The Emperor’s New Virus

China, 5G, And The Wuhan Coronavirus: The Emperor’s New Virus

Lloyd-Burrell-photo-1024x304

China, 5G, And The Wuhan Coronavirus: The Emperor’s New Virus
Author: Guest, Last updated: March 04, 2020

China, 5G, And The Wuhan Coronavirus: The Emperor’s New Virus

Could there be a link between the Coronavirus and 5G? Researcher and building biologist Paul Doyon has just spent the last 18 months in China. He’s written a brilliant article laying out the evidence. And how you can protect yourself—an EMF based protection strategy. Warning: this is a heavy science based article with nearly 100 references to studies—neither Paul or myself want to be accused of fear-mongering:

My heart goes out to China and to all its people who have suffered so much due to this new “novel” Wuhan coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19).

However, as someone who had become very sick and had his immune system break down and was sick for six months looking for answers before even suspecting that living in close vicinity to several cell phone towers was actually what was causing the problem and making him sick, I feel I cannot in good conscience remain silent, and I strongly suspect that China and the rest of the world are looking under the wrong stone for what is actually the problem here.

At the moment, with 10,000 recently installed 5G antennas plastering its city, Wuhan is probably one of the most 5G-electropolluted cities on the planet.

Electrosmog Warnings from Scientists for Over 40 Years
Respected scientists, researchers, doctors, and activists have been — for over forty years — warning us about the dangers of wireless radiation and electromagnetic fields. In 1977, the reporter Paul Brodeur published a book called The Zapping of America; in 1985, the late Dr. Robert O. Becker (twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on cellular dedifferentiation and re-differentiation in the healing process) wrote The Body Electric, and later published Cross Currents: The Perils of Electropollution, The Promise of Electromedicine in 1990; in 1995 (and again later in 2007), B. Blake Levitt, author and researcher, published Electromagnetic Fields: A Consumer’s Guide to the Issues and How to Protect Ourselves. Since then there have been a slew of other books and documentary movies put out on the subject. And the list goes on and on.

Dr. Leif Stafford, Swedish neuro-oncologist, has called this wireless rollout

“the largest biological experiment ever.” 1

And Dr. Robert O. Becker wrote in 1985 that

The dangers of electropollution are real and well documented. It changes, often pathologically, every biological system [emphasis added]. What we don`t know is exactly how serious these changes are, for how many people. The longer we as a society, put off a search for that knowledge, the greater the damage is likely to be and the harder it will be to correct. (p. 304) 2

And finally, Dr. Martin Pall, PhD, and Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences at Washington State University has stated recently that

Putting in tens of millions of 5G antennae without a single biological test of safety has got to be about the stupidest idea anyone has had in the history of the world. 3

The BioInitiative
In 2007, a report titled the BioInitiative was published, it was republished again in 2012, and there have been ongoing updates between 2014 and 2019. Its website states that

the BioInitiative 2012 Report has been prepared by 29 authors from ten countries, ten holding medical degrees (MDs), 21 PhDs, and three MsC, MA or MPHs. Among the authors are three former presidents of the Bioelectromagnetics Society, and five full members of BEMS. 4

These are highly respected scientists coming from some of the world’s most respected universities and institutes. 5

The BioInitiative further warns

… that evidence for risks to health has substantially increased since 2007 from electromagnetic fields and wireless technologies (radiofrequency radiation). The Report reviews over 1800 new scientific studies…. Health topics include damage to DNA and genes, effects on memory, learning, behavior, attention, sleep disruption, cancer and neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. New safety standards are urgently needed for protection against EMF and wireless exposures that now appear everywhere in daily life. 6 See more scientific research here.

5G Warnings
With the coming advent of the newest in wireless technology, 5G, numerous researchers, doctors, and professional and activist organizations have been administering health warnings regarding its coming implementation. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
See here the dangers of 5G radiation.

And even recently, there were marches in major cities throughout the world protesting the advent of this technology. 14

Unfortunately, for the majority of the population, these warnings have fallen on deaf ears, with the seemingly widely held view out there believing that 5G is the next best thing since Ben & Jerry’s™ Cherry Garcia™ ice cream.

Of course, the downplaying of the hazards is understandable given the extreme benefits and conveniences all this technology has continuously offered an unsuspecting populace. Unfortunately, these people are also often quick to ridicule and marginalize those who try to warn of these dangers by labeling them as Luddite tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorists, until, of course, either they or someone close to them suddenly gets sick and they then see a possible connection with these EMF exposures, and then suddenly there is a change of tune, and they are quick to inquire about what they can do to protect themselves: e.g. how to shield their homes and offices, what EMF meters to buy.

In Ripon, California, south of Sacramento, a 5G antenna was removed from a primary school, after some parents there started to suspect that it was linked to a number of cancer cases in the school. 15

The Coronavirus Outbreak
The recent COVID-19 outbreak has stimulated mass fear and mass hysteria across the planet, in spite of the fact that there have only been 93 deaths (at the time of this writing on February 29th, 2020) outside China, with 2835 of the deaths 17 and 99 percent of infections occurring within China. 18

In fact, the highest death rates outside of China have been in places already implementing 5G technology, South Korea and Italy, for example. The exception is Iran, which at present has 978 cases, and 54 deaths, is officially not implementing it, but very well may secretly be trialing it given the reason why

on December 1, 2018, at the request of the US government, Meng Wanzhou — Huawei’s CFO and daughter of its founder — was arrested in Canada on allegations she participated in a conspiracy to defraud banks in connection with Iran sanctions violations, 19

was indeed because Huawei was working to sell their 5G technology to the Iranians. In fact, Iran — in a joint operation between Irancell and Ericsson — had started trialing the technology back in September of 2017. 20 In the article, titled “Irancell, Ericsson Test 5G Systems,” (2017) it is stated that

the technology will be available by 2020 and become globally accessible a year later.
During the event at Irancell headquarters, the company’s CEO Alireza Dezfouli said “We are aiming to keep pace with the international operators. Iran will not be left behind again.”

Furthermore, a number of articles in the media, have stated that Iran has carried out “preparations” and is ready to launch 5G. 21 22 23 Well, preparations usually include trialing. Hence, it is easy to believe that Iran already has the 5G infrastructure set up and they have been secretly trialing it.

Belgium, on the other hand, — which had decided not to even trial 5G, let alone implement it, due to radiation concerns 24 — has had only one case so far of the coronavirus (recovered) and no deaths.

In fact, for the majority, the symptoms of patients outside of China, (especially with those away from the 5G), for the most part, have seemingly been relatively mild, as one would most likely see with a regular cold or flu virus, and with many of those infected not showing any symptoms at all.

Mild Symptoms Outside China
It is stated by Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, (Head of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program), in the continuously updated Al Jazeera article, “What happens if you catch the new corona virus?” that “some patients do not show any symptoms,” and that

“You have mild cases, which look like the common cold, which have some respiratory symptoms, sore throat, runny nose, fever, all the way through pneumonia. And there can be varying levels of severity of pneumonia all the way through multi-organ failure and death,” she told reporters in Geneva last week.

However, in most cases, symptoms have remained mild.

“We’ve seen some data on about 17,000 cases and overall 82 percent of those are mild, 15 percent of those are severe and 3 percent of those are classified as critical,” said Van Kerkhove. 18

Moreover, in numerous YouTube videos 25 26 27 28 29 we are seeing interviews with patients that have been seemingly showing only mild symptoms.

One example is that of Rebecca Frazier, interviewed numerous times on numerous news programs, after being admitted to a Tokyo Hospital after being found to be infected with the COVID-19 on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship. In one of the interviews, conducted by the New Zealand news program on the Radio New Zealand (RNZ) network titled “I never really felt unwell,” for example, the interviewer states the following and then goes onto interview Ms. Frazier:

“Incapacitated, needing help to breath, and surrounded by doctors in hazmat suits, is perhaps the go-to image of those infected with coronavirus. Not so for Rebecca Frazier, who has Covid-19 as it is now known. Curiously, she looks just fine. She’s in isolation in a Tokyo hospital after testing positive for the virus, while onboard the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship that is now docked in Yokohama, in lockdown for 14 days…. Rebecca says she’s shocked that she has tested positive for the deadly virus given how fit and well she feels.”

“I just can’t believe it. Just can’t believe this is happening to you. Umm. I… You know, I am not one to freak out….”

“Did you feel unwell? Do you feel unwell?”

“No. I never really felt unwell. I had a little bit of a cough when they told me, and when I got here, I had a little bit of a fever, but all of that has normalized and I have no symptoms….“25

In another YouTube video,29 this one from a Chinese TV network, is a report by a nurse in Wuhan, who contracted the virus, and decided to stay home to recover (which might very well have been what saved her life).

In the video, we see her going about her daily life as if only seemingly bothered by what would only be a normal cold virus.

In a BBC 30 report about Steve Walsh, labeled a “Super Spreader,” a man who was apparently infected by COVID-19 in Singapore and apparently spread it to numerous others at a ski resort in France, we hear one of his neighbors state that

“His wife told me on the phone that really he is not that ill and she thinks it is a complete basically a load of rubbish umm and it’s no worse than flu. Probably not as bad.” (2:20)

So… why is it that, while these people are seemingly only manifesting mild symptoms, many people in China, and especially in the city of Wuhan (and some other provinces), are having such a difficult time with many unfortunately succumbing to the virus, and (for want of a better expression) “dropping like flies”?

At least 10,000 5G Antennas Installed in Wuhan Alone

China-installed-130000-5-G-antennas-throughout-the-country
What has not been apparent in the news reports is the fact that China in its rush to take the lead in the 5G race, had by the end of 2019 (and mostly within the last several months leading up to the COVID-19 outbreak) installed 130,000 5G antennas throughout the country, 31 with at least 10,000 antennas installed in Wuhan alone. 32 (As a comparison, the USA only has approximately 10,000 5G antennas presently installed throughout the whole country.)

Man holding phone up for 5G connection

“Wuhan City, the capital of Hubei, is expected to have 10,000 5G base stations by the end of 2019…” 32

“According to previous reports, the three operators were expecting to operate nearly 130,000 5G base stations by the end of 2019.”

Wuhan: One of the Initial Cities Trialing 5G
In fact, Wuhan was one of the initial 16 cities selected to trial 5G back in 2018.

China Unicom will begin testing 5G network in 16 cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guiyang, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Fuzhou, Zhengzhou, and Shenyang.

China Mobile will conduct external field test and set up more than a hundred 5G base stations in each of the following five cities: Hangzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Wuhan. 34

From the article, “Wuhan 5G Industry Development: Five-Chain Coordination, Three-Wheel Drive,” (武汉5G产业发展:五链统筹 三轮驱动), 35 (written in Chinese) published October 11th, 2019, it becomes clear that Wuhan was in a race with other Chinese cities to position itself at the forefront of 5G technology, and with approximately 10,000 5G antennas, is probably one of — if not the most — 5G-radiated city in China:

At present, Wuhan is seizing major developmental opportunities in 5G commercialization, with the construction of a national first-class 5G network as a guide, with the development of a national first-class 5G industry as the main body….

…Wuhan City has fully implemented the “Wuhan 5G Base Station Planning and Construction Implementation Plan,” with an extraordinary policy effort, to guide and support basic telecommunications companies and China Tower Corporation to accelerate the construction of 5G networks. This year and next, Wuhan will build more than 20,000 5G base stations, form a 5G basic network with leading scale, first-class quality, and strong demonstration to ensure full coverage of the 5G network in the city and be at the leading level among similar cities in the country. 35

Finally, it was stated in an article titled “5G network coming to Wuhan,” (April 16, 2018), that “3,000 macro base stations and 27,000 micro base stations” would soon be constructed, and that by 2020, the “5G network will cover every corner of the city and be available at an affordable price.” 36 This means that there may in fact be a lot more than just 10,000 antennas in Wuhan, though 10,000 alone would make Wuhan one of the most 5G concentrated cities in the world.

5G Systems Deployed in Hospitals
What is also concerning here is that China has, since about November of 2019, been installing 5G systems in its hospitals. 37 38 39 40

“Key Chinese hospitals, leading telecom carriers and Huawei Wednesday launched a project to establish standards for 5G-based networks in hospitals.” 37

“China released a pioneering standard for its 5G hospital networks, following a joint drafting and verification process between the medical and telecommunication industries.” 38

5G Systems Installed at Wuhan Coronavirus Hospitals
emf-scientific-research-300x251
And to seemingly add insult to injury here, Huawei was very quick to install 5G systems in the new coronavirus hospitals — Wuhan Volcan Mountain Hospital and Thunder Mountain Hospital — the two hospitals known for only being built in just over a week. 41 425G scientific research

The two articles cited here are ironically titled, (1) “Huawei installs 5G in China Hospital to fight Coronavirus,” and (2) “Huawei builds 5G in Wuhan Hospital, aims to indirectly fight the Coronavirus” as this might very well be the complete opposite of what they are indeed intending to do here. There is also an interesting video on YouTube entitled “Chinese hospitals deploy robots to help medical staff fight coronavirus outbreak,” 43 demonstrating this in action.

Chinese Telecoms Started Offering 5G Commercially in Nov, 2019
The Chinese telecom companies started to offer commercial 5G services to its customers on the first of November last year.

China’s three major wireless carriers— China Mobile, China Unicom , and China Telecom —will begin selling 5G services to consumers on Friday, November 1st in 50 major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, said Chen Zhaoxiong, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Thursday October 31st at a Beijing conference….

The Chinese government has made building 5G a national priority, clearing red tape and reducing costs so the three wireless providers introduce the new technology as swiftly as possible. “They’ve made this a national priority. It’s part of the [Communist] Party‘s ability to show that it’s delivering the goods,” said Paul Triolo, head of geo-technology at the Eurasia Group consultancy. “And in the middle of the trade dispute and the actions against Huawei, it’s even more important for China to show that they are continuing to move forward despite all these challenges,” he added….

China’s central government wants 5G coverage extended to cover all of Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou by the end of the year. The country’s largest carrier, China Mobile, which has 900 million cellphone subscribers, says it will be able to offer 5G services in more than 50 cities this year….

Approximately 13,000 5G base stations have been installed in Beijing, the communications administration said this week. About 10,000 are already operating. China already has a total of more than 80,000 5G macro base stations, typically cellular towers with antennas and other hardware that beam wireless signals over wide areas, government officials said. See this article on 5G towers.

They said China will end the year with about 130,000, while Bernstein Research estimates South Korea will be in second place with 75,000, followed by the U.S. with 10,000. Piper Jaffray estimated that of the 600,000 5G base stations expected to be rolled out worldwide next year, half will be in China. 31

This basically means that China had suddenly turned on the 5G switch, just less than two months before the COVID-19 outbreak, suddenly blanketing many cities with this 5G wireless radiation. And as of this writing, South Korea’s numbers of COVID-19 cases are also starting to skyrocket. As we can see from the above article, South Korea has the second highest number of 5G antennas with 75,000. That is a lot for a country its size. Is there a connection? I think there is with at present (Feb. 29, 2020) also the highest number of coronavirus cases (3150) and one of the highest number of death rates (17) outside of China.

Forty Cities Drinking 5G Service
In the online article, “These 40 Cities Will Drink 5G Service,” 44 published June 7th, 2019, it was revealed that it had been decided that 5G would be launched in 40 cities across China in 2019 by China Mobile and China Unicom (with no specific information from China Telecom yet at that time).

