Still working on a recap for 2020 and developing categories to monitor for 2021
Wuhan Virus -
Kalifornia has the strictest lockdown/control measures in the nation, yet has the highest case count in the nation as well. Some are trying to blame Thanksgiving, but the numbers are not supportive of that as a cause. Subtle clue that lockdowns are not the answer?
Disputes among the ‘elites’ as to who should get priority for vaccinations. At the forefront are complaints that politicians and public officials seem to have jumped the line to get their over health care workers.
Results of two recent studies show that antibodies the human body produces in response to COVID-19 infection make it very unlikely a person will be reinfected with the virus for as long as six months and possibly longer.
(https://www.foxnews.com/health/new-studies-covid-19-less-likely-reinfected)
Economy -
The President continues to refuse to sign the Porkulus bill containing wuhan ‘relief’ (‘relief’ for everyone but Americans). Unemployment benefits under the previous bill are set to expire by the end of the month.
2020 Election-
Key dates - House of Representatives officially counts electoral votes on Jan. 6. Inauguration is Jan 20.
President Trump continues to call for a rally at the capitol on Jan 6.
The Georgia runoffs are now the most expensive races in US history as millions of dollars pour into the state.
CW2/Civil Disturbances -
We are in the calm before a potential storm.
Strategic Developments -
OSINT observers note that there is a continued uptick in air tanker activity in the Persian Gulf region. Some are trying to link it to increased counter terror support to Iraqi forces.
Terror -
FBI says they have identified Anthony Quinn Warner as the owner of the RV. FBI agents entered his home yesterday and collected evidence. Further information indicates that the human remains found at the blast site may belong to Warner. Law enforcement say that records show the Nashville bombing suspect’s late father worked for BellSouth, a telecommunications company that merged into AT&T in 2006, before his death in July 2011 at age 78. As far as motive, internet rumor suggests Warner was paranoid about 5G spying on Americans.
Networks are still down due to the attack, in part to a flare up of the initial fire yesterday. Cell and internet remains down over a large area.
In an interesting twist, according to the DailyMail, Warner signed the property away via a quitclaim deed to Lisa Swing, a 29-year-old woman living in Los Angeles, for $0.00, according to county records. Quinn’s signature does not appear on the November 25th transfer and she said she knew absolutely nothing about it.
MY OBSERVATIONS - This is becoming less of a terror incident and more a suicide. There are a flurry of conspiracy stories based on bogus information. One being a missile strike, another being that a car exploded, not the RV. Nether are valid IMHO due to released photos showing the source of the blast being the RV and lack of other features that would support these ‘theories’. This is developing into a scenario where he killed himself - and the clear evidence supports that so far.
On cue, terror supporting CAIR is demanding that biden dismantle US counter terrorism operations.
China -
CCP in the state run “Global Times” said that the world should use its vaccine against wuhan adding that to do otherwise is an explicit example of racism.
Israel -
Follow on evaluation of Israel’s recent counter strike in Gaza indicates that they successfully hit a rocket production facility. Videos posted of the strike show a very substantial secondary explosion. Sources suggest that this site was upgraded to improve Hamas’ rocket capabilities.
Iran -
Date to remember, January 3d - anniversary of the death of Soleimani.
Iraq -
Iraqi PM Kadhimi sends delegation for unexpected Tehran visit. The visit comes after gov’t standoff with Iran-backed Shia militias and recent rocket attacks on the Green Zone by the same militia groups. These militias are funded and essentially commanded by Iran. Iraq is under pressure by the US to stop attacks or we will pull out, leaving Iraq essentially naked before Iran and radicals.
Still working on a recap for 2020 and developing categories to monitor for 2021
Wuhan Virus -
CDC issued a new guidance stating that people with underlying health conditions can receive a coronavirus vaccine.
The guidance explains that “adults of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19.” This new guidance is due to an unexpected number of significant reactions to those given the vaccine. However, how good is this when despite the start of distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the CDC recommends that people who get vaccinated should continue to follow current coronavirus health and safety protocols, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and avoiding crowds. Is the “cure” becoming worse than the disease?
Reflecting US concerns, Europeans are increasingly unlikely to accept the vaccine given the threat of unknown complications that can be a result.
Global medical community is scrambling to evaluate the new, more infectious mutation of the wuhan virus. Mutations are not uncommon among viruses - there are reportedly 1,000 mutations already identified with wuhan, it is that this one is becoming the dominant strain by its rapid spreading ability. So far medical investigators say the new strain’s lethality has not been enhanced, or that the new vaccines are ineffective - but studies move forward.
Remember, this is a China study, but an evaluation of 10 million Chinese indicates that asymptomatic spread of the wuhan virus was essentially non-existent - calls to doubt claims currently being made by the CDC and others.
When the argument is made for following the “science” for the wuhan pandemic, the man most commonly cited it Fauci. In a recent CNN interview, he admits to “moving the goal posts” on herd immunity based on POLLING - GET THAT, NO SCIENCE BUT POLLING! The numbers he cited he called a ‘guesstimate’.
