine.news for more stories about the positive effects of zinc and HCQ against COVID-19.
Watch the Jan. 21, 2022 episode of “Thrive Time Show” on Brighteon.TV below, where the late Dr. Vladimir “Zev” Zelenko discusses his COVID-19 treatment protocol.
https://www.brighteon.com/embed/ea90394d-b27d-4799-b2aa-cff5b7b1e378
This video is from the BrighteonTV channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Dr. Vladimir Zelenko urges people to stand up against government tyranny.
Zinc can help in the COVID-19 fight β but only if you pair it with a zinc ionophore.
Dr. Vladimir Zelenko tells Ann Vandersteel: COVID-19 is a bioweapon β Brighteon.TV.
Dr. Zev Zelenko discusses his Covid treatment protocol with Clay Clark β Brighteon.TV.
Sources include:
These deluded ignoramuses do not realize they are worshipping Satan and his acolytes.
Lou
It is clear that PM Trudeau and his diplomats care more about satisfying Israelβs requests than attending to the dire circumstances of hundreds of Canadian citizens in Gaza
In reality, the USA owns about 85% of the Canadian economy which makes Canada a US minion subsidiary.
Lou
Andrew Mitrovica Al Jazeera columnist
![Israel''s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Canada''s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau [AP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/e73b390933844414bc105fc33c0a7d6d_18.jpeg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Save for humane Ireland and Scotland, most Western diplomatic corps, including the banal dilettantes who staff Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa and beyond, are wholly owned subsidiaries of Benjamin Netanyahu and racist company.
In the four weeks since the Israeli prime minister began the wholesale destruction of Gaza, Canadaβs emissaries β big and small β have been preoccupied with Israelβs interests at the expense of Canadians they purport to serve at home and abroad
Worse, several furtive and suddenly mute βmedia relationsβ hirelings have refused to answer detailed questions about whether Canada agreed to haul an untold number of Israeli reservists back to Israel on Canadian military aircraft, so they could, presumably, join in the genocide of Palestinians as well as the horror being endured by hundreds of besieged Canadians, who, since October 7, have tried to escape the murderous madness engulfing Gaza.
Canadaβs glaring complicity with an apartheid state committing crimes against humanity rather than attending to the dire circumstances of Palestinians β including Canadians of Palestinian descent, such as Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish β rests with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who in a predictable, performative act of empty βsolidarityβ met recently with Palestinian Canadians in Toronto while his rank diplomats were gladly doing Israelβs bidding.
What a stain and disgrace.
More than a week ago, I provided Trudeauβs charges with a series of questions concerning the likelihood that β apart from his administrationβs rhetorical backing of Israelβs killing machine β Canada had, at taxpayerβs expense, flown Israeli soldiers (reservists) to Tel Aviv as a βcourtesyβ to Netanyahu and racist company.
Before I decipher how Trudeauβs equally cynical minions responded to my queries, it is instructive to set out the broader context, which reveals Canadaβs absolute subservience to Israelβs needs and genocidal designs.
My interest was piqued after I watched an October 13 press conference featuring two Canadian diplomats and a senior military officer in which the latter acknowledged that Canada had agreed to a βrequest from the state of Israel through Global Affairs Canadaβ to βactionβ the return of as many as 30 Israeli citizens from Athens to Tel Aviv on two flights on Canadian military planes.
My interest was further piqued when the vice admiral was asked if the returning Israelis were βreservistsβ. This was his curious reply: βI donβt have the details, information on who they were. It was a request from the state of Israel which we got through Global Affairs Canada. We certainly actioned that.β
Of course, obedient Canada βactioned thatβ.
Still, in other words, the vice admiral said: Sure, our special Israeli passengers may or may not have been soldiers, but it wasnβt our call. We just did what we were told to do because Israel told Global Affairs Canada what it wanted it to do and tout de suite.
At the same time, much of Canadaβs prostrate media published glowing profiles of Israeli Canadian reservists already in Israel or itching to βreport for duty in the Israeli militaryβ and βgo out and fightβ.