Cities on this list included in Zhejiang Province were Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Wenzhou, not to mention places like Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Shenzhen. The initial plan it seems, called the “7+33+n” 5G network deployment strategy, was to have full coverage in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, and Xiong’an, with hotspot coverage in the other 33 cities, and then customized 5G networks in so-called “n” cities, though this might have very well changed as other cities seemingly also wanted full coverage (note Wuhan’s installation of 10,000 5G antennas).

Top Most Coronavirus-Hit Provinces After Wuhan:
Zhejiang and Guangdong
Interestingly, at one point in this saga, the second most hit (with the COVID-19) provinces were Zhejiang and Guangdong Provinces, (though as of this writing, Zhejiang has now been taken over by Henan). 45 The provinces listed below, in Chinese, and in order of most cases, are (1) Hubei (湖北), (2) Guangdong (广东), (3) Henan (河南), (4) Zhejiang (浙江), and (5) Hunan (湖南).

It has been so bad in Zhejiang Province that Japan, on Feb. 12th, even extended its entry restrictions to virus-hit Zhejiang (at the time was third in number of COVID-19 cases).

It includes the cities of Hangzhou and Wenzhou, which have among the country’s highest concentrations of coronavirus cases. Hangzhou hosts the headquarters of Alibaba Group Holding, while Wenzhou is famed as a cradle of small business. 46

On the map (Wikipedia) below 47, Zhejiang Province is the darker red province off to the right and Guangdong Province is the darker red one at the bottom. The darkest red province in the middle is Hubei with Wuhan in its center. Henan Province is above Hubei Province and Hunan Province is below it.

Attribution: Wikimedians / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
These cities (Hangzhou, Wenzhou, and Ningbo) have also been cities selected to trial the 5G in Zhejiang province.

Ookla 5G Maps 48 tracks 5G deployment around the world, the number of telecoms offering 5G service in various cities in China.
1920px-COVID-19-Outbreak-Cases-in-Mainland-China-300x255

In the city of Hangzhou, all three Chinese telecoms are providing 5G service in the city; whereas in Ningbo, only two are, and in Wenzhou, only one (China Mobile) is.

The three cities in Zhejiang Province with the most cases have been Hangzhou (168 cases), Ningbo (156 cases), and Wenzhou (503 cases), 50 which are also curiously the cities selected to trial the 5G. The city proper of Wenzhou itself (though when one includes the outer-lying prefectures the total comes 9 million), for example, with only 200,000 people, has an inordinately high number of people infected with COVID-19, and the city has been on lockdown.

But as you can see from some of the articles selected below that there has been a major push in this city to implement and blanket cover their cities with 5G technology.

In the online article, “China Tower Built 8400 5G Stations in Zhejiang” 51 (Oct. 21st, 2019), it is revealed that 8400 5G base stations have recently been installed in Zhejiang Province, with 4775 (out of an order of 6154) installed in Hangzhou alone, and 3200 of these installed within 100 days (in just a little over three months).

China Tower Built 8400 5G Stations in Zhejiang
According to a person in charge of China Tower (Zhejiang), since this year, it has undertaken more than ten thousand 5G construction demands. At present, 8397 stations have been completed, more than 96% of which were built on the stock station sites. In Hangzhou, since this year, 6154 5G demands have been accepted and 4775 have been completed and delivered, of which 93% are directly met and transformed through stock station sites.

In the downtown of Hangzhou, after receiving the 5G construction demand of three telecom enterprises, China Tower (Zhejiang), with the support of the government, completed 3200 5G base stations in the West Lake scenic area, Olympic Sports Center and other scenes within 100 days, and cooperated with telecom enterprises to complete quick installation and debugging of equipment, based on existing telecom rooms, cabinets, power supporting facilities and 5G antenna added on stock station sites, street lamp poles, buildings, etc. 51

In another online article, published in Chinese, “China Tower installs 8,400 5G antennas in Zhejiang, 96% based on existing sites,” [中国铁塔在浙江建成8400个5G站址,96%基于既有站址], 52 we can see China Tower blanketing Hangzhou with 5G antennas in a very short period of time.

In this article, it is stated that “Zhejiang is one of the earliest provinces in the country to start building 5G networks,” and that “China Tower Zhejiang Company … started the acceleration of 5G construction in the first year of 5G commercialization….” And further that, “more than 10,000 5G construction requirements have been undertaken since this year,” with “8397 sites … completed.”

It becomes clear that the Zhejiang Province, home to the tech giant, Alibaba, is one of the provinces slated to become one of the first to introduce the 5G. In the following article, “Delta region to build world-class information communication hub,” 53 (Updated: 2019-11-01) it is stated that with the commercialization of 5G services on Oct. 31st,

[f]ifty cities were selected to become among the first to access commercial 5G services, including 10 cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, half of which are from Zhejiang province – Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jiaxing, and Shaoxing.

It is further stated that the three telecom companies plus China Tower would be investing in the region a total of 200 billion yuan (USD $28.4 billion) for the 5G infrastructure construction in order to “build it into a world-class information communication hub.”

According to a development plan for the region released in 2016, China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile and China Tower are planning to invest more than 200 billion yuan ($28.4 billion) in 5G infrastructure construction in the region by 2021 to help “build it into a world-class information communication hub” promoting the “region’s pilot use of 5G network and applications,” and making “it clear that the YRD region will be the first in China to conduct trial commercial use of 5G services,” while aiming to “realize the coverage of the 5G network throughout the province by 2025.” 53

Coastal City of Wenzhou Worst Hit in Zhejiang Province
COVID-19
In the province of Zhejiang, the cities of Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Wenzhou, have the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases. These are also the main places where 5G has been installed so far in the province.

covid-19

Wenzhou, for a relatively small Chinese city, has the inordinately highest number — at present 503 — of cases in Zhejiang Province, and has been on lockdown 54 since Feb. 2nd when the number of cases there reached 304.

Wenzhou: Internet and 5G Hub
In the past year, there have been numerous conferences in this small city promoting 5G directly or indirectly. 55 56 57

For example, the Conference on the Internet of Things (IoT) for Industry and Energy opened there in September of last year and the Sixth World Internet Conference opened there in October of last year. The Conference on the Internet of Things (IoT) for Industry and Energy exhibited the latest state-of-the-art IoT technologies and 5G applications for big data technologies and IoT platforms. The Sixth World Internet (three-day) Conference brought together over 1,500 attendees from over 70 countries and regions, including Nobel Prize winners, and executives from major tech companies like Qualcomm, Alibaba, and Huawei.

In an article titled, “Experience the construction of 5G base stations under high temperature,” published in Chinese (体验高温下5G基站建设) 58 on Aug. 26, 2019, it is stated that “Wenzhou is one of the first 5G pilot cities of the three major operators, and 5G network coverage is in full swing.”

In another article, “Wenzhou shows big ambition in IoT industry,” 59 (Sept. 10th, 2019), it is further stated:

“Wenzhou is building itself into a pilot city for China’s smart city construction and 5G applications,” Chen said, “Now, there are 13 cloud computing centers, over 500 5G base stations and more than 10,000 narrow-band IoT bases in the city.“

Finally, looking at yet another article published approximately six months later titled “The first case in Zhejiang! S1 line is the first to achieve full coverage of mobile 5G signals,” (Jan. 19th, 2020), (also published in Chinese, 浙江首例!S1线率先实现移动5G信号全覆盖) 60 which revels at the 5G signal penetration along the “Longwan Airport-Wenzhou South High Speed Rail S1 line,” it becomes obvious that Wenzhou has also taken part in the 5G race to plaster its city with 5G electromagnetic waves.

Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) and the Immune System
Wireless radiation from 1G to 5G have all emitted modulated “Radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs)” and there are literally thousands of studies showing biological effects from exposures to man-made electromagnetic waves, and out of these, hundreds showing biological effects on the immune system.

To give just one example, research by Kolomytseva, et al. (2002) described in the paper, “Suppression of nonspecific resistance of the body under the effect of extremely high frequency electromagnetic radiation of low intensity,” 61 found that with

whole-body exposure of healthy mice to low-intensity extremely-high-frequency electromagnetic radiation (EHF EMR, 42.0 GHz, 0.15 mW/cm2, 20 min daily)… phagocytic activity of peripheral blood neutrophils was suppressed by about 50% (p < 0.01 as compared with the sham-exposed control) in 2-3 h after the single exposure to EHF EMR…

and that this

… effect persisted for 1 day after the exposure, and then the phagocytic activity of neutrophils returned to the norm within 3 days.

And furthermore,

a significant modification of the leukocyte blood profile in mice exposed to EHF EMR for 5 days was observed after the cessation of exposures: the number of leukocytes increased by 44% (p < 0.05 as compared with sham-exposed animals), mostly due to an increase in the lymphocyte content.

They concluded that,

the results indicated that the whole-body exposure of healthy mice to low-intensity EHF EMR has a profound effect on the indices of nonspecific immunity.

In a paper 62 (written by myself along with Prof. Olle Johansson of the Karolinska Institute) — which I believe offers the most solid hypothesis to date on the main mechanisms by which EMFs do in fact disable the immune system —a number of these related to immune system effects can be found listed in the citations.

Johansson (2012) further details, in Section 8 of the BioInitiative, “Evidence for EMF Effects on the Immune System,” 63 numerous studies demonstrating those effects, especially with regards to how radiofrequency EMFs alter the immune system.

In the previously mentioned Aljazeera article,18 it is stated that a study published in the medical journal, The Lancet, on January 24th, found

what it called a “cytokine storm” in infected patients who were severely ill. The condition is a severe immune reaction in which the body produces immune cells and proteins that can destroy other organs.

Hence, it should be noted here that there are, in fact, numerous research studies showing an EMF effect on cytokines: A PubMed search, for example, produced 119 search results. 64

Back in 1998, a biologist named Roger Coghill conducted an experiment where he “took white blood cells, known as lymphocytes, from a donor,” and kept them alive via the use of nutrients while exposing them to either cell phone radiation or the natural electromagnetic field of the human body. He discovered that of the immune cells exposed to cell phone radiation, only 13% remained undamaged and able to function properly; whereas, of cells exposed only to body’s natural electromagnetic field, 70% remained undamaged and able to function properly. Naturally, while his research did provide insight, he was attacked and criticized by the wireless industry for being “unscientific.”

Dr. Robert O. Becker (1985) wrote of how the immune system is weakened by manmade electromagnetic fields via the induction of “subliminal stress”:

Initially, the stress activates the hormonal and/or immune systems to a higher than normal level, enabling the animal to escape danger and combat disease. If the stress continues, hormone levels and immune reactivity gradually decline to normal. If you stop your experiment at this point, you’re apparently justified in saying, “The animal has adapted; the stress is doing no harm.” Nevertheless, if the stressful conditions persist, hormone and immune levels decline further, well below normal. In medical terms, stress decompensation has set in, and now the animal is now more susceptible to other stressors, including malignant growth and infectious diseases.

… One aspect of the syndrome was very puzzling. When undergoing these hormonal changes, an animal would normally be aware that its body was under attack, yet, as far as we could tell, the rabbits were not. They showed no outward signs of fear, agitation, or illness. Most humans certainly wouldn’t be able to detect a 100-gauss magnetic field, at least not consciously. Only several years after Friedman’s work did anyone find out how this is happening.

In 1976 a group under J. J. Noval at the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory at Pensacola, Florida, found the slow response in rats from very weak electric fields, as low as five thousandths of a volt per centimeter. They discovered that when such fields vibrated in the ELF range, the increased levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brainstem, apparently in a way that activated a distress signal subliminally, without the animal’s becoming aware of it. The scariest part was that the fields Noval used were well within the background levels of a typical office, with its overhead lighting, typewriters, computers, and other equipment. Workers in such an environment are exposed to electric fields between a hundredth and a tenth of a volt per centimeter and magnetic fields between a hundredth and a tenth of a gauss. (pp. 277-278) 2

EMF Weaken immune system
EMFs-weaken-the-immune-system

Suffice it to say, while there are multiple mechanisms involved by which EMFs do weaken the immune system, there is no question that EMFs can indeed have an adverse effect on the immune system.

5G Is Much More Powerful and Dangerous Than Its Predecessors
The 5G rollout — either the trialing stage or implementation stage — has already started in most major developed countries of the world, with majority of the rest seemingly preparing for its debut.

The European Commission has asked each member state to select one city to be 5G-ready by 2020 as part of the EU’s 5G Action Plan for a Digital Single Market. The European Commission has asked EU member countries to start trialing 5G in at least one city making it 5G ready by 2020 under its “5G Action Plan for a Digital Single Market.”

Belgium refused — even the trialing phase, not to mention the implementation phase — due to the higher radiation levels that the 5G would bring, which was way above what its radiation standards permitted. Switzerland started with both trials and implementation, and there was word that they were putting a halt to further rollout, due to all the complaints about the health effects it was getting, but are unfortunately seemingly still going ahead with the rollout. Other countries seemingly just lowered their standards probably because they could not resist the next best thing to Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey Ice Cream. And the USA and China have seemingly been in a 5G race to blanket their countries in this 5G radiation (and most likely inadvertently the coronavirus), with China now seemingly winning on both those fronts.

5G has been divided into low, mid, and high bandwidths. The low-to-mid-bandwidth frequencies “are contiguous and range from 600 MHz to 6 GHz,” 66 and have been used for 1G-4G for the past forty years. On the other hand, the higher-frequency millimeter wave bandwidths are new frequencies starting at approximately 24 GHz (in the US anyway), and have not been used for commercial cell phone service in in the USA until recently with the advent of these commercial 5G services.

For the most part, at present, most 5G is now in the low to mid bandwidth range, with limited high millimeter wave coverage, though that will probably change as the technology develops and is implemented. Also, 5G technology is being implemented alongside with and piggybacking on already-in-place 4G technology. The 5G technology brings with it both larger macro-base stations and smaller micro-base stations installed between the larger macro-base stations. And because these micro-base stations are often closer to people’s homes in residential areas, according to Building Biology Certified Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist (EMRS), Oram Miller,

we are now measuring higher RF levels in client’s homes, especially in second story bedrooms (read Lloyd’s article on EMFs in bedrooms), up to tens to hundreds of thousands of microWatts/meter squared (uW/m2) from these new antennas,

whereas,

the building biology profession and EMF experts around the world say 10 micro-Watts per meter squared or less is safe for sleeping areas (actually, 0.1 uW/m2 is our “No Anomaly” level for sleeping areas). Here is a list of EMF Experts.

Furthermore, as we have gone up the spectrum from 1G to 5G, with each new generation there has been increased modulation, and increased modulation means increased biological effects and biological harm for all life on this planet. 5G is no exception. Oram Miller goes onto further explain

All of these advanced technologies push more cell signals into the same airspace at faster speeds with far more modulation than current 4G cell technologies.

And…

This modulation of cell signals transmitted in the low and mid bands from new 5G and 4G LTE-Advanced small cell radios and antennas popping up everywhere probably accounts for the majority of people living near these antennas who report the onset of health symptoms not experienced previously.

