Sunday, August 16, 2020
Barack and the beach house: Longtime friend 'builds Obama's multi-million dollar Hawaii ocean villa using loopholes to bypass coastal protection laws' on site made famous by TV show Magnum PI
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| Barack And Nesbit Take A Beach Stroll After Touring The Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory. |
- Officials confirm Obama plans to live at the secretive building project on Hawaiian island of Oahu
- His close friend and confidant Marty Nesbitt purchased property for $8.7 million in 2015
- Famous mansion from Magnum PI TV series was torn down to build the new compound
- New report reveals planning loophole used to preserve century-old seawall on beachfront
- Experts say such seawalls contribute to beach erosion and can damage the coastal environment
The beachfront compound in Hawaii where former President Barack Obama reportedly plans to someday retire used a planning loophole to retain a seawall that is likely causing beach erosion, according to a new report.
State officials and community members confirmed to ProPublica that Obama plans to reside in the compound on Oahu, which was purchased for $8.7 million by his close friend Marty Nesbitt in 2015.
After tearing down the site's mansion made famous as the house from Magnum PI, developers are building three homes, two pools and a security perimeter on the three-acre beachfront parcel, permits show.
However, the century-old seawall on the property is set to remain, despite state policies designed to preserve Hawaii’s natural coastlines and environmental experts who say such structures cause coastal damage and beach erosion.
Construction is seen underway on the property in the Waimanalo community. Officials and locals say Obama plans to move to the compound when it is complete
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| The beach has almost completely disappeared along the property, due to erosion along the seawall. In the water, the outline of an ancient turtle pond is seen |
The property was purchased for $8.7 million by Obama's close friend Marty Nesbitt in 2015. Above, the two are seen vacationing nearby on Oahu during Obama's presidency
The site will have stunning views over Waimanalo Bay. Construction on the compound is still underway
The property was formerly the site of one of Hawaii's most famous homes, the mansion from Magnum PI (above) which was torn down in 2018 to make way for construction
The reason: a loophole that allowed the sellers of the property to obtain an easement on the seawall for a one-time payment of $61,400 before it was sold in 2015, according to ProPublica.
The easement is essentially a 55-year lease on the public land that sits under the seawall, giving the private property owner the ability to keep it.
Such easements have come under criticism in Hawaii, though they are far from rare, with some 120 being awarded over the past two decades.
The developers of the property are now reportedly pursuing an expansion of the seawall - angering community members who point out that the existing beach along the property has nearly disappeared, and who view Obama as a proponent of environmental sustainability.
The new compound is nestled in the Native Hawaiian community of Waimanalo, not far from where Obama would often spend his Christmases as president, frequently being spotted strolling or golfing with...
Michigan Rejects More Than 10,000 Absentee Ballots, Including Some From Voters Who Died
More than 10,000 absentee ballots were rejected in Michigan’s Aug. 4th primary, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office said Friday.
At least 6,400 ballots were turned away because they arrived after Election Day, while 787 were tossed out because the signature did not match the registration, according to Benson’s office. Another 1,111 were rejected because the voter had moved, and 846 were not accepted because voters died “after casting their absentee ballot but before Election Day.”
“The data demonstrates that thousands of people who cast otherwise valid votes were not able to participate in last week’s election solely because the Legislature failed to act ahead of the primary,” said Benson. “With turnout and absentee ballot numbers expected to double or even triple in November, we could be looking at tens of thousands of Michigan citizens disenfranchised if the legislature fails to act.”
The news comes right after the U.S Postal Service warned Benson in a letter that mail delivery times posed a “significant risk” to ballots sent too close to the election which could lead to their disqualification, according to The Detroit News.
USPS General Counsel Thomas J. Marshall wrote to Benson that Michigan election laws were “incompatible” with the Postal Service’s delivery standards.
“This mismatch creates a risk that ballots requested near the deadline under state law will not be returned by mail in time to be countered under your laws as...
Oops! Public School Teacher Forgets To Remove Antifa Mask Before Logging On For Class
PORTLAND, OR—Parents are raising concerns after a teacher opened her Monday morning online class in full Antifa riot gear after forgetting to take it off the night before. According to witnesses, Willow Maven, a local first-grade teacher and prolific scarf knitter, began teaching her online class while still wearing a black ski mask and a leather jacket emblazoned with an Antifa logo.
"Okay class," she began. "Today we are reviewing the alphabet! Now repeat after me!"
"A is for Anti-fascist!"
"B is for Burning down symbols of oppression!"
"C is for Communism! The only compassionate system of government where everyone is equal!"
Ms. Maven was about to recite the letter "D is for Drumpf, the bad orange man" when she realized what she was wearing and quickly cut the feed.