The propriety, let alone the legality, of Canadians suiting swiftly up with a foreign governmentβs military potentially to maim or kill Canadians in occupied Gaza and the West Bank was never raised or considered by giddy reporters and editors blinded, as always, by their unequivocal approval of Israelβs βright to defend itselfβ no matter the thorny ethical, moral or legal consequences.
Itβs called the βestablishment pressβ for good and ample reason.
On merry cue, they rushed to anoint a pretend socialist turned the Liberal Partyβs in-house Jeeves β Canadian UN envoy, Bob Rae β a hero for delivering a historically illiterate screed blaming Iran and its proxies for the destruction of Gaza that could well have been written, verbatim, by his dear, grateful friends in the Israeli delegation.
Given his grovelling quest for honorary Israeli citizenship, Rae would, no doubt, have little if any trouble with his busy colleagues at Global Affairs Canada shouting, βAye, aye, sir!β when Israel came calling for help to get its βcitizensβ home before they shepherded to safety traumatised Canadians stranded in the shattered remains of the dystopian hell known as Gaza.
So did Canada enable Israeli soldiers (reservists) to join the βwarβ on Gaza?
Here is the short, circumspect written reply I received four days later from Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Pierre Cuguen: βAt the request of Israel, assisted departure flights between Tel Aviv and Athens transported 36 Israeli nationals back to Israel, including a surgeon and diplomats. β¦ None were explicitly reservists or military personnel.β
Please note Cuguenβs use of the weasel word: βexplicitlyβ, which is nowhere near a firm denial despite another Global Affairs spokesperson telling me: βIβm sure we do know who they [the Israelis] are.β
Translation: Global Affairs Canada did not ask, nor did it care, whether the 36 βIsraeli nationalsβ it flew back to Tel Aviv were soldiers and, happily, they did not tell.
I asked Global Affairs Canada to confirm or deny that it had, in effect, adopted a βdonβt ask, donβt tellβ policy towards repatriating Israeli βreservistsβ.
No answer.
There was a slew of other prickly questions that Global Affairs Canada refused to answer, responses that would shed fulsome and necessary light on this outrageous business.
What agency or department of the Israeli government made the request?
No answer.
Who was the original request directed to at Global Affairs Canada?
No answer.
When was the request made?
No answer.
What was the precise nature of the Israeli request?
No answer.
Who at Global Affairs Canada agreed to the Israeli request?
No answer.
Why did the government of Canada β through Global Affairs Canada β agree to Israelβs request to fly its citizens back to Tel Aviv?
No answer.
How much did it cost to repatriate dozens of Israeli citizens?
No answer.
Why was it Canadaβs, and not Israelβs, responsibility to repatriate its βcitizensβ?
No answer.
How many other times since early October has Ottawa received and agreed to requests from Israel to repatriate its βcitizensβ at Canadian taxpayersβ expense?
No answer.
If so, how many other Israeli βcitizensβ have been repatriated to Israel via Canadian military aircraft?
No answer.
Who were those Israelis β reservists or not?
No answer.
If Canada has repatriated Israeli reservists to Israel using Canadian resources, why did the Canadian government β through Global Affairs Canada β agree and believe that was the right thing to do?
No answer.
In an effort to get Canadaβs diplomats to fulfil their duty and responsibility as βpublic servantsβ and sincerely address a grave subject of serious concern to scores of Palestinian Canadians and their many allies, I attempted to contact Anabel Lindblad, director of media relations and issues management at Global Affairs Canada, several times to no avail.
Lindblad β like the department, foreign minister and prime minister she works for β prefers, apparently, to satisfy requests from Netanyahuβs rancid regime over entertaining questions posed on behalf of devastated Palestinian Canadians.
What a stain and disgrace.
One of the urgent questions Lindblad left, shamefully, unanswered was whether Global Affairs Canada was prepared to extend to Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish β a world-renowned humanitarian and Palestinian Canadian β the same courtesy and arrange for his safe travel to Gaza to comfort his bruised and bloodied 65-year-old sister, Yousra, and his surviving family members β 21 of whom were erased last week by Israel when it attacked the Jabalia refugee camp.