Dr. Martin Pall, Ph.D. (Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences, Washington State University), — who brought the world’s attention to the fact that EMFs cause biological harm via the opening up voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC), allowing for excessive flow of calcium ions inside the cell and the prompting of nitric oxide (N.O.) production via the stimulation of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase to form a host of reactive oxygen species via downstream effects 67 — has warned that the rollout of 5G will have massive deleterious effects on the world’s population, not to mention all life forms. He believes that 5G will be much more dangerous for the following reasons:

  1. The extraordinary high numbers of antennae that are planned.
  2. The very high energy outputs which will be used to ensure penetration.
  3. The extraordinary high pulsation levels.
  4. The apparent high-level interactions of the 5G frequency on charged groups presumably including the voltage sensor charged groups. 68

In a recent paper of his titled “Massive Predicted Effects of 5G,” (Dec. 17, 2019) 69 Pall states that “given the high pulsation level for 5G radiation, even short exposures may well produce severe biological effects,” not to mention the power densities of up to 30 times higher than previous systems of 1G to 4G and with penetration being enhanced via the magnetic component. He is predicting that with the full-fledged turning on of 5G (versus just its trial phase, where there is little communication yet happening with the 5G), that we will be seeing (1) decreased human reproduction, (2) lowered collective brain function, (3) very early-onset Alzheimer’s, (4) increased autism and ADHD, (5) deterioration of the human gene pool, and (6) massive increases in cardiac arrests.

While following the rollout of 5G, he has tracked numerous signs of its biological effects. For example, he has outlined increases in neuropsychiatric effects, cardiac effects, and electromagnetic hypersensitivity, taken from Swiss online articles, 70 71 as what we are already starting to see with the advent of this technology:
• Increases in insomnia, tinnitus, headaches, inability to concentrate, and fatigue.
• Increases in electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).
• Increases in cardiac arrhythmias.

He reports that while these effects had been reported before with occupational exposure studies and smart meter studies, “the effects appear to be much more severe following [the rollout of] 5G” with “even more severe apparent [yet to be published] 5G neuropsychiatric effects [appearing] in Southern California,” with their own recent massive rollout of 5G.

Furthermore, he states that “we have every reason to believe that any full-fledged 5G system, communicating with the ‘internet of things’ will produce still vastly greater effects than any of these initial findings.” This might very well be what we are seeing in the city of Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, in China — which has already implemented this technology along with the 5G — with extraordinary high rates of the coronavirus, and who knows what other increases in health effects (e.g. increases in heart problems, blindness, electromagnetic hypersensitivity, etc.) there have been that have not been made public.

He goes onto further outline — in correlation with 5G testing — UK 5G ambulance service suicides, 72 cases of panic in cattle in the Netherlands, 73 and bizarre, aggressive behavior in cattle and sheep in Germany, 74 birth defects in Germany and France, 75 76 and hundreds of birds dropping from the sky due to sudden cardiac arrest during three days of 5G testing in a park near Rotterdam, 77 and the list goes on and on to also include insect death and increases in fires in South Korea. 78 79

(See also the article on is 5G dangerous?)

Could the 5G Be Making the Coronavirus More Virulent?
When we look at the following video, it becomes apparent that smaller life forms like insects are indeed more sensitive to this wireless microwave radiation, with this clear example coming only from radar:

This picture shows some aphids on the leaf of an orange tree. Shortly after radar was installed at a nearby airport a number of years ago, I noticed that every few seconds, all the aphids would tense up in unison and do sort of a little dance, as you see in the picture. Upon further investigation, I found that the interval of time in between the activity of each dance, coincided exactly with the rotation of the radar rotor device at the airport, which was a distance of approximately fourteen miles.

In the following video, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt talks about an experiment where mold exposed to EMFs proliferated:

Now I am going to make the link to the electromagnetic fields. An acquaintant physician in Switzerland who is a main mold researcher in Europe made a beautiful experiment. He grew mold cultures under a Faraday cage simply like a silver coat, it looks like a mosquito net, that is made out of silver-coated cloth. [It had] been draped over the mold culture. And he measured how much mycotoxins, how much toxins, are these molds producing on a daily basis. Very easy to do. Then he lifted the mosquito net and exposed the mold culture to the ambient electromagnetic radiation in his laboratory, which was caused by the lights that were on, by the computer in the corner, and especially, and he found out later, the ambient cell phone radiation, from the nearby cell phone tower that was broadcasting cell phone radiation. He found out that the production of biotoxins in this culture went up more than 600 times. Not only that the mold suddenly put out significantly more mycotoxins to protect themselves, but also much more virulent, much more vicious, more poisonous mycotoxins. And I took that experiment as was for me a big lightbulb went on….

So what if the same kind of thing is happening with the 5G radiation and the coronavirus? Pall (2020) lists in a newer version of his paper 80 (previously mentioned) a number of studies which in fact strongly support this theory.

The question that is being raised here is not whether 5G is responsible for the virus, but rather whether 5G radiation, acting via VGCC activation may be exacerbating the viral replication or the spread or lethality of the disease.

Let’s backtrack and look at the recent history of 5G in Wuhan in order to get some perspective on those questions. An Asia Times article, dated Feb.12, 2019 stated that there were 31 different 5G base stations (that is antennae) in Wuhan at the end of 2018.
There were plans developed later such that approximately 10,000 5G antennae would be in place at the end of 2019, with most of those being on 5G LED smart street lamps.
The first such smart street lamp was put in place on May 14, 2019, but large numbers only started being put in place in October, 2019, such that there was a furious pace of such placement in the last 2 ½ months of 2019.

These findings show that the rapid pace of the coronavirus epidemic developed at least roughly as the number of 5G antennae became extraordinarily high. So we have this finding that China’s 1st 5G smart city and smart highway is the epicenter of this epidemic and this finding that the epidemic only became rapidly more severe as the numbers of 5G antennae skyrocketed.

Are these findings coincidental or does 5G have some causal role in exacerbating the coronavirus epidemic? In order to answer that question, we need to determine whether the downstream effects of VGCC activation exacerbate the viral replication, the effects of viral infection, especially those that have roles in the spread of the virus and also the mechanism by which this coronavirus causes death. Accordingly, the replication of the viral RNA is stimulated by oxidative stress: J Mol Biol. 2008 Nov 28;383(5):1081-96. Variable oligomerization modes in coronavirus non-structural protein 9. Ponnusamy R, Moll R, Weimar T, Mesters JR, Hilgenfeld R.

Other aspects of viral replication including those involved in the spread of the virus are stimulated by increased intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i, oxidative stress, NF-kappaB elevation, inflammation and apoptosis, each of which are increased following EMF exposure. The first citation below shows an important role of VGCC activation in stimulating coronavirus infection.

Virology. 2020 Jan 2;539:38-48. Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) modulates calcium influx to favor viral replication. Bai D, et al.

J Virol. 2011 May;85(9):4234-45. Distinct severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-induced acute lung injury pathways in two different nonhuman primate species. Smits SL, et al.

Cell Calcium. 2018 Nov;75:30-41. NAADP-dependent Ca2+ signaling regulates Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus pseudovirus translocation through the endolysosomal system. Gunaratne GS, et al.

J Virol. 2011 May;85(9):4234-45. Distinct severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-induced acute lung injury pathways in two different nonhuman primate species. Smits SL, et al.

Proteome Sci. 2011 Mar 8;9:11. Proteomic analysis of chicken embryonic trachea and kidney tissues after infection in ovo by avian infectious bronchitis coronavirus. Cao Z, et al.

Res Vet Sci. 2015 Jun;100:12-7. Serum biomarkers of oxidative stress in cats with feline infectious peritonitis. Tecles F, et al.

J Infect Dis. 2008 Mar 15;197(6):812-6. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency enhances human coronavirus infection. Wu YH et al.

J Virol. 1998 Jun;72(6):4918-24. Transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus induces programmed cell death in infected cells through a caspase-dependent pathway. Eleouet JF, et al.

The predominant cause of death from this coronavirus is pneumonia. Pneumonia is greatly exacerbated by each of those five downstream effects of VGCC activation, excessive intracellular calcium, oxidative stress, NF-kappaB elevation, inflammation and apoptosis. The first of the citations listed below shows that calcium channel blockers, the same type of drugs that block EMF effects, are useful in the treatment of pneumonia. This predicts that EMFs, acting via VGCC activation, will produce increasingly severe pneumonia and therefore 5G radiation as well as other types of EMFs may well increase pneumonia deaths.

Zheng et al. 2016 Preadmission Use of Calcium Channel Blockers and Outcomes After Hospitalization With Pneumonia: A Retrospective Propensity-Matched Cohort Study. Am J Ther. 2017 Jan/Feb;24(1):e30- e38.

Fang et al. 2017 Pneumolysin-Dependent Calpain Activation and Interleukin-1α Secretion in Macrophages Infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 2017 Aug 18;85(9). pii: e00201-17.

Fettel et al. 2019 Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) induces potent anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo by S1P receptor 4-mediated suppression of 5-lipoxygenase activity. FASEB J. 2019 Feb;33(2):1711- 1726.

Liu and Shi. 2019 Calcium-activated chloride channel regulator 1 (CLCA1): More than a regulator of chloride transport and mucus production. World Allergy Organ J. 2019 Nov 29;12(11):100077.

Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 18;8(1):15393. Surfactant protein D attenuates acute lung and kidney injuries in pneumonia-induced sepsis through modulating apoptosis, inflammation and NF-κB signaling. Du J, et al.

Curr Neurovasc Res. 2020 Jan 28. MicroRNA (miR)-429 promotes inflammatory injury by targeting kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) in neonatal pneumonia. Zhang L, et al.

Life Sci. 2019 Jul 1;228:189-197. Long noncoding RNA SNHG16 targets miR-146a-5p/CCL5 to regulate LPS-induced WI-38 cell apoptosis and inflammation in acute pneumonia. Zhou Z, et al.

These all argue that 5G radiation is likely to greatly exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus and to greatly increase the lethality of the infections produced by it. The good news is that it is likely that those of us that live in areas with no 5G radiation and who avoid other EMFs wherever possible will probably escape much of the impacts of this prospective global pandemic.

It is highly probable that one of the best things Wuhan can do to control the epidemic in the city is to turn off the 4G/5G system.

Captured Agencies and the Hijacking of the Science
And you might ask yourself, “Why haven’t I heard about this problem?” or you might tell yourself that “Certainly the authorities have our best interests at heart when they make these kinds of decisions.”
Well, in a recent book review 81 of the book Triumph of Doubt (by David Michaels, 2020), Kathleen Rest, Executive Director, Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), (February 14, 2020) outlines how deception is used to manufacture doubt and uncertainty in many industries’ public relations playbooks:

• Attack the science. There are lots of tools in this toolbox: commission new “scientific” studies to reanalyze existing data with methodologies biased toward predetermined results; review the literature and risk assessments to question the weight of the evidence; publish these reviews and re-analyses in selected scientific journals; shop for and hire so-called “independent” experts to question the science; provide tasty and contrarian soundbites for the media and public consumption; and more.
• Create and deploy front groups with innocuous-sounding names to undermine science, influence public opinion, and gain access to policy makers while maintaining the illusion of independence.
• Harass and intimidate independent scientists whose research demonstrates or suggests harm. Or alternatively, curry favor with academic institutions and scientists by providing some form of financial support while also varnishing their public interest image.
• Overwhelm regulatory agencies with comments on proposed regulations.
• Use their outsized money, power, and access to influence actions/inactions of elected policymakers and agency officials. (Oh, and there’s also that well-oiled revolving door. Just take a look at how many agency leaders and decision-makers in the Trump administration come straight from the very industries they are now supposed to regulate.)

Another tactic that I have noticed is that these people seem to use is to get their plants on a discussion list to make some completely off-the-wall statements so that they can get the media to cover this to try to make everyone involved look like complete whack jobs, which an unsuspecting public is quick to consume and believe. This is seemingly happening right now with this issue. Learn more about the EMF cover-up.

Certainly, how Western governments and corporations manipulate public opinion is different than how it might be done in China, since in the latter case, there is strict government control (e.g. Internet firewall) over what is permitted and not permitted to be accessed via the Internet, etc. Hence, they may not really have to use the above playbook and this may very well be the reason they have been able to move so quickly to implement this technology. But at what cost?

“Everything must be taken into account. If the fact will not fit the theory — let the theory go…. Real evidence is usually vague and unsatisfactory. It has to be examined — sifted.” — Agatha Christie

As Agatha Christie says, “Everything must be taken into account.” Ignoring — especially willfully ignoring — any very possible causal factors — especially EMF — in my humble opinion, is just not good science, if you can call that science at all.

According to Dr. Martin Pall, Ph.D.,

The failure of the “safety guidelines” to predict biological effects and therefore safety means that these are not safety guidelines. Consequently, any claims of safety made by the multi-trillion euro-telecommunications industry based on these “safety guidelines” are simply fraudulent.

These failures of the “safety guidelines” must be considered in terms of the principle that is at the core of the scientific method. That principle is that when we have a scientific theory and we test predictions of that theory and the theory predictions are shown to be false, then we must throw the theory out. It follows that when we have eight highly repeated findings each of which show that the “safety guidelines” do not predict biological effects and do not, therefore, predict safety, it is a scientific requirement that the “safety guidelines” be thrown out. The failure of ICNIRP, the European Commission and various regulatory agencies to throw out the “safety guidelines” clearly shows that their actions are both unscientific and anti-scientific. 65

“You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.” — Harlan Ellison

Woman thinking

And anyone who would like some insight into how — what is perceived as the sacred cow of international health organizations — the W.H.O. has been unduly influenced by industry, they need look no further than Swedish oncologist and professor, Dr. Lennart Hardell’s paper, “World Health Organization, radiofrequency radiation and health – a hard nut to crack (Review).” 82

What Can You Do to Protect Yourselves?
Well given that accordingly the EMF effects act via the activation of VGCCs with a resulting increase in calcium ions inside the cell stimulating nitric oxide synthase to produce more nitric oxide leading downstream to the creation of free radicals (aka reactive oxygen species), it is important to, first of all, limit EMF exposures as much as possible. As Oram Miller recommends,

Reduce use, increase distance, and favor hardwired connections whenever and wherever possible. You can put your cell phone in Airplane mode, making sure WiFi and Bluetooth are off while in Airplane mode, and do most every function on your cell phone on a different, hardwired device when inside your house. That includes talking, texting, emailing, audio and video streaming, and using various apps. 66 Learn more about Bluetooth, WiFi and cell phone radiation protection here.

Secondly, hire a Building Biology Certified Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist to help with the measurement and then reduction of EMFs in the home, for example, by shielding your home and sleeping area to block out health-damaging RF, eliminating any wiring errors in the home to reduce magnetic fields, and reducing sources of dirty electricity. Read about EMFs on wiring here.

Thirdly, I would say that implementing what I have dubbed “The Radio-protective Diet and Supplement Program™,” is essential.

There are two main supplements that I have used over the years that have greatly reduced my own sensitivity to electromagnetic fields dramatically and these are (1) magnesium, as it acts as a natural VGCC blocker, in that it blocks calcium from entering the cell, and (2) L-lysine, an essential amino acid, which works to calm down the production of nitric oxide (N.O.), (whereas the amino acid arginine is needed by nitric oxide synthase to stimulate the production of N.O.). Learn more about Electrical sensitivity diagnosis and treatment here.

