Badlands News Brief
Lawsuits Can Be Very Effective ...
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The News Cycle is almost impossible to track these days. At least, to do so fully.
That’s where we come in.
In the Badlands News Brief, the Badlands Media team hand picks news items of interest from the previous days to give you an overview of the biggest goings-on relevant to the Truth Community.
Items feature original commentary from members of our growing team of citizen journalists, whose stated opinions are their own. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see their other work.
Now, onto the news from Monday, November 20 …
"Don't Be Manipulated, Stand With X" - As Elon Promised, X Files Suit Against Media Matters
Early Saturday morning, Elon Musk posted that his social media platform X will be "filing a thermonuclear lawsuit" against left-leaning non-profit Media Matters and "all those who colluded" for "completely misrepresenting" the real user experience on X.
Musk added that X would file the lawsuit on Monday (today), which prompted even more malarkey on X as the day wore on with so many pro-censorship leftists clinging to the hope that Musk was not going to follow-through, with one CNBC reporter going so far as claiming "Musk may have been lying, like he has done before."
Well, he wasn't lying, and time's up for the Media Matters manipulators...
The lawsuit, just filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division, alleges the organization's tactics were manipulative and deceptive.
[…]
Texas AG Ken Paxton has officially opened an investigation into Media Matters for potential fraudulent activity:
The Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) is opening an investigation into Media Matters for potential fraudulent activity.
Under the Texas Business Organizations Code and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the OAG will vigorously enforce against nonprofits who commit fraudulent acts in or affecting the state of Texas.
Attorney General Paxton was extremely troubled by the allegations that Media Matters, a radical anti-free speech organization, fraudulently manipulated data on X.com (formerly known as Twitter).
“We are examining the issue closely to ensure that the public has not been deceived by the schemes of radical left-wing organizations who would like nothing more than to limit freedom by reducing participation in the public square,” said Attorney General Paxton. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Well … well … well, it seems we’ve got something of a lawsuit cascade developing in the current stage of the Info War, and while it’s always fun to see organizations like Media Matters and other collectivist Narrative-pushers get put in the legal crosshairs, what really strikes me about these developments is both the timing of them and the figures involved.
Elon Musk is an enigmatic figure among Anons and the public at large, but he’s standing in the breach against the Deep State’s Narrative power projection arm; whether or not he’s doing so on behalf of patriots in a direct, coordinated manner is a matter of personal opinion, or intuition.
Either way, I believe these suits are just the beginning of a template-setting campaign meant to go scorched earth on those who’ve assaulted our constitutional right to free speech.
The fact that these legal battles will be taking place both in court and in the court of public opinion ahead of the most consequential election in US history shouldn’t be lost on any of us.” —
US Has Highest-Ever Childhood Vaccine Exemption Rate In History
The United States now faces its highest-ever childhood vaccine exemption rate in history, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report published on Nov. 10.
Before the pandemic, the United States had maintained nearly 95 percent nationwide vaccination coverage for 10 years.
Yet between 2020 and 2021, vaccine coverage in kindergarten-aged children fell to 94 percent; between 2021 and 2022, it dropped to 93 percent.
“It is not clear whether this reflects a true increase in opposition to vaccination, or if parents are opting for nonmedical [vaccine] exemptions because of barriers to vaccination or out of convenience,” the report authors concluded.
“Whether because of an increase in hesitancy or barriers to vaccination, the COVID-19 pandemic affected childhood routine vaccination,” they continued. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: “One of my best friends has seven children and three of them — all boys — were vaccine injured back around the turn of the century. Being so close to her experiences shaped my own views of vaccination, though I didn’t stop vaccinating my kids entirely until the hysterical HPV push when my sons started becoming teens.
The awakening to corruption, and its necessary narrative cover, are not exclusive from the truth about the eugenicists’ vaccines. That truth has been crying out for decades, but people didn’t have ears to hear as long as they still believed in the benevolence of government.
