![]() Sodom and Gomorrah afire by Jacob de Wet II, 1680 (public domain) Make Sodom and Gomorrah Great Again By Cliff Kincaid Republicans are now acting like Democrats as they sacrifice the lives of the innocent unborn in a desperate appeal for votes from feminist soccer moms who regard a “fetus” as an inconvenience. Meanwhile, Melania Trump is raising money for the “gay” Republican group, the Log Cabin Republicans, in an event scheduled for Trump’s home Mar-a-Lago. “Make America Great Again” is becoming a Republican recipe for continued moral decline and destruction. Trump’s endorsement of the state’s rights approach to abortion means more abortions, on top of the 60 million that have already occurred. Indeed, since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade abortion-on-demand decision, abortions have actually gone up, according to a report from the Society of Family Planning. We are told by the feminists that these were “unplanned” or “unwanted” pregnancies but abortion has become a rubber stamp for sexual promiscuity by terminating the unborn human life that results. Indeed, for these people, abortion is birth control, which is what Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, an early supporter of “abortion rights,” intended. He wanted women to be sexually available for men. Hence, when they got pregnant, the babies had to be aborted. Promoting Gay Rights In the matter of the gay “lifestyle,” also supported by Hefner, former President Trump and his wife are active cheerleaders. In December of 2022, former President Trump had himself hosted an event in honor of the Log Cabin Republicans’ 45th anniversary, featuring such “Republican notables” as former Ambassador Ric Grenell, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), former State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, and former GOP gubernatorial candidate from Arizona (and now Senate candidate) Kari Lake. “We are fighting for the gay community, and we are fighting and fighting hard,” said Trump. “With the help of many of the people here tonight in recent years, our movement has taken incredible strides, the strides you’ve made here is incredible.” Conservatives are getting the message that their votes are being taken for granted. Indeed, as noted by Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth, “Perhaps it's time for Trump to read the Bible rather than merely sell it. There he would find God's clear truth revealed against homosexual practice as sexual sin.” “It appears Donald Trump is escalating his pro-homosexual policies in advance of a possible second term,” LaBarbera went on to say. “By having his wife (a Catholic) host a fundraiser for a gay activist group at Mar-a-Lago, Trump is coming out of the closet as a social liberal, after selling himself previously as a conservative.” Trump’s betrayal on the pro-life issue consists of defending extreme pro-abortion laws on the state level, in the name of state’s rights, and accepting abortion on the national level in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother. The life and health of the mother always must be protected and defended. But human beings conceived in the rare cases of rape and incest are still innocent of any crime. To kill them for the sins of their father is a perversion of the justice system. It constitutes the weaponization of the justice system against the most innocent and vulnerable. Prosecuting Abortionists On top of President Trump’s reversal, from pro-life during his first term to pro-abortion as he seeks a second term, Trump and other Republicans are decrying an Arizona decision that a pro-life law on the books is still valid. The law stated, “A person who provides, supplies or administers to a pregnant woman, or procures such woman to take any medicine, drugs or substance, or uses or employs any instrument or other means whatever, with intent thereby to procure the miscarriage of such woman, unless it is necessary to save her life, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two years nor more than five years.” The term “procure a miscarriage” means abortion. It is being denounced as “archaic” but is a perfectly defensible effort to save the lives of the innocent unborn by holding abortionists accountable under the law. The pro-life group Alliance Defending Freedom argued for the Arizona law in court. Republicans like Trump and Kari Lake who said they favored a state’s right approach to abortion now say they don’t want this particular state law. Clearly, they are scared to death of offending the feminists and taking on abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood. Regarding Melania Trump raising money for the Log Cabin Republicans, we have come a long way from the days when conservative icon Howard Phillips referred to gays as “anal sex practitioners,” a reference to how male homosexuals have sex. LaBarbera notes that the Log Cabin Republicans is a gay activist group that supports homosexual “marriage” and other radical LGBTQ agenda items. Cultivating the “gay rights” movement runs counter to President Reagan’s winning strategy of having a “three-legged” stool of political support – fiscal/economic, foreign policy, and Christan/social conservatives. Reagan was elected for two terms. With some self-described MAGA spokespeople already in favor of sacrificing Ukraine to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, jeopardizing the “peace through strength” element of the Republican coalition, the drift to the left on abortion and gay rights runs the risk of alienating conservatives and Christians. We are seeing the same drift within major organs of the conservative media. On Fox, Greg Gutfeld declared that “abortion, whether you like it or not -- and I'm pro-life -- it's become an acceptable evil.” He advocated taking abortion “off the table,” which he claimed would enable Republicans to win votes and “be in power forever.” But that “logic” assumes that social conservatives will continue to vote for the Republicans if their views are disregarded. Perhaps they will decide not to vote. At Newsmax, supposedly a conservative alternative to Fox, a top officer of the firm is Richard Grenell, a former Trump national security official who wants to use the power of the federal government to spread homosexuality to Christian and Muslim lands, a prescription for more conflict and wars. Since he is still close to Trump, it can be expected he will get another top position in a second Trump administration. Homosexual Imperialism The former Acting Director of National Intelligence under Trump, Grenell’s interview on the topic of Gay Pride 2020 is still featured on the intelligence agency website, where he described working with the Harvey Milk Foundation to launch global campaigns to decriminalize homosexual activity. This started under Trump. Before he went to Newsmax, Grenell was also Trump's U.S. Ambassador to Germany and went to the United Nations to promote what he called a global initiative to force all U.N. members to approve homosexual conduct. He was joined in this demand by Trump’s U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Kelly Craft, who lectured the 69 countries which have laws making homosexuality illegal. She told them that “human dignity” requires that every country on the face of the earth embrace the practice of homosexuality. It appears to be a case of Grenell hijacking U.S. foreign policy for the benefit of his friends in gay groups such as the Log Cabin Republicans. A foreign affairs advisor to Mitt Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign, Grenell has a same-sex partner and claims to be a Christian. Then, suddenly, he became a Trump supporter in 2016 and rose through the ranks. Big money has been driving the push in the GOP to accept and approve homosexual conduct, a major source of the STD epidemic infecting America. Years ago I wrote a major report on the homosexual infiltration of the Republican Party, driven in large part by financial hedge funds. It got no attention from Fox News, which has been part of the homosexual lobby for decades, having poured tens of thousands of dollars into the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists. Peter LaBarbera’s report “Unfair, Unbalanced and Afraid,” on Fox selling out to the gay lobby, documents this trend. Hence, while Republicans and some conservatives publicly denounce DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), they practice it in their politics and hiring policies. “Sadly,” said Peter LaBarbera, “Trump has steered the GOP away from its socially conservative platform, even as he counts on the support of evangelicals and traditional Catholics to win in November. Far from Making America Great Again, Trump is contributing to our nation's moral and spiritual decline.” Under these circumstances, it can be argued, America can’t and won’t be great again. Unless Trump reverses course, millions of Americans from his MAGA base will be alienated and dispirited and may not turn out to vote for him.