L-lysine has the added benefit in that it acts in a similar fashion to selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) in that it binds with the serotonin receptors in the brain to increase serotonin levels. Taking both of these supplements before bed should also help you sleep better.

“The Radio-protective Diet and Supplement Program™,” is essentially (1) immune system boosting, (2) anti-inflammatory, (3) detoxifying, and (4) free-radical quenching. Hence, it consists of foods and supplements that support these processes in the body. Here is an article on EMF Protection and the food you eat.

This would entail taking, for example, denatured organic whey powder to boost glutathione (the body’s super antioxidant) levels, which not only quenches free radicals, but also helps with boosting the immune system and detoxification, and also targeted transfer factors which boost one’s immune system by increasing natural killer cells; anti-inflammatories like ginger and turmeric; detoxifying foods like onions, garlic, and broccoli; and fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants; not to mention foods that replenish hormones and neurotransmitters lost from exposures to EMFs like serotonin, melatonin, dopamine, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA), and phenylethylamine (PEA) which include bananas (tryptophan), pineapple (serotonin), cashew nuts (serotonin), tart cherry juice (melatonin), sprouted rice milk (GABA), and chocolate (PEA).
Another supplement I find essential for boosting the immune system, stimulating detoxification, and healing leaky gut (and probably other leaky barriers) are humic minerals.

There have been a number of posts on social media websites recommending herbs and supplements that are supposed to be effective against the coronavirus. For example, Ty Bolinger lists a number of supplements and herbs one can take in an article he posted on his website, the Truth About Cancer, titled, “Coronavirus: ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Answers.’” 83 And Doris Loh explains why taking Vitamin C will protect and enhance your immune system in two of her articles. 84 85 I know from previous research that both EMFs and viruses deplete Vitamin C reserves, so supplementing with it seems like a very good idea.

Finally, I would say that exposing yourself to beneficial EMFs through Earthing, and also using a PEMF machine. I personally use one that has for me, I feel, (1) stimulated the healing process, (2) reduced inflammation, and (3) boosted my immune system. If you are interested in this last solution, contact me at EMF Refugee.

Conclusion
China is a great country with an amazing populace who have made astounding advancements creating a very sophisticated modern country in the last ten years, surpassing many other modern countries in many ways. However, given the facts that

  1. we have real data that shows indeed that wireless radiation impacts the immune system;
  2. we have numerous patients outside of the 5G zone showing no or only mild symptoms,
  3. there have recently been 10,000 5G antennas installed and turned on in Wuhan, not to mention 130,000 5G antennas installed throughout greater China;
  4. there have recently been 5G systems installed in numerous hospitals in China, not to mention the new COVID-19 hospitals;
  5. we are seeing higher numbers of COVID-19 infections in places like Hangzhou and Wenzhou, not to mention South Korea, etc. where they have also recently installed numerous 5G antennas; and
  6. there has been no testing done to find out the biological implications of exposing life forms to this radiation;

we can conclude that the real problem here may very well in fact be with the 5G electromagnetic radiation weakening people’s immune systems, not to mention possibly making the virus itself more virulent. And if this is true and if China does not change course, 5G might very well become its — and the rest of the world’s Titanic — with the COVID-19 (and others like it) its icebergs.

Maybe this is what people really need to start worrying about and perhaps it is time for the Chinese government, as well as governments throughout the world to seriously investigate and address 5G possible health effects and put a halt to the premature rollout of 5G technology until they can prove that it is safe (which I doubt they can) and until, safer alternatives can be developed.

The government in Belgium never implemented it and there was talk of the government of Switzerland putting a halt on the 5G rollout, 87 but they now seem to be going ahead with it. 88 And it seems like, unless people wake up to this, China will certainly be following a similar path.

I am sorry to have to rain on your electromagnetic parade here, but it might actually very well be your 5G that is contributing to making everybody sick.

“The only people angry at you for speaking the Truth, are those living a lie. Keep on speaking it.”
— Unknown

“All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.” — Arthur Schopenhauer

Many thanks to Paul Doyon for this guest post.

Paul Raymond Doyon

Paul Doyon is a researcher, writer, and teacher and educator of 33 years, who inadvertently became involved in researching the EMF issue after becoming sick in 2005, whilst living in the vicinity of several cell phone towers. He has spent 27 years of his adult life living outside his home country of the USA, teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL), mostly at the university, college, and in international school levels.
Paul is a Building Biology Practitioner (BBP) and Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist (EMRS) with the International Institute for Building Biology and Ecology(IBE). He is also the founder of the website EMF Refugee.

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31Weissberger, A. (Oct. 31st, 2019). “China to launch 5G mobile networks on Friday with a huge government backed push.” IEEE ComSoc (Communications Society) Technology Blog. https://techblog.comsoc.org/2019/10/31/china-to-launch-5g-mobile-networks-on-friday-with-a-huge-government-backed-push/
32Yurou. (Oct. 31st, 2019). “Central China province launches commercial 5G applications.” Xinhua Net. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/31/c_138517734.htm
33Tomás, JP. (Dec. 27, 2019). “China expects 5G to reach all prefecture-level cities by the end of 2020.” RCR Wireless News. https://www.rcrwireless.com/20191227/5g/china-5g-coverage-2020
34TechNode. (April 19, 2018). “China to start testing 5G in 16 major cities.” https://e27.co/china-start-testing-5g-16-major-cities-20180419/
35Cyberspace Administration of China: Office of Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission. (Oct. 11, 2019). 武汉5G产业发展:五链统筹 三轮驱动 (Wuhan 5G Industry Development: Five-Chain Coordination, Three-Wheel Drive). http://www.cac.gov.cn/2019-10/11/c_1572323542730292.htm
36General Office of Hubei Provincial People’s Government. (April 16th, 2018). “5G network coming to Wuhan.” http://en.hubei.gov.cn/news/newslist/201804/t20180416_1275769.shtml
37Li, X. (Sept. 4th, 2019). “China starts mapping standards for 5G-based hospitals.” Xinhua Net. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/04/c_138365288.htm
38Mobile World Live. (Oct. 21st, 2019). “China Releases 5G Hospital Network Standard.” https://www.mobileworldlive.com/huawei-updates/china-releases-5g-hospital-network-standard/
39Mobile World Live. (Jan. 13th, 2020). “Sichuan Hospital Debuts World’s First Commercial 5G Medical Private Network.” https://www.mobileworldlive.com/huawei-updates/sichuan-hospital-debuts-worlds-first-commercial-5g-medical-private-network/
40Baldock, H. (Jan. 13th, 2020). “World’s first 5G medical private network unveiled in China.” Total Telecom. https://www.totaltele.com/504587/Worlds-first-5G-medical-private-network-unveiled-in-China
41Engnews24h. (Jan 28th, 2020). “Huawei installs 5G in China Hospital to fight Coronavirus.” https://engnews24h.com/huawei-installs-5g-in-china-hospital-to-fight-coronavirus/
42Jimenez, N. (Jan. 27th, 2020). “Huawei builds 5G in Wuhan hospital, aims to indirectly fight Coronavirus.” Giz Guide. https://www.gizguide.com/2020/01/huawei-5g-station-wuhan-fight-coronavirus.html
43YouTube. (Feb. 8th, 2020). “Chinese hospitals deploy robots to help medical staff fight coronavirus outbreak.” South China Morning Post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut1BCR1fzv0
44OUYANGSHAOXIA. (June 7th, 2019) “These 40 Cities Will Drink 5G Service.” TechInfo. https://technology-info.net/index.php/2019/06/07/these-40-cities-will-drink-5g-service-head-soup-guangzhou-shenzhen-on-the-list/
45AliPay: Coronavirus Information Site.
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47Wikipedia. “Mainland China during the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainland_China_during_the_2019%E2%80%9320_Wuhan_coronavirus_outbreak#/media/File:2019-nCoV_cases_in_Mainland_China.svg
48Ookla 5G Map. Speedtest. https://www.speedtest.net/ookla-5g-map
49Assay, N. (May 14th, 2019). Ookla 5G Maps: https://www.speedtest.net/insights/blog/ookla-global-5g-map/
50Expat Focus Map.
51C114. (Oct. 21st, 2019) “China Tower Built 8400 5G Stations in Zhejiang” http://en.c114.com.cn/w/?576-1105177
52C114 中国 通信. “中国铁塔在浙江建成8400个5G站址 96%基于既有站址.”( China Tower completed 8,400 5G sites in Zhejiang 96% based on existing sites). (Oct. 21st, 2019). https://www.cnbeta.com/articles/tech/901417.htm
53The Information Office of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government. (Updated: 2019-11-01) “Delta region to build world-class information communication hub.” Zhejiang China. http://www.ezhejiang.gov.cn/2019-11/01/c_421918.htm
54RTHK English News. (Feb. 3rd, 2020). “Wenzhou in lockdown as virus concerns spread.” https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1506262-20200203.htm
55The Information Office of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government: eZhejiang. (Sept. 9. 2019). “Intl IoT conference to kick off in Wenzhou.” In Zhejiang. Zhejiang Daily Press Group. https://inzj.zjol.com.cn/News/201909/t20190905_10954059.shtml
56Editor. (Oct. 20, 2019). “6th World Internet Conference opens in Wenzhou, Zhejiang.” Follow.cn.com. https://www.followcn.com/6th-world-internet-conference-opens-in-wenzhou-zhejiang/
57The 2019 World Young Scientist (Wenzhou) Summit. (Oct. 31st, 2019). “World Young Scientist Summit opened in China’s Zhejiang.” Cision PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-young-scientist-summit-opened-in-chinas-zhejiang-300949135.html
58浙江日报 (Zhejiang Daily). (Aug. 26th, 2019). “体验高温下5G基站建设” (“Experience the construction of 5G base stations under high temperature”). CCTV.com Newspaper. http://news.cctv.com/2019/08/26/ARTIMXdolZZ2bbyfS5VAtSXE190826.shtml
59The Information Office of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government. (Sept. 10th, 2019). “Wenzhou shows big ambition in IoT industry,” Zhejiang China. http://zhejiang.chinadaily.com.cn/2019-09/10/c_406660.htm
60温州日报 (Wenzhou Daily). (Jan. 19th, 2020). “浙江首例!S1线率先实现移动5G信号全覆盖.”(“The first case in Zhejiang! S1 line is the first to achieve full coverage of mobile 5G signals.”) Sina.com. https://k.sina.com.cn/article_1909829032_71d5ada801900lp7r.html?from=news&subch=onews
61Kolomytseva MP, et al. (2002, Jan-Feb.) “Suppression of nonspecific resistance of the body under the effect of extremely high frequency electromagnetic radiation of low intensity.” [Article in Russian]. Biofizika. 47(1):71-7.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11855293
62Doyon, PR & Johansson, O. (2017, Sept.) “Electromagnetic fields may act via calcineurin inhibition to suppress immunity, thereby increasing risk for opportunistic infection: Conceivable mechanisms of action.” Medical Hypotheses. 106:71-87. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.06.028. Epub 2017 Jul 3.
63Johansson, O. (2007). “Evidence for Effects on the Immune System.” BioInitiative: Section 8. https://bioinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sec08_2007_Evidence_%20Effects_%20Immune_System.pdf
64National Center for Biotechnical Information (NCBI). Pubmed Search: “EMF” + “Cytokines.” Pubmed.gov. ”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=cytokines+EMF
65BBC News. (Oct. 15th, 1998). “Health Immune system ‘attacked by mobile phones’.” BBC Online Network. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/194065.stm
66Miller, O. (Updated Feb. 26th, 2020). “5G Fifth Generation Cellular Technology.” Create Healthy Homes. https://createhealthyhomes.com/five_g.php
67Pall, ML. (2013). “Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects.” J Cell Mol Med. 2013 Aug; 17(8): 958–965. Published online 2013 Jun 26. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.12088
68Maisch, D. (Aug. 20th, 2018). “Martin Pall’s book on 5G is available online.” EMFactsConsultancy. https://www.emfacts.com/2018/08/martin-palls-book-on-5g-is-available-online/
69Pall, ML. (Dec. 17th, 2019). “Massive Predicted Effects of 5G.” Coeurs d’EHS. http://coeursdehs.fr/pr-martin-pall-massive-predicted-effects-of-5g-in-the-context-of-safety-guideline-failures/
70David, M. (July 18th, 2019). “With 5G, we feel like guinea pigs.” L’Illustre. https://www.illustre.ch/magazine/5g-sentons-cobayes?utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1kXKK1yWBDKoaZRVOQB7gRvC8o-1a3GyVbQHJPyPkAzzpl73iKYtaiA6Q
71Durchdenwald, T. (Oct. 23rd, 2019). “Doctors protest against 5G mobile communications.” Struttgarter Nachrichten. https://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/inhalt.demo-am-staatsministerium-in-stuttgart-protest-gegen-5-g-in-weissen-arztkitteln.f964401b-85f9-4915-a236-4f3177597300.html
72Hudson, M. (Nov. 22nd, 2019). “Concern for welfare of East of England ambulance staff after three deaths in 11 days.” ITV News. https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2019-11-22/concern-for-welfare-of-east-of-england-ambulance-staff-after-three-deaths-in-11-days/
73Jacobson, S. (April 5, 2019). “Cows in panic, possibly by testing 5G network.” Melkvee. https://www.melkvee.nl/artikel/191780-koeien-in-paniek-mogelijk-door-testen-5g-netwerk/
74Suddeutsche Zeitung. (Oct. 4th, 2019). “There is a cow on the roof.” https://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/bayern-peiting-kuh-bauernhof-dach-1.4626878
75Burger, R. (Sept. 13, 2019). “CLINIC IN GELSENKIRCHEN: Three infants born with hand malformations.” Frantfurter Allgemeine. https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/gelsenkirchen-drei-saeuglinge-mit-handfehlbildungen-geboren-16382810.html
76Senthilingam, M. (Nov 1, 2018). “France launches nationwide investigation after babies born with missing or malformed limbs.” CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/01/health/france-babies-missing-limbs-investigation-intl/index.html
77Elizabeth, E. (Nov. 5th, 2018). “Hundreds of birds dead during 5G experiment in The Hague, The Netherlands.” Health Nut News. https://www.healthnutnews.com/hundreds-of-birds-dead-during-5g-experiment-in-the-hague-the-netherlands/
78PTI. (April 4th, 2019). “South Korea launches 5G networks early to secure world first.” The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/s-korea-launches-5g-networks-early-to-secure-world-first/article26730605.ece#
79Ryall, J. (April, 5th, 2019). “South Korea declares state of emergency as ‘unprecedented’ wildfires force thousands to flee.” The Telegraph. “https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/05/thousands-flee-homes-wildfires-rip-south-korea/
80Pall, ML. (Feb. 25th, 2020). “Massive Predicted Effects of 5G in the Context of Safety Guideline Failures: Very High-Level VGCC Sensitivity to Low-Intensity EMFs and Especially to Pulsations.” Fourfold Healing. https://fourfoldhealing.com/blogs/news/massive-predicted-effects-of-5g?mc_cid=8c817edfbb&mc_eid=e08ab2e1e6
81Rest, K. (Feb. 14th, 2020). “Book Review: The Triumph of Doubt Exposes the Disinformation Playbook in Action.” Blog: Union of Concerned Scientists. https://blog.ucsusa.org/kathleen-rest/book-review-the-triumph-of-doubt-exposes-the-disinformation-playbook-in-action
82Hardell, L. (June, 2017). “World Health Organization, radiofrequency radiation and health – a hard nut to crack (Review).” International Journal of Oncology. 51(2) DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2017.4046. License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317799918_World_Health_Organization_radiofrequency_radiation_and_health_-_a_hard_nut_to_crack_Review
83Bollinger, T. (Feb. 16th, 2020). “CORONAVIRUS: “The Good, the Bad, and the Answers!” https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/coronavirus-good-bad-answers/?utm_campaign=ttac-shop&utm_medium=email&utm_source=weekly-digest-ttac&utm_content=coronavirus-good-bad-answers&a_aid=5a84a1f683718&mpweb=144-8609502-50077622
84Loh, D. (Feb. 1st, 2020). “MITOCHONDRIA & THE CORONAVIRUS – THE VITAMIN C CONNECTION (PART 3).” Evolutamente. https://www.evolutamente.it/mitochondria-the-coronavirus-the-vitamin-c-connection-part-3/
85Loh, D. (Feb. 29th, 2020). “COVID-19, FURINS & HYPOXIA – THE VITAMIN C CONNECTION.” Evolutamente. https://www.evolutamente.it/covid-19-furins-cancer-a-tale-of-vitamin-c-hif/
86Chamberlain, K. (Apr 8, 2019). “Brussels halts 5G plans over radiation rules.” Fierce Wireless. https://www.fiercewireless.com/5g/brussels-halts-5g-plans-over-radiation-rules
87Jones, F. (Feb. 12th, 2020). “Switzerland halts rollout of 5G over health concerns.” Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/848c5b44-4d7a-11ea-95a0-43d18ec715f5
88Gorey, C. (Feb. 13th, 2020). “Swiss agency denies ban on 5G roll-out over health concerns (updated).” Siliconrepublic. https://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/switzerland-halts-5g-health-concerns

