Dueling Torches - The Ludington Torch2024-03-29T11:26:30Zhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/categories/dueling-torches/listForCategory?categoryId=4689834%3ACategory%3A9&feed=yes&xn_auth=noDrawing Two Guns in School Leads to Expulsion of Port Huron Teentag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2024-02-24:4689834:Topic:14325562024-02-24T16:21:10.066ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
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<p>When George Orwell published his dystopic book <em><strong>1984</strong></em> back in the 1940s, he warned of a future where the state would tell you how you should think and act and have the power to punish those who do not comply. Warning that "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever."</p>
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<p>Forty years after that title's year, we see our society moving towards those ends, slowly but surely. Accelerated somewhat through the…</p>
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<p>When George Orwell published his dystopic book <em><strong>1984</strong></em> back in the 1940s, he warned of a future where the state would tell you how you should think and act and have the power to punish those who do not comply. Warning that "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever."</p>
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<p>Forty years after that title's year, we see our society moving towards those ends, slowly but surely. Accelerated somewhat through the COVID experiment, the schools have become training grounds for raising a new generation that is ignorant of the inalienable rights our older generations cherish, where most of us recognize Thomas Jefferson's wise adage: "There is no justification for taking away individuals' freedom in the guise of<span> public safety."</span></p>
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<p><span>We have seen this happen in Ludington schools when a middle school boy was excited about getting an airsoft gun for Christmas and showing it to his friend, the well-indoctrinated friend told school officials and the student was suspended from school and when the boy's father balked at having his home searched because his son was talking about an airsoft gun, the SRO Austin <a href="https://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/the-unwarranted-perjury-of-austin-morris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Morris went ahead and intentionally swore falsely</a> (most would call this perjury) to get a warrant to do a surprise search of the man's home. </span></p>
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<p><span>He and other officers <a href="https://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/ludington-schools-turn-airsoft-kid-into-their-whipping-boy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found hunting guns</a> in a locked gun-safe in the boy's older brother's room. Because Morris had unlawfully did a LEIN check on the father and found a marijuana possession felony back from 2008, he successfully pursued prosecuting the man for unlawfully having guns in his possession-- even when they were in his oldest son's locked safe. </span></p>
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<p>Ironically, less than one year after the school board expelled a boy for a year from school for talking about a toy gun, the school board unanimously approved having a deer cull take place on school grounds, that would have mercenaries working for the federal government bring high-powered rifles on land that our elementary school is situated on and shoot innocent life as they went about their day. The school never had a contract with the federal government for that service.</p>
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<p>But let's explore a controversy that has erupted on the opposite shore of Michigan in Port Huron. A boy's doodling in class has led to him being kicked out of school, and the school has offered an indecent proposal to the parents of the boy. (see <a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/1416215" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a>)</p>
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<p><span class="dateline"><strong>FOX 2 (<a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/port-huron-teens-gun-drawing-gets-him-kicked-out-of-school" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WJBK</a>)</strong><span> </span>-<span> </span></span>A student was kicked out of school for drawing a gun - and in order to be allowed back, the family says the district is asking for something they can't allow - a home search.</p>
<p>A sketch of gun references is not an art project and certainly not a threat, according to the father of the 16-year-old boy who drew it, but it has sparked controversy in Port Huron.</p>
<p>"He plays a lot of first-person shooter games, and so he drew one of the weapons, as best as he can draw," said Jeremy Kenney.</p>
<p>Kenney says his teenage son was banned from Port Huron High School because of this image, appearing to show two guns and the phrases "six shooter" and "bang!"</p>
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<p>"We had a discussion with him about it because obviously,, we want him to do his school work right?" said his father. "We don’t want him doodling in class."</p>
<p>The issue makes many think back to<span> </span><a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/tag/oxford-high-school-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the Oxford High School shooter<span> </span></strong></a>who made troubling drawings prior to<span> </span><a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/tag/oxford-high-school-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>opening fire on his classmates, killing four and wounding several others in November, 2021.</strong></a></p>
<p>Critics say Oxford ignored obvious signs of trouble there, but Kenney says this is "nothing like that."</p>
<p>"It is nothing incriminating or, there’s nothing in the photo that says he’s going to hurt anybody," his dad said. "There’s not a statement, there’s not an image of dead bodies, it’s just a picture of a gun."</p>
<p>The family says in order for their son to get back into school, the family has to agree to a search of their house to see if they have any guns. They have a problem with that.</p>
<p>"I understand the climate that we’re in," Kenney said. "And I understand how other people can say they didn’t do enough, or they did the wrong thing. But you’re never going to really understand that feeling of being violated, and having somebody trying to force their way into your home."</p>
<p>FOX 2 reached out to Port Huron schools for comment but we have not yet heard back on this.</p>
<p>Constitutional attorneys are sounding off.</p>
<p>"It makes no sense and the world’s gone crazy," said Attorney Nick Somberg. "If the school has reasonable suspicion of a crime, they’re going to be able to search a student. I don’t know what crime a picture of a gun, a very poorly drawn picture of a gun, could possibly be, but the actions of the kid are certainly not grounds to then go and search the parent’s house.</p>
<p>"They have full-blown constitutional rights. Your home is your castle, so that is the most protected place in the United States. They’re going to need probable cause and a warrant to go in there."</p>
<p>The family says that things appear to be cooling down with the school. [END article]</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12388921498?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12388921498?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="711" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p>Attorney Somberg would have had a field day with what happened in Ludington, but he is absolutely right that probable cause and a warrant needs to be obtained if the school, SRO, or local police want to invade the home where the young, bad artist lays his head. If the school gave an ultimatum that they would not allow the student to come back unless the parents allow an intrusive search of their home, they are not teaching our children that they have inalienable rights. They are teaching them that two plus two does not equal four. </p> Safety of Artificial Turf Once Again Called Into Question by AP-- and by Swiftiestag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2023-10-10:4689834:Topic:14305252023-10-10T16:55:52.331ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
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<p>The Associated Press (AP) recently weighed in on the grass vs. artificial turf debate, this was reprinted fully in <a href="https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/nation-world/turf-vs-grass-which-is-better/507-bed580ca-9a4d-45e7-a95c-4a2b46799bca" rel="noopener" target="_blank">TV 13 on your side's website</a>, <a href="https://www.manisteenews.com/sports/article/what-does-the-science-say-about-the-grass-vs-18415143.php" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Manistee newspaper</a>, the …</p>
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<p>The Associated Press (AP) recently weighed in on the grass vs. artificial turf debate, this was reprinted fully in <a href="https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/nation-world/turf-vs-grass-which-is-better/507-bed580ca-9a4d-45e7-a95c-4a2b46799bca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TV 13 on your side's website</a>, <a href="https://www.manisteenews.com/sports/article/what-does-the-science-say-about-the-grass-vs-18415143.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Manistee newspaper</a>, the <a href="https://www.michigansthumb.com/sports/article/what-does-the-science-say-about-the-grass-vs-18415143.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Huron Daily Tribune</a>, and numerous other media outlets across the state, nation and world. It needs to be reviewed by all of the local school officials who used $1,4 million in school bond money to install Astroturf at Oriole Field and usher in all of the problems that come with it. Ask them why there was never a public discussion about whether to retain safe and natural grass or spend decades worth of grass field maintenance fees on Astroturf that needs to be replaced within a decade? </p>
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<p>Can you guess why this article may have been put out at this time? Our answer at the end of the AP article.</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12246164283?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12246164283?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p><strong>Which playing surface is safer for athletes: natural grass or artificial turf?</strong></p>