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The Truth About the Arizona Pro-Life Law Editor’s note: the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) defended the law in court. These are excerpts from their news releases about the case: What does Arizona’s pre-Roe law say? Arizona’s law protects unborn children from the moment of conception—a position that has been bolstered by 50 years of scientific research since Roe v. Wade was decided. Contrary to the so-called “viability” rules adopted in previous court cases, research shows that unborn babies’ hearts begin to beat at just six weeks—months before they can survive outside the womb. At eight weeks, babies have visible fingers and toes. At ten weeks, their fingerprints begin to develop, further affirming their unique personhood. Arizona’s law forbids all people, including physicians, from performing an abortion except to save a mother’s life. The law is designed to protect unborn children, and it is also crafted to protect women from the heightened risk of illness and physical or mental trauma that can come with elective abortions. Why is it important to defend this law? First, Arizonans have chosen to protect life through their elected representatives for decades. The state’s pre-Roe law was initially codified as a territorial law in 1901, and it was reenacted in 1977. In September 2022, an Arizona judge again affirmed the law and ruled that it could take effect. Arizona also passed another law protecting life after 15 weeks, and that law specifically stated that it did not repeal the pre-Roe law at issue in this case. Despite all this, Planned Parenthood is attempting to strike down the law. Dr. Hazelrigg and Dennis McGrane understand the importance of protecting unborn children and upholding Arizona’s duly elected laws, which is why they chose to intervene in this case. Second, elective abortions not only kill unborn children but also put women in danger. Women who undergo elective abortions suffer a heightened risk of death, illness, and psychological trauma. Abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood rely on performing abortions to make a profit. They lie to women about abortion and its consequences and pressure women into thinking that abortion is their only option. Arizona’s law and others like it around the country will ensure that women actually receive the care and support they need. “Life is a human right, and today’s decision allows the state to respect that right and fully protect life again—just as the legislature intended,” said ADF Senior Counsel Jake Warner, who argued before the court. “Life begins at conception. At just six weeks, unborn babies’ hearts begin to beat. At eight weeks, they have fingers and toes. And at 10 weeks, their unique fingerprints begin to form. Arizona’s pro-life law has protected unborn children for over 100 years, and the people of Arizona, through their elected representatives, have repeatedly affirmed that law, including as recently as 2022. We celebrate the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision that allows the state’s pro-life law to again protect the lives of countless, innocent unborn children.” ![]() Trump Bails on Protecting the Right to Life By Cliff Kincaid President Trump’s “state’s rights” approach to abortion is the same recipe for disaster that brought us the Civil War. The nation must be free, and that begins with human beings from the moment of conception. His new position solves nothing, and makes his attempt to get back into the White House much harder. Trump’s position will not mollify the ardent feminists who believe abortion is a sacrament to their pagan deities. In fact, it has become a form of child sacrifice common during the pagan era of Moloch worship. The former president has been led astray, so much so that it jeopardizes his effort to evict the squatter, Joe Biden, from the White House. It was a critical miscalculation by advisers who think you can equivocate on the greatest moral issue of our time. His new position undermines his credibility, perhaps fatally. Trump’s new position will sap the strength from those of his supporters who had appreciated his right to life stand during his first term, The Supreme Court gave us the state’s rights approach to abortion, and Trump now says that’s fine with him. He’s against any effort to make the right to life into a federally-protected right. In short, he’s playing politics with the most important issue of our time. The advisers behind this fateful decision are worse than the Swamp that Trump wants to drain. Abortion is the leading cause of death in the world today. We are not given that information in those terms because the media treat the unborn human being as a non-person. They prefer the term “reproductive health care” as a euphemism for killing the unborn and they want our tax dollars to carry out the procedure. Trump should learn something from the new Argentinian President Javier Milei, who said, “Philosophically speaking, I am in favor of the right to life. Beyond that, there is a scientific justification to be had. It’s the fact that life begins at conception, it’s at that very instant that a new being begins to evolve with its own unique DNA,” Milei said. “Beyond that, there is a matter of mathematics,” he explained. “Life is a continuum with two quantum leaps: birth and death. Any interruption in the interim is murder.” House Speaker Mike Johnson was honest enough to have written an op-ed in 2005 referring to abortion as “a holocaust.” How else is an objective observer supposed to describe the murder of tens of millions of unborn innocent babies? Johnson comments, “The Left openly celebrates the extinguishing of innocent and beautiful life through the evil of abortion.” If the issue is framed in terms of science, morality, and the war on the unborn, Republicans have a chance to win the argument. Trump did not choose that path. We are inundated with public service announcements for animal rights groups with pictures of starving dogs in need of a rescue. Pet lovers respond with their donations, sometimes in exchange for a T-shirt. But images or pictures of aborted babies are taboo. One heroic pro-life Democrat, Terrisa Bukovinac, is running for president to stop “abortion extremism” in the Democratic Party and to show “the victims of abortion to the American people…” Her campaign is running 30-second TV ads showing in gruesome detail the remains of five babies killed by late-term abortion. Bukovinac says she captured the footage when she recovered the remains last year outside an abortion business in Washington D.C. “These are the faces of a genocide,” she says. And one of the faces behind the carnage is “genocide Joe,” a so-called “Catholic” who wants to make the “right” to abortion into a constitutional right. But that’s what the Supreme Court overruled in the Dobbs decision. Hence, sticking to a state’s rights approach does not guarantee the right to life of the innocent unborn. Incredibly, the very liberal Pope has just come down on the side of the right to life, reaffirming the heinous nature of abortion in the Vatican