Posted in 5G radiation, EMF research

Universal Background Checks Won’t Stop Criminals Getting Guns

guns-640x480
In this Jan. 19, 2016 file photo, handguns are displayed at the Smith & Wesson booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas. Backers of an expanded gun background check ballot measure approved by Nevada voters in 2016 are arguing that the Nevada governor and attorney …AP Photo/John Locher, File

NRA: Universal Background Checks Won’t Stop Criminals Getting Guns
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/09/05/nra-universal-background-checks-wont-stop-criminals-getting-guns/
AWR HAWKINS5 Sep 2019

The NRA is warning universal background checks will not keep criminals from getting guns to use against innocents.
This warning comes as politicians as divergent as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) argue in favor of taking action against private gun sales. Patrick specifically argued that the NRA ought to get behind the effort to close the private sale “loophole.”

But the NRA notes that universal background checks are riddled with problems, not the least of which is that they will not prevent criminals from obtaining guns.

The NRA tweeted:
NRA

@NRA
So-called “universal” background checks won’t stop criminals from obtaining guns, would criminalize private transfers and loans between friends and family, and is completely unenforceable. Criminals don’t follow the law.

A BIG NO FROM US! https://twitter.com/NBCDFW/status/1168969378660007936

NBC DFW

@NBCDFW
Do you support universal background checks for all firearm purchases?

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The NRA also notes universal background checks make it difficult for guns to be transferred between friends and family. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) made this same point earlier in the week by citing a Houston woman who was able to save herself from alleged robbers by pulling her handgun and shooting the suspect. He noted, “With universal background checks, I wouldn’t be able to let my friends borrow my handgun when they travel alone like this. We would make felons out of people just for defending themselves.”

California has had universal background checks since the early 1990s, yet criminals in that state continue to be armed.

On December 9, 2018, Breitbart News reported California’s firearm homicides witnessed an 18 percent rise in firearm homicides from 2014 to 2016. How is this possible with universal background checks in place, unless such checks do not actually prevent criminals from getting and/or possessing guns?

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.

Ex-wife of Georgia lawyer fears for her safety after he allegedly killed his mother

190211-jenine-merritt-richard-merritt-cs-259p-949dfa65a7dfe1c5b8
“We’re tired of looking over our shoulder and we’re looking for closure and to move on with our lives,” Jenine Merritt says of herself and their two children.
Feb. 11, 2019, 4:56 PM EST
By Janelle Griffith
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-georgia-lawyer-allegedly-killed-his-mother-ex-wife-fears-n970281

The former wife of a disbarred Georgia attorney who allegedly stabbed his mother to death said she is scared for her and her children’s safety.

A nationwide manhunt is underway for Richard Merritt, who police said removed his court-ordered ankle monitor before allegedly killing his mother Feb. 2 and stealing her 2009 silver Lexus. He has been on the run since, according to DeKalb County police.
Image: Richard Merritt and his ex-wife, Jenine.
Richard Merritt and his ex-wife, Jenine.Courtesy of Jenine Merritt

“We’re terrified,” Jenine Merritt told NBC News on Monday, referring to herself and their two children, who are 12 and 14. “We’re terrified because of what we know he’s capable of now.”

Richard Merritt, 44, was scheduled to surrender to authorities Feb. 1 in Cobb County, after he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars and 15 years on probation for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from elderly clients between 2014 and 2017. After the conviction, he had been given until Feb. 1 to “get his affairs in order.”

On the eve of the date he was supposed to report to jail, Jenine Merritt said he threatened her life in a late-night phone call.

He was “clearly drunk,” she said, saying her ex-husband “is a serious alcoholic.”

Richard Merritt was verbally abusive on a regular basis, but had never before physically threatened her, she said.

The Merritts divorced in 2018 after 19 years of marriage.

Jenine Merritt added that she is “horrified” by the death of her former mother-in-law, Shirley Merritt, describing her as “a good mother and grandmother.”

“That part does not feel real to us,” she said. “And maybe, once we move on to the point where we’re not scared for our safety, we can really begin the grieving process, which we need to do.”
190211-shirley-merritt-cs-301p-949dfa65a7dfe1c5b80a4a16a46f2e6e
Image: Shirley Merritt
Shirley Merritt Courtesy of Jenine Merritt

Richard Merritt is now the subject of a nationwide search, Frank Lempka, an inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service, said.
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He may have shaved his head in an attempt to change his appearance and should be considered armed and dangerous, the Marshals Service said. The agency is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest.

Richard Merritt filed multiple medical malpractice claims for his clients and later admitted in court that he pocketed much of what they had won. He used the settlements on personal expenses including vacations, authorities said.

“We lost our home, we lost everything we had,” Jenine Merritt said of her ex-husband’s conviction. “I had no idea that he had done these things to these poor people that trusted him and needed him.”

She also said she had no idea her then-husband was paying for their vacations with stolen money and would not have participated if she had known.

She believes it is only a matter of time before he is caught.

“We’re tired of looking over our shoulder, and we’re looking for closure and to move on with our lives,” she said.

I have a problem with all this. He and his wife divorced to tie up the money Rich had been stealing. She still has money from the people Rich stole the money from.
And since when does someone go and cut off the ankle monitor? The story that I heard was that after he killed his mom, he went to Cartersville and cut the ankle monitor off and hopped on a plane at the Cartersville airport (very small airport). That’s just what I heard.
I also can’t imagine why he was still out walking around anyway.
The other thing that I heard was that Rich and the Cobb County DA were really good friends.
One thing that is fact for sure, Rich Merritt was asst attorney general in GA for about 15 years, thus why he had so many friends in the legal world. The victims were afraid that he would get no time for his crimes. Everyone was shocked at the stiff sentence he got. They give murderers that length of time.
No matter, they obviously had not planned on Rich killing his Mama…

New York’s Lawyers and Judges Behaving Badly, From New York Law Journal

https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2018/12/30/lawyers-judges-behaving-badly/
Tara-Lenich-Article-201612051956
Tara Lenich, admitted to forging judicial orders to run illegal wiretaps on a fellow prosecutor and a New York City Police Detective, sentenced to one year in prison in early 2018.

Edmund-Duffy
Edmund Duffy’s five-decade legal career, during which he rose to prominence as the former heard of the China practice at Skadden, officially ended 02/08/2018, when he was automatically disbarred after he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.

AP-Robert-Cicale-web
A Suffolk County District Court Judge was suspended from the bench after he was arrested and charged with burglary. He was caught with women’s underwear that he allegedly stole from a private residence.

Evan-Greebel-Article-201710202147
Evan Greebel, a former partner at Kaye Scholer and Katten Muchin Rosenman, was sent to prison for working with disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli to defraud investors.

ravelo-keila-Article-201810091948
Keila Ravelo was sentenced to five years for conspiring to defraud her former law firms and clients out of $7.8 Million, using bogus litigation vendors. Prosecutors said that the former Hunton & Williams and Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner used the money to fuel a lavish lifestyle.

Frank-Aquila-Article-201809281858
Prominent M&A partner Frank Aquila deleted his Twitter account after tellling White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders she should “Rot in Hell You Bitch” for defending Sen. Lindsey Graham amid the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh.

Aaron-Schlossberg-Article-201805171926
Manhattan attorney Aaron Schlossberg’s rant against employees speaking Spanish at a Mexican Restaurant provoked a firestorm on social media.

Anna-Lushchinskaya-Article-201812142118
Another viral video captured a second New York City lawyer who directed racially charged comments at bystanders.

Gavel-and-Book-Article-201710162142
“Egragious and outragesou” conduct by ex-Mintz Levin associate Anthony Jacob Zappin during his pro se legal war with his former wife, also an attorney, led to his disbarment.

Judicial-Robe-Article-201712011528
New York’s high court unanimously said that Civil Court Judge Terrence O’Connor’s “intemparate” and “inappropriate” behavior in the courtroom were bad enough, but his decision to not cooperate with an investigation into his actions also contributed to his removal from the bench.

Carbon-Trading Fraudsters at the U.N.

Carbon-Trading Fraudsters at the U.N.
October 17, 2018

Carbon-Trading Fraudsters at the U.N.

With his usual humor and wit, James Corbett gives his much-needed, succinct perspective on the report released this week by the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This has led to the Mainstream Media outlets, like the UK Guardian to scream that we have “12 years to limit climate change catastrophe”. Just a year ago, the Guardian screamed we had only 3 years left till climate catastrophe but the magical cutoff date was just moved from 2020 to 2030.

Corbett eviscerates the IPCC’s faulty science and demonstrates that there is no “hockey stick” of Global Warming in our current Holocene Epoch, whether anthropogenic (human-caused) or otherwise. Previous geological eras have seen vast swings in Earth’s temperature but the planet entered into a comparatively stable period following the end of the last Ice Age about 12,000 years ago.

Corbett amply demonstrates how Global Warming aka Anthropogenic Climate Change is bad science cooked up to justify implementing carbon taxes and a “cap and trade” financial derivatives schemes that make mortgage-backed securities look like the gold standard.

A growing list of scientists is questioning the accuracy of the IPCC’s climate projections. Deplorable “Climate Change deniers” are not saying that petrochemicals aren’t toxic or that these and other environmental pollutants and plastic garbage aren’t terrible problems. Indeed, Global Warming is a distraction from the very real threats being posed to our health in our air, food and water, from thousands of environmental toxins, ranging from glyphosate, to petrochemicals, to radionulides and microwaves.

What’s being rejected is the faulty climate science, the fraudulent carbon-trading schemes and the supragovernmental bureaucracy made up of elitist U.N. psychopaths selling us out to the Globalist banksters.

Corbett closes by saying, “Even bigger than the trillion dollar climate scam that they’re trying to run right now, which of course will generate oodles of money for certain corrupt politicians and people and corporations that are in the back pockets of the banksters – yes, there is the monetary aspect to this – but it goes much deeper into the heart of the technocratic agenda, itself by way of carbon eugenics…that is going to try to get us into the technocratic enslavement grid. It is coming and you can see it clearly. The way they hype these types of UN reports, as if they are going to be the saviors of humans. Newsflash: They’re not.

“I’ll keep drilling this point home, despite the fact that there are a lot of people out there that don’t like to hear this bitter message. It is horrible and it is hard to swallow and it is nightmarish but it is the truth and I will keep telling this truth until I get de-platformed from every platform…”

“Chicago endures early morning bloodbath with 30 people shot in 3 hours” The Laws Need to Change to Make It Illegal Not to Own a Gun In Illinois! When the Bad Guys Know That The Citizens Won’t Have Guns to Fight Back, They Kill In Large Numbers!


Chicago endures early morning bloodbath with 30 people shot in 3 hours
Published time: 6 Aug, 2018 03:33
Edited time: 6 Aug, 2018 08:00
https://www.rt.com/usa/435180-chicago-violence-murders-mass-shooting/

Chicago endures early morning bloodbath with 30 people shot in 3 hours
Chicago Police officers and detectives investigate a mass shooting scene © Joshua Lott/Getty / AFP

Gun violence swept Chicago over the weekend, as two people were shot dead on Sunday and another 28 were wounded during three hours in the early morning that saw the city being rocked by five mass shootings.

Chicago, ranked among the list of America’s most dangerous cities due to its high homicide rate, has been experiencing a spike in violence that is startling even by its own grim standards.

Some 25 people were victims in five mass shootings that rocked the city early on Sunday. A teenage girl was killed in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood on Sunday morning in a shooting that resulted in another five people being injured, including an 11-year-old boy.
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FILE PHOTO. © Joshua Lott / Reuters ‘Murderers!’ Violent protests erupt after Chicago police shoot armed man (VIDEOS)

The girl was shot in the face and died at the scene, police said. A 26-year-old man also suffered gunshot wounds to his abdomen and ankle as a gunman fired from a moving vehicle. The man succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead in hospital.

In another mass shooting that took place in a courtyard, eight people, including children, were injured.

Lawndale witnessed another mass shooting shortly after the city descended into darkness. The incident unfolded near an elementary school, where three teenagers, two boys and a 17-year-girl, as well as a 25-year-old man were injured in a shooting rampage by unknown perpetrators, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

A street brawl in the West Garfield Park neighborhood sparked a shootout between two rival gangs. Three women who were standing on a porch nearby were injured in the incident and taken to hospital.

Another shootout occurred in the West Humbold Park neighborhood, after perpetrators in a black Cadillac fired at a group of people standing on the sidewalk. Four people, including a passerby, were injured as a result. The Cadillac swayed off the road and crashed during the shooting, but the attackers still managed to escape in the car.


Read more
Anti-violence protesters block major freeway in Chicago, Illinois on July 7. © Social Media Anti-gun violence protesters shut down Chicago highway, governor gets blasted for calling it ‘chaos’

In a spate of several separate shootings, each involving a single victim, a 14-year-old boy suffered a wound to his leg in Garfield Park, an 18-year-old teenager sustained “multiple shots” in Lawndale, and a 26-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were shot in the leg and an abdomen respectively in the Little Village and Logan Square neighborhoods.

A total of 60 people have been shot in Chicago since 5pm on Friday, nine of whom died, as the city endured one of its deadliest weekends, ABC’s Chicago affiliate WLS reported on Monday, citing police. Police said that the local hospital, its resources stretched thin by the bloodbath, was placed under “trauma lockdown,” meaning only closest family members can access patients.