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<p>(<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-aaron-rodgers-achilles-grass-artificial-turf-79212f5443cd2a0d30fe8c9d981b13c0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP</a>) The question is important not just in football, but also for soccer, recreational sports and high school and college athletics — anywhere athletes make sudden shifts in direction that can twist joints and tear ligaments.</p>
<p>Scientists continue to study the question, but there are challenges to getting the answer right. There are variables to take into account: the player’s age and physical shape, weather and surface conditions, the type of shoes and whether the injuries involved contact with other players. And surfaces have changed over the years with new technology.</p>
<p><span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-nflpa-aaron-rodgers-achilles-injury-grass-fields-artificial-surface-0b6bd58da43d52b0a8578bd7e70228d3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The debate was revived when Aaron Rodgers</a></span><span> tore his Achilles’ tendon during an NFL game on artificial turf. Although Rodgers’ injury may have been just as likely on grass because of the circumstances, that hasn’t stopped the wrangling.</span></p>
<p>What does the science say and what are the challenges</p>
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<h2>LOOKING BACK AT INJURY RATES</h2>
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<p>Some studies look back at injury rates, while making adjustments for other factors that could be in play. That type of study is good, but will never be able to keep up with innovation, said Dr. Calvin Hwang, a team doctor for Stanford’s football players and the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team.</p>
<p>“There’s always evolving technology, both with grass, but especially with artificial turf,” Hwang said. “The newer generation turfs may be safer than older generation turfs. And so studies that were done five or six years ago may not be including some of those newer generation turfs.”</p>
<p>Still, Hwang, who treats players who play home games on grass, said the research he’s seen leads him to believe that grass is safer.</p>
<p>Recently, a group of researchers<span> </span><span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35593739/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reviewed studies on the topic.</a></span><span> </span>They looked at 53 articles published between 1972 and 2020, on injuries in professional and amateur sports, including football, soccer, rugby, field hockey and ultimate Frisbee. The authors didn’t specify whether the studies included injuries involving a direct blow from another player, or just non-contact injuries.</p>
<p>The studies suggest “a higher rate of foot and ankle injuries on artificial turf, both old-generation and new-generation turf, compared to natural grass,” they wrote in a paper published last year in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Knee and hip injuries were similar on both surfaces, they wrote. The authors noted that studies reporting a higher rate of injury on grass received financial support from the artificial turf industry.</p>
<p>Similar findings were reported in a separate<span> </span><span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0363546518808499?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study that analyzed</a></span><span> </span>4,801 NFL foot and leg injuries during 2012-2016 regular season games. That research found 16% more injuries per play on artificial turf compared to grass. The authors concluded that if all games had been played on grass during that period there would have been 319 fewer foot and leg injuries. Looking only at non-contact injuries the risk was even higher, about 20% more injuries per play.</p>
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<h2>THE DEBATE</h2>
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<p>In the NFL,<span> </span><span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-nflpa-aaron-rodgers-achilles-injury-grass-fields-artificial-surface-0b6bd58da43d52b0a8578bd7e70228d3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the players’ union prefers grass</a></span><span> </span>and has been pushing for it. The NFL says some artificial turf fields are safer than some grass fields and wants to reduce injuries on all surfaces. About half the NFL stadiums use artificial turf.</p>
<p>Both sides use the same data on non-contact injury rates, but have interpreted the figures differently.</p>
<p>The data collected for the NFL and players union is not publicly available. The company that analyzes the data, IQVIA, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.</p>
<p>Artificial turf is made from plastic fibers that resemble grass with a cushioning infill made of granulated rubber, sand, cork or coconut fiber.</p>
<p>“The upside of turf is that players feel more nimble, they feel faster,” said Dr. Brian Cole, orthopedic surgeon and team doctor for basketball’s Chicago Bulls. “The downside is they’re faster. It’s a collision sport. Velocity goes up and collisions go up.”</p>
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<h2>SHOE CLEATS AND SURFACES</h2>
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<p>Dr. Joseph Donnelly has repaired numerous torn ACLs in female high school soccer players in the Bay Area where most high school athletes play on artificial turf.<span> </span><span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/acl-womens-world-cup-injuries-miedema-mead-macario-putellas-6a722f41f81d3c00c1b6311996e906d7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Female athletes</a></span><span> </span>are more likely than males to suffer ACL injuries in sports such as soccer that require sudden changes in direction, studies have shown.</p>
<p>“It’s an epidemic,” said Donnelly, an orthopedic surgeon at Stanford Health Care. “When these ladies tear their ACLs, we fix them, we send them back and then they’re actually more likely to tear their opposite ACL.”</p>
<p>He dug into the research.<span> </span><span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://thescipub.com/abstract/ajeassp.2016.1150.1157" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One study</a></span><span> </span>from 2016 used a hydraulic testing machine to simulate shoes with different style cleats pivoting on various playing surfaces. Shoes with blade-shaped cleats on artificial turf were a dangerous combination. The traction from the blade-shaped cleats increased the twisting force on the knee.</p>
<p>“You’re not going to be able to change the surface you play on,” Donnelly said. “So we do try to get them to use a cleat that has a favorable interaction with the turf.”</p>
<p>Some young athletes don’t want to give up their favorite cleats because they worry about performance on the field, he said. Like other sports medicine experts interviewed for this story, he thinks grass is safer.</p>
<p>“There’s no question that there is less torque when you’re on grass no matter what cleats you’re wearing,” he said.</p>
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<h2>HYBRID SURFACES</h2>
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<p>For big stadiums, aside from player safety, there are financial pressures that favor artificial turf, which offers more flexibility for events like concerts. Weather and upkeep are part of the equation. A poorly maintained grass field can cause injuries.</p>
<p>The future may be hybrid fields. The Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field in Wisconsin has featured<span> </span><span class="LinkEnhancement"><a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://www.packers.com/news/new-turf-ready-to-welcome-packers-into-2018-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kentucky bluegrass sod weaved in with synthetic fibers</a></span><span> </span>since 2018.</p>
<p>Grass or hybrid fields may get a boost from the 2026 World Cup. The regulations for the tournament have not yet been published, but grass has been preferred for all past men’s World Cups. Seven of the 11 U.S. venues are NFL stadiums with artificial turf. And in a recent ESPN interview, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the stadiums will be putting in hybrid surfaces for the tournament.</p>
<p>Grass field technology has improved, Cole said. “They can do it when it’s 110 (degrees) and they can do it when it’s 30 below zero in Green Bay. So it can be done. And I think the science is clearly enabling them to do it at this point.”</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12246151663?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12246151663?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p>The <strong>Ludington Torch</strong> has previously pointed out some of the studies used and appreciates the effort by AP to address the problem, but why have they waited until now to weigh into the debate as America's most influential news service? Quarterback Aaron Rodgers' injury was weeks ago, and a few other serious turf-caused injuries has occurred since in the professional and college gridiron games. </p>
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<p>Credit Taylor Swift for that. Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, appeared to have had a lower-leg injury in the first quarter of an away game for the Kansas City Chiefs on artificial turf scheduled for replacement. Taylor Swift's national fanbase took notice. <a href="https://fansided.com/posts/swifties-join-fight-against-turf-thanks-travis-kelce-injury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swifties instantly became</a> ardent fans against turf, believing that Taylor's beau health woe was caused by the surface. The replay seems to show that the turf was the culprit. Luckily, for the NFL owners, Kelce would come back after the injury in the second half and play well. </p>
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<p>With millions of Taylor Swift fans now behind them, will NFL owners finally give into the wishes of a majority of the players, almost all professional soccer players, and most fans to install natural grass over the fake stuff? We can only hope. For the toxic, irrational mindset that wants to excavate acres of prime playing field grass and install fields made of plastic fibers, crystalized silica, and crumb rubber, proven dangerous to the health and safety of athletes and the neighborhood, needs to be fixed.</p> Land o' Gotion, Just Say Notag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2023-03-26:4689834:Topic:14272182023-03-26T16:42:47.108ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p>In rural Mason, or Mecosta, County, you may hear the idiom "Land o' Goshen!" used as a mild expletive. You're likely to hear a variant of it even more if feckless politicians in Michigan have their way and subsidize an electrical vehicle battery plant in Green Township in Mecosta County. </p>
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<p>Last October, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ev-battery-makers-gotion-one-plan-new-michigan-plants-2022-10-05/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Reuters…</a></p>