Declaration on Human Dignity, Dignitas Infinita. The media have emphasized his opposition to transgenderism, which is a fact, but the document is also truthful and forthright on the issue of abortion. This is the position that Trump should have taken. It would have been a winner with traditional Catholics and many other conservative Christians. “In addressing some of the many grave violations of human dignity today,” the document declares, “we can draw upon the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, which emphasized that ‘all offenses against life itself, such as murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, and willful suicide’ must be recognized as contrary to human dignity.” The section on abortion declares in part that “…no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth.” (italics in the original). It goes on to say that unborn children are, thus, “the most defenseless and innocent among us. Nowadays, efforts are made to deny them their human dignity and to do with them whatever one pleases, taking their lives and passing laws preventing anyone from standing in the way of this.” The document proclaims that it must, therefore, be stated with all force and clarity, even in our time, that “this defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right,” adding, “It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development. Human beings are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems.” What Trump doesn’t understand is what led Whittaker Chambers to break with the Communist Party. “Abortion was a commonplace of party life,” he wrote in his classic 1952 work Witness. “There were Communist doctors who rendered that service for a small fee. Communists who were more choosy knew liberal doctors who would render the same service for a larger fee. Abortion, which now fills me with physical horror, I then regarded, like all Communists, as a mere physical manipulation.” It was all physical because, in the communist view, there was nothing spiritual. Chambers was better known as the former Communist who would expose top State Department official and United Nations founder Alger Hiss as a Communist agent. But Witness was about an even greater struggle between the forces of darkness and light, of which communism versus freedom was just one chapter. It’s terrible news that Trump has failed to understand this element of the great struggle we find ourselves in. He may have just lost the election to Genocide Joe.
![]() The Keystone Cops Are Running America By Cliff Kincaid There is a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza is the scream heard around the world from those trying to create a second Holocaust for the people of Israel. This “humanitarian catastrophe” could have been avoided if Hamas had not launched terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7 and if the terrorist group had surrendered in the face of Israeli retaliation. The terrorists want civilians to suffer. That is why they are a terrorist group dedicated to Israel’s destruction. Simply put, the people who brought Hamas to power are suffering the consequences, in the same way the Germans bore the brunt of Hitler’s defeat in World War II. Tragically, some in Israel have grown soft in the face of the terror, agitating for the removal of the one Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who understands the need for total victory. Softer yet, in the name of solving the crisis, is President Joe Biden, exposed as someone who, for the sake of votes in November, is willing to sacrifice the existence of the state of Israel in exchange for saving Hamas and getting “humanitarian aid” into the hands of those who brought Hamas to power. If this is another no-win war, the kind that America has been waging since World War II, Israel will face the emergence of another “Palestinian state” dedicated to its destruction. But Netanyahu is smart, as evidenced by the precise military strike on the Iranian generals waging war on Israel from the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. That headquarters is no more. I usually don’t take the anti-American website, Global Clearinghouse, seriously. But its headline, “Israel and US Are at War with Iran, Russia and China,” is correct. In truth, Biden is waging a war on Iran, through his tepid support for Israel, but Iran has been striking back hard with Russian and Chinese support. That is the meaning of the Key bridge collapse. I stand by my reporting on the weak or even non-existent arguments for an “accidental” event. The Baltimore Sun reports that the collapse of the Key Bridge could rival or beat the maritime industry’s largest-ever financial loss, with an estimated cost of $1 billion or more. You can be sure that China Joe won’t demand retaliation against the perpetrators. He was on the phone yesterday with the Chinese dictator and has never demanded compensation for the more than one million Americans killed by the China virus. Our intelligence agencies still can’t figure out where the virus came from, and whether it was deliberate or accidental. They don’t understand the communist mind of total war. But the FBI already somehow knows that the cargo ship going off course and hitting the Key bridge was just an accident. These people are worse than the Keystone cops. We laugh at the Keystone cops. But the FBI is not a laughing matter. Anybody with a brain understands that ruling out terrorism in the bridge collapse, only a few hours after the fact, makes no sense. The politicians assembled at the news conference after the event were covering their asses and trying to mislead the American people. They had no time to investigate. Instead, they spent their face time congratulating one another for the "quick response.” Now we are seeing endless stories about how Maryland’s young black governor Wes Moore is facing a test over his leadership. How much money can he spend? And how fast? Biden has already said the taxpayers would foot the bill for reconstruction. Like Israel, we are at war. What the FBI and the politicians didn’t tell you was that warnings have been accumulating for the past several months about cyber warfare and other threats against American ports. On February 21, just about one month before the Baltimore bridge collapse, the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration issued a threat warning and defined it in these terms: “Foreign Adversarial Technological, Physical, and Cyber Influence.” It was directed to maritime industry stakeholders, “including vessel owners/operators, shippers, and port operators exposed to these risks” and advised that they “should apply cybersecurity best practices for Access Control (identity and access management), vulnerability mitigation, and configuration management…” It advised these stakeholders to position themselves to “increase their cybersecurity and cyber resiliency to respond to and report any incidents that could inhibit their ability to continue operations,” including being “wary of untrusted network traffic” and treating all traffic transiting their networks – especially third-party traffic – as “untrusted until it is validated as legitimate.” The evidence indicates a cyber-attack conducted by Iran with Russian and Chinese help. But after the bridge collapse, all of these warnings are ignored, as if they did not happen and are irrelevant. It’s a typical cover-up. Don’t forget that America’s ability to detect and deter foreign attacks was compromised by the defection to Russia through China of Edward Snowden, the former NSA/CIA analyst. He gave our enemies, including Islamic terrorist groups and states, the ability to evade surveillance by the NSA. Despite his bloody hands, presidential candidate Robert f. Kenedy, Jr. wants to pardon and honor him. Strange. His own father was killed by a Palestinian Marxist, Sirhan Sirhan, but he doesn’t believe that, either. By contrast, the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria demonstrates the superiority of Israeli intelligence. Netanyahu knows the enemy. And now the enemy is in the White House, screaming about the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. The catastrophe is made worse for America, suffering under what Trump calls the Biden Bloodbath of open borders, by the inability of the American intelligence “community” to figure out “Havana syndrome,” the “mysterious” attacks on U.S. personnel overseas. They began in Communist Cuba, which is perhaps a clue to what is going on. Their own people are suffering and they can’t understand why, after eight years of investigations. Why do we waste our money on the CIA, FBI, and the NSA? The CBS show “60 Minutes” linked a Russian military intelligence unit to the attacks, citing eyewitness testimony and documents, but the U.S. intelligence agencies are still in the dark. No wonder they need to lie about the Key bridge collapse. These scandals and wars result in death and destruction, in addition to financial costs that America cannot afford. They could have been avoided if we had honest men and women in charge.
![]() Making Food from People is the Next Phase of Revolution By Cliff Kincaid When Washington, D.C., Cardinal Wilton Gregory criticized Joe Biden on Easter Sunday for being a “cafeteria Catholic,’’ he ignored the fact that top Catholic officials have committed crimes of a serious nature, as a Lavender Mafia within the church has been sexually abusing children, one of the worst sins. Meanwhile, in Maryland, one of the most Catholic states in the nation, church officials are putting up half-hearted objections to a bill to legalize human composting, the first step in using human remains to grow food. Human bodies are being made into mulch. Maryland has a legislature dominated by Democrats, many of them Catholics. Why Catholic officials are still being treated with reverence is beyond me. They have laid the groundwork for Biden’s betrayal of Christian values through his support for transgenderism, abortion, and making mind-altering substances such as marijuana more available to our youth, subjecting them to mental health problems such as psychosis. For those still wedded to the notion that pot is harmless, I suggest spending some of your entertainment time watching a series, “Murder at First Sight,” about a pothead who beat a pastor to death in West Virginia. Pastor Ron Browning’s face was “disfigured beyond recognition” after being struck repeatedly by a glass jar, according to a local news report. An autopsy revealed that the pothead, 22-year-old Camille Browne, tried to strangle Browning with a cord, crushed his chest and cut his eyes. She had already testified that Pastor Browning told her just before his death that she was possessed by a demon. She was literally “possessed by marijuana,” in the words of another short interview and documentary about the case. On Fox News, one of their many left-wing hacks, Jessica Tarlov, was giddy over the possibility that having pot and abortion on the ballot this November in Florida would help the Democrats win the state for Biden. This is their appeal to young people – get high and murder your babies, and Tarlov thinks that is a winning strategy. Perhaps it is. Republicans will back off and, more importantly, the churches will offer no resistance, which raises the question – what are churches good for anyway? Funerals and memorial services? I’ve come to the conclusion they’re mostly for people who want to feel good about their own sinful nature. They don’t believe in Christian teachings any more. They just want to think of themselves as good Christians by virtue of going to or watching a church service. I watched one service where the pastor taught that the Easter message was one of forgiveness, and that if you confess your sin, the sin never happened. But that’s not true. Sin hurts other people and the damage is not erased away. Christianity means nothing if there is no justice for the sins that are committed and the sinners who commit them. I believe the evil-doers will have to pay the price. They will have to suffer. No justice, no peace. So Biden and all of his “Catholic” followers are not off the hook for being cafeteria Catholics, just because they go to church and get blessings from corrupt church officials. Biden’s Catholicism is a complete fraud, and everyone knows it, especially Washington, D.C., Cardinal Wilton Gregory. But all he can muster in response is that Biden is a cafeteria Catholic, picking and choosing what doctrines he should follow. It’s much worse than that, and he above others should know that these are the “Powers of Darkness” in the church that are also infecting the people through corrupt clergy. As I wrote in a column years ago quoting anti-communist Professor Renato Cristin, Pope Francis is the leader of the global left and the only serious question is whether Francis is a Marxist masquerading as a Catholic, or whether he has somehow in his own mind synthesized Christianity and Communism into a bizarre philosophy of “Christian communism.” Whatever the case, the Catholic Church has lost its way. No wonder that only one-third of Catholics go to church anymore. It’s probably a good thing. The money they would put in the collection plates will go to pay off suits from victims of sexual abuse by priests. Whatever Trump’s personal faults, and there are many that will be advertised at the upcoming trial featuring Stormy Daniels, at least he has had a change of heart, perhaps even a conversion, and he now realizes that the root of America’s crisis lies in the declining morality of the nation and the willingness of its leaders to lie, cheat, and steal. As president, though he is a flawed vessel, he can help stem the tide of the powers of darkness that are rampaging through our country and taking down every institution that once stood in the way of the evil that was even celebrated on Easter with Biden’s proclamation of transgender visibility day. Biden, of course, claimed he didn’t know anything about it, which is par for the course for a puppet trying to complete Obama’s fundamental transformation of America. We have learned that the next step in this deterioration of morality and virtue is a bill that is close to passing the Maryland state legislature that will