Chicago secured 12th place in the Wall Street Journal’s ranking of America’s 25 murder capitals last year. While the position in the middle of the list may seem unworthy of the nickname “Chiraq,” likening the city to a war zone, the WSJ notes that Chicago, “however, was largely responsible for the increase in violent crime nationwide over the last year,” as its surge in murders, from 18 to 28 murders per 100,000 residents “accounted for 21 percent of the total increase in homicides nationwide.”

In order to raise awareness about the issue that has been plaguing the city for years, activists have recently erected a mock ‘gun-sharing’ station. The station looks like a bicycle-sharing station but with AR-15 rifles, with a sign inviting all “to unlock and load.”

A series of deadly mass shootings in the US during the past two years – particularly the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last February – have breathed new life into the gun-control movement. A wave of protests with thousands of attendees led by the survivors of the massacre swept across the US, with demonstrators demanding that existing lax gun laws be toughened in a bid to reduce gun violence.

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GLOBAL WARMING SMACKDOWN – Arctic Midsummer Freeze

The Ultimate of Lies fed to Americans and the World!

Summer Sea Ice Is Causing Havoc for Shipping in the Arctic
In this July 21, 2017 file photo, broken sea ice emerges from under the hull of the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as it sails through the Victoria Strait while traversing the Arctic’s Northwest Passage. After 24 days at sea and a journey spanning more than 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles), the …
AP/David Goldman
3 Jul 2018554
https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/07/03/climate-experts-confounded-by-thick-summer-arctic-sea-ice/

Summer sea ice is causing havoc for shipping in the Arctic. This is the same Arctic sea ice that climate change experts predicted would have vanished by 2013.

GLOBAL WARMING SMACKDOWN – Arctic Midsummer Freeze

According to the Barents Observer:

It is late June, but the winter has not abandoned the Gulf of Ob. The shallow bay, which houses two of Russia’s biggest Arctic out-shipment terminals for oil and gas, remains packed with fast ice.

It has created a  complicated situation, Rosatomflot says. The state company which manages the Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers, confirms that  independent shipping in the area is «paralysed» and that LNG carriers and tankers are stuck.

Global warming? What global warming?

«The global warming, which there has been so much talk about for such a long time, seems to have receded a little and we are returning to the standards of the 1980s and 1990s,» says company representative Andrey Smirnov.

As the Climatism blog notes, all this summer ice rather contradicts what the “experts” have been telling us for many years.

North Pole could be ice free in 2008 | New Scientist

North Pole could be ice free in 2008 | New Scientist

Ice-free Arctic in two years heralds methane catastroph – scientist | The Guardian

Ice-free Arctic in two years heralds methane catastrophe – scientist | The Guardian

Meanwhile, in the real world, here is what Arctic sea ice is actually doing. As Steven Goddard says, “party’s over for the Arctic melting scam.”

 June has finished with Arctic sea ice volume fourth highest in the DMI record, behind 2004, 2003 and 2014.

But the big story is the slowdown in melt rates since 2012.  The average June ice loss since 2012 is down 17% relative to the years prior to 2012.


Spreadsheet Data

In three weeks, volume melt rates will slow sharply, giving Reggie not much time to make an honest man out of James Hansen.

Big GovernmentBreitbart LondonEnvironmentArcticclimatismGlobal Warmingice capshippingsummer sea iceWeather

The NSA Continues to Abuse Americans by Intercepting Their Telephone Calls, written by ron paul monday may 7, 2018

The NSA Continues to Abuse Americans by Intercepting Their Telephone Calls
written by ron paul monday may 7, 2018
http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2018/may/07/the-nsa-continues-to-abuse-americans-by-intercepting-their-telephone-calls/

One of the few positive things in the ill-named USA FREEDOM Act, enacted in 2015 after the Snowden revelations on NSA domestic spying, is that it required the Director of National Intelligence to regularly report on its domestic surveillance activities. On Friday, the latest report was released on just how much our own government is spying on us. The news is not good at all if you value freedom over tyranny.

According to the annual report, named the Statistical Transparency Report Regarding Use of National Security Authorities, the US government intercepted and stored information from more than a half-billion of our telephone calls and text messages in 2017. That is a 300 percent increase from 2016. All of these intercepts were “legal” under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is ironic because FISA was enacted to curtail the Nixon-era abuse of surveillance on American citizens.

Has the US government intercepted your phone calls and/or text messages? You don’t know, which is why the surveillance state is so evil. Instead of assuming your privacy is protected by the US Constitution, you must assume that the US government is listening in to your communications. The difference between these is the difference between freedom and tyranny. The ultimate triumph of totalitarian states was not to punish citizens for opposing its tyranny, but to successfully cause them to censor themselves before even expressing “subversive” thoughts.

We cannot celebrate our freedom or call ourselves an exceptional nation as long as we are under control of the kind of surveillance that would have turned the East German Stasi green with envy. We know the East German secret police relied on millions of informants, eager to ingratiate themselves with their totalitarian rulers by reporting on their friends, neighbors, even relatives. It was a messy system but it served the purpose of preventing any “unwelcome” political views from taking hold. No one was allowed to criticize the policies of the government without facing reprisals.

Sadly, that is where we are headed.

Our advanced technological age provides opportunities for surveillance that even the most enthusiastic East German intelligence operative could not have dreamed of. No longer does the government need to rely on nosy neighbors as informants. The NSA has cut out the middleman, intercepting our communications – our very thoughts – at the source. No one who calls himself an American patriot can be happy about this development.

Not even the President is safe from the surveillance state he presides over! According to a news report last week, federal investigators monitored the phone lines of President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, even when he was speaking to his client – the president!

An all-powerful state that intercepts its citizens’ communications and stores them indefinitely to use against them in the future does not deserve to be called the leader of the free world. It is more the high-tech equivalent of a Third World despotism, where we all exist subject to the whim of those currently in political power.

Edward Snowden did us all an enormous favor by risking it all to let us know that our government had come to view us as the enemy to be spied on and monitored. If we are to regain the liberty that our Founders recognized was granted to us not by government, but by our Creator, we must redouble our efforts to fight against the surveillance state!
Copyright © 2018 by RonPaul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

OPINION: The heightened pleading standard established in 2009 is based on faulty propositions. Arthur H. Bryant, The National Law Journal


National Law Journal
http://www.nationallawjournal.com/printerfriendly/id=1202758245088

‘Iqbal’ Brings Seven Years of Bad Luck for Plaintiffs

OPINION: The heightened pleading standard established in 2009 is based on faulty propositions.
Arthur H. Bryant, The National Law Journal
May 23, 2016

The seventh anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2009 decision in Ashcroft v. Iqbal was May 18. It’s a date that should live in infamy.
A 5-4 decision, Iqbal ignored reality — and the fact that truth is stranger than fiction. It flouted the process for amending the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. And it particularly limited access to justice for civil rights, employment discrimination and individual plaintiffs.
Seventy years before Iqbal, in 1938, the Federal Rules were adopted to get rid of “fact” pleading, which the rule-makers thought “led to wasteful disputes about distinctions that … were arbitrary or metaphysical, too often cutting off adjudication on the merits.” Under the new Rule 8, to start a lawsuit, the plaintiff had to file a complaint with “a short and plain statement of the claim showing the pleader is entitled to relief.”
As the court later explained in Conley v. Gibson, the complaint did not have to “set out the facts in detail.” It just had to give the defendant “fair notice of what the plaintiff’s claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.” A motion to dismiss would only be granted if “it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” Then, the plaintiff could take discovery, to find out what the defendant and other relevant people knew and when they knew it. After that, the court would determine whether there was sufficient proof to require a trial.
In Iqbal, the court rejected a complaint alleging that high-level U.S. officials had a Pakistani Muslim and thousands of other Arab men illegally arrested and detained after the 9/11 attacks because of “their race, religion, and national origin … and not because of any evidence” of their “involvement in supporting terrorist activity.”
To do so, the court changed the rules. It held that, from now on, to “survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Dismissal no longer turned on whether the complaint provided “fair notice” to the defendant; it turned on whether the claim was “plausible on its face.” How were judges to determine that? By drawing on their “judicial experience and common sense.”
Motions to dismiss were immediately filed throughout the federal courts. Judges’ and lawyers’ workloads increased enormously. The lower courts and lawyers are still struggling to figure out how the new system is supposed to work — and, if they can, make it fair.
For three reasons, however, it’s become increasingly clear that Iqbal was a mistake.
First, whatever one thinks about the allegations in the case, the Iqbal pleading standard is based on a proposition — allegations probably aren’t true if they’re not plausible on their face — that is false. Reality keeps teaching us that. None of us, including federal judges using their “judicial experience and common sense,” would have believed that any of the following was plausible a few years ago:
• Donald Trump would be the presumptive Republican Party nominee for president of the United States of America.
• A prominent candidate for president would propose banning all Muslims from entering America or call women “fat pigs,” “dogs” and “disgusting animals.”
• Same-sex marriage would be legal nationwide.
• The U.S. government would obtain and be able to search virtually all Ameri­cans’ phone records.
• Olympic champion Bruce Jenner would become a woman, Caitlyn Jenner.
• Federal, state and local governments would battle over what kind of bathroom people such as Caitlyn Jenner could use.
Similar implausible things happen every day.
Second, Iqbal effectively rewrote the Federal Rules without following the legally established rules for amending them. Under the Rules Enabling Act, before rules are changed, detailed procedures must be followed involving the Advisory Committees to the U.S. Judicial Con­ference’s Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure; the Standing Committee itself; notice to and comment from lawyers, judges and the public; the U.S. Judicial Conference; the Supreme Court; and Congress — so the changes are fully considered and fair.
In 2002, the court unanimously rejected a company’s plea for a heightened pleading standard in employment discrimination cases, saying that result “must be obtained by the process of amending the Federal Rules, and not judicial interpretation.” It should have said that in Iqbal, too.
Third, Iqbal is especially harmful to civil rights, employment discrimination and individual plaintiffs. Last year, the most comprehensive study of Iqbal’s effects, “Measuring the Impact of Plausi­bility Pleading,” was published in the Virginia Law Review. It found that Iqbal increased dismissals of most cases by 10 percent, but employment discrimination and civil rights cases much more (16 percent and 19 percent, respectively). Cases filed by individuals were also dismissed far more often (18 percent), but not cases filed by corporations.
In theory, this could mean that only bad cases were dismissed more promptly. But, if that were true, a higher percentage of the cases remaining in court would succeed. They didn’t. These plaintiffs were just disproportionately denied a chance to prove their claims.
The high court should reverse the Iqbal decision. Whether cases proceed should turn on the facts and the law, not on whether judges think the allegations are plausible.
Arthur H. Bryant is the chairman of Public Justice, a national public interest law firm dedicated to advancing and preserving access to justice. His practice focuses on consumers’ rights, workers’ rights, civil rights, environmental protection, and corporate and government accountability.

Judicial Corruption at its Finest

Reprimanded judge says presiding over his own divorce case for several months ‘made no difference’


Reprimanded last month for presiding over his own divorce case for four months after it was randomly assigned to his own court, a Texas judge told a local newspaper that doing so did no harm.

“This was my personal divorce,” said 383rd District Judge Mike Herrera to the El Paso Times on Tuesday, explaining that there was “no rush” to transfer the case to another judge because he and his wife were trying at the time to work things out.

Hence, “the fact that it was in this court made no difference. It stayed there,” Herrera said of the divorce case. “I wasn’t actively doing anything. Me and my former spouse were working on everything. She and I were working on everything carefully.”

The Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct noted that Herrera had filed motions in the case while it was in his own court. The commission said that the judge “failed to comply with the law, demonstrated a lack of professional competence in the law, and engaged in willful and persistent conduct that was clearly inconsistent with the proper performance of his judicial duties,” the newspaper reports.

In addition to reprimanding Herrera, the commission ordered him to get six hours of training.

2016 STATE OF THE JUDICIARY ADDRESS THE HONORABLE CHIEF JUSTICE HUGH P. THOMPSON SUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA January 27, 2016, 11 a.m. House Chambers, State Capitol

016 STATE OF THE JUDICIARY ADDRESS
THE HONORABLE CHIEF JUSTICE HUGH P. THOMPSON
SUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA
January 27, 2016, 11 a.m.
House Chambers, State Capitol

Lt. Governor Cagle, Speaker Ralston, President Pro Tem Shafer, Speaker Pro Tem Jones, members of the General Assembly, my fellow judges and my fellow Georgians:
Good morning. Thank you for this annual tradition of inviting the Chief Justice to report on the State of Georgia’s Judiciary. Thanks in large part to your support and the support of our governor, as we move into 2016, I am pleased to tell you that your judicial branch of government is not only steady and secure, it is dynamic; it has momentum; and it is moving forward into the 21st century with a vitality and a commitment to meeting the inevitable changes before us.
Our mission remains the same: To protect individual rights and liberties, to uphold and interpret the rule of law, and to provide a forum for the peaceful resolution of disputes that is fair, impartial, and accessible to all.
Our judges are committed to these principles. Each day, throughout this state, they put on their black robes; they take their seat on the courtroom bench; and they work tirelessly to ensure that all citizens who come before them get justice.


Our Judicial Council is the policy-making body of the state’s judicial branch. It is made up of competent, committed leaders elected by their fellow judges and representing all classes of court. They are assisted by an Administrative Office of the Courts, which is under a new director – Cynthia Clanton – and has a renewed focus as an agency that serves judges and courts throughout Georgia.
A number of our judges have made the trip to be here today. Our judges are here today because the relationship we have with you is important. We share with you the same goal of serving the citizens of this great state. We could not do our work without your help and that of our governor.
On behalf of all of the judges, let me say we are extremely grateful to you members of the General Assembly for your judicial compensation appropriation last year.


Today I want to talk to you about Georgia’s 21st century courts – our vision for the future, the road we must travel to get there, and the accomplishments we have already achieved.
It has been said that, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
Since a new state Constitution took effect in 1983, our population has nearly doubled to a little over 10 million, making us the 8th most populous state in the country. We are among the fastest growing states in the nation, and in less than four years, our population is projected to exceed 12 million.
Because it is good for our economy, we welcome that growth. Today, Georgia ranks
among states with the highest number of Fortune 500 companies, 20 of which have their global headquarters here; we have 72 four-year colleges and universities; we have the world’s busiest airport and we have two deep-water ports. Georgia is a gateway to the South, and for a growing number of people and businesses from around the world, it is a gateway to this country.
All of this growth produces litigation – increasingly complex litigation – and just as our state must prepare for this growth by ensuring we have enough roads and modes of transportation, enough doctors and hospitals, and enough power to reach people throughout the state, our courts also must be equipped and modernized for the 21st
century.
While our population has nearly doubled since 1983, the number of Georgia judges has
grown only 16 percent. We must work together to ensure that our judicial system has enough judges, staff and resources in the 21st century to fulfill the mission and constitutional duties our forefathers assigned to us.
A healthy, vibrant judiciary is absolutely critical to the economic development of our state. Thanks to many leaders in the judiciary, as well as to our partnership with the governor and to you in the legislature, we are well on our way to building a court system for the 21st century.


