By Nathan Barton

The above pictures come from some of the many articles concerning the response to the attacks in Paris.  Frankly, who can tell the difference between the Caliphate’s murdering warriors and the State’s murdering thugs?? Not just in the pictures, either. And just because they have “POLICE” stenciled on their protective vests doesn’t mean a thing.

The “false flag” advocates claim the Paris attack was to be an excuse for war with Russia in Syria, yet, it seems that the FedGov and Russia have unveiled a “transition plan” for Syria, as a result of the attack. Bloomberg tells us: “Seventeen nations, spurred on by Friday’s deadly attacks in Paris, overcame their differences on how to end Syria’s civil war and adopted a timeline that will let opposition groups help draft a constitution and elect a new government by 2017. As a first step, the United Nations agreed to convene Syria’s government with opposition representatives by Jan. 1, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday at a joint press conference in Vienna. A cease-fire between the government in Damascus and recognized opposition groups should be in place within six months, according to their statement.”

I agree with Tom Knapp’s note: “I wonder if anyone bothered consulting the, um, SYRIANS about the plans being made for them?” It seems, if this really IS a war between the West and Islamic extremists, that the West would hold its nose and prefer Assad and his fairly-secular regime to the Caliphate and the various Sunni and Shia fanatics running around.

Mama’s Note: I see absolutely no reason for anyone but the Syrians to be involved in this. By what authority or even rational excuse does either the US or Russia, never mind everyone else, have a say in what goes on there or which group of thugs is “in charge?”

I certainly do not look at Zuckerberg with any great admiration, and find Facebook to be a foolish waste of time at least 90% of the time, but he and his company are getting a raw deal, being condemned for doing something that makes sense and is good, just because they didn’t do it in the past.  Come on, people!  Facebook says it will enable safety check during more human disasters, following criticism, according to TechCrunch. “Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg committed to turning on Safety Check in more human disasters going forward, responding to criticism that the company turned on its safety feature for Paris but not for Beirut and other bombings. Zuckerberg explained that the Paris terror attacks marked the first time the company has enabled Safety Check for a human disaster, not a natural disaster like an earthquake. The feature allows people in a region affected by a crisis to send a notification to their Facebook friends that says they are safe.”

We are, in so many ways, so coddled today, by technology. What will we do when it goes away? Consider the next story.

Really? A study by Brit doctors claims that phones and other electronic devices need “bed mode” to protect sleep. The BBC News reports that smartphones, tablets and e-readers should have an automatic ‘bedtime mode’ that stops them disrupting people’s sleep, according to a “leading doctor.” (Someone with a reputation, probably not deserved, just a loud mouth and contacts in the mainstream media.) Prof Paul Gringras argued the setting should filter out the blue light that delays the body clock and keeps people awake later into the evening. The doctor, from Evelina Children’s Hospital in London, said every new model was ‘bluer and brighter.’ He said manufacturers needed to show more ‘responsibility.’ As it gets darker in the evening, the body starts to produce the sleep hormone melatonin — which helps people nod off. Certain wavelengths of light, those at the blue-green end of the spectrum, can disrupt the system.

While I don’t doubt this is true, I agree with Steve’s comment: “Or, you could turn it to buzz and lay it FACE DOWN on the dresser?” Take responsibility for your own life, and not expect government and industry to do it for you? What a quaint idea!

Mama’s Note: Here’s another quaint idea… why not turn the fool things OFF before you go to bed? I have an e-reader, and it may not get turned on for days at a time. I sure don’t go to bed with it on in the room. Don’t have a “smart phone” of any kind. Don’t have much use for even the dumb ones.

Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders connects climate change to terrorism, verifying his bizarre view of the world once again. According to Raw Story, “One day after the Islamic State group killed or injured about 500 people in a series of attacks in Paris, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., linked climate change to the spread of terrorist groups overseas. At the second Democratic presidential debate, held Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa, Sanders was asked whether he stood by his previous claims that climate change was the No. 1 threat to national security. He said he did. ‘Climate change is directly related to the rise of global terrorism,’ Sanders said, adding that it would cause nations to start ‘struggling over limited amounts of water, limited amounts of land to grow their crops, and you’re going to see all kinds of international conflict,’ ABC News reported. This is a FAR cry from Carson’s beliefs as to the purpose of the pyramids, which is apparently what some commentators are comparing it to. Carson’s ideas aren’t going to cause him (in this case, at least) to push for more government and other stupid things. Sanders is so much the Tranzi that he can’t get away from the party line on anything, it seems.

In Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune breathlessly reports that hundreds rallied against the “new” Mormon (CJCLDS) policy; many file forms to quit the faith. The Tribune was established as an anti-LDS paper and lives up to its roots. “More than 1,000 inactive and active Mormons — along with their backers — rallied in City Creek Park on Saturday to protest the LDS Church’s recent policy decisions involving same-sex couples and their children. … At one of several tables, attorney Mark Naugle helped Mormons expedite their paperwork to resign their memberships in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. … Top LDS authorities have a new policy in place that states Mormons in same-sex marriages or similar relationships must face disciplinary councils — and possible excommunication — and that their children generally must wait until they turn 18 to be baptized into the faith.”

Nice, huh? TechCrunch shows off this neat little honey.  Another great small aircraft to drool over!  But just remember, Valkyries take people off to Valhalla! As L. Neil is wont to point out, if we didn’t have the parasites of government hanging around our neck, we’d have a LOT more of this sort of thing around – and probably something like this would have at least low-earth-orbit capability.

Mama’s Note: I LOVE to fly, and would simply love to learn to fly my own airplane. Thanks to involuntary government, that’s not ever likely to happen.