Now that more than two thirds of Americans are awake to the scandalous reality of widespread government corruption, they are necessarily examining vaccines — or, the experimental substances that the corrupt government insists they inject into their bodies — more critically.
This all comes down to trust, and it’s becoming clear that the people no longer trust the institutions — which have repeatedly proven themselves untrustworthy. It’s about time. These childhood vaccine exemptions save lives. Long live the Awakening!” —
Poll: Biden’s standing hits new lows amid Israel-Hamas war
President Joe Biden’s approval rating has declined to the lowest level of his presidency — 40% — as strong majorities of all voters disapprove of his handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll.
What’s more, the poll finds Biden behind former President Donald Trump for the first time in a hypothetical general-election matchup, although the deficit is well within the poll’s margin of error for a contest that’s still more than 11 months away.
The erosion for Biden is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza, and among voters ages 18 to 34, with a whopping 70% of them disapproving of Biden’s handling of the war.
“I do not support his support of Israel,” said Meg Furey, 40, a Democrat from Austin, Texas.
“Failed promises, student loans, foreign policy in general,” said Democrat Zico Schell, 23, of San Diego, when asked why he disapproves of Biden’s job performance.
“Joe Biden is at a uniquely low point in his presidency, and a significant part of this, especially within the Biden coalition, is due to how Americans are viewing his foreign policy actions,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.
McInturff said he can’t recall another time when foreign affairs not involving U.S. troops transformed the American political landscape. — NBC News
Our Take: “I know polling gets a deserved bad rep in this community, and I’m no exception.
However, I think MSM polls present an effective way to discern Narrative intentions on behalf of the Establishment Uniparty, as well as to read internal consistency within the movement of the Collective Mind.
This one is perhaps the most damning to the powers that would be of any in recent memory, not just because a Dem-tailored polling base emphatically chose Trump over Biden, but more so WHY they did so.
While the Israel chaos has marked a period of heightened tension both without and within the Truth Community and a usually-unified America First base, I believe this is the sort of inflection point that creates potential shatterpoints within the Collective Mind, pushing them unerringly in the direction of truth.
Trauma is what the Deep State used to control and deceive the American populace; now, it’s being used to free them.” —
Michigan Takes Step To Punish Salon Owner Who Said She'll Only Serve Men And Women
Michigan officials have charged a salon owner with discrimination after she said she would not serve people who identify as anything other than a man or woman.
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights on Nov. 15 charged Christine Geiger and her salon, Studio 8 Hair Lab, with discrimination after investigating complaints that were filed over Ms. Geiger's comments.
"The truth is, based on a thorough investigation, that Studio 8 and its owner Christine Geiger, openly and repeatedly violated the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act," John Johnson Jr., the department's executive director, told reporters in a briefing.
The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of certain characteristics, including religion. Implemented in 1977, it was expanded in 2023 by the state legislature and Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to cover gender identity, enshrining a 2022 Michigan Supreme Court interpretation.
Ms. Geiger posted in July on Facebook: "If a human identifies as anything other than a man/woman please seek services at a local pet groomer. You are not welcome at this salon. Period."
She also said that salon workers might refer to people as "hey you" if they requested a particular pronoun.
In another post, Ms. Geiger said that "LGB are more than welcome" but transgender people were not. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: “This salon owner makes it clear that her salon is not a good fit for people that need a safe space. If pronouns are important to you, don’t patronize this shop because she is telling you she isn’t going to engage with you on that. If being comfortable and feeling safe was the goal, then she is providing a service to potential clients.
Of course, it’s not the goal. The goal is to make sure that she’s not allowed to not play the pronoun game. Every space has to be a safe space, or the rainbow cult will ruin your life. This is where it’s instructive to learn from the test kitchen here in Colorado.
Jack Phillips has been in court for 11+ years for refusing to bake a gay wedding cake. He went all the way to the Supreme Court, and won, and when he returned to Colorado, the process started all over with a trans cake. That’s lawfare.