This time next year, with your support, we will have put into place an historic shift in the types of cases handled by the Georgia Supreme Court – the highest court in the state – and by the Court of Appeals – our intermediate appellate court. Thanks to Governor Deal’s Georgia Appellate Jurisdiction Review Commission, this realignment will bring the Supreme Court of Georgia in line with other state Supreme Courts, which handle only the most critical cases that potentially change the law. Serving on the Commission are two of my colleagues – Justice David Nahmias and Justice Keith Blackwell – as well as two judges from the Court of Appeals – Chief
Judge Sara Doyle and Judge Stephen Dillard.
I thank you, Justices and Judges, for your leadership.
Under the Georgia Constitution, Supreme Court justices collectively decide every case that comes before us. Currently the state’s highest court hears divorce and alimony cases; we hear cases involving wills; we hear cases involving titles to land; and we hear disputes over boundary lines.
But the Governor’s Commission, and a number of reports by other commissions and
committees issued since 1983, have recommended that such cases should be heard by our intermediate appeals court, not by our highest court.
Both of our courts are among the busiest in the nation. But unlike the Supreme Court, which sits as a full court with all seven justices participating in, and deciding, every case, the Court of Appeals sits in panels of three. With your approval last year of three new Court of Appeals judges, that court will now have five panels, so it will have the capacity to consider five times as many cases as the Supreme Court.
Modernization of the Supreme Court makes sense. In a 19th century court system, when
most of the wealth was tied up in land, maybe title to land cases were the most important. Maybe they had the greatest implications for the public at large. But as we move into the 21st century, that is no longer true.
In answer to questions such as who owns a strip of land, what does a will mean, and who should prevail in a divorce settlement or an alimony dispute, most judicial systems believe that three judges are enough to provide the parties with a full and fair consideration of their appeal. It no longer makes sense to have seven – or nine – justices collectively review these types of cases.
There is no doubt these cases will be in good hands with the Court of Appeals.
Let me emphasize that all these cases the Commission recommended shifting to the Court of Appeals are critically important to the parties involved.
Let me also emphasize that the purpose of this historic change is not to lessen the burden on the Supreme Court. Rather, the intent is to free up the state’s highest court to devote more time and energy to the most complex and the most difficult cases that have the greatest implications for the law and society at large.
We will therefore retain jurisdiction of constitutional challenges to the laws you enact, questions from the federal courts seeking authoritative rulings on Georgia law, election contests, murder and death penalty cases, and cases in which the Court of Appeals judges are equally divided.
Significantly, we want to be able to accept more of what we call “certiorari” cases
which are appeals of decisions by the Court of Appeals. The number of petitions filed in this category during the first quarter of the new docket year is nearly 14 percent higher this year over last. Yet due to the amount of appeals the law now requires us to take, we have had to reject the majority of the petitions for certiorari that we receive.
These cases are often the most complex – and the most consequential. They involve
issues of great importance to the legal system and the State as a whole. Or they involve an area of law that has become inconsistent and needs clarification.
Businesses and citizens need to know what the law allows them to do and what it does
not allow them to do. It is our job at the highest court to reduce any uncertainty and bring consistency and clarity to the law.
Under the Commission’s recommendations, our 21st century Georgia Supreme Court will
be able to accept more of these important appeals.


As we move into the 21st century, plans are being discussed to build the first state Judicial Building in Georgia’s history that will be dedicated solely to the judiciary. We are grateful for the Governor’s leadership on this. The building that now houses the state’s highest court and the Court of Appeals was built in 1954 when Herman Tallmadge was governor. Back then, it made sense to combine the state judicial branch with part of the executive branch, by locating the Law Department in the same building.
But the world has changed since 1954, and the building we now occupy was not designed with visitors in mind. It was not designed with technology in mind. And it surely was not designed with security in mind. Indeed, it was designed to interconnect with neighboring buildings that housed other branches of government.
A proper Judicial Building is about more than bricks and mortar. Outside, this building will symbolize for generations to come the place where people will go to get final resolution of civil wrongs and injustices; where the government will go to safeguard its prosecution of criminals; and where defendants will go to appeal convictions and sentences to prison for life.
Inside such a building, the courtroom will reinforce the reality that what goes on here is serious and solemn; it is a place of great purpose, in the words of a federal judge. The parties and the lawyers will understand they are all on equal footing, because they are equal under the law.
There is a majesty about the law that gets played out in the courtroom. It is a hallowed place because it is where the truth must be told and where justice is born. The courtroom represents our democracy at its very best.
No, this building is not just about bricks and mortar. Rather it is a place that will house Georgia’s highest court where fairness, impartiality, and justice will reign for future generations.


We are no longer living in a 1950s Georgia. The courts of the 21st century must be
equipped to handle an increasingly diverse population. Living today in metropolitan Atlanta alone are more than 700,000 people who were born outside the United States. According to the Chamber of Commerce, today some 70 countries have a presence in Atlanta, in the form of a consulate or trade office. We must be ready to help resolve the disputes of international businesses that are increasingly locating in our state and capital. Our 21st century courts must be open, transparent and accessible to all. Our citizens’ confidence in their judicial system depends on it. We must be armed with qualified, certified interpreters, promote arbitration as an alternative to costly, courtroom-bound litigation, ensure that all those who cannot afford lawyers have an avenue toward justice, and be constantly updating technology with the aim of improving our courts’ efficiency while saving literally millions of dollars. For all of this, we need your help.


When I first became a judge, we had no email, no cell phones, no Internet. People didn’t Twitter or text, or post things on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram. The most modern equipment we had was a mimeograph machine.
This past year, by Supreme Court order, we created for the first time a governance
structure to bring our use of technology into the 21st century. Chaired by my colleague Justice Harold Melton, and co-chaired by Douglas County Superior Court Judge David Emerson, this permanent Judicial Council Standing Committee on Technology will lead the judicial branch by providing guidance and oversight of its technology initiatives.
Our courts on their own are rapidly moving away from paper documents into the digital age. At the Supreme Court, lawyers must now electronically file all cases. This past year, we successfully launched the next phase by working with trial courts to begin transmitting their entire court record to us electronically. The Court of Appeals also now requires the e-filing of applications to appeal, and this year, will join the Supreme Court in accepting electronic trial records.

Our goal is to develop a uniform statewide electronic filing and retrieval system so that lawyers and others throughout the judiciary can file and access data the easiest way possible.
Using a single portal, attorneys will be able to file documents with trial courts and appellate courts – and retrieve them from any court in the state. This is the system advocated by our partner, President Bob Kaufman of the State Bar of Georgia, and by attorneys throughout the state.
Such a system will not only make our courts more efficient at huge savings, but it will make Georgia safer. When our trial judges conduct bond hearings, for example, they often lack critical information about the person before them. They usually have reports about any former convictions, but they may not have information about cases pending against the defendant in other courts. The technology exists now to ensure that they do.
Also on the horizon is the expanded use of videoconferencing – another electronic
improvement that will save money and protect citizens’ lives. After a conviction and sentence to prison, post-trial hearings require courts to send security teams to pick up the prisoner and bring him to court. Without encroaching on the constitutional right of confrontation, we could videoconference the inmate’s testimony from his prison cell. Again, the technology already exists.
Our Committee on Technology will be at the forefront of guiding our courts into the 21st century.


As Georgia grows, it grows more diverse.
Our Georgia courts are required by the federal government to provide language services free of charge to litigants and witnesses, not only in criminal cases but in civil cases as well.
Even for fluent English speakers, the judicial system can be confusing and unwelcoming.
My vision for Georgia’s judiciary in the 21st century is that every court, in every city and every county in Georgia, will have the capacity of serving all litigants, speaking any language, regardless of national origin, from the moment they enter the courthouse until the moment they leave. That means that on court websites, signs and forms will be available in multiple languages, that all court staff will have the tools they need to assist any customers, and that court proceedings will have instant access to the interpreters of the languages they need.
Chief Magistrate Kristina Blum of the Gwinnett County Magistrate Court has been
working hard to ensure access to justice for all those who come to her court, most of whom are representing themselves.
Recently her court created brochures that provide guidance for civil trials, family
violence matters, warrant applications, garnishments, and landlord-tenant disputes. These brochures provide basic information about each proceeding – what to expect and how best to present their case in court.
Judge Blum, who is in line to be president of the Council of Magistrate Judges and is a member of our Judicial Council, has had the brochures translated into Spanish, Korean and Vietnamese. Such non-legalese forms and tutorial videos that our citizens can understand go a long way toward building trust in the judicial system, and in our entire government.
The Supreme Court Commission on Interpreters, chaired by Justice Keith Blackwell, is
making significant strides in ensuring that our courts uphold the standards of due process. With the help of Commission member Jana Edmondson-Cooper, an energetic attorney with the Georgia Legal Services Program, the Commission is working around the state to educate judges,court administrators and lawyers on the judiciary’s responsibilities in providing language assistance.
The essence of due process is the opportunity to be heard. Our justice system is the envy of other countries because it is open and fair to everyone seeking justice. By helping those who have not yet mastered English, we reinforce the message that the doors to the best justice system in the world are open to everyone.
Our law demands it. Our Constitution demands it.


The courts of the 21st century will symbolize a new era. A turning point in our history occurred when we realized there was a smarter way to handle criminals.
Six years ago, my colleague and then Chief Justice Carol Hunstein accompanied
Representative Wendell Willard to Alabama to explore how that state was reforming its criminal justice system. Back in Georgia, Governor Deal seized the reins, brought together the three branches of government, and through extraordinary leadership, has made criminal justice reform a reality. Georgia is now a model for the nation.
Today, following an explosive growth in our prison population that doubled between
1990 and 2011 and caused corrections costs to top one billion dollars a year, last year our prison population was the lowest it has been in 10 years. Our recidivism rate is the lowest it’s been in three decades. And we have turned back the tide of rising costs.
For the last five years, the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform – created by the governor and your legislation – has been busy transforming our criminal justice system into one that does a better job of protecting public safety while holding non-violent offenders accountable and saving millions in taxpayer dollars. I am extremely grateful to this Council and commend the steady leadership of co-chairs Judge Michael Boggs of the Court of Appeals and Thomas Worthy of the State Bar of Georgia.
Throughout this historic reform, Georgia’s trial court judges have been in the trenches.
Our number one goal in criminal justice reform is to better protect the safety of our citizens.
Central to that goal is the development of our specialty courts – what some call accountability courts.
These courts have a proven track record of reducing recidivism rates and keeping our
citizens safe. Nationwide, 75 percent of drug court graduates remain free of arrest two years after completing the program, and the most conservative analyses show that drug courts reduce crime as much as 45 percent more than other sentencing options. Last year, these courts helped save Georgia more than $51 million in prison costs.
From the beginning, you in the legislature have steadfastly supported the growth in these courts, most recently appropriating more than $19 million for the current fiscal year.
Georgia now has 131 of these courts, which include drug courts, DUI courts, juvenile and adult mental health courts, and veterans courts. Today, only two judicial circuits in the state do not yet have a specialty court, and both are in the early stages of discussing the possibility of starting one. In addition to those already involved, last year alone, we added nearly 3500 new participants to these courts.
Behind that number are individual tales of lives changed and in some cases, lives saved.
Our judges, who see so much failure, take pride in these success stories. And so should you.

Chief Judge Richard Slaby of the Richmond County State Court, speaks with great pride of Judge David Watkins and the specialty courts that have grown under Judge Watkins’ direction. Today the recidivism rate among the Augusta participants is less than 10 percent.
The judges who run these courts are committed and deserve our thanks. We are grateful to leaders like Judge Slaby, who is President-Elect of the Council of State Court Judges and a member of our Judicial Council; to Judge Stephen Goss of the Dougherty Superior Court, whose mental health court has been recognized as one of the best mental health courts in our country; to Chief Judge Brenda Weaver, President of the Council of Superior Court Judges and a member of our Judicial Council. Judge Weaver of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit serves on the Council of
Accountability Court Judges of Georgia, which you created last year by statute. Its purpose is to improve the quality of our specialty courts through proven standards and practices, and it is chaired by Superior Court Judge Jason Deal of Hall County. Judge Deal’s dedication to the specialty court model in his community, and his guidance and encouragement to programs throughout the state, are described as invaluable by those who work with him.


We may not have a unified court system in Georgia. But we have judges unified in their commitment to our courts. Among our one thousand four hundred and fifty judges, Georgia has many fine leaders. I’ve told you about a number of them today. In closing, I want to mention two more.
When the United States Supreme Court issued its historic decision last year on same-sex marriage, our Council of Probate Court Judges led the way toward compliance. Three months before the ruling was issued, the judges met privately at the behest of the Council’s then president, Judge Chase Daughtrey of Cook County, and his successor, Judge Don Wilkes of Emanuel County. Together, they determined that regardless of what the Supreme Court decided, they would follow the law. Both Governor Deal and Attorney General Sam Olens also publicly announced they would respect the court’s decision, despite tremendous pressure to do otherwise.
These men are all great leaders who spared our state the turmoil other states endured. The bottom line is this: In Georgia, we may like the law, we may not like the law, but we follow the law.


The day-to-day business of the Georgia courts rarely makes the news. Rather judges,
their staff and clerks spend their days devoted to understanding the law, tediously pushing cases through to resolution, committed to ferreting out the truth and making the right decision. It is not easy, and they must often stand alone, knowing that when they sentence someone to prison, many lives hang in the balance between justice and mercy.
So I thank all of our leaders, and I thank all of our judges who are leading our courts into the 21st century.
May God bless them. May God bless you. And may God bless all the people of Georgia.
Thank you.

Blacklisted News: ENTIRE FLORIDA POLICE DEPT BUSTED!

ENTIRE FLORIDA POLICE DEPT BUSTED LAUNDERING TENS OF MILLIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL DRUG CARTELS
Published: January 1, 2016
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http://www.blacklistednews.com/Entire_Florida_Police_Dept_Busted_Laundering_Tens_of_Millions_For_International_Drug_Cartels/48092/0/38/38/Y/M.html

SOURCE: JUSTIN GARDNER

The village of Bal Harbour, population 2,513, may have a tiny footprint on the northern tip of Miami Beach, but its police department had grand aspirations of going after international drug traffickers, and making a few million dollars while they were at it.

The Bal Harbour PD and the Glades County Sheriff’s Office set up a giant money laundering scheme with the purported goal of busting drug cartels and stemming the surge of drug dealing going on in the area. But it all fell apart when federal investigators and the Miami-Herald found strange things going on.

The two-year operation, which took in more than $55 million from criminal groups, resulted in zero arrests but netted $2.4 million for the police posing as money launderers. Members of the 12-person task force traveled far and wide to carry out their deals, from Los Angeles to New York to Puerto Rico.

Along the way, the small-town cops got a taste of luxury as they used the money for first-class flights, luxury hotels, Mac computers and submachine guns. Meanwhile, the Bal Harbour PD and Glades County Sheriffs were buying all sorts of fancy new equipment.

Besides these “official” uses of the money, confidential records obtained by the Miami-Herald show that officers withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars with no record of where the money went.

“They were like bank robbers with badges,” said Dennis Fitzgerald, an attorney and former Drug Enforcement Administration agent who taught undercover tactics for the U.S. State Department. “It had no law enforcement objective. The objective was to make money.”
The operation, which was not fully reported to federal authorities, funneled millions of dollars to overseas criminals and interfered with investigations being carried out on known money launderers.

