GoFundMe bows to Trudeau and CANCELS the Freedom Truckers: Donation site refuses to return $9M
GoFundMe officially cancelled the Freedom Convoy fundraiser on Friday and plans to distribute the remaining $9million of donated funds to 'credible and established charities'.
The crowdfunding platform claimed the fundraiser - which raised $10million Canadian dollars ($8 million USD) in support truckers protesting against COVID-19 vaccine mandates - violated its terms of service 'which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment'.
'GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was the intention of the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser when it was first created,' the company said in a statement released Friday evening.
'We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity.'
GoFundMe issued a statement Friday night saying the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser violated its terms of service 'which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment
The decision comes one day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a military response to the protests was 'not in the cards right now' and the House of Commons Public Safety and National Security Committee called on GoFundMe to detail how it would ensure donations weren't being used to promote extremism and hate.
Meanwhile, Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich announced Friday night that they have teamed up with GiveSendGo, another online platform, to continue raising funds for the truckers.
'GiveSendGo is going to to enable us to get donations into the hands of truckers much, much quicker,' she said in a video published by Rumble.
'If you can donate and help us keep these truckers going - we plan to be here for the long haul, as long as it takes to ensure that your rights and freedoms are restored.'
GoFundMe suspended the Freedom Convoy fundraiser for internal review on Wednesday after it had accrued more than $10million in donations.
The company had previously released $1million to organizers after they 'provided a clear distribution plan… and confirmed funds would be used only for participants who traveled to Ottawa to participate in a peaceful protest.'
The organizers claimed the funds would be used for expenses such as fuel, food and lodging, with any leftover donations being gifted to a 'credible Veterans organization which will be chosen by the donors.'
GoFundMe announced Friday they will no longer be releasing funds to the organizers because of 'how this situation has evolved'.
'No further funds will be directly distributed to the Freedom Convoy organizers,' the company statement read. 'We will work with organizers to send all remaining funds to credible and established charities chosen by the Freedom Convoy 2022 organizers and verified by GoFundMe.'
The company said donors have until February 19 to request a refund.
Freedom Convoy organizers claim the protest began because of 'the federal government's restrictions on truckers' freedoms'
Trudeau and some of his his Liberal Party allies have accused the convoy demonstrators of extremism and racism, a charge that Lich strongly denied on Thursday.
'We are here out of love for our families, our communities and our nation. These past two years, the covid mandates have divided us,' she said in a statement.
'This protest began because of the federal government's restrictions on truckers' freedoms. Our movement has grown in Canada and across the world because common people are tired of the mandates and restrictions in their own lives that now seem to be doing more harm than good,' she added.
'We are therefore calling on all levels of government in Canada to end all covid mandates and restrictions. We will continue our protest until we see a clear plan for their elimination.'
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Facebook in trouble
Facebook’s user base has shrunk for the first time in its 18-year history, with half a million users logging off in the last three months of 2021. For a company obsessed with growth — Facebook went from 1 billion monthly active users in 2012 to 2 billion by 2017 — a slowdown was inevitable but its unclear where the next crop of users are going to come from.
It’s not the first time Facebook has been challenged by a rival platform, or even by a new content format, but it was entirely unprepared for the short, rapid-fire videos and aggressive algorithms of TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance. Last year the video platform became the first non-Facebook app to be downloaded more than three billion times, and analytics firm Apptopia dubbed it the most popular app of 2021.
TikTok is not that dissimilar to other social media, filled with paid product endorsements, web celebrities and viral trends, but it’s composed entirely of short video clips. As users flick through them, the algorithm learns their interests and uses it to serve more and more engaging videos. One person might get a lot of videos of quaint houses being built in forests, and another might get mostly cheap recipe “hacks”, but they both might get the latest comical dance trend.
TikTok has many imitators, including new offerings from Google, Snap and Meta itself, but none have managed to become as engaging. A core problem with these bolted-on imitators, like Facebook’s Reels, is that even if they do become popular the format doesn’t allow for the kind of ad revenue the traditional News Feed does.
They also don’t feel as natural. “Me personally, I’ll create a TikTok and then repost it on Instagram Reels, like the exact same video,” Cao says.
No wonder then that Meta founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is so keen on the virtual world of the metaverse. Real life isn’t a lot of fun when you see $US31 billion ($43 billion) go up in smoke in a session.
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U.S. Imam: ‘Islamists Have The RIGHT To Take The Property Of Christians And Jews’
Yasir Hadh, a prominent American Imam and college professor was described in a 2011 New York Times Magazine essay as “one of the most influential conservative clerics in American Islam.”
Well, he just went on television to warn Christians and jews of what will happen to them if they do not convert.
Hadhi publicly said that Christians and Jews are the “filthy,”“impure,” and basically no different than “feces” and “urine.”
He claimed that “if [Christians and Jews] don’t [convert to Islam,] their life andproperty are halal [free for the taking] for the Muslims.”
