Badlands Brief

Woke 1, Assad & Hidden Nazis All Sentenced to Death

The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

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Media Protectorate Panics as AOC Attempts to Laugh off ‘Woke 1’ While Democratic Party Implodes

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently indicated she has not ruled out a presidential run while dismissing earlier progressive positions—such as calls to defund the police—as part of a period she labeled “Woke 1,” describing it as crazy.

That period, centered on ideas of systemic oppression and aggressive corrective policies, reached its height in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd. It spread rapidly through elite institutions: members of Congress knelt while wearing kente cloth, corporations rolled out diversity-equity-inclusion programs and donated large sums to Black Lives Matter groups, universities publicly atoned for systemic racism, media newsrooms saw internal revolts over perceived resistance, and corporate leaders treated books by Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo as essential guides.

Even as some Democrats now try to shift away from that rhetoric, residual support for the older ideas remains.

Republicans, meanwhile, have strong reasons to keep the record visible. They present themselves as defenders of ordinary people against the “faculty lounge,” and opposition to the earlier excesses has become a central, unifying element of their politics.

Ashe in America: The DSA is a wrecking ball for the left-side establishment. We’ve been talking about this for a while. In theory, it’s a good thing.

People with traditional American values can’t impact change in the Democrat party, so they allegedly need their own Tea Party or MAGA moment to dismantle the blue corruption and shake up the power structures. All the pundits are talking about it.

The theory was always that the DSA was going to be way too radical for even most democrats, and that was when the smart and sane people in the middle could reclaim the levers of power.

But what if the middle isn’t filled with smart, sane people?

Consider my beloved communist country of Colorado. AOC is being roasted for the extremism of “woke 1”, but she’s also telling people to listen to “woke 2”, which is objectively much worse. Melat Kiros, the Colorado version of an AOC, is a way bigger and more dangerous commie than AOC ever was.

The theory is that smart sane people will see the DSA Rising, and say, “Whoa, that’s too far. We need to do stop and do smarter and more sane things.” And then they would reject the communism.

But they aren’t, though.

Also, a lot of the smart and sane people left, so middle of the road Democrats in Colorado are off-the-rack communists, certainly in Denver. Loyal party members in good standing.

They hear Melat Kiros and think she has good ideas.

In Colorado, weaponized empathy has led to a neutered population that embraces policies that encode inclusion and equity and emasculation and psychological reparations into law. Visibly in places like Denver. It’s a shame because Denver is a cool city, but it’s a commie zombie war zone also.

The supposed middle of the road Democrats in Colorado have embraced Kiros, the same way Schumer has embraced AOC. It’s happening on a shorter timeline on the state and local level.

Kiros is the future of the party.

Are there smart and sane people ready to catch the fall out and organize for change? Are the Republicans ready to battle the DSA and win hearts and minds away from the communists?

That’s funny. In Colorado, Republicans are talking about taxes and roads.

It’s all very unsettling.

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Former Syrian Presdient Assad Sentenced to Death in Absentia by Court

A Syrian court in Damascus has sentenced former President Bashar Assad and his brother Maher Assad to death in absentia for murder, torture, and crimes against humanity committed before and during the country’s 14-year civil war, which left roughly half a million people dead.

Six other former officials received the same sentence in absentia.

The only defendant present and in custody was Assad’s maternal cousin Atef Najib, who oversaw a 2011 crackdown in southern Daraa province; that crackdown included the arrest and torture of teenagers who had written anti-government graffiti and helped ignite the protests that escalated into full-scale war.

The verdicts, the first against Assad or members of his inner circle since the family’s five-decade rule ended with the government’s collapse in December 2024, were delivered by Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan and broadcast live on state television.

Assad and his brother fled to Russia, where they were granted asylum, rendering the sentences against them largely symbolic.

Najib, who appeared in a prisoner’s uniform inside a courtroom cage, may still appeal.

GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: The timing of this is certainly notable: the day after Russia and Syria—that is, Vladimir Putin and Assad’s usurper (Mohammed al-Sharaa)—formalized a security agreement with profound implications.

To be clear, nobody in the Russian government has acknowledged this court ruling, nor is there any indication that Russia intends to hand over Assad. It’s also unclear whether the Syrian government will even make such a request.

Human rights groups are already expressing concern over the speed of the trial, and the lack of a credible defense.