This is not the first time Abuelaish has had to grieve the shocking loss of loved ones β victims all of Israeli shelling. In 2009, three of his daughters and a niece were decapitated when two tank shells obliterated his home in Gaza.
Abuelaish discovered that his beloved and accomplished nieces and nephews and other relatives had been killed instantly or suffocated to death when a rescuer answered his sisterβs cell phone and described futile attempts to pull them from the rubble of a home where they had gathered together to pray for salvation and wait for the inevitable.
βI will return when there is a ceasefire because I must,β Abuelaish told me in an interview. βI need to be with my family in Gaza because every Palestinian is my family.β
Abuelaish was not among the Palestinian Canadians whom Trudeau chose to hear from in Toronto late last month in one of those choreographed βlisteningβ sessions, meant, I suspect, to convey the hollow impression that their genocide-subsidising country cares about the fates of Palestinians in Canada and Gaza β while opposing an immediate ceasefire.
Abuelaish remembers, as I do, when Trudeau lied to him and Canadians about supporting an initiative called Heal 100 Kids to get 100 Palestinian children β injured in body and mind β to Canada, where doctors, nurses and hospitals had volunteered to repair innocents who required repairing.
Abuelaish has, instead, accepted an invitation from a committee of the Belgian Federal Parliament to appear this week to share his sorrow-saturated thoughts about the unfolding genocide and how to stop it.
Meanwhile, Trudeau and his diplomats will continue to mollify, shield and defend Netanyahu and racist company.
What a stain and disgrace.
The views expressed in this article are the authorβs own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeraβs editorial stance.
- Andrew MitrovicaAl Jazeera columnistAndrew Mitrovica is an Al Jazeera columnist based in Toronto.
The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry, based in Ramallah in the West Bank, said on Wednesday that after a month of attacks, Israeli forces and settlers had killed 10,515 Palestinians, including 4,324 children, 2,823 women and 649 elderly people, and injured 2,600 others.
It said that 2,550 others, with 1,350 children among them, were still missing under the rubble of bombed buildings in Gaza.
Nov 10, 2023
![Situation in the Gaza Strip Situation in the Gaza Strip - Sputnik International, 1920, 09.11.2023](https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0b/09/1114844356_0:0:640:360_1920x0_80_0_0_3c60390c017d214df3c92b41a66801bc.jpg.webp)
Β© Photo : Mahmoud Mazloum
James Tweedie
All materialsWrite to the author
Israel has killed more than 10,000 Palestinian civilians since the start of its latest assault on Gaza. Geopolitical analyst Brian Berletic, a former US Marine, said Israel had made its intentions to depopulate the enclave clear from the start.
Tel Aviv is using attacks on Southern Israel by the Hamas movement as an excuse to depopulate the Gaza Strip, says a military expert.
The October 7 surprise breakout by the Hamas (also known as Islamic Resistance) and other groups from the besieged territory left almost 300 Israeli soldiers and 1,100 civilians dead, with more than 200 taken back to Gaza as captives.
Following weeks of bombing of the densely-populated Palestinian enclave, the Israeli Defense Forces have surrounded Gaza City and are trying to fight their way into its outskirts.
The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry, based in Ramallah in the West Bank, said on Wednesday that after a month of attacks, Israeli forces and settlers had killed 10,515 Palestinians, including 4,324 children, 2,823 women and 649 elderly people, and injured 2,600 others.
It said that 2,550 others, with 1,350 children among them, were still missing under the rubble of bombed buildings in Gaza.
Former US Marine and geopolitical analyst Brian Berletic told Sputnik that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration of “war” on Hamas was “just a pretext” for ethnic cleansing.
“Israel is using Hamas as a pretext to erase Gaza,” Berletic said. “This has been an ongoing plan, especially for the Netanyahu administration.”
