SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at Gavin Newsom’s ongoing war on the Second Amendment.
Gov. Newsom Signs 20% Total ‘Sin Tax’ On Guns & Ammunition
Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Wow, Gov Gavin Newsom Signs 20% Total ‘Sin Tax’ On Guns & Ammunition. JWR’s Comment: How many “last straws” do California gun owners need, before they flee the state? Californians are now treading on a carpet of last straws.
Berkey Water Filters Sues the EPA
Press Release: Berkey Water Filters Sues the EPA. Here is a quote:
“Berkey’s filters have never caused any harm to anyone, and the EPA’s arbitrary—and arguably irrational—new interpretation of its regulations would have a huge impact, directly threatening not only the jobs of 500+ employees globally, lost sales for Berkey distributors and retailers around the world (some of which sell only Berkey products—effectively putting them out of business) and also the well-being of the American people, the very consumers who the EPA is supposed to protect. Moreover, it would have the same impact on other outdoor water filter manufacturers, potentially putting them out of business as well.”
U.S. Copyright Board Denies AI Image Copyright
FoxNews reported this: Copyright board delivers blow to ‘Terminator’ tech over photo protections. The article begins:
“A U.S. review panel ruled that an award-winning image generated by artificial intelligence is not protected by U.S. copyright because it was not made by humans.
The U.S. Copyright Office Review Board rejected a request by artist Jason M. Allen for copyright protection for his image “Theatre D’opera Spatial,” which was generated the AI system Midjourney, in a ruling issued earlier this month.
The image, which depicts a futuristic royal court, was the winner of the Colorado State Fair’s 2022 art competition, generating national attention as the first AI-generated image to win the competition.”
U.K. Online Safety Bill Looming for Social Media Content
Reader K.S. sent us this troubling news from England: Online Safety Bill to become law in crackdown on harmful social media content. JWR’s Comment: The bill is chock full of vague wording that could be used to ensnare just about any speech as “hurtful”. This law all hinges on the perception of the offended party that they are offended.
Unvaxxed Are Proven to Be Less Susceptible to “Long Covid”
“Pandemic Panic Theater persists. If you have loved ones who are still hooked on it, perhaps the latest vaccine study can help you save them from themselves.
The evolution of the Covid-19 “vaccine” sales pitch would be comical if it didn’t mean death and suffering for so many. It started off as “100% effective” against preventing Covid. That quickly shifted to 99%. Then 95%. Then 90%. By the time corporate media declared it was 40% “effective,” the narrative from the CDC and FDA turned away from the idea that vaccines prevented contracting or spreading the disease. They switched it to jabs preventing hospitalization and death.”
U.S. Counterintel Buys Access to the Internet Backbone
U.S. Counterintel Buys Access to the Backbone of the Internet to Hunt Foreign Hackers.
“A federal counterintelligence agency tracking hackers has bought data harvested from the backbone of the internet by a private company because it was easier and took less time than getting similar data from the NSA, according to internal U.S. government documents. According to the documents, going through an agency like the NSA could take “days,” whereas a private contractor could provide the same data instantly.”
A Tremendous Victory for Free Speech
Lastly, over at The Brownstone Institute’s Capitalism magazine web site: A Tremendous Victory for Free Speech. A pericope:
“The White House, the FBI, and the CDC violated the First Amendment by encouraging and coercing social media companies to suppress free speech. Censorship is not just an attack on the free speech rights of the speaker; it is a coordinated effort against you, the citizen, and your right to information. It aims to perpetuate power by silencing dissent and destroying opposition.
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