legalize human composting. It is being sold as an “eco-friendly alternative” to traditional burials and cremation. In addition to the marijuana business, a modern-day version of “Soma” from Huxley’s Brave New World, a new industry is emerging that is dedicated to “ecological death care,” complete with green funeral homes. Solve climate change by making Mom and Dad into mulch. It reminds you of the science fiction film, “Soylent Geen,” in which humans are killed through assisted suicide and the bodies are made into food for the living. “Soylent Green is people!” shouts the main character, played by Charlton Heston, as he discovers the terrible truth. The film “Soylent Green” was made in 1973 but was supposed to represent America in the year 2022. Looks like the producers were off by two years. Science fiction is today’s reality. When communion with Christ through the body and blood is replaced by eating food grown from the bodies of Mom and Dad, without a serious objection from the church, you know there is a sinister aspect in Obama’s unfolding “Permanent Revolution” in America that requires a response from true Christians. Like Camille Brown, the killer pothead, there is something demonic in the land.
ACTIVE ALERT
2024-002-Worldwide-Foreign Adversarial Technological, Physical, and Cyber Influence Threat Type: Foreign Adversarial Technological, Physical, and Cyber Influence Effective Date: 02/21/2024 - 08/19/2024 Official release This revised advisory cancels U.S. Maritime Advisory 2023-009 1. Issue: This Advisory seeks to alert maritime stakeholders of potential vulnerabilities to maritime port equipment, networks, operating systems, software, and infrastructure. Foreign companies manufacture, install, and maintain port equipment that creates vulnerabilities to global maritime infrastructure information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems. In the past few years, the U.S. Government has published several documents (see paragraph 4 below) illuminating the risks associated with integrating and utilizing the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) state-supported National Public Information Platform for Transportation and Logistics (LOGINK), Nuctech scanners, and automated ship-to-shore cranes worldwide. LOGINK is a single-window logistics management platform that aggregates logistics data from various sources, including domestic and foreign ports, foreign logistics networks, shippers, shipping companies, other public databases, and hundreds of thousands of users in the PRC. The LOGINK logistics platform, which was first marketed outside of the PRC in 2010, was developed by the PRC Ministry of Transport. At least 24 global ports have cooperation agreements with LOGINK, which can collect massive amounts of sensitive business and foreign government data, such as corporate registries and vessel/cargo data. The PRC government is promoting logistics data standards that support LOGINK’s widespread use, and LOGINK’s installation and utilization in critical port infrastructure very likely provides the PRC access to and/or collection of sensitive logistics data. Nuctech Company, Ltd. (Nuctech) is a PRC State-controlled entity that manufactures and fields data-centric partially state-owned security inspection equipment at key logistic nodes worldwide. Nuctech equipment capabilities include x-ray, backscatter, and thermal platforms; explosives detection; non-intrusive products (such as baggage and parcel inspection (NIIE); Artificial Intelligence (AI); and facial cognition/recognition capabilities). Nuctech equipment access includes biometric information, personally identifiable information (PII), patterns of life cargo information, proprietary data, and geo-locational metadata. Several countries have raised concerns about the security risks posed by Nuctech equipment deployed in critical infrastructure given the company’s control by the PRC government. The United States added Nuctech to the Department of Commerce’s Entity List for its involvement in activities contrary to the national security interests of the United States. Specifically, the U.S. government determined Nuctech's lower performing equipment impairs U.S. efforts to counter illicit international trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials. Lower performing equipment means less stringent cargo screening, raising the risk of proliferation. ZPMC (Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited) maintains the largest share, by sales revenue, of the ship-to-shore crane market worldwide. These cranes may, depending on their individual configurations, be controlled, serviced, and programmed from remote locations. These features potentially leave them vulnerable to exploitation. 2. Guidance: Maritime industry stakeholders, including vessel owners/operators, shippers, and port operators exposed to these risks should apply cybersecurity best practices for Access Control (identity and access management), vulnerability mitigation, and configuration management, and should: • Position themselves to increase their cybersecurity and cyber resiliency to respond to and report any incidents that could inhibit their ability to continue operations. • Maintain a comprehensive understanding of data sharing and network access permissions within contractual agreements. • Stress to their personnel the importance of understanding and knowing who maintains access to maritime technology throughout any port or facility they utilize. • Be wary of untrusted network traffic and treat all traffic transiting their networks – especially third-party traffic – as untrusted until it is validated as legitimate. • Ensure infrastructure operational resiliency, regarding system security, as well as the ability to maintain equipment and sourcing for critical parts and upgrades. • Maintain fully recoverable backups and practice recovery from backups. • Partner with academia and government to develop and maintain optimal cybersecurity hygiene by participating in information sharing exchanges and cyber drills and exercises. The below mitigation measures can be utilized to reduce the risks associated with automated port cranes: • Improve segmentation between the crane and other port systems/networks to reduce an adversary’s initial cyber access. Reduce unnecessary communications and network services between business and management networks and the crane network and disallow multi-homed systems across these networks. • Utilize secure file transfer tools/maintain a secure file transfer to reduce the risk of malware when transferring files into the crane network, such as firmware updates, reducing dependency on removable media (e.g., USBs). • Provide dedicated remote access systems and processes for crane devices which utilize and enforce Multifactor Authentication (MFA). Define formal policies and procedures for firewall rule changes needed to control access. • Separate and segment crane management functions from crane operational systems to reduce cyber access by adversaries. Keep crane management functions (e.g., diagnostics, patching, programmable logic controller (PLC) program