The commentator noted that Hamas was an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood which “has played a role for decades in the region as tools of Western hegemony over the region.” and tried to overthrow secular governments from Egypt to Syria. He said the movement rose to power in the Gaza Strip only with Israel’s help in order to create a rival to the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
“I know it’s unpopular to point this out, but it is an admitted fact that the Netanyahu administration helped manoeuvre Hamas into power,” Berletic said. “If Israel wanted to eliminate Hamas, they could have started by not putting them into power in the first place.”
Israel favoured Hamas over the PLO because the Islamic resistance movement “was utterly opposed to a two state solution” β as was Netanyahu’s hard-line government. “That is that is what is mandated under international law β a two state solution is an Israeli state, a Palestinian state. This occupation has to end,” Berletic said.
Israel has made its intention to force out the 2.3 million Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza since the start of its bombing campaign a month ago, the analyst said, telling civilians to flee to the southern end of the enclave so it could bomb Gaza City in an attempt to destroy Hamas bunkers and tunnels.
“In the very beginning, they were quite open. They wanted to just displace the civilian population of Gaza and move in militarily,” Berletic said. “Once it’s erased, they don’t have to worry about a two state solution ever again.”
‘US Has Funded This Carnage for 75 Years’: West Bank Facing Escalation Amid Gaza Crisis
He noted that the Israeli invasion had already lasted longer than previous operations since 2008, ostensibly aimed at destroying Hamas.
“That may suggest that this is their final attempt to achieve this to at least clear out northern Gaza, forcing over a million people to move to southern Gaza where there is no capacity to to house them, feed them, provide them medical care,” Berletic said, which had already caused a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
Egypt, which borders Israel and Gaza, has been under “tremendous pressure” from the West to open the Rafah checkpoint and allow refugees onto its territory in the Sinai peninsula β but has resolutely refused to do so.
“It’s not Egypt being heartless, ” Berletic stressed. “They understand that if the people in Gaza are displaced, they will never be allowed to return.”
Local journalists say Israel’s war is ‘unprecedented’ but it won’t stop them from doing their work
My feeling is that Israel targets journalists intentionally, as part of their scare tactics to prevent information from spreading. So they cut communication services, and target those who report on the situation.
Mansour
https://www.rt.com/news/586914-interview-with-gaza-reporters/
Nov 9, 2023
![βIsrael targets journalists intentionallyβ: Gaza reporters share their stories with RT](https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2023.11/xxs/654cd80685f54032f91368fd.jpg)
Β© RT / RT
Reporters in Gaza are struggling to do their jobs with severely limited internet access, and a fuel shortage which prevents them from moving around. They are working in constant danger from airstrikes, which have claimed more than 10,000 lives so far.
It’s been more than a month since Hamas militants infiltrated Israel in the deadliest attack on the Jewish state since its inception in 1948.
More than 1,400 Israelis were brutally murdered on October 7, and over 7,000 were wounded. In retaliation, Israel waged war on Hamas, vowing to kill all those responsible for the massacre. It also promised to uproot the Islamic movement, which has been ruling Gaza since 2007.
For the past five weeks, Israel has been pounding Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, with thousands of bombs. The death toll in the Palestinian coastal enclave has exceeded 10,000. Thousands are still under the rubble and unaccounted for. Among those killed are Palestinian journalists.Β According toΒ the latest data, at least 40 have lost their lives in the current wave of violence. RT spoke with two men reporting from Gaza to gauge their opinions on the conflict and what it’s like to work under fire. One of them, Rami Almughari, is a veteran in the field. The other, Mansour Shouman, is a newcomer to the profession, but both described the fear and constant smell of death that accompany their work.
RT: First of all, tell us about your backgrounds.
Rami: I have been in this business for more than two decades, and during my career I have done print, radio and TV. I have reported for Al Monitor and the New Arab, for Channel News Asia, and for RT. I have also taught at Gaza universities. Throughout those years I made sure not to affiliate myself with any political faction. I am an independent journalist and will remain such.
Mansour: I am not coming from this field. I have a degree in engineering and a master’s in business from Canadian universities. For the past 17 years, I have been working in the field of manufacturing and management of supply chains, oil and gas, as well as consulting. I was introduced to journalism only four weeks ago, when the war erupted and when there was a need for English speakers, who could help get the voices of 2.3 million Gazans out to the world.