<p>In rural Mason, or Mecosta, County, you may hear the idiom "Land o' Goshen!" used as a mild expletive. You're likely to hear a variant of it even more if feckless politicians in Michigan have their way and subsidize an electrical vehicle battery plant in Green Township in Mecosta County. </p>
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<p>Last October, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ev-battery-makers-gotion-one-plan-new-michigan-plants-2022-10-05/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters reported</a> a deal had been struck between the State of Michigan and Gotion (aka Guoxuan High Tech or Gotion HT). They noted that Gotion a Chinese-based company was planning on creating a $2.36 billion plant that would provide thousands of jobs, and that the people of Michigan would be on the hook for $715 million of that cost. </p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11003563675?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11003563675?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/10/07/gretchen-whitmer-appointed-board-approves-715-million-contract-tax-incentives-for-chinese-communist-party-affiliated-company/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Breitbart reported</a> at the time that a Republican-led legislature helped Governor Gretchen Whitmer's efforts putting $846 million into <span>the state’s Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) Fund for $175 million in this project, $540 million more from the Michigan Strategic Fund through the MEDC on monetizable tax breaks. The final approval came after three local government boards <a class="gnt_ar_b_a x5l" href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/michigan/2022/09/27/big-rapids-boards-ok-30-year-tax-break-for-chinese-battery-parts-maker/69519518007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener external">last week</a> unanimously approved the Renaissance Zone request for the project.</span></p>
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<p><span>MSF Chairman Quentin Messer told the <em>Detroit News </em>that the MSF was <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2022/09/21/chinese-battery-parts-maker-eyeing-3-6-billion-plant-2-000-jobs-near-big-rapids/10398128002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener external" class="x5l">actively pursuing</a> the business of the Chinese-linked company. In September, the Whitmer administration <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadLivengood/status/1575178043303157760" target="_blank" rel="noopener external" class="x5l">refused to disclose</a> how much taxpayer money had been offered to lure Gotion to Michigan.</span></p>
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<p><span>The company is headed by Li Zhen, a Chinese <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/li-zhen/?sh=11dbb435e87c" target="_blank" rel="noopener external" class="x5l">billionaire</a> with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Zhen is considered the company’s “de facto controller.” He was a <a href="https://stock.us/stock/sz/002074/management" target="_blank" rel="noopener external" class="x5l">member</a> of the 13th, 14th, and 15th National People’s Conference Hefei Committee, a local <a href="http://www.cppcc.gov.cn/zxww/2012/07/03/ARTI1341301498421103.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener external" class="x5l">affiliate</a> of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). </span></p>
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<p><span>According to the <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/what-is-the-cppcc-anyway/" target="_blank" rel="noopener external" class="x5l"><em>Diplomat</em></a>, “the CPPCC today is a key part of China’s ‘united front’ work, which is designed to liaise with non-Communist Party members — and ultimately see them work with the CCP to advance its interests. According to <a href="https://www.moomoo.com/stock/002074-SZ/company-executives">Moomoo Technologies</a>, at least two of Gotion's Deputy General Managers are currently involved as officials with the CCP. </span></p>
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<p><span>Republican challenger for the governor, Tudor Dixon, said at the time: “The bottom line on this deal is that Gretchen Whitmer is using Michigan taxpayers’ hard-earned money to line the pockets of a communist-party-tied Chinese Billionaire and prop up his new business venture while choking our own home-grown businesses to death with regulations. Real Michigan businesses need a partner-investor in Lansing. Not a career politician/lawyer cutting bad deals with their Chinese competition.” As more revelations have came out making the connections clearer, Dixon has only got more strident.</span></p>
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<p><span><a href="https://www.themidwesterner.news/exclusive/mi-funded-battery-maker-mandates-allegiance-to-constitution-of-the-communist-party-of-china-company-bylaws-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Midwesterner reports</a> recently that in July 2022, <a href="https://en.gotion.com.cn/documents">Gotion</a> – the Chinese company purchasing 700 acres of property near Big Rapids – published a <a href="https://en.gotion.com.cn/uploads/file/20220728/1658971015278139.pdf">94-page document</a> titled, “Articles of Association,” essentially the equivalent of an American company’s bylaws. The document, found on Gotion’s website, lays out the company’s governance structure and allegiance to the “Constitution of the Communist Party of China” in multiple passages. The company’s <a href="https://cofs.lara.state.mi.us/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSearchRedirector.aspx?Action=PDF&Path=IMAGES_STAGING/2022/0831/000007471/74711/Master.pdf">corporate filing</a> with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs calls Gotion a “foreign profit corporation”, undermining the notion that the company is an American “subsidiary” of the Chinese corporation as some have claimed. </span></p>
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<p><span>Gotion's gifts from state and local governments in Michigan would <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/michigan/article_c9101332-ca6d-11ed-aead-1f97ff673d27.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rise to $1.14 billion</a>, or about half of the project's costs, this was even after Big Rapids Township voted for a federal review of Gotion’s bid to build on 115 acres in the township in February, citing concerns over the company’s Chinese ownership. Rather than respond to the township’s questions, Gotion refocused its siting plans to 408 acres in Mecosta County’s Green Township. </span></p>
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<p><span>When pressed, Gotion's local spokesman, Chuck Thelen acknowledged Gotion Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gotion High-Tech, although Gotion Inc. has been headquartered in Fremont, California since 2015. Majority voting rights on the company's board of directors are controlled by the founding shareholders in China. He also acknowledged that building the facility in Mecosta County will begin in the second quarter.</span></p>
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<p><span>Though state and local politicians have been blinded by the prospect of growth and development in their jurisdiction, the citizens around the county are beginning to fight back against this remarkable giveaway of their common prosperity to what many folks believe is the biggest world threat to our country, the CCP. </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span><a href="https://www.bizpacreview.com/2023/03/18/mich-residents-resist-planned-build-of-factories-by-chinese-owned-company-1342066/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More than 100 resident</a>s of Green Charter Township and Big Rapids turned up for the March 14 meeting to voice their anger over the plan. They will do so once again on April 5th, perhaps their township's leaders will at least call for a qualified federal review. </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11003584469?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11003584469?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span>The public must attend in mass and let their leaders know that not all growth is good or smart. Why should Michigan citizens be subsidizing CCP businesses with over a billion dollars and suffer the consequences of living in the neighborhood of a potentially dangerous environmental and/or national security incident?</span></p> 2023 Updates on 2020 Excessestag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2023-02-02:4689834:Topic:14149242023-02-02T21:50:31.894ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p>If you're not aware by now, you were played back in 2020; many of you may still not realize that simple fact and continue to be played. Yes, I'm talking to those I see still wearing a mask while at the store, those waiting dutifully for their next booster shot, those who still think that Ivermectin is nothing more than horse paste. …</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953404479?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953404479?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666"></img></a></p>
<p>If you're not aware by now, you were played back in 2020; many of you may still not realize that simple fact and continue to be played. Yes, I'm talking to those I see still wearing a mask while at the store, those waiting dutifully for their next booster shot, those who still think that Ivermectin is nothing more than horse paste. </p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953404479?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953404479?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a> </p>
<p></p>
<p>In the last three years the smart folks along us have learned, or relearned, some simple facts about big pharmaceutical companies and big government: they want you to remain unhealthy and dependent on them for all of your ills. That's how they get profits and retain their power over you. When they unite against you, you need to resist and fight back, even if done passively by just being informed enough not to accept the propaganda and outright lies meant to keep you enslaved and powerless.</p>
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<p>America is stronger when its people are empowered, educated, and allowed to be masters of their fate. Our history shows us that, just like other countries that have histories of despotism and disenfranchisement of the people have shown the converse. To this end, we update what we now know about some of the excesses of three years ago, some of which still exist, as a community service to our readers at the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ludington Torch</strong></span>.</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953402085?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953402085?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p><strong>Masks</strong></p>