modification/updating) on separate segments and restrict modifications from crane operational systems, including the on-board and remote crane management systems (RCMS). • Monitor all communications on the crane network (all ingress and egress traffic), especially those between the crane and broader port operational and management systems. Monitor all communications paths used to connect to the crane, including from the RCMS remotely. Monitor host activities for operational management systems. • Require vendor update completion through physical visits at crane operating sites whenever possible and discourage vendors from completing remote updates. Verify the integrity and security of on-board crane devices and networks: • Perform periodic integrity checks and validation of PLC application programs to ensure their correct/secure operation. • Ensure on-board crane virtual local area network VLANs enforce segmentation of critical control devices. The VLANs should segment devices and communications supporting core control functions (e.g., PLCs, drives, I/O, etc.) from those used for non-critical functions (e.g., cameras, surveillance, etc.). Any devices from untrusted suppliers should also be segmented on a separate VLAN. Maintain robust response and recovery programs to ensure key on-board crane systems and devices can be efficiently restored: • Perform periodic backups of key software images and programs, including operating system images (crane management, cabin view, and ground view system), application programs for PLCs, and settings for other key devices (e.g., variable frequency drive (VFD) network switches). Make sure backups are stored offline. Periodically test backups and restoration procedures. • Maintain spare hardware of key components, including PLCs, embedded/small form factor computers, and network devices. Ensure the organization has procedures for performing and testing hardware rebuilds. Ensure strong physical security and access control of devices and infrastructure used to operate and manage the crane: • Ensure ground facilities used to support crane operations, including data closets, server rooms, and operator workstations, have appropriate physical security controls. • Keep on-board devices such as PLCs, networking devices, and computers within locked data cabinets. 3. Contact Information: Maritime stakeholders who discover compromised equipment or suspicious activity within the Marine Transportation System (MTS), or OT/IT assets should contact: • U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802 • U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command (CGCYBER), Maritime Cyber Readiness Branch (MCRB): [email protected] • Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Central: 888-282-0870 or [email protected] • FBI’s Cyber Division: 855-292-3937 or [email protected] 4. References: • U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Industry Cybersecurity Resource Center: https://www.uscg.mil/MaritimeCyber/https://www.uscg.mil/MaritimeCyber/ • Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) - Port Facility Cybersecurity Risks: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/port-facility-cybersecurity-risks-infographic_508.pdf • National Security Agency (NSA), ODNI, and DHS/CISA - Developers Recommended Practices Guide for Securing the Software Supply Chain: https://media.defense.gov/2022/Sep/01/2003068942/-1/-1/0/ESF_SECURING_THE_SOFTWARE_SUPPLY_CHAIN_DEVELOPERS.PDF • Federal Register - Entry on the Entity List (Nuctech): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/12/22/2020-28031/addition-of-entities-to-the-entity-list-revision-of-entry-on-the-entity-list-and-removal-of-entities • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - Worldwide Threats to the Homeland: https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/worldwide-threats-to-the-homeland-111522 • H.R.7776 - James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Section: 3529): https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7776/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22National+Defense+Authorization+Act%22%2C%22National%22%2C%22Defense%22%2C%22Authorization%22%2C%22Act%22%5D%7D&r=22&s=3 • ODNI - 2023 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community: https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2023-Unclassified-Report.pdf 5. Cancellation: This message cancels U.S. Maritime Advisory 2023-009 and will automatically expire on August 19, 2024. For more information about U.S. Maritime Alerts and Advisories, including subscription details, please visit https://www.maritime.dot.gov/msci/. Status: Active TESTIMONY OF REAR ADMIRAL WAYNE R. ARGUIN ASSISTANT COMMANDANT FOR PREVENTION POLICY AND REAR ADMIRAL JOHN C. VANN COMMANDER, COAST GUARD CYBER COMMAND ON “PORT CYBERSECURITY: THE INSIDIOUS THREAT TO U.S. MARITIME PORTS” BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY TRANSPORTATION & MARITIME SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE
29 FEB 2024 Excerpts: Cyber-attacks can pose a significant threat to the economic prosperity and security of the MTS for which whole-of-government efforts are required. The [Marine Transportation System] MTS’s complex, interconnected network of information, sensors, and infrastructure continually evolves to promote the efficient transport of goods and services around the world. The information technology and operational technology networks vital to increasing the efficiency and transparency of the MTS also create complicated interdependencies, vulnerabilities, and risks. The size, complexity, and importance of the MTS make it an attractive cyber target. Terrorists, criminals, activists, adversary nation states and state-sponsored actors may view a significant MTS disruption as favorable to their interests. Potential malicious actors and their increasing levels of sophistication present substantial challenges to government agencies and stakeholders focused on protecting the MTS from constantly evolving cyber threats. Cyber vulnerabilities pose a risk to the vast networks and system of the MTS. Cyber-attacks, such as ransomware attacks, can have devastating impacts on the operations of maritime critical infrastructure. A successful cyber-attack could disrupt global supply chains and impose unrecoverable losses to port operations, electronically stored information, and national economic activity. The increased use of automated systems in shipping, offshore platforms, and port and cargo facilities creates enormous efficiencies, but also introduces additional attack vectors for malicious cyber actors. Growing reliance on cyber-physical systems and technologies requires a comprehensive approach by all MTS stakeholders to manage cyber risks and ensure the safety and security of the MTS. TESTIMONY OF Christa Brzozowski Acting Assistant Secretary for Trade and Economic Security Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans U.S. Department of Homeland Security Excerpts: …the SCRC [Supply Chain Resilience Center] is evaluating the risks to U.S. ports posed by adversarial nation state threats and the potential overreliance