Economy -
Trump signed the Porkulus bill yesterday after stating that congress will pass an amendment to increase payments from $600 to $2000 per person. We will see today if Pelosi/McConnell will honor their “promise” to bring a clean vote on th $2000 payment to the floor today. He also invoked the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The Act provides that, “whenever the President determines that all or part of any budget authority will not be required to carry out the full objectives or scope of programs for which it is provided, or that such budget authority should be rescinded for fiscal policy or other reasons (including termination of authorized projects or activities for which budget authority has been provided), the President shall transmit to both Houses of Congress a special message” describing the amount to be reserved, the relevant accounts, the reasons for the rescission, and the economic effects of the rescission. 2 U.S.C. § 683. How far that goes to stop pork spending is uncertain - especially if biden goes into the WH.
Mortgage rates continue to fall, now at a 16th record low of the year. But with no job how can one apply. Potential boon for refinancing though.
2020 Election-
Key dates - House of Representatives officially counts electoral votes on Jan. 6. Inauguration is Jan 20.
CW2/Civil Disturbances -
We are in the calm before a potential storm.
Strategic Developments -
The Harry S. Truman CSG is in the North Arabian Sea and within the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. This deployment is the Truman Strike Group‘s second in two years. This adds serious naval force projection if Iran gets froggy. The location of the Nimitz CSG is not posted, but is involved in an exercise off the east coast of Africa, last location near the horn of Africa.
OBSERVATION - OSINT hid the deployment of the Truman until it was in the Arabian Sea. The location of the Nimitz as well. This tells me that they don’t want Iran to have early warning of the CSG’s locations. The Nimitz can quickly return to the Arabian sea/Persian gulf region in a matter of days if needed.
Terror -
The remains of 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner were identified at the blast site yesterday. Investigation continues to try to find a motive. Other than neighbors suggesting he was a bit “odd” (am observation that can apply to just about everyone), nothing really stands out other than the 5G paranoia as the leading motive. Other pieces of information have come out. He had an IT background and was employed installing security systems. A couple months ago he quit installations, installed a wooden fence around his property and transferred ownership of his property to a Californian woman (who’s link still isn’t known). These actions are common for someone contemplating suscide - getting things in some sort of order, but still leaves a lot of questions. This also predates a number of conspiracy theories out there.
Communications / Internet services continue to be disrupted in the region as repairs are in progress. This was a major node in the system.
MY OBSERVATION - Some may object, but there has been a lot of tinfoil floating around out there about massive conspiracies surrounding this event. Let me address some of these
1. The white car was the source - later security camera videos clearly show that the RV was what exploded, not the car and the blast pattern confirms
2. A missile hit and created a hypobaric bomb explosion. Commenting on the blast, Michael Yon, experienced combat reporter who’s seen dozens of VBIED results in Iraq commented today that this was “averaged-sized” VBIED. Additionally blast evidence doesn’t correlate with a rocket strike on the RV either.
3. This building was suppose to be used to examine dominion voting machines. These buildings are designed to primarily handle communications traffic, they are not configured to do much else. Because of the sensitivity of the site, the buildings are commonly reinforced to protect from such potential events as this. Older buildings, like the one in Nashville, can only be reinforces so much. There are many other, better, locations that any dominion review would be conducted at. A suicide bomber doesn’t match this scenario. IMHO.
4. NSA was the target - again, a suicide doesn’t fit the narrative or evidence for an NSA strike.
Then some nut job was arrested yesterday in Rutherford County, Tenn., on Sunday, for allegedly playing “audio similar to what was heard” before a vehicle exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas Day. No explosives were found in the truck.
China -
India and Vietnam sent warships to transit the South China Sea which China claims as its own.
On Monday, a Chinese court sentenced a lawyer-turned-citizen-journalist, 37-year-old Zhang Zhan, who traveled to Wuhan to report on COVID-19, to four years in jail. Authorities first detained her in May after her livestream reporting in Wuhan. The government charged her with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” for her reporting.
Israel -
Israel / Turkish negotiations hanging up. Turkey views Israel’s policy towards palestine as unacceptable. Israel says Turkey must end support for Hamas. Israeli diplomatic sources said Sunday. “I don’t really believe he’s being honest,” the source said. “We need to see actions.”
Hamas confirmed that Israel destroyed a key rocket manufacturing plant, which was of high importance to the terrorist group,” a senior Hamas official tells Israel Hayom. Israel attacked the site in response to rocket fire at southern Israel.
Iran -
Date to remember, January 3d - anniversary of the death of Soleimani.
Threats are increasing as the anniversary day approaches.
Lebanon -
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah: Sayyed Nasrallah: “The Lebanese resistance has twice as many precision missiles as it had in the past year”. Iran has been working hard to retrofit and design new rockets with GPS guidance systems, versus the older ballistic transjectory methods of unguided rockets. Israel has been very active targeting facilities in Syria and interdicting shipments trying to be brought into Lebanon from Syria to facilitate updating the rockets. It is very likely that some of the necessary materials have leaked through, so that some of Hezebollah’s arsenal is now guidable.
Nasrallah went on in his speech - “The promised retaliation for the martyrdom of our martyr Ali Mohsen (killed in an IAF airstrike in Syria a few months ago) is coming.”, hence the reference to the missiles. Nasrallah was sheltering in his bunker, amid fears that he may be next on a US-Israeli hit list. MY OBSERVATION - The day Hezbollah launches any of those rocket will be a day when Lebanon is a smoldering heap. Iran will be leveled as well. Israel has the capability to intercept the first waves but continued attacks will eventually overwhelm their defenses and Israel will be forces to more severe means of counter strikes.