It was Assad’s maternal cousin, Ayer Najib, who was physically present (locked in a cage) in the courtroom. Najib served as a high-ranking official in Assad’s government. He served as the chief of security in the Daraa province, which is what ultimately got him into trouble. A group of teenagers were graffitiing a public building when they were arrested and allegedly tortured by Najib’s security forces. This incident was largely responsible for catalyzing mass protests against the Assad government, paving the way for radical groups (some funded by American citizens and institutions) to infiltrate the protests and use them to further escalate the internal conflict in Syria.

As I understand it, if we are to accept the MSM’s narrative on Assad, then Najib was the henchman (or one of several) who were actually facilitating these butcherings, while Assad was systemically working to facilitate the widespread violence.

The court that Assad was tried in was a domestic criminal court that lacked the jurisdiction and infrastructure to properly prosecute somebody for war crimes.

While that may seem like a minor distinction, it’s also worth noting that Syria has no formal charges related to war crimes specified in their penal code, making this whole charade seem even more performative than the headline suggests at first glance. (It seems that the law, as written, was bent and twisted to make this conviction happen, regardless of whether Assad and Najib are actually the butchers the NeoCons claim them to be.)

Which now brings us to the judge.

Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan was on the bench when the Syrian Civil War began in 2011, defecting in 2013 under the claim that Assad is everything Fox News wants you to think about him.

Upon resigning, al-Aryan joined the Syrian Judges Council, as well as the Interim Government, which was designed to resume all necessary political operations and duties upon ISIS’s victory in the civil war. (And yes, the Syrian Judges Council eventually aligned with ISIS, using them as their security—out of pure necessity, of course, as the MSM will tell you.)

Al-Aryan was purportedly chased out of Syria and had his property seized by the government and was sentenced to death in absentia.

The Stockholm-based International Legal Assistance Consortium, or ILAC, launched work on the Syrian justice sector in 2013 with funding from Sweden's development agency, Sida.

Interestingly, the ILAC program evaluation actually lists a person rendered in English as “Fakhir Aryan — General Coordinator of the SIG (exiled Judge)” among people interviewed for the evaluation. It would seem that this “exiled JUDGE” is likely in bed with the same European/Western elites that we are all up against, such as the Wallenbergs—who personally funded the Syrian Judges Council through their foundations.

After Assad was overthrown in December 2025, Judge Aryan (along with others) was reinstalled on the bench, where he remains today. The motive that Aryan has to destroy Assad now that he is back in power, himself, seems like something that should have been addressed. There is a clear conflict of interest.

So how connected is this court to Al-Sharaa and the Iraqi government? Is this trial intended to undermine his relationship with Putin?

What is the likelihood that the new Syrian government even acknowledges or recognizes this verdict from this court?

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Germans and Ukrainians Call for Russian Genocide While Trump Signals Putin Partnership

At a joint press conference in Belgrade, a German journalist asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky what Europeans could concretely do to help him kill more Russians, clarifying later that he meant Russian soldiers.

Zelensky responded by calling for additional money, weapons, and tougher sanctions on Moscow. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who appeared taken aback, said the two leaders had not discussed military cooperation and expressed hope that all killing would end.

Separately, President Trump announced that former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman is being released from Russian imprisonment after being detained since 2022.

The release is occurring on humanitarian grounds following Trump’s discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin; Russia requested nothing in return and no prisoner exchange took place.

Burning Bright: Okay, so there's a few things to run down, here.

First off, the original inspiration for the take came from a recent press conference in Belgrade, Serbia on August 8, wherein a German reporter directly asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and I quote:

"What can we [Europeans] concretely do to help you kill more Russians."

Don't believe me?

Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia didn't either.

To his further credit, Vučić said the following in response to the ghastly question:

“We did not discuss military cooperation today. What happens when the war ends is another matter. And speaking about killing, I hope all killing will end."

Now, obviously this is not just escalatory rhetoric, the sort that's been raging for four years, ever since Russia launched its Special Military Operation into Ukraine (ie: the Russian part of Ukraine, which includes the entire part they 'invaded,') and certainly, as I've been reporting the entire time, the NATO bloc and the European Collectorate have painted themselves in stark opposition to Russia and therefore the Sovereign Alliance ... but this now-viral moment out of the German press has opened up the can of worms I began prying in 2022, when I claimed that this 'Special Military Operation' was about something other than national territory, but was rather the continuation or restart of a war that's been waged for a century and counting, and against an enemy we've been told we defeated, but who actually never lost, and certainly never left.