RT: Tell us what it’s like to report in wartime. How difficult and how dangerous is it? Do you feel that being a reporter turns you into an immediate target?
Rami: I can tell you that working as a journalist definitely puts you at risk. You keep moving from one item to another, you talk to people, and you visit destruction sites so you are more exposed. I don’t think journalists are being singled out or intentionally targeted. Everyone is in danger, and everyone needs to take precautions but journalists are more vulnerable because by the nature of their work, they are more exposed.
In the past, I can tell you journalists linked to Hamas have been targeted and killed. In 2021, Israel raided the apartment of one journalist who was linked to the group and who was working for the local radio. I can’t say that this is what’s happening now. But the intensive strikes make everyone vulnerable, and it seems that Israel is trying to send a message that we should refrain from going out, so as not to be targeted.
Also, this war is more challenging than anything else we have experienced so far. There is no fuel, so people need to either move on foot or use donkeys and horses. Very often there is no electricity or connection to the internet or mobile services, so getting information out has been a challenge. But we keep on doing our duty, there is no other way.
Mansour: It has been extremely challenging to function as a reporter, and it is also very dangerous. The mere fact that you are working as a journalist may put your life at risk and we know that some 46 reporters have already been killed in their homes and offices. Also, don’t forget the Al Jazeera journalist Shereen Abu Aqleh, who was killed by them in cold blood in 2022. My feeling is that Israel targets journalists intentionally, as part of their scare tactics to prevent information from spreading. So they cut communication services, and target those who report on the situation. But I am a strong believer in God, and I believe that I need to continue to do the right thing, which is getting the news out to the general public.
RT: Take us to the first moments after the war started. Where were you, and did you have an urge to leave, or did you want to stay and report what was going on?
Rami: It was 6.30am and I was awoken by the sounds of heavy shelling. I immediately started getting myself updated on the situation, and when my friends and acquaintances asked me what was going on, I remember I told them that was aΒ khalifaΒ – Arabic for destruction, elimination. I immediately realized it was an unprecedented escalation. But I didn’t have any urge to flee, I felt I needed to stay and report. First I made sure that my family was safe, but after that was done I went to the studios and started reporting. On my way there, I saw the panic and fear on people’s faces. I noticed that cars were scarce, as people were leaving or hiding. Many were confused, worried and scared. I was reporting for several days from the office as it was a safer place than home. Then, when the media company I was working with evacuated to the south for fear of their safety, and our paths parted, I decided to use my basic equipment, including a phone and a microphone, to do stories and interview people.
Mansour: We woke up at 6.30am to the sound of rockets and strikes and we didn’t know what was happening. A few hours later when the videos started emerging, we realised that something big would happen and that it would have an impact not only on us in Gaza but also on the entire world.
As I told you earlier, before the war, I was not a journalist. I was a family man and a consultant, and my initial urge was to leave, but soon we realised that it was not possible. The Rafah crossing was closed, so I stayed to tell the story. Now I see it as my religious, national and humanitarian obligation.
RT: As a journalist you have seen many terrifying and emotional scenes. What was the most memorable so far?
Rami: For me, the scariest thing was back in 2021, when I went to interview a family who had lost their house. I was completely sure that that area was safe, as it had already been bombed and had nothing else to destroy. But while we were there, the area was struck again, and only by miracle I and my crew remained alive.Β
Mansour: I think the scariest experience so far was when the first missiles started hitting Gaza. They bombed our local mosque, which is located only 100 meters away from the house. The explosion shattered the house. The windows were shaking. It was the real first taste of war. Another thing that hurt me was to see a child looking at his parents and telling them to wake up, it was time to go home. Little did he know that both of them were long dead.
RT: Have you lost anyone in this round of hostilities?
Rami: One of the airstrikes that took place some three weeks ago hit a residential building where my aunt lived. She died at the age of 61 along with many other members of my extended family. Although the rescue operation is still ongoing, many of those who died are still under the rubble and cannot be reached. On another occasion, my 27-year-old cousin, who was walking on the street, died when the jets attacked a residential building. These strikes are sudden and nobody can anticipate when they can happen. Death is literally everywhere.