on untrustworthy equipment and vendors that are subject to nation-state control and may pose data exploitation, insider threat, and unvetted virtual and physical access risks. The SCRC is closely collaborating with port authorities and operators, other industry stakeholders, and the interagency to conduct this analysis. With this analysis, the SCRC has worked closely with USCG and CISA to verify that our authorities and capabilities are current to keep pace with this emerging threat. ![]() The Attack on the Port of Baltimore By Cliff Kincaid It was an act of war. I have posted my new report on the Baltimore bridge collapse, Biden’s War with Iran Comes to Baltimore, and the evidence of cyber warfare. The evidence is overwhelming that Iran, with the help of Russia and China, disabled the ship. My report documents another attack on a U.S. port, the Port of Houston, in 2021, in which hackers were said to have breached a computer network and a “foreign-state actor” was involved but never identified. For the last several months, various warnings have been given about cyber-warfare directed against maritime targets. These include a congressional hearing, a speech by the FBI director, indictments of Iranian cyber actors, and the Biden Administration issuing a new Executive Order on “Safeguarding of Vessels, Harbors, Ports, and Waterfront Facilities of the United States” on February 21 – just over a month ago. In other words, the Biden Administration, and its CIA and FBI, saw this coming. One month ago, according to several news outlets, the U.S. conducted a cyberattack against an Iranian military ship that had been collecting intelligence on cargo vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Then, on March 26, a cargo ship crashes into the Francis Scott Key bridge, after mysteriously losing power, causing the collapse of the bridge, loss of life, and an economic catastrophe costing tens of billions of dollars. Just a coincidence? An accident? Or retaliation? The vaunted “surveillance state” that is up for review by Congress failed us again. And this explains why most of the media will not even mention the possibility that cyber warfare disabled the cargo ship’s communications and navigational controls. It means that the FBI and CIA are making the same “mistakes” all over again that gave us the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in which al Qaeda terrorists learned how to fly airplanes on American soil and then crashed them into the World Trade Center, killing nearly 3000 people. Let me tell you about government corruption. In 1993 I covered the strange death of Clinton White House deputy counsel Vincent Foster, a murder labeled a “suicide” in an Independent Counsel investigation led by a Republican named Kenneth Starr and his assistant, prosecutor Brett Kavanaugh. Foster’s secretary testified he had access to mysterious binders associated with the NSA, the agency that conducts mass surveillance, ostensibly for the purpose of monitoring terrorists and foreign agents. Foster was the man who knew too much. Evidence demonstrated the existence of a shadowy group of operatives who would intimidate a witness, Patrick Knowlton, with information contradicting the government’s story. Starr later became a Fox News contributor, a supposed expert on the impeachment campaign against Trump, while Kavanaugh of course was nominated by Trump to the Supreme Court, another indication that the “Swamp” occupies both side of the “partisan divide” and affects both major political parties. It was hard for Trump to escape their influence. With the assistance of high-powered lawyers such as Ken Starr, sex pervert Jeffrey Epstein protected himself and his network, serving only 13 months in a country-club arrangement at a local jail before eventually going to a federal prison and dying in another “suicide.” He had the best lawyers that money could buy, as well as associates in such eminent organizations as the Council on Foreign Relations and Trilateral Commission. The book A Convenient Death offers evidence that he used sex to acquire power and influence over others through blackmail. The authors cite Epstein’s relationship with a one-time CIA front company and add that Epstein “openly encouraged speculation that he was involved with intelligence agencies.” The implication is that Epstein used these sexual relationships, including homosexuality, to get what the intelligence agencies wanted out of his targets. The book by Alana Goodman and Daniel Halper strongly suggests that Epstein was a mastermind of a pedophile network serving the rich and powerful that involved gay blackmail, like the Lavender Mafia in the Roman Catholic Church that protects and rewards pedophile and predator priests. I have always been based in the Washington, D.C. area. But I moved into the Frederick, Maryland, area, just outside of D.C., and found a new dentist in an office in a building dedicated to Frank R. Olson. That is fascinating. In a secret experiment, known as the CIA’s MK-Ultra mind-control project, he was given LSD by government scientists from Fort Detrick in Maryland, where he was based, and “fell” to his death in New York. The federal government eventually paid his family millions of dollars in damages. Frank Olson’s name reminds us of the systematic government corruption that has accelerated over the years, culminating in the Russia-gate farce, the failure to hold Red China responsible for the release of the China virus, the Biden presidency, the wars in Europe and the Middle East, and now the cyber-attack on the cargo ship leaving the Port of Baltimore. These scandals, resulting in death and destruction, could have been avoided if we had honest men and women in charge. There is an assumption in the coverage of the Baltimore bridge collapse that the federal government will figure out what happened and tell us the truth. But I think a cover-up is already underway, in the same way we saw various federal agencies, including the FBI, CIA, and the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), conclude that a mysterious fuel tank explosion brought down TWA 800 in 1996. That cover-up was for the purpose of protecting President Clinton during an election year. This cover-up is to protect Biden’s presidential campaign as the war with Iran heats up and Americans, military and civilian, are increasingly targeted. In the crash of TWA Flight 800, which resulted in the deaths of 230 passengers and crew on July 17, 1996, federal “investigators” and the FBI and CIA blamed a fuel tank explosion when eyewitnesses saw missiles hit the plane. To discredit them, the CIA produced a video showing the huge nose-less jet ascending like a rocket, an aeronautical impossibility, supposedly after the fuel tank exploded. We are in a state of war with Iran but relevant officials, from Biden on down, want the American people to be in the dark. Hence, we can expect officials to raise safety concerns about the ship or even blame a mechanical malfunction, without scrutinizing what the CIA and FBI knew in advance and what the NSA knew and when. We need your help to continue our investigations.