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<p>Back in February 2020, none other than Dr. Fauci echoed what was common knowledge at the time among the experts at the CDC and WHO about masks, that there simply was no reason to believe they helped stopped the spread of airborne viruses. Still, they found out shortly thereafter that they could extend the fear by issuing mask mandates and provide an ongoing reminder to everyone that there was a pandemic around-- it also made it easier for folks to lose their inhibitions that summer and riot after being told to by their government, even when it sometimes violated Covid protocols.</p>
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<p>No big surprise here that the February 2020 versions of Dr. Fauci, the CDC, and the WHO were right. The very latest <a href="https://www.skirsch.com/covid/MasksCochrane.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cochrane Review on Masks</a> is out and one more time they have found no beneficial property of wearing masks against not wearing them when trying to avoid Covid-like illnesses:</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953250854?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953250854?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="555" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953250896?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10953250896?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="555" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p></p>
<p><span>The Cochrane press release confirmed all this and then concluded: “We are uncertain whether wearing masks or N95/P2 respirators helps to slow the spread of respiratory viruses.” In other words: "We couldn’t find a shred of evidence supporting the notion that masks make any difference whatsoever. Whoever is advising people to wear masks is not basing their decision on any scientific evidence."</span></p>
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<p><span>The review comprises many of the studies taken after the onset of Covid, noting that none of the sometimes-touted studies reportedly showing that masks worked, actually accomplished that feat. So wear that N95 mask if you think it makes you look fashionable or if it hides your big nose, or protects your face from the cold, but don't wear it out in public if your sole purpose is to avoid airborne illnesses or viruses. It just won't work for that.</span></p>
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<p><strong>Vaccines and Therapeutics</strong></p>
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<p><span>Safe and effective is how they were rolled out and billions of dollars were rolled out and spent on marketing them, in one of the biggest and most dangerous frauds ever. </span></p>
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<p>At the end of 2022, <span>‘Excess Mortality and Covid Vaccines. An Urgent Institutional Academic Investigation’ was published in Spain by a group of established doctors and clinicians. They warned about a significant and very evident correlation between Covid-19 vaccination campaigns in 41 countries and the excess mortality registered in 2022. Between May and November, Bulgaria, the country with the lowest vaccination rate (30 per cent) and booster doses (12 per cent), continued with a very low excess mortality (-1.2 per cent). While Chile, leader in vaccination rates (88 per cent) and reinforcement (125 per cent), had the highest excess mortality (21 per cent).</span></p>
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<p><span>Other studies indicates that Covid-19 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) routinely damage the heart (an organ that does not regenerate) leading to some deaths and potentially long-lasting effects for the survivors; cancer mortality experienced an unprecedented increase compared with pre-pandemic rates, especially in the US and Britain. </span></p>
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<p><span>So the safety of vaccines is definitely in question, but are they effective? When about 2/3 of the people in this country dying from Covid are either partially or fully vaxed, it makes a poor case for big pharma's initial claims that their magic bullets were 95% effective. Once again we can see a pattern when we compare countries that have high vax rates to those with low vax rates. The countries with the highest Covid fatality rates are those with high vax rates, and the ones with low fatality rates for Covid, almost all are in Third World countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia and are sparsely vaxed. </span></p>
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<p><span>That result may be surprising because of all the additional resources available in developed countries to treat Covid patients, but it seems to be more of a policy problem. Developed countries have eschewed therapeutic remedies, settling on unproven vaccine while the Third World is stuck with cheap, repurposed drugs like HCQ and Ivermectin. For some reason the civilized world stuck to their ventilators (which never worked) and costly therapeutics (if any treatment was used) that didn't work nearly as well and without the side effects of the cheaper retreads. </span></p> Deceptive State Proposals of 2022tag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2022-11-02:4689834:Topic:13920152022-11-02T02:10:04.483ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p>Three proposals made it to the statewide ballot for the November election and if one just read the titles of the original proposals, one might look on them rather favorably.</p>
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<p>Proposal 1 is called <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/sos/-/media/Project/Websites/sos/24delrio/Voters_for_Transparency_and_Term_Limits_03-28-2022_750777_7-(2).pdf?rev=d99008228ca84e12badf23ac107f7677&hash=18FED01F3FC916BF14091ABCF8D09EDE" rel="noopener" target="_blank">voters for transparency and…</a></p>
<p>Three proposals made it to the statewide ballot for the November election and if one just read the titles of the original proposals, one might look on them rather favorably.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Proposal 1 is called <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/sos/-/media/Project/Websites/sos/24delrio/Voters_for_Transparency_and_Term_Limits_03-28-2022_750777_7-(2).pdf?rev=d99008228ca84e12badf23ac107f7677&hash=18FED01F3FC916BF14091ABCF8D09EDE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voters for transparency and term limits</a>; most people prefer term limits and who doesn't like government transparency? The Ludington Torch loves both. Proposal 2 is called <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/voting-rights-ballot-measure-what-proposal-2-would-change-michigan?utm_source=Bridge+Michigan&utm_campaign=1f5da036c7-Bridge+Newsletter+09%2F12%2F2022&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c64a28dd5a-1f5da036c7-73871181" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Promote the Vote 2022</a>; who doesn't want to see more people involved in the democratic process? Proposal 3 is called <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/abortion-ballot-measure-what-proposal-3-would-do-michigan?utm_source=Bridge+Michigan&utm_campaign=1f5da036c7-Bridge+Newsletter+09%2F12%2F2022&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c64a28dd5a-1f5da036c7-73871181" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reproductive Freedom for All</a>; who doesn't believe that we should all be free to reproduce?</p>
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<p>But the titles of these proposals are deceptive, and they get more deceptive as the number of the proposal grows. It reminds one of the Ludington election this May where city voters were asked whether there should be a revision of the charter yet were never told the cost that such a revision would entail and how much the committee created would be paid, statutory requirements that failed to be met. This fraud and error allowed for that proposal to pass, with all voters other than a handful unknowing that it would cost nearly $100,000 to effectuate and about $20,000 of that was slated for the committee; had it been known that it was a costly process rather than free, would it have passed?</p>
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<p>The three statewide proposals appear to conform to statutes as they have went through the legal process with some challenges, and their summary on ballots convey the main gist of each. The Ludington Torch believes that ballot proposals should be clear and fully summarized as to what their passage will do, that's why we have challenged the May proposal in court (result pending) and offer this primer on how these proposals will affect us if passed. We also believe that the voter's default position should be to vote no against any proposal that is ambiguous or does not clearly define itself.</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10860576270?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10860576270?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p><strong>Proposal 1: Transparency and Term Limits</strong></p>
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<p>Summarized, the first part of the proposal would make all statewide elective officers file financial disclosure statements available to the public at the end of each year. The big question to ask is why isn't this already the case? Lest we forget, the legislature and the governor are somehow immune to FOIA requests in Michigan, one of only two states that have such a restriction. While this part offers some transparency in where elected officials are getting their money, it doesn't go very far.</p>
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<p>The second part changes term limits for state legislators from currently two terms in the senate (8 years) and three terms in the house (six years) to a straight 12-year total in combination. This allows for someone to serve three terms in the senate or six terms in the house. As the idea behind term limits is to offer fresh faces faster and to keep officials from getting too ensconced in a position, this part fails as its effect will be to entrench incumbents. </p>
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<p>It should come as no surprise that the incumbent legislature is the originator and force (along with their friendly lobbyists) behind this ballot proposal. The small bite of transparency is offset by the deceptive term limit shell game in favor of the house (and the senate). If you truly value term limits, this is not your proposal, vote for it only if you value the transparency of financial disclosure statements more.</p>
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<p><strong>Proposal 2: Promote the Vote 2022</strong></p>
