When does protest become terrorism?
Source: Project Liberal
by Oliver Gale
“How the UK is changing the rules on petty crime to attack free speech.” (08/17/26)
https://projectliberal.substack.com/p/when-does-protest-become-terrorism
Category: Opinion
Israel creates fake think tank in likely attempt to dupe AI chatbots
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Nick Cleveland-Stout
“At a glance, the Hanover Institute for Public Policy looks like a new think tank dedicated to Israel/Palestine. The organization churns out think-tank style reports on questions such as ‘Does AIPAC Use ‘Dark Money in Elections?’ and ‘Is Israel Carrying out a Deliberate Campaign of Starvation in Gaza?’ But the Hanover Institute is not a real think tank. None of the reports have bylines. A small disclaimer at the bottom of the webpage notes that the organization was created on behalf of the Israeli Government Advertising Agency by Piro, Inc, a firm co-founded by Daniel Rosenberg, the producer of Spike Lee’s ‘Inside Man.’ The Hanover Institute’s reports — all of which are about Israel and Palestine — appear to be part of an Israeli effort to influence chatbots.” (08/17/26)
Japan eyes nonartificial intelligence
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“In trying to hatch their own artificial intelligence, many countries are playing catch-up to the two world giants: the United States and China. In recent months, however, Japan has taken a different course. It admits it cannot create the most advanced AI models. Yet it might be the first nation to put AI at the center of a new economic strategy. In late July, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s Cabinet approved a plan to inject $2.3 trillion in public and private investment toward strengthening key industries by 2040, starting with AI and the computer chips that run it. The plan goes beyond merely automating current work, improving efficiencies, cutting costs, or boosting the economy. It would also enhance human creativity and innovation by focusing on applying AI to real-world problems – starting on the factory floor of Japan’s existing world-class manufacturing industries.” (08/14/26)
The School Shooter Civilization
Source: Liberal Currents
by John Banks
“‘Civilizationist’ thinking, once confined to the radical fringe and the manifestos of mass killers, has moved to the center of American foreign policy.” (08/17/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-schoool-shooter-civilization/
Quantum Vibe, 08/17/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (08/17/26)
For the American Left, Nothing Succeeds as Much as Failure
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley
“Below is my column in The Hill on the familiar bust-and-boom cycle of socialism, where failure is used to call for even more radical changes. While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries this week reaffirmed that Democratic Socialists are part of the Democratic Party, radical figures are demonstrating how extreme this agenda is for some. For example, Socialist State Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher has declared that stealing should be legal for those in need. If socialism takes hold in New York, many will indeed need five-finger discounts in the Big Apple. From New York to California, the American left is proving that nothing succeeds like failure. In areas ranging from immigration to taxes to health care, politicians are playing to their past fiascos to push an even more radical agenda. Take immigration.” (08/17/26)
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/08/17/for-the-american-left-nothing-succeeds-as-much-as-failure/
Return of the Property Tax Revolt
Source: Law & Liberty
by Thomas Savidge
“It’s fine to oppose property taxes, but without binding rules, the state will go on helping itself to taxpayer money.” (08/17/26)
The Price of Fed Silence
Source: The Daily Economy
by Stephen Lewarne
“When the Fed withholds information, markets don’t stop searching — they simply reward those with privileged access.” (08/17/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-price-of-fed-silence/
We All Know This Civilization Is Doomed, But They Keep Telling Us Everything’s Normal
Source: Caitlin Johnstone
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Life in the 2020s comes with so much dissonance and dysphoria because everyone knows this civilization is doomed, but it’s not being acknowledged by any of our mainstream institutions. We can all see everything getting worse and worse before our eyes in real time, but our government officials don’t talk about it. Our mass media outlets don’t report on it. Our education systems don’t recognize it. There’s a giant elephant in the room with us at all times, and normal people are acutely aware of it, but the talking heads keep speaking as though everything’s going to keep ticking along normally into the foreseeable future. We can all see the summers heating up. We can all see that there are fewer insects and less wildlife around than when we were young. We can all see that the western empire is on borrowed time.” (08/17/26)
What Exactly Is “Narcoterrorism?”
Source: Libertarian Institute
by José Niño
“Credit for the coinage belongs to Peru’s Fernando Belaúnde Terry. Foreign Policy traces his first use to 1982, after Shining Path hit a prison and a police station, when he called what he saw ‘narco-terrorism — the union of the vice of narcotics with the violence of terrorism.’ The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism places the birth year at 1983 instead. The date stays unsettled because the idea underneath never firmed up. Experts remain split over whether the term ‘designates too broad a range of activities to be definitive.’ Elasticity proved to be the feature. … Every fresh narcoterrorism designation narrows the space between a criminal suspect and a lawful target, and it narrows that space inside their own borders first.” (08/17/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/what-exactly-is-narcoterrorism/