![]() Editor's Note: This is an official release, one day after the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse. Rewards for Justice – Reward Offer for Information on ALPHV BlackCat-linked Cyber Actors Targeting U.S. Critical Infrastructure https://www.state.gov/rewards-for-justice-reward-offer-for-information-on-alphv-blackcat-linked-cyber-actors-targeting-u-s-critical-infrastructure/ MEDIA NOTE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON MARCH 27, 2024 The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, engages in certain malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The ALPHV BlackCat ransomware-as-a-service group compromised computer networks of critical infrastructure sectors in the United States and worldwide, deploying ransomware on the targeted systems, disabling security features within the victim’s network, stealing sensitive confidential information, demanding payment to restore access, and threatening to publicize the stolen data if victims do not pay a ransom. The group’s ransomware, also known as ALPHV BlackCat, was first deployed in November 2021. ALPHV BlackCat operated as a ransomware-as-a-service business model in which the group’s members developed and maintained the ransomware variant and then recruited affiliates to deploy the ransomware. ALPHV BlackCat and its affiliates then shared any paid ransoms. More information about this reward offer is located on the Rewards for Justice website at https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/malicious_cyber_activity.html . We encourage anyone with information on ALPHV BlackCat actors, their affiliates, activities, or links to a foreign government to contact Rewards for Justice via the Tor-based tips-reporting channel at: he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion (Tor browser required). Since its inception in 1984, RFJ has paid in excess of $250 million to more than 125 people across the globe who provided actionable information that helped resolve threats to U.S. national security. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RFJ_USA . ![]() Was the Baltimore Attack Retaliation from Iran? By Cliff Kincaid What triggered the power on the cargo ship to go out? Just an accident, says Maryland Governor Wes Moore. What does that mean? A friend says this, while watching the government officials pat themselves on the back: “What the hell has happened to culture in government? These bureaucrats are so self-obsessed that they only see catastrophes through their own eyes. They are so quick to praise themselves while the bodies are still floating down the river.” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore claimed, without the benefit of any investigation at all, that there is no “credible indication” of terrorism involved in the demise of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. How did he know? Now, at about 3:30 pm, Tuesday, Democrats are back in front of the cameras, praising one another. I stand by my column that the assumption must be that this was a terrorist incident involving cyber warfare from China or Russia or Iran. Let them prove otherwise. Just one month ago the FBI director warned of such a catastrophe. I’m watching some official talk about “the lives of those families” impacted by the tragedy. What purpose is served by these endless news conferences? These are just photo ops for politicians. Just a month ago, according to NBC News, the U.S. conducted a cyberattack against an Iranian military ship that had been collecting intelligence on cargo vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This was confirmed by the New York Times. Was the Baltimore attack retaliation? Less than a month ago, the Justice Department "unsealed an indictment charging an Iranian national with involvement in a cyber-enabled campaign to compromise U.S. governmental and private entities, including the U.S. Departments of the Treasury and State, defense contractors, and two New York-based companies." I suggest you research the topic of maritime cyber warfare. It is a major issue of concern in the wake of the Red Sea battles involving Iran. “Cyber-attacks can compromise safety measures on board ships or within ports.” notes one analysis. One survey reported: “Respondents painted a bleak picture of the threat from cyber-attacks to the maritime industries, with 90% of respondents expecting disruption of ship/fleet operations from cyber incidents, 79% expecting theft of property/cargo, 76% expecting damage to port/cargo handling infrastructure and 72% expecting harm to the environment.” Archbishop William E. Lori has announced a Mass at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore’s Homeland neighborhood and says, “I am saddened, as you are, to learn of the tragic incident overnight that led to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Baltimore harbor. Pray with me for all involved, especially the victims traveling over the span at the time of impact, the construction workers on site, the seafarers and all of the first responders acting with urgency to rescue survivors. Let us join in prayer asking the Lord to grant consolation and strength as we cope with this terrible tragedy.” At the same time, don’t dismiss the real possibility, I would say probability, of cyber warfare. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s 2023 Annual Threat Assessment states that “Iran’s growing expertise and willingness to conduct aggressive cyber operations make it a major threat to the security of U.S. and allied networks and data. Iran’s opportunistic approach to cyber attacks makes critical infrastructure owners in the United States susceptible to being targeted…” |