"We understand this was distressing to some students and parents," said Superintendent Braylee Gungorstool. "It's obviously very concerning to discover there are some fascist students and parents in our midst. If you are offended by courageous anti-fascist fighters, I really feel sorry for you. Please rest assured the school will conduct a thorough investigation into every suspected fascist at our school. We have also asked Ms. Maven to abide by the teacher dress code from now on."
Local concerned parents then apologized for being fascists and promised to...
CIA Behind Guccifer & Russiagate – a Plausible Scenario
William Binney is the former technical director of the U.S. National Security Agency who worked at the agency for 30 years. He is a respected independent critic of how American intelligence services abuse their powers to illegally spy on private communications of U.S. citizens and around the globe. Given his expert inside knowledge, it is worth paying attention to what Binney says.
In a media interview this week, he dismissed the so-called Russiagate scandal as a “fabrication” orchestrated by the American Central Intelligence Agency. Many other observers have come to the same conclusion about allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections with the objective of helping Donald Trump get elected.
But what is particularly valuable about Binney’s judgment is that he cites technical analysis disproving the Russiagate narrative. That narrative remains dominant among U.S. intelligence officials, politicians and pundits, especially those affiliated with the Democrat party, as well as large sections of Western media. The premise of the narrative is the allegation that a Russian state-backed cyber operation hacked into the database and emails of the Democrat party back in 2016. The information perceived as damaging to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was subsequently disseminated to the Wikileaks whistleblower site and other U.S. media outlets.
A mysterious cyber persona known as “Guccifer 2.0” claimed to be the alleged hacker. U.S. intelligence and news media have attributed Guccifer as a front for Russian cyber operations.
Notably, however, the Russian government has always categorically denied any involvement in alleged hacking or other interference in the 2016 U.S. election, or elections thereafter.
William Binney and other independent former U.S. intelligence experts say they can prove the Russiagate narrative is bogus. The proof relies on their forensic analysis of the data released by Guccifer. The analysis of timestamps demonstrates that the download of voluminous data could not have been physically possible based on known standard internet speeds. These independent experts conclude that the data from the Democrat party could not have been hacked, as Guccifer and Russiagaters claim. It could only have been obtained by a leak from inside the party, perhaps by a disgruntled staffer who downloaded the information on to a disc. That is the only feasible way such a huge amount of data could have been released. That means the “Russian hacker” claims are baseless.
Wikileaks, whose founder Julian Assange is currently imprisoned in Britain pending an extradition trial to the U.S. to face espionage charges, has consistently maintained that their source of files was not a hacker, nor did they collude with Russian intelligence. As a matter of principle, Wikileaks does not disclose the identity of its sources, but the organization has indicated it was an insider leak which provided the information on senior Democrat party corruption.
William Binney says forensic analysis of the files released by Guccifer shows that the mystery hacker deliberately inserted digital “fingerprints” in order to give the impression that the files came from Russian sources. It is known from information later disclosed by former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden that the CIA has a secretive program – Vault 7 – which is dedicated to false incrimination of cyber attacks to other actors. It seems that the purpose of Guccifer was to create the perception of a connection between Wikileaks and Russian intelligence in order to beef up the Russiagate narrative.
“So that suggested [to] us all the evidence was pointing back to CIA as the originator [of] Guccifer 2.0. And that Guccifer 2.0 was inside CIA… I’m pointing to that group as the group that was probably the originator of Guccifer 2.0 and also this fabrication of the entire story of Russiagate,” concludes Binney in his interview with Sputnik news outlet.
This is not the first time that the Russiagate yarn has been debunked. But it is crucially important to make Binney’s expert views more widely appreciated especially as the U.S. presidential election looms on November 3. As that date approaches, U.S. intelligence and media seem to be intensifying claims about Russian interference and cyber operations. Such wild and unsubstantiated “reports” always refer to the alleged...
Georgia Shop Requires $20 Deposit Only For White Customers
A vintage clothing shop in Savannah, Georgia has come under fire after they posted a Facebook promotion that stated they would require white customers to pay a $20 refundable deposit when they book an appointment to shop at the store, but they are waiving this fee for "BIPOC" (Black, indigenous, and people of color) customers.
Civvies on Broughton, which is known for its elaborate collection of recycled clothing, posted the viral promotion announcing their reopening plans, including their racial guidelines.
"As a mostly white staff with white ownership, we do not feel comfortable upholding a digital and financial barrier which could prohibit BIPOC from shopping at our store at this time on top of the limitations already made by online booking," the post read.
If white customers could not pay the $20 deposit, they could contact management to "discuss other options."
However, if white customers simply refused to pay the deposit because of ethical reasons they would "not be accepted for an appointment."
Civvies received major blowback for the post, with some even threatening legal action against the discriminatory policy.
"Most of the feedback about our decision to waive this refundable deposit is racist because it favors Black people, Indigenous people, and...
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