I am talking, of course about the Nazis, and the fact that taking Vladimir Putin at face value has never been a bad bet when it comes to navigating the winding ways of the Info War.

After all, the Russian leader did tell you he was 'DeNazifying' Ukraine, did he not?

So, how is this relevant to the above clip, besides the fact that it was a German reporter who asked the Ukrainian Proxy Prince how to kill more Russians?

Well, it's relevant because that wasn't just any German reporter.

That was Michael Martens ... and Michael Martens' grandfather was himself a high-ranking Wehrmacht Command Officer.

That's right ... Hans-Hermann Martens held senior positions in the Nazi regime and Wehrmacht high command.

What's that about apples and trees?

All of which is to say, the Ukrainian Nazis have been saying the quiet part out loud for four years ... but now even the German Nazis are saying it.

Which begs the question ... why now?

Why are they feeling pressured to escalate against Russia now?

And why, at the same time is Trump signaling that his relationship with Vladimir Putin has never been better?

Could it be that both are waging a war against the Invisible Enemy?

And could it be that the true nature of that Invisible Enemy is being revealed, and which already was, for those with the eyes to see and the ears to hear?

You will know them by their fruit, yes ... but their words aren't too far away, now.

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Mamdani’s NYC Tax War Pulls in Judges, Deputy Mayors ... And Donald Trump

A New York State Supreme Court judge on Staten Island has issued a temporary restraining order pausing New York City’s rollout of a new tax on luxury second homes, known as a pied-à-terre surcharge.

The order directs the city to take down a public online list of hundreds of thousands of potentially affected properties and stop further action tied to notices already sent to roughly 17,000 owners.

A hearing is scheduled for the end of the month.

The lawsuit was filed by attorney Randy Mastro on behalf of three homeowners who argued the city mishandled the process of identifying and notifying owners.

The tax, advanced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, targets high-value second residences and is projected to generate hundreds of millions in annual revenue.

City officials moved quickly to appeal the ruling, which could limit its immediate impact while the legal challenge continues.

And Donald Trump responded accordingly …

Ashe in America: As the DSA is rising around the country, it’s fun to watch the leading indicator of the DSA implode in Gotham. Especially with Trump dunking on the commie darling.

Have you seen the one about Mamdani’s evolving accent?

My local commies love this guy and hold him up as an example of the future of Colorado.

I knew a lady once that had a snake problem so she put mothballs in the area, but the snakes were eating the rodents, so then she had a rodent problem. Big rats. Super gross and less preferable to the snakes.

This is like that.

Turns out a plan to tax the rich to fill the state coffers is a net loss when the rich just leave.

All you’ve got left is rats.

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“Forced to Drink Our Own Urine”: Stranded Ukrainian Soldiers Vent Frustration Over Lack of Supplies

Ukrainian soldiers from a fire support platoon of the 121st Territorial Defense Brigade released a video claiming they were forced to drink their own urine after prolonged supply shortages and a failure by command to rotate them.

Platoon commander Anatoly Sischuk said the unit had remained in one position in the Zaporozhye region for nearly four months despite an initial promise of four weeks, after replacing another group that had been stationed there for around eight months.

According to the soldiers, provisions arrived by drone only every three to seven days on average, with one stretch lasting 12 days without any resupply; the food that did arrive was often rotten, spoiled, or inadequate.

They appealed directly to Ukraine’s recently appointed top general, Mikhail Drapaty, stating that their immediate superiors had ignored earlier pleas.

The brigade’s command responded that the video did not reflect the full circumstances, that efforts were underway to replace the platoon when conditions allowed a safe rotation, and that supply packages had in fact been delivered while attributing difficulties to weather and combat conditions.

GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: Yikes.

My kneejerk instinct is to laugh so hard at the silliness of this entire operation.

“Drinking their own urine to stay alive?” Come on now.

The idea that this is psyop seems almost too obvious. But it’s also hilarious that somebody thought that a bunch of guys drinking their own pee was going to be the difference-maker in galvanizing support among the American People.

But let’s just assume for the sake of argument that this story is real, and these Ukrainians are huddled up together drinking urine to survive. This is a significant change in how the Ukraine War is being handled, as it is a sign that the money has dried up and the Kievan Jewish-Nazi War Machine will implode.

Can’t help but wonder what the next ridiculous narrative will be.

Kinda hard to top Ukrainian Neo-Nazis drinking their own pee and whining for more reinforcement.

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