Mansour: My extended family are not in Gaza, all of them are in Jerusalem, where I am originally from. But my wife’s family is in Gaza, and she has several cousins who have been injured or who have lost their homes. My children have also lost classmates from school.
By Elizabeth Blade, RT Middle East correspondent
‘No International Students!!’ As need grows, Brampton Food Bank turning some away
Ste. Louise Outreach Centre of Peel says students should be responsible for themselves
![](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6449290.1652285565!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/square_140/saloni-bhugra.jpg)
CBC
Nov 09, 2023
![](https://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/531/923/ST_CHIASSON_FOOD_BANKS_clean.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:*510w)
Toronto-area food bank turning away international students
A Toronto-area food bank is turning away international students, saying they are supposed to have enough money to support themselves. But those students are only required to have $833 each month for all of their expenses outside of tuition and many are struggling.
A Brampton food bank has decided to close its doors to international students, amid an overwhelming demand it says it can’t meet.
Board president Catherine Rivera says Ste. Louise Outreach Centre of Peel can’t provide enough food and other supplies to its customers because of the influx of international students showing up at the food bank since September.
But others in the same line of work are calling out the food bank for using anecdotes rather than data to support its decision. They should have to if they’re using anecdotes to shut their doors on people who only have $668 a month, said Jindi Singh, national director of Khalsa Aid.
“I wonder if they realize how difficult it is for international students, some of them who are heavily in debt,” Singh said. “It’s quite disturbing.”
![Board outside Ste Louise Outreach of Peel.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7024424.1699568624!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/board-no-international-students.jpg)
Rivera says students are required to show funds for their first year before coming into Canada, and hence should not be relying on food banks.
“We get groups of three, four, sometimes nine, 10, with their backpacks ready for free stuff, we tell them, ‘We can’t feed you, you’re responsible for yourself and your family,'” Rivera said.
At the Sai Dham food bank in Etobicoke, co-founder Vishal Khanna says they are serving 1,500 students each morning from 57 colleges.
He says that number has risen “drastically” in the last few years.
While Khanna has empathy for food banks not having enough supplies, he says they shouldn’t assume students have the money to sustain themselves when cost of living is so high, even “average Canadiansβ¦ a person who is making $60,000 is still eating at our food bank.”
Divide the required funds Ste. Louis Outreach Centre mentions by 12 months and some students are left with as little as $688 each month to cover food and expenses.
Across Canada, reliance on food banks is reaching record levels. According to an October report from Food Banks Canada food bank usage reached its highest level since the survey started in 1989. The Daily Bread Food Bank’s most recent annual report, found a 63 per cent year-over-year increase in use from July 2022 to June 2023.
Showing up at a food bank is a last resort for people struggling during a “cost of living crisis,” Singh said, adding that Khalsa Aid has received numerous requests from international students struggling to find a job that offers them 20 hours a week β they are legally allowed to work.
Calls for colleges to step up
Sheridan College hosts over 10,000 international students and lists food banks, including Sai Dham and Ste Louise Outreach on its website for students to access in times of need.
Sunan Sharma, the dean of student affairs, says he’s unbothered by Ste. Louise’s decision because the college already has some services, such as a food pantry and grocery cards for all students.
“Congratulations for the work that you’re doingβ¦ if they can’t serve that segment of the population, it’s OK, you’re putting food into the bellies of people who need it,” Sharma said.
He says Sheridan will just list Ste. Louise with a note that it’s available only to “domestic students.”
![Catherine Rivera](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7024417.1699568295!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/catherine-rivera.jpg)
Sharma says the college’s role is only to point students in the right direction and that it can’t do anything about who an independent charity like Ste. Louise decides to serve.
That’s not enough, says Khalsa Aid and Sai Dham.
The two organizations are calling for post-secondary institutes to have more support in place for all students, so they don’t have to show up at food banks in the first place.