Lawfare has two potential aims: (1) punishing opponents, and (2) chiseling away at the contours of the law. For Jack Phillips, and this salon owner in Michigan, the process is the punishment. The regime will fundraise and saturate the narrative while the ‘defendant’ is lucky to find an attorney with a spine to take their case. For the law, every case is a potential building block to a new precedent, a new normal.
This practice must be abolished. And there must be harsher penalties for weaponizing the law out of frivolity and hurt feelings. Otherwise it will continue, and it will become normal, and the communist overthrow of America will be complete. We only have rights if we can exercise them. If the court punishes a salon for not playing the pronoun game, then it’s not looking good.” —
CIA's Burns & SecDef Austin In Separate 'Urgent' Trips To Ukraine As War Effort Implodes
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday showed up in Kiev during an unannounced visit, and at an awkward moment for US-Ukraine relations given President Zelensky has been publicly complaining over a decrease in artillery shell supplies, given they are now going to Israel for its war in Gaza.
"I was honored to meet with President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv today to reaffirm the United States’ steadfast support for Ukraine," Austin wrote on X. "We, along with our allies and partners, will continue to support Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs and long-term defense requirements," Austin added.
This convenient shift of Washington and the Pentagon to talking mainly about "long-term defense" began occurring as it became clear Ukraine's counteroffensive was failing.
But Congress has been dragging its feet on passing Biden's latest supplemental funding requests - again given there's been some wrangling over what gets sent to Israel vs. what's set aside for Ukraine.
This is Austin's second trip to Kiev since the Russian invasion. "I’m here today to deliver an important message – the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression, both now and into the future," he said.
Just last week, CIA Director William Burns also made a secretive, unannounced visit to Ukraine to hold urgent meetings with Zelensky and top military and intelligence officials. Commentary in Asia Times has concluded that this flurry of activity is in response to how badly things are going on the battlefield. Washington has invested many tens of billions of dollars into what's clearly a 'proxy war' against Russia. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “It’s becoming almost too easy to dunk all over the failure that is the Ukraine proxy war, not just in terms of the reported Actuals on the ground, which the MSM are finally admitting, but more so because of the Narrative Convergences that are emerging around the Ukraine collapse.
It isn’t just that Ukraine’s kinetic and narrative collapse has exposed the concept of proxy presidents and proxy wars to an increasingly-awakened Collective Mind, but also that the collapse of this story is beginning to drag many of the other Usual Suspects within the alleged Deep State down with them.
Unless, of course, you think it’s good for the CIA and Biden Admin to be connected to Ukraine in the current context of the War of Stories.
Didn’t think so.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Israel Admits It Killed Some Of Its Own At Nova Music Festival
An Israeli police investigation into the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival near the Gaza border on October 7 revealed that an Israeli attack helicopter killed some of the attendees, Haaretz reported on Saturday.
According to a police source, an investigation into the incident showed that an Israeli combat helicopter that arrived at the scene from the Ramat David base fired at Hamas fighters and other Palestinians who crossed through the border fence from Gaza into Israel, but also fired on some of the Israelis attending the music festival. According to the police, 364 people in total were killed there.
The Israeli military and rescue services previously claimed that 260 Israelis were killed at the festival, all by Hamas and Palestinians in a deliberate massacre. But this is the first acknowledgement that Israeli forces killed some of their own.
Previous reports in Israeli media revealed that Israeli forces killed Israeli civilians in Be’eri, a settlement also near the Gaza border. In that case, Hamas fighters were holding Israelis captive in homes. When the Israeli military arrived, it opened fire, including by firing tank shells, killing both Israeli captives and Hamas fighters. — The Cradle
"Tranhausen By Proxy?" Parents' Personality Disorders Driving Surge In Trans Kids: Psychiatrists
Playing a role in the sudden rise of transgender children may be "transhausen by proxy," a term coined for narcissistic parents who push so-called "gender transitioning" on their children, some experts say.
Celebrities are increasingly in the limelight with announcements about their children who come out as transgender or nonbinary. Nonbinary individuals identify as neither male nor female.