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<p>Summarized, <span>the proposal ambitiously looks to change election law dramatically as seen in the initiative petition:</span></p>
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<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10859047480?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10859047480?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></span></p>
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<p>Ads for the measure tout how current law sometimes makes military ballots uncounted, saying the amendment will lead to secure and fair elections, and that voter ID will only be strengthened by codifying it into the state constitution. </p>
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<p>Reading the petition, the proposal's goal seems to be all against voting integrity, making elections rife for fraud and less than fair to voters following the rules. <a href="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(jgvdm5key54we0idodgf1hoz))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-168-759a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Current Michigan law</a> allows for military absentee ballots will be counted if received by mail the Saturday before an election. This might be improved if it allowed for reception by election day, but the proposal puts a duty on clerks to count them if the <em>postmark</em> is by election day, making results of an election potentially unknown on election night and for votes to continue coming in the week after. This isn't a good result, better just to instruct military folks to get their ballots in at least a week before an election like suggested for other absentee voters.</p>
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<p>It also nullifies voter ID by effectively giving those without ID who sign an affidavit to have their vote counted and assume they are not doing this in other precincts using other names. When we see that it allows for private donations (Zuckerbucks), drop boxes, (2000 Mules) and audits only by election officials (insuring any fraud or cheating by those election officials receiving private donations will not be caught), and other measures that encourage cheating and promote fraud, one can see that the proposal is trying to legitimize the insecure and unfair 2020 election in Michigan. </p>
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<p>It's patently ridiculous that voting yes on proposal 2 is voting for secure elections as it does just the opposite. Everybody sees that, but one side doesn't care to acknowledge it. For over 150 years, Michigan had laws and procedures that allowed one legitimate voter to cast one and only one legitimate vote; enaction of this proposal will empower and enable cheaters and disenfranchise all others. </p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10860574280?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10860574280?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p><strong>Proposal 3: Reproductive Freedom for All</strong></p>
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<p>If you asked me before this year what 'reproductive freedom for all' means I would have to guess that it meant the right for everyone to consensually get together with a member of the opposite sex and make babies. It's a right already recognized by society. </p>
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<p>But apparently, the sponsors of this proposal suggest the definition is: <span>"the right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management, and infertility care."</span></p>
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<p><span>In Michigan, an adult woman already has these rights, even the right to abortion following the September <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/michigan-judge-rules-1931-law-criminalizing-abortion-unconstitutional" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decision</a> of a Court of Claims judge that permanently struck down the 1931 law that criminalized abortion in Michigan unless the woman's life was in danger. This followed a decision by the Supreme Court earlier that gave states the power to legislate abortion matters. Unless a successful appeal of this judge's decision occurs, this will offer no additional rights to an adult woman. </span></p>
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<p><span>But the proposal gives these rights to everyone without limit and effectively repeals all prior laws in conflict with it. So young children could ignore all parental consent restrictions currently in place to sterilize themselves, perhaps in preparation to have gender-affirming surgery-- even though they may not be mature enough to understand the consequences of those acts. </span></p>
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<p><span>Since a pregnancy occurs after sperm from a human male fertilizes the egg of a human female, prospective fathers should have these reproductive rights too. So what happens when the prospective parents disagree on whether to abort or not? One person's rights will be violated, regardless.</span></p>
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<p>The proposal is ambiguous and self-contradictory. It establishes the broadest reproductive rights in the US, then states the legislature can regulate those rights after the fetus becomes viable. Not that those regulations will matter much, as the right to abort will supersede those rules up to birth if the mother claims her mental health is in danger by not aborting. </p>
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<p>And if that abortionist offering great deals (because he saved a lot of money not going to medical school or buying malpractice insurance) has some complications during his practice that leads to death or disability of his patient, they are immune from malpractice suits and other liabilities. </p>
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<p>The proposal is too reactive and broad in scope to be considered sound. This proposal should be squashed just because it is badly crafted all over, but our representatives in the state legislature should transparently reconsider the 1931 law and adjust it accordingly after listening to the people. A vast majority of which would consider many of the outcomes the passed Proposal 3 would offer as unacceptable. </p>
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<p><strong>Conclusion:</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Proposal 1</strong> whiffs at being good term limit policy, vote for it only if you do not like term limits and/or you think the transparency of legislator's financial records is more important than having more entrenched politicians.</p>
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<p><strong>Proposal 2</strong> should be voted for only if you think that your favored party can't win in an election where every legal voter casts only one vote. It should be voted against if you want fair and secure elections with procedures that reduce fraud and cheating to a minimum by those counting the votes.</p>
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<p><strong>Proposal 3</strong> should be voted for only if you can read it through and explain to others exactly what will be changed and be able to defend why those changes are better than what currently exists. If that is impossible for you, vote against it. </p> School Board Uses Power to Silence Michigan Mom, She Fights Backtag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2022-10-05:4689834:Topic:13793632022-10-05T16:24:53.117ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p>Americans have First Amendment rights that allow them to speak up at public meetings, whether they offer their opinions and research to members of a city council on matters of local policies and actions, or whether they address their local school board to critically address matters pertaining to the education of the next generation of community members. Many parents, students, and other interested citizens became active over the last two years at school board meetings because of policies…</p>
<p>Americans have First Amendment rights that allow them to speak up at public meetings, whether they offer their opinions and research to members of a city council on matters of local policies and actions, or whether they address their local school board to critically address matters pertaining to the education of the next generation of community members. Many parents, students, and other interested citizens became active over the last two years at school board meetings because of policies enacted nationwide to ostensibly combat the spread of Covid-19-- policies that many considered to have a much more detrimental effect on the children and their education than any benefit gained.</p>
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<p>Many school boards and their members, unaccustomed to seeing many parents attend their meetings, were equally unaccustomed to seeing those parents aggressively question their dictates, dictates primarily based on what state and local health agencies directed them to set up. Dictates that were rarely based on what was best for the children and the advancement of their education. In Macomb County, Sandra Hernden, a parent and local police officer, was not afraid in criticizing the school board's decisions that negatively affected her children. The board appears to have tried to silence the persistent and vocal critic.</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10835079890?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10835079890?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p>Sandra Hernden (above) is suing the Chippewa Valley School Board after members of the board emailed the department of justice and her employer complaining about her behavior at school board meetings. Like many parents across the state, including here in Ludington, Hernden expressed her dissatisfaction over mask policies and the lack of in-person learning at Chippewa Valley. </p>
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<p>She regularly attended board meetings and was perceived as blunt and hostile in her comments to the board. Two board members, the secretary, and the president, emailed her employer (the Harper Woods police chief) and the Department of Justice to complain about her strident speech. The contact with the DOJ occurred the day after Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo indicating that the DOJ would be willing to investigate and prosecute those that would intimidate or harass school board members.</p>
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<p>The email to the police chief claimed Hernden<span> was angry, disrespectful, and engaging in veiled racism at board meetings. An internal investigation against her was made due to these claims which found no violation of department policies.</span></p>