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The year left-wing ideas came home to roost
2022 is proving to be the year in which progressives’ genius ideas come home to roost. Instituting far-left policies in cities across America has resulted in disastrous outcomes. All this raises the question: which Democrats will stay loyal to the far-left “transformational” agenda and which will jump ship?
Most liberal politicians have enjoyed this country’s tidal wave of wokeness up until now. Posting Instagram infographics and hash-tagging activism on Twitter plays well with younger voters.
Real news has become almost indistinguishable from the Babylon Bee’s satire. In a single day, you can read about snowplow equity, M&Ms becoming more inclusive and students identifying as cats. Say what you will about the perpetually offended, they certainly are entertaining.
But the left’s willingness to appease the insane whims of the most radical people in our country has also had serious consequences for public safety.
As dumb as the “Defund the Police!” slogan sounded back in May 2020, try promoting it now when the murder rate in this country is nearing a 25-year high.
In February 2021, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced $120 million in cuts to her city’s police and sheriff’s department. Ten months later, she stood in front of a podium and declared that she was requesting more money from the city board of supervisors for the police. “And it comes to an end when are we more aggressive with law enforcement and less tolerant of all the bulls–t that has destroyed our city,” she said. While she did not admit that her own irresponsible policies had enabled said “bulls—t” to surge, her sudden about-face was admission enough.
The painful results of the Squad’s dreams coming true are hard for some politicians to ignore and rationalize. The senseless killings and organized robberies are bound to separate the men from the boys in the progressive movement.
But when it comes to talking the talk and walking the walk, there are a few stalwarts. The district attorneys in San Francisco and Manhattan are perfect examples.
In NYC, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “Day 1” memo decriminalized a range of crimes from trespassing to marijuana possession to prostitution. Charges were also reduced for a number of crimes, while sentences of life without parole were banned except in “exceptional circumstances.”
These soft-on-crime policies were at the forefront of Dominique Luzuriaga’s mind as she delivered a eulogy for her husband, NYPD officer Jason Rivera, on Friday.
Officer Rivera died in the line of duty while responding to a 911 call in Harlem on January 21.
Through tears, his widow said, “This system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore, not even the members of the service. I know you were tired of these laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he’s watching you speak through me right now.”
It was a powerful rebuke of Bragg and even more so of the anti-police attitude that the left has encouraged for years.
In Los Angeles, a petition to recall progressive District Attorney George Gascón has just been approved. Many critics blame Gascón for a rise in crime thanks to his own lenient policies and bail reform.
But will all of this backlash fall on deaf ears?
Democrats are learning the hard way that these “catchy slogans” (as Obama once called them) and radical movements don’t just inspire puff pieces in the Washington Post. They lead to real crime and real hurt. We are going to find out very quickly which liberals were merely going along for the radical ride until the reality became too much to bear. Some politicians are already reversing course.
We are also going to find out which progressives are the true believers and stay the course. That might be the scariest discovery of all.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2022/01/the-year-left-wing-ideas-came-home-to-roost/
**********************************************OnlyFans model facing prison time over revealing church photo
An OnlyFans model is facing up to a year in jail after she showed off her naked bum by lifting up her dress outside a church.
The young woman, identified as Natalia Maslennikova and who goes by the online name 'Trikotasha', was photographed in the provocative pose outside a church in the Russian city of Kaluga.
Prosecutors confirmed they had "approved an indictment against a 26-year-old woman who, through her actions, committed public acts expressing clear disrespect for society and committed in order to offend the religious feelings of believers."
They said the action came about after the accused "posted naked photos against the backdrop of the Temple on her Instagram and Twitter pages on the social network" in July last year.
They added that the punishment can include up to a year in jail for the snaps, which were taken outside the Transfiguration Church in Kaluga.
In total, three snaps from the photo session were shared online. However, they were not widely picked up until they were suddenly highlighted by ultra-right-wing and anti-feminist movement blogger Vladislav Pozdnyakov.
He is the founder of the Male State group, which is regarded as an extremist organisation in Russia over its activities often targeting women online as well as businesses and minority groups.
He was even given a suspended sentence in 2018 for "actions aimed at humiliating human dignity in relation to women". The conviction was, however, later overturned.
Mayor says 'something wrong with her mind'
The investigation then followed in November, at the same time as Kaluga Mayor Dmitry Denisov condemned the stunt, but said he was not sure if prosecuting the young women who carry out such stunts was the right way forward, as it risked "getting the legal system bogged down".
He added: "I am sure there is definitely something wrong in their minds and souls. These girls could become caring mothers and loving wives."
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My other blogs. Main ones below:
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Kristina Pimenova, once said to be the most beautiful girl in the world. Note blue eyes and blonde hair
Bliss: What every woman wants: to feel safe and secure in the arms of her man. Robert Irwin and Rorie Buckey. See 
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