"Transhausen by proxy" isn't an officially recognized psychological condition. It's a play on an official condition known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP). MSBP is a mental illness that's also sometimes called medical child abuse or factitious disorder imposed on others. It's exhibited mostly by women seeking attention by exaggerating or making up an illness of children or others in their care.
Transhausen by proxy has very real effects on society, experts told The Epoch Times.
They point to headlines like the one on Pride.com in May, which gushes: "15 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids." The article praises stars such as Cher, Sade, Jennifer Lopez, and Charlize Theron for supporting their children who reject their biological sex. — The Epoch Times
Xi Celebrates 'Firm' Ties With Russia After US Trip Marred By Biden's Dictator Remark
Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed "firm" ties between China and Russia just days after his trip to San Francisco where he met with President Biden and executives of major US tech companies.
Xi said Monday that positive Russia ties will "inject more stability into the world," according to China Central Television. He affirmed that Beijing stands ready to work with Moscow "resolutely" on bilateral relations and building a permanent friendship. His last Wednesday meeting with President Biden ended on a deeply negative note given that at a wrap-up press conference Biden called Xi a "dictator" in response to a reporter's question.
President Putin at the same time sent Xi a congratulatory letter marking the 10th meeting of the dialogue mechanism between the ruling parties of China and Russia, per Bloomberg.
Xinhua summarized Putin's letter as follows:
Putin said in his congratulatory letter that the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at the highest level in history, and the two countries are working together to advance a number of large-scale cooperation projects in the fields of economy, transportation, energy and culture, among others.
The two countries are coordinating positions through bilateral channels and multilateral mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS to resolve major international issues and promote the building of a more just and democratic international order. — ZeroHedge
We hope you enjoyed this brief look back at the major news items you might have missed in this ever-escalating and ever-accelerating news cycle as the Information War continues to rage on around us.
The Badlands Media team will continue to combine our cognitive powers in order to slow things down and find the signal amidst the noise as this series expands.
As always, if you have any thoughts on these news items or the MANY others swirling in the digital ether, drop into the comments below to share them with your fellow Badlanders.
Wow the Vax rate dropped to 93% -- What are we celebrating here??? Glad to hear Ashe that the HPV BS got to you. I remember sitting in the Doctor's office with my daughter as her Doctor tried to convince me to give her the HPV vax. I asked her if Death was a potential side effect as listed on the Rx liner. She tried to down play it. I declined.
But 93% is pathetic. I will not be happy until they admit they are over-juicing our kids. I say that with one child with Autism. And no explanation as to why or how that could occur. Just that it is not from their Juice.
You have to laugh at the money Moderna is spending to rebrand their CV-Vax as . . . SpikeVax. Doesn't that sound edgy. Or Spikey. Just what I want running through my veins and causing random heart attacks!
I was a young mom in the 1980's. There were about 10 shots. I believed that the vaxes were good. How diabolical the powers that be, who lied directly to our faces about vax injury, autism, SIDS. It makes me VOMIT! (The story that RFK Jr tells about "journalist" Tapper and CNN and the news story about vaccines being pulled at the very last moment tells us everything we need to know. Honestly, when something like that reveals to you whom you work for, how do you not either become a whistle blower or blow your own brains out????) This 70-shot regimen is nuts, IMHO. I had no idea it had climbed so, until becoming part of the truth community. Hey, BB, I hope you are right about trauma working toward truth in the collective mind. It IS/WAS traumatic for me to learn that the "benevolent" government is really a putrid swamp, that is morphing into the lake of fire. But, with my daily dose of the Word of God and the Badlands redpills, I march on with "hope in my heart". Btw, all you guys write the best "takes"!! I am just wondering about Justin Duschamps, as we have not heard from him lately. God bless, and I pray that what evil men intended for evil, God will work for good to His glory and to bring more people to Him, by saving many for eternity and for the here and now. He is the true SAVIOR and REDEEMER!