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<p><span>Those two emails are front and center in her complaint in federal court citing violation of her First Amendment rights and they are included in their entirety in t</span>he lawsuit (<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10835024099?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seen here.pdf</a>). Those emails include 'evidence' (Hernden's words at meetings and in emails) the board secretary and president forwarded that they believe shows inappropriate conduct but appears to show nothing of the sort. Criticism of board policies and actions do not constitute threats, veiled racism, or anything else that the two board members claim.</p>
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<p><span>“For two years, I have been demoralized, humiliated, discredited and demeaned,” said Hernden. “I can live with a lot of things and be called a lot of names, but none of this will stop me from fighting for my children. I’m bringing this case not just for my family, but for all the families like me who feel they have no voice. </span><span>I have every right to air my grievances and ask for help from the school board, especially when it comes to my child."</span></p>
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<p><span>And that right should never be infringed upon by thin-skinned school board members who would use their position to try and get one of their critics fired from their job or investigated by the FBI just for taking a stand against the board's acts and policies.</span></p> Dana Nessel's Dirty Watertag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2022-06-30:4689834:Topic:13433092022-06-30T16:08:17.183ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p>Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel suffered a humiliating defeat in the Michigan Supreme Court that you probably haven't heard anything about. It was a repeat of failure on her part to get any sort of justice for the good people of Flint and an opportunity to legally pursue the prior Republican administration of Rick Snyder, accused of ignoring the Flint water crisis in the middle of the last decade. Her ineptitude is in clear focus when compared to the prior attorney…</p>
<p>Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel suffered a humiliating defeat in the Michigan Supreme Court that you probably haven't heard anything about. It was a repeat of failure on her part to get any sort of justice for the good people of Flint and an opportunity to legally pursue the prior Republican administration of Rick Snyder, accused of ignoring the Flint water crisis in the middle of the last decade. Her ineptitude is in clear focus when compared to the prior attorney general, a Republican who had indicted over a dozen people before Nessel dismissed them and sought her own indictments with improper grand juries. </p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10607066469?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10607066469?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p>Most Michigan news outlets seem hesitant to relay the facts of this story, probably because the AG is aligned politically with them; it took the progressive-leaning <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/28/us/flint-water-crisis-charges.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> to relay the action of the court and lay out the facts of how terribly her office handled the whole affair. On Tuesday, June 28th, t<span>he Michigan Supreme Court voted 6-0</span><span> finding that Michigan statutes explicitly prohibit a judge acting as a one-man grand jury and nullified the indictments received. That means former governor Rick Snyder and eight other officials will be off the hook barring a total restart of the process.</span></p>
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<p><span>The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-crime-michigan-indictments-rick-snyder-609f461af3bb2d7f10a40c5d663620eb?taid=62bb0a4926cb5100018cca11&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP News Service</a> labeled is as an "astonishing defeat" and wrote: </span></p>
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<p>"Nessel assigned Fadwa Hammoud to lead the criminal investigation, along with Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy, while the attorney general focused on settling lawsuits against the state.</p>
<p>Hammoud and Worthy turned to a one-judge grand jury in Genesee County to hear evidence in secret and get indictments against Snyder and others.</p>
<p>“There are no velvet ropes in our criminal justice system,” Hammoud proudly declared in 2021 when charges were filed. “Nobody — no matter how powerful or well-connected — is above accountability when they commit a crime.”</p>
<p>But she and her team, acting on Worthy’s recommendation, didn’t follow a traditional process. Hammoud still hasn’t publicly explained why."</p>
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<p><span> </span><a href="https://www.courts.michigan.gov/49ee95/siteassets/case-documents/briefs/msc/2021-2022/164191/peeler-op.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The court was unanimous</a><span>, as well as “unequivocal and scathing” in its rebuke to Nessel, according to one defendant’s attorney. The controlling opinion seems relatively mild, but the concurrence from Judge Bernstein brings the problem more to light and breaks it down in easy terms after highlighting the governing laws:</span></p>
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<p>"Our court rules state that a defendant is entitled to “subpoena and call witnesses, offer proofs, and examine and cross-examine witnesses at the preliminary examination.” MCR 6.110(C).</p>
<p>Clearly, and as this Court’s decision aptly recognizes, a preliminary examination serves a crucial function for criminal defendants in our adversarial system. It allows defendants to learn about the specific criminal charges they face, confront allegedly incriminating evidence, and prepare a defense. The prosecution argues that the Legislature, through the statutes in question, has given it the discretion to opt out of a preliminary examination, as the prosecution did here. This assertion is quite alarming, and were it true, the prosecution would have the power to decide whether to grant a defendant permission to probe and challenge the charges against them before being formally indicted. Such a result runs afoul of the basic notions of fairness that underlie our adversarial system. I do not believe we can tolerate such a procedural offense. …</p>
<p>Put simply, the prosecution’s power to charge individuals and haul them into court is constrained by certain preconditions. We recognize today that, under these circumstances, one of those preconditions is required by statute—a preliminary examination. The prosecution cannot simply cut corners in order to prosecute defendants more efficiently. To allow otherwise would be repugnant to the foundational principles of our judicial system."</p>
<p></p>
<p><span>The NYT adds the fact that when Nessel took office in 2019, fifteen Michigan officials had been indicted using the normal grand-jury process. Nessel had those indictments tossed:</span></p>
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<p><span>"The charges brought by Ms. Nessel’s team were a second attempt at prosecuting officials for what had happened in Flint. Before Ms. Nessel took office, her Republican predecessor helped oversee cases against 15 state and local officials for crimes as serious as involuntary manslaughter. But Ms. Nessel’s team had those cases dismissed in 2019 before filing new charges against several of the same officials."</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span>Years of substantive legal progress with legitimate grand juries were thrown away by Nessel in what appears to be an attempt to grandstand the issue and call it her own prosecution of those who poisoned the water in Flint-- yet nearly four years into her effort, all the resources she used have effectively been for nothing other than showing what a complete failure she has been as an attorney general.</span></p>
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<p><strong>EPILOG</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><span>Back in April, federal prosecutors failed to convict four men accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, signaling that the specious charges created by Attorney General Dana Nessel against six other men at the same time may meet the same fate. Scheduled for a trial beginning on October 10th for three of the six accused (over two years after the men were arraigned), and August for the other three, nothing has been offered publicly to show the alleged conspiracy created by the Attorney General's office ever existed. </span></p>
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<p><span>It will be interesting seeing whether the likely failure of these prosecutions in front of juries will try to be postponed until after the November election, after the voters decide whether to retain this joker who can't even follow the rules herself.</span></p> The Foegen Effect: Study Shows Mask Mandates Increased Covid Death Ratestag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2022-06-07:4689834:Topic:13430532022-06-07T20:19:21.155ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p class="has-drop-cap">Despite the fear of Covid-19 being mostly behind us, in the last three weeks around Michigan many people are being asked again to mask up to 'protect' themselves. Whether it is MI schools <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2022/05/16/ferndale-schools-face-masks-students-staff-covid-19-uptick/9793089002/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">reinstating mask mandates</a>, the CDC strongly urging …</p>
<p class="has-drop-cap">Despite the fear of Covid-19 being mostly behind us, in the last three weeks around Michigan many people are being asked again to mask up to 'protect' themselves. Whether it is MI schools <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2022/05/16/ferndale-schools-face-masks-students-staff-covid-19-uptick/9793089002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reinstating mask mandates</a>, the CDC strongly urging <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/05/19/residents-22-michigan-counties-should-wear-masks-inside-cdc-advises/9809021002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">residents of 22 MI counties</a> to mask up, or auto companies <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/chrysler/2022/05/14/automakers-mask-mandate-michigan-high-covid-transmission/9775470002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanding mask wearing</a>, medical professionals are trying to cover up everyone's face once again, because it worked so well the last couple of years in keeping us from dying from Covid-19.</p>
<p class="has-drop-cap"></p>
<p class="has-drop-cap">Or did it? Research published recently looking at statistics in Kansas seem to show that Covid-19 fatality rates in counties that adopted mask mandates were significantly higher than it was in mask-optional counties. <span>Results from this study strongly suggest that mask mandates actually caused about 1.5 times the number of deaths or ∼50% more deaths compared to no mask mandates. The study offers ten other studies that show similar results that describe the "Foegen Effect", named immodestly after the German doctor Zacharias Foegen who authored this study.</span></p>
<p class="has-drop-cap"></p>
<p class="has-drop-cap"><span>The Foegen Effect happens to masked folks when virions that enter or those coughed out in droplets are retained in the facemask tissue, and after quick evaporation of the droplets, hyper-condensed droplets or pure virions (virions not inside a droplet) are re-inhaled from a very short distance during inspiration. Further proving or disproving the “Foegen effect” should be a priority to public health scientists in future studies.</span></p>
<p class="has-drop-cap"></p>
<p class="has-drop-cap"><span>The following acknowledgment by Dr. Foegen has been most recently shared <font color="#0000EE"><u>here </u></font></span><span>and has not come close to being disproved since the study's publication in February. </span></p>
<p class="has-drop-cap"></p>
<p class="has-drop-cap"><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10546263467?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10546263467?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></span></p>
<p class="has-drop-cap"></p>
<p class="has-drop-cap">"It took a long time, but my <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000028924" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> on masks has finally appeared in the prestigious journal <em>Medicine</em>. What is my study about?</p>
<p class="has-drop-cap"></p>
<p>It is about whether masks decrease case fatality from COVID-19 (because less viral material is transmitted) or increase it. Increase sounds illogical? Ask yourself if you would wear the mask of a Covid patient. You probably wouldn’t, otherwise you could become infected by inhaling the viruses he or she breathed into the mask.</p>
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<p>My study, based on the U.S. state of Kansas, provides the answer: case mortality was significantly lower in counties without mandatory masks. Mandatory masking increased case mortality there by 85%. Even after factoring in the reduced number of cases due to masks, the numbers still remain 52% higher. Over 95% of this effect can only be attributed to COVID-19, so it is not CO<sub>2</sub>, bacteria or fungi under the mask.</p>
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<p>The reason for this is what I call the Foegen effect: deep re-inhalation of condensed droplets or pure virions which were trapped in the mask as droplets can worsen the prognosis. Each of these steps has been documented in the literature.</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10546245070?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10546245070?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p>This effect has now even been demonstrated in animal models. Further studies in humans comparing mask versus helmet or nasal tube show the same result.</p>
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<p>Two other, even larger evaluations show the same effect on the case fatality rate. A peer-reviewed <a href="https://www.cureus.com/articles/93826-correlation-between-mask-compliance-and-covid-19-outcomes-in-europe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> in the journal <em>Cureus</em> shows that there is no association between mask compliance and case numbers in Europe, but there is a statistically significant positive association between mask compliance and deaths. This means: more mask use, same number of cases, but more deaths.</p>
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<p>A peer-reviewed <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0252315" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> by Adjodah <em>et. al.</em> analyses the effect of mask mandates on cases and mortality (but not case fatality rate) in the USA on a pre-post-basis, and finds that after the lifting of a mask mandate, cases rise but mortality does not, which effectively means that lifting a mask mandate lowers the case fatality rate. Conversely, the implementation of a mask mandate increases case fatality rate.</p>
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<p>My study is open access and you can find it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000028924" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a> – the PDF version (available via the download button in the left bar) is particularly recommended for its helpful layout."</p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10546288482?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10546288482?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="555" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p>Now that it appears that mask usage increases fatality rates for viruses like Covid-19 through the Foegen Effect, maybe our school boards, health departments, and the CDC should all rethink the wisdom of mandating masks when it is likely to do more harm than good. </p> Educated Idiocytag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2022-04-01:4689834:Topic:13421042022-04-01T16:23:29.469ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p>As of today, April 1st, 2022, college students and instructors are still required to wear face coverings when going to class at all but one of Michigan's 15 public universities. No fooling.</p>
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<p>Back in February when the CDC and state health agencies were no longer strongly recommending mask usage by the general public in indoor settings,<span> </span><a href="https://time.com/6148706/college-covid-19-policies/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">media predicted</a><span> </span>that…</p>
<p>As of today, April 1st, 2022, college students and instructors are still required to wear face coverings when going to class at all but one of Michigan's 15 public universities. No fooling.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Back in February when the CDC and state health agencies were no longer strongly recommending mask usage by the general public in indoor settings,<span> </span><a href="https://time.com/6148706/college-covid-19-policies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media predicted</a><span> </span>that schools and colleges would be dropping existing mask mandates that no longer made any sense. That hasn't come to pass in Michigan's public universities, however, as some have relaxed their more onerous rules, but only Michigan Tech University has made masks optional in the classrooms/lecture halls/labs on campus.</p>
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<p>The continued required usage of the unproven prophylactics occurs even at the nine Michigan public universities that mandate Covid vaccinations among staff and students, vaccine mandates that offer few, if any, exemptions. As it is not debatable that wearing masks in classrooms at all levels do not facilitate either teaching or learning, one wonders why our public institutions of 'higher education' are not ditching the masks so that instructors can better instruct, and students spending a bundle on their tuition can get some value for the expense. </p>
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<p><strong>The Ludington Torch</strong><span> </span>has researched the current policies of the 15 public universities in Michigan, all of which appear to be continuing with their mask/vaccine policies until the end of the 2021/2022 academic year and list the policies currently in effect. If no vaccine policy is listed, that means they have no Covid vaccine requirement. The University of Michigan has three campuses, all public, and all with the same policy. A link to each school's policy is provided with the date that their most recent policy change was enacted.</p>
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<p><strong>Central Michigan University</strong>: <a href="https://www.cmich.edu/about/covid-19-information-and-resources/health-and-wellness#Guidelines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-19-22</a>: <span>Masking is required in classrooms and indoor instructional spaces and at the COVID-19 testing center</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Eastern Michigan University</strong>: <a href="https://www.emich.edu/emusafe/safe-return-to-campus/students/index.php#d33e88-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-28-22</a>: Masking is required in classrooms and indoor instructional spaces, at the COVID-19 testing center as well as University buses, and in larger events, including the April commencement ceremonies. Vaccines required for all in-person education</span></p>
<p><strong>Ferris State University</strong>: <a href="https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/coronavirus/homepage.htm#:~:text=Revised%20Face%20Mask%20Guidance,laboratories%2C%20and%20patient%20care%20areas." target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-16-22</a>: <span>Masking is required in classrooms and indoor instructional spaces and at the COVID-19 testing center</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Grand Valley State University</strong>: <a href="https://www.gvsu.edu/lakerstogether/face-covering-policy-27.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-2-22</a>: Masking is required in classrooms, libraries, and indoor instructional spaces, at the COVID-19 testing center as well as University buses. Students and employees must be fully vaccinated or have received an approved exemption.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Lake Superior State University</strong>: <a href="https://www.lssu.edu/coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1-18-22</a>: Masks are required in all University health facilities</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Michigan State University</strong>: <a href="https://president.msu.edu/communications/messages-statements/2022_community_letters/2022-03-03-MSU-lifting-mask-requirement%20-March%206.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-3-22</a>: Masks must be worn by everyone indoors in instructional settings during course instruction and research activities. Vaccines required, limited exemptions.</span></p>
<p><strong>Northern Michigan University</strong>: <span> </span><a href="https://nmu.edu/safe-on-campus/masks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-8-22</a>: <span>KN95, KF94 or N95 masks continue to be required in all classrooms and labs</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Oakland University</strong>: <a href="https://oakland.edu/return-to-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-24-22</a>: Masking is required in classrooms and indoor instructional spaces and at the COVID-19 testing center. Vaccine mandated, or weekly testing.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Saginaw Valley State University</strong>: <a href="https://www.svsu.edu/nestplan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-22-22</a>: Masks MUST BE WORN in classrooms and labs. Vaccines required or weekly testing.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>University of Michigan</strong>: (all campuses) <a href="https://ehs.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/U-M-Face-Covering-Policy-for-COVID-19.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-21-22</a>: Masking is required in classrooms and indoor instructional spaces, at the COVID-19 testing center as well as University buses. All students, faculty and staff are required to receive the COVID vaccine including the booster shot, with limited exceptions</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Western Michigan University</strong>: <a href="https://wmich.edu/covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-7-22</a>: Masking is required in classrooms and indoor instructional spaces, at the COVID-19 testing center as well as University buses</span></p>
<p><strong>Wayne State University</strong>: <a href="https://wayne.edu/coronavirus/messages" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-11-22</a>: <span>Masks will continue to be required in classrooms and laboratories, as well as Counseling and Psychological Services and the Campus Health Center. Vaccine and booster requirements remain in effect for students, faculty and staff.</span></p>
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<p><span><strong>Michigan Tech University</strong>: <a href="https://blogs.mtu.edu/flex/2022/02/16/health-and-safety-level-update/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2-25-22</a>: Masks not required.</span></p>
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<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10255043458?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10255043458?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></span></p>
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<p><span>Not surprisingly, private colleges in Michigan have been more responsive to ditching the masks as early as they can. Those who hadn't made masks optional before the CDC and state health department, have done so over the last two months. Hillsdale College, the outlier that actually held in-person graduation back in the summer of 2020, has made both vaccines and masks optional over the last academic year and beyond. These colleges have decided that their staff and students can do their own research, assess their own risks, and make their own informed decisions. Isn't this a large part of why people go to college in the first place? </span></p> The Reason Why Trudeau Relinquished his Emergency Powerstag:ludingtoncitizen.ning.com,2022-02-24:4689834:Topic:13414672022-02-24T19:52:23.174ZXLFDhttps://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/profile/TheLudingtonCitizen
<p>As creator and chief content provider for the Ludington Torch, my general approach has been to focus more on the local stuff rather than statewide and nationwide issues simply because local issues influence us more in our daily lives and that we can influence them should we decide to do so. Since our inception in 2009, however, we have never discouraged debate and discussion over national and international issues and welcome our members to introduce our mostly-local readership to…</p>
<p>As creator and chief content provider for the Ludington Torch, my general approach has been to focus more on the local stuff rather than statewide and nationwide issues simply because local issues influence us more in our daily lives and that we can influence them should we decide to do so. Since our inception in 2009, however, we have never discouraged debate and discussion over national and international issues and welcome our members to introduce our mostly-local readership to controversial wide-ranging issues, especially if they have a local impact of any type.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Late last night, we found out that Ukraine was invaded, something you are familiar with doing if you've ever played the boardgame <strong>Risk</strong>, an action potentially leading to intervention efforts by American forces, led by an administration looking to distract attention away from a concatenation of failed policies. It has also distracted from another, closer international issue that came up over this last month in the nation to our north, Canada, and an action initiated yesterday that was largely ignored by media chasing another tidbit. </p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10150911483?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10150911483?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="666" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p>As you probably know, a protest of government medical mandates under the name the Freedom Convoy consisting mostly of big rigs rolled across Canada and settled finally in Canada's capital, Ottawa for three weeks. The peaceful protest irked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the majority of Parliament who were complicit in keeping medical mandates imposed on regular Canadians, preventing truckers from crossing the US border to ply their trades unless they were vaccinated. </p>
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<p>On <span>Friday, authorities launched the largest police operation in Canadian history, arresting a string of Ottawa protesters and increasing that pressure on Saturday until the streets in front of Parliament were clear. Eventually, police arrested at least 191 people and towed away 79 vehicles.</span></p>
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<p><span>Trudeau invoked <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/23/1082637172/trudeau-revokes-emergency-powers-after-canada-blockades-end" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emergency powers</a> last week and lawmakers affirmed the powers late this Monday. The emergencies act allows authorities to declare certain areas as no-go zones. It also allows police to freeze truckers' personal and corporate bank accounts and compel tow truck companies to haul away vehicles. A parliamentary committee was told Tuesday that 206 personal and corporate accounts with holdings of more than $6.1 million had been frozen. </span></p>
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<p><span>Quietly, two days after Parliament's affirmation, Trudeau revoked the act early on Wednesday before the invasion of Ukraine hit the news.</span></p>
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<p><span>"The situation is no longer an emergency, therefore the federal government will be ending the use of the emergencies act," Trudeau said. "We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are sufficient to keep people safe."</span></p>
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<p>Those following the storyline might wonder why Trudeau, who has been compared to Fidel Castro and Adolph Hitler in his rhetoric and response to the popular pacific protest, would let go of his emergency powers so quickly. One cannot find the answer to that question in Trudeau's comments, nor the various corporate media that have noticed and reported on the topic, such as <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/23/1082637172/trudeau-revokes-emergency-powers-after-canada-blockades-end" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NPR</a>, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/23/americas/canada-trudeau-revokes-emergencies-act/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/23/canada-trudeau-revokes-emergencies-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/canada-official-emergency-powers-removed-blockade-end-83069830" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a>, etc. The journalists for those agencies almost universally refer derisively to the Freedom Convoy and its actions, while portraying the prime minister as a benevolent presence keeping the peace in Ottawa and voluntarily giving up the strong emergency powers he invoked to protect Canadians from themselves.</p>
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<p>Most of us are smart enough to recognize that Trudeau, who has accepted the mantle of a tyrant over the last three weeks in his actions and words, would not voluntarily give up such powers unless his political career depended upon it. And it turns out the stakes were even more stark when you consider what the Canadian government was able to do with the bank accounts of individuals holding their money in Canadian banks.</p>
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<p>A significant number of Canadians and other investors in Canadian banks responded to the abuse of power by taking their money out of those banks. This disinvestment was so widespread that outages occurred in the systems; some <a href="https://catalyst.independent.org/2022/02/23/trudeaus-canada-bank-run/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banks went offline</a> to stem the run on the banks that was occurring after Trudeau played his hand. The bank runs inspired by Trudeau was efficiently and effectively destroying Canada's financial rating worldwide as investors lost confidence in their banking system-- and for good cause since investors could find their savings arbitrarily frozen by the whims of a tyrant.</p>
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<p>When a country's banking system gets decimated, their economy and their government will soon follow in the ruination. Trudeau's declaration of emergency powers will have lasting negative repercussions to the government of Canada, perhaps even longer lasting than those of the freedom seekers of the Freedom Convoy. This will never be admitted by Trudeau or the insane Parliament members who affirmed his idiocy for the ages. Nor will the in-the-tank media that props up such dictators and pokes fun at peaceful popular protests demanding their basic civil liberties.</p>
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<p>The relevancy this incident has with those living across the border here in Michigan is important to note. <span> Our federal Department of Homeland Security has the power to do the same thing Trudeau did by the recent declaration calling any who cause concerns to be raised about our government "domestic terrorists", and in many ways has already started incremental implementation of normalizing the weaponization of financial/social credit mechanisms. </span></p>
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<p><span>Had Trudeau been a smarter tyrant, he would have adopted his mechanisms incrementally, as America's government has been doing. Watch how that proceeds as our own freedom convoy begins.</span></p>