The latest revelations show that at least 20 people in Venezuela were sent drug money from the Florida cops, including William Amaro Sanchez, the foreign minister under Hugo Chavez and now special assistant to President Nicolas Maduro.

They wired a total of $211,000 to Sanchez, even while the U.S. government was investigating Venezuelan government leaders involved in the drug trade. Instead of reporting their knowledge of Sanchez to federal agencies, the cops went on laundering money, taking their cut, and all the while aiding Sanchez in his machinations, which likely included political corruption.

Four other Venezuelan criminals and smugglers were major recipients of the millions being wired from the Bal Harbour PD and Glades County Sheriff’s Office, including a figure tied to one of the largest drug cartels in the hemisphere.

These actions violated strict federal bans on sending illegal money overseas, and the Florida cops never investigated the backgrounds of the people receiving their laundered drug money.
“I can’t think of a more podunk town than Bal Harbour — not in a bad way. But in the sense that these cops would have otherwise been stopping traffic or shooting radar,” said Ruben Oliva, who has represented alleged narco-traffickers since the 1980s. “In reality they were being launderers. The minute they started doing busts, it would have been over.

“This is like a movie. You’ve got these guys and they’re flying all over. They’re saying, ‘Hey, I’m in the big leagues.’ I’ve seen every kind of law enforcement money-laundering investigations. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s really one for the ages.”
After the Department of Justice busted the Bal Harbour PD for misspending seized money to pay police salaries, the Miami-Herald began deeper investigations and found a much bigger pool of money that was never noticed by the feds. Soon after that, the ambitious sting operation–which was really just a money-making scheme–began to fall apart.
“The Miami Herald gained unprecedented access to the confidential records of the undercover investigation, reviewing thousands of records including cash pickup reports, emails, DEA reports, bank statements and wire transfers for millions of dollars. The inquiry found:

▪ Police routinely withdrew cash — thousands at a time — totaling $1.3 million from undercover bank accounts, but to this day there are no records to show where the money was spent. “In all my years of law enforcement, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Chief Overton said.

▪ Bal Harbour officials say they cannot find receipts for hundreds of thousands in expenses, including five-star hotel bookings, dinners that ran up to $1,000 and scores of purchases like laptops, iPads, electronic money counters, flower deliveries, and even iTunes downloads.

▪ While posing as launderers, police delivered nearly $20 million to storefront businesses in Miami-Dade to launder the money for drug groups — gathering critical evidence against the business owners — yet took no action against them. Years later, the businesses are still open, some still suspected by federal agents of laundering for the cartels.”
Cash deposits to SunTrust Bank totaling $28 million do not appear anywhere in police records. It’s no coincidence that the operation was launched “at a time law enforcement agencies across Florida were looking to boost their budgets during one of the state’s toughest economic periods.”
“We had to find a revenue stream,” said Duane Pottorff, chief of law enforcement for Glades. “It allowed us to have resources we wouldn’t normally have.”
Federal authorities and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have launched probes into the Bal Harbour police, which will surely confirm the rampant abuses of power. However, the fact that these types of shady operations, carried out with the help of agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, can occur at all is even more troubling.

Government creates a black market of drugs and blood money through prohibition, then under the War on Drugs it grants itself the power to break the law and get involved in money laundering operations. While the professed goal is to “sting” the bad guys, government rakes in millions upon millions of dollars to further bolster its prohibition and war on drugs.

The War on Drugs is the real scheme that should be investigated.

Agendas Acc0rding to the Federal Bar Association


I ran across this tonight, looking for something else, but it caught my eye and so I read it.
Knowing what I know about this country and being “awake”, I find the following pretty fucking interesting. What are your thoughts?:

FEDERAL BAR ASSOCIATION
2015-16 ISSUES AGENDA
http://www.fedbar.org/Advocacy/Issues-Agendas.aspx

Active Issues | Monitored Issues
ACTIVE LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

Independence of the Federal Judiciary

The Federal Bar Association reaffirms the importance of the independence of the judiciary, recognizing that judicial decisions are not immune from scrutiny, but are to be made solely on the basis of the law.

Funding for the Federal Courts

The Federal Bar Association supports adequate funding for the general and continuing operations of the federal courts, including an equitable level of rent and facilities expense consistent with actual costs, budgetary constraints, staffing needs and security considerations, to permit the courts to fulfill their constitutional and statutory responsibilities

Federal Judgeships and Caseloads

The Federal Bar Association supports the authorization and establishment of additional permanent and temporary federal judgeships, including bankruptcy judgeships, along with support personnel, as proposed by the Judicial Conference of the United States, when rising caseloads in the federal courts threaten the prompt delivery of justice. The Federal Bar Association also supports efforts to educate Congress, the legal profession and the general public about how the overwhelming case loads threaten the ability of the Third Branch of the federal government to function.

Federal Judicial Vacancies

The Federal Bar Association calls upon the President and Congress to act promptly and responsibly in nominating and confirming nominees to the federal appellate and district courts. The Federal Bar Association supports the development of strategies to reduce the time required to fill federal judicial vacancies.

Courthouse Security

The Federal Bar Association supports the adoption of adequate security measures to protect the federal judiciary, their families and court personnel in and outside the courthouse, while preserving meaningful public access to judicial proceedings.

Federal Judicial Pay

The Federal Bar Association support equitable compensation and regular periodic adjustments for the federal judiciary, as well as senior officials of the Executive Branch and Members of Congress, to promote the recruitment and retention of the highest quality public servants.

Respect for the Federal Courts

Declining public confidence in our courts undermines public respect for the courts and the legitimacy of their rulings. To counter that influence, the Federal Bar Association supports programming and other efforts to educate the public about the federal courts and the role they serve in assuring a just society.

Professionalism and Stature of Federal Attorneys

The Federal Bar Association supports and promotes efforts to improve the professionalism and stature of attorneys employed by the federal government, including: enhancements to the compensation packages of federal attorneys, including pay and retirement benefits, to assist in recruitment and retention; the expansion, consistent with applicable conflict of interest laws, of policies encouraging full participation of attorneys employed by the federal government in professional organizations and pro bono legal activities, including approval for use of administrative leave; enhanced federal funding for participation in continuing legal education and training programs, including paid tuition and administrative leave; and the establishment of programs for student loan deferral and repayment assistance for all federal attorneys, including federal law clerks, federal defenders and judge advocates of the Armed Forces, in support of recruitment and retention efforts.

Social Security Disability Appeals Backlog

The Federal Bar Association supports adequate funding and resources for the Social Security Administration to remove the significant backlog of disability benefit appeals awaiting adjudication and to assure the fair and timely administration of justice for all appellants.

Authority of Bankruptcy Judges in “Core Proceedings”

The Federal Bar Association supports amendment of bankruptcy law to expressly allow bankruptcy judges to issue proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law in core proceedings in which they are otherwise barred from entering final judgments under Article III of the United States Constitution.

Commission on Nazi-Confiscated Art Claims

The Federal Bar Association supports the Congressional creation of a commission to address identification and ownership issues related to Nazi-confiscated artworks, pursuant to the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art, as signed by the United States and the international community.

Article I Immigration Court
The Federal Bar Association supports the transfer of responsibilities for the adjudication of immigration claims from the Executive Office of Immigration Review within the Department of Justice to a specialized Article I court, as established by Congress, for the adjudication of claims under the Immigration and Naturalization Act.

Federal Criminal Sentencing
The Federal Bar Association supports efforts to advance fairness and consistency in federal sentencing, while preserving judicial independence and discretion to deal with the particular circumstances of individual cases.

Military Spouse Attorney Mobility
The Federal Bar Association supports state-level legal licensing accommodations, including bar admission without additional examination, for attorneys who are spouses of service members, i.e., members of the uniformed services of the United States as defined in 10 USC §101(a)(5), when: (1) those “military spouse attorneys” are present in a particular state, commonwealth, or territory of the United States or District of Columbia due to their service members’ military assignment; (2) they are graduates of accredited law schools; and (3) they are licensed attorneys in good standing in the bar of another state, commonwealth, or territory of the United States or District of Columbia.

Patent Litigation Reform
The Federal Bar Association supports legislation that curbs abusive patent litigation practices and other responsible measures to improve the quality and clarity of patents. The FBA opposes legislation that reduces judicial discretion in adjudicating patent actions or circumvents the Rules Enabling Act by mandating changes that depart from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in patent cases.

MONITORED LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

Courthouse Construction

The Federal Bar Association supports the full funding of courthouse construction proposed by the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Cameras in the Courts

The Federal Bar Association encourages a discussion of the competing considerations vis-a-vis proposed legislation which would authorize federal judges, in their discretion, to permit photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, and televising of federal court proceedings in appropriate circumstances.

Division of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

The Federal Bar Association opposes the division of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, consistent with its capacity to effectively and efficiently render justice.

Continuing Legal Education Funding for the Federal Judiciary

The Federal Bar Association supports the expansion of and enhancement of federal funding for continuing legal education and training programs for the federal judiciary.

Expansion of Federal Jurisdiction Over State and Local-Prosecuted Crimes

The Federal Bar Association advocates strict scrutiny of legislation proposing to grant original jurisdiction to federal authorities over crimes traditionally reserved to state and local prosecution.

Criminal Justice Act Panel Attorney Compensation

The Federal Bar Association supports Congressional funding to permit an increase in compensation rates for Criminal Justice Act panel attorneys.

National Security and Civil Liberties

The Federal Bar Association encourages the discussion of the competing considerations in the nation’s war against terror between the protection of civil liberties and the interests of national security.

Prevention of Epidemics and Civil Liberties

The Federal Bar Association encourages and contributes to a discussion of the competing considerations between governmental restrictions to guard against epidemics and pandemics and the preservation of individual rights, as well as the use of technology to ensure the continuance of participatory governance.

Safety of Administrative Judges

The Federal Bar Association supports the efforts by the Social Security Administration and the Executive Office of Immigration Review to take appropriate steps to ensure the security of their administrative law judges and immigration judges, and all others who participate in its proceedings.

Veteran Disability Claims Adjudication

The Federal Bar Association supports legislative and administrative improvements to the veterans disability claims process in the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to assure equitable and expeditious determinations.

Attorney Fee-Based Representation of Veterans

The Federal Bar Association supports proposals to expand the availability of fee-based representation of veterans in the disability claims process and to oppose any efforts to repeal the authority of attorney representation to veterans in the furtherance of such claims.

Frivolous Litigation

The Federal Bar Association opposes legislative proposals to eliminate judicial discretion in the imposition of sanctions for frivolous litigation, including proposals to revise Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure by imposing mandatory sanctions and preventing a party from withdrawing challenged pleadings on a voluntary basis within a reasonable time.

Adopted by the Board of Directors
Federal Bar Association
July 10, 2015

The compass of FBA’s government relations program is its Issues Agenda, a roster of policy priorities to which the Association devotes its advocacy resources. The policy priorities embraced by the Issues Agenda are associated with active issues that concern the health and welfare of the federal judicial system and effective federal legal practice. For example, they concern the preservation of judicial independence, adequate funding and facilities for the federal courts, sufficient numbers of federal judgeships, equitable compensation for the federal judiciary, fairness and consistency in federal sentencing and a host of other matters

Daily Report and Andrew Phillips: Analyzing the Suit Over Georgia Voters’ Personal Data Leak

Analyzing the Suit Over Georgia Voters’ Personal Data Leak
Andrew Phillips, Daily Report
November 20, 2015
http://www.dailyreportonline.com/id=1202743008663/Analyzing-the-Suit-Over-Georgia-Voters-Personal-Data-Leak?mcode=0&curindex=0&curpage=ALL


Andrew Phillips
Andrew Phillips is senior counsel in McGuireWoods’ Atlanta office, where he is editor of the firm’s “Password Protected” blog, in which a version of this article first appeared. His practice focuses on representing and counseling clients in a variety of class action and high stakes civil litigation.

John Disney/Daily Report

Did the Georgia secretary of state release the Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and dates of birth of every registered Georgia voter? Those are the allegations first made by putative class representatives Elise Piper and Yvette Sanders in a recently filed Fulton County Superior Court lawsuit and confirmed by recent statements by the secretary of state.

The office of Secretary of State Brian Kemp attributes the data leak to a “clerical error,” which it alleges involved the dissemination of CD-ROMs containing extraneous data to only 12 recipients and that the disks are in the process of being recovered.

Piper and Sanders also allege that, despite being on notice of the leak, the state failed to notify the affected voters, or credit reporting agencies, in violation of the Georgia Personal Identity Protection Act of 2007 (GPIPA).

As troubling as the release of this information may be to voters—who may be dubious that the leak has been contained and are concerned about the risk of identity theft or fraud—it is unclear what, if any, legal remedy is available to plaintiffs.

The Data Leak
Per the complaint, the Social Security and driver’s license numbers were collected as part of the voter registration process. However, the suit alleges that although the voter registration process only required the last four digits of each voter’s Social Security number, the Secretary of State’s Office nonetheless maintained “each voter’s complete Social Security and driver’s license number.”

Some voter identification information, such as names and addresses—but not Social Security and driver’s license numbers—is regularly maintained in a “voter file” which is routinely provided on CD-ROM to media members and political parties free of charge. The voter file is also available to the general public for a $500 fee. However, plaintiffs allege, when the October 2015 voter file was distributed, it not only contained standard voter identification information but also the Social Security number, driver’s license number, and date of birth for all 6,184,281 registered Georgia voters.

The Georgia Personal Identity Protection Act
Legally, the type of data released is a distinction with a difference. GPIPA—like many similar state data breach notification statutes—defines “personal information,” in relevant part, as “an individual’s first name or first initial and last name in combination with any one or more of the following data elements,” including a Social Security number or driver’s license number. Thus, while the dissemination of the standard voter file containing voters’ names and addresses alone likely did not constitute a release of protected personal information, the alleged release of that information in conjunction with Social Security and driver’s license numbers could be deemed a breach.
Of course, even if the information was—as it appears to be—”personal information,” that is not the end of the inquiry. Other key questions include whether the Georgia Secretary of State is an “information broker or data collector” subject to the act, whether the release of the information was a “breach of the security of the system” within the meaning of the act, and whether the state failed to comply with the notice requirements of GPIPA.

Based on what we know, it would appear the answers to the first two questions are yes. GPIPA defines a data collector to include state agencies and actors as long as they are not maintaining records “primarily for traffic safety, law enforcement or licensing purposes or for purposes of providing public access to court records or to real or personal property information.” Assuming the Office of the Secretary of State cannot meet any of these exceptions—as seems likely—it is a “data collector.”

Likewise, the act defines “breach of the security of the system” to mean “unauthorized acquisition of an individual’s electronic data that compromises the security, confidentiality or integrity of personal information.” Again, based on the available information, this definition would appear to have been met by the dissemination of the personal information to media and political parties.

That said, the secretary of state may argue that the release of the information to a mere dozen people, followed by prompt efforts to recover the disks and contain the leak, did not jeopardize “the security, confidentiality, or integrity of personal information.” Of course, the fact that plaintiffs’ counsel apparently ended up with one of the disks undermines these arguments.

Turning to the next question, if GPIPA applies and the release was a breach, what was the Office of the Secretary of State required to do?
Under GPIPA, any information broker or data collector “shall give notice of any breach of the security of the system following discovery or notification of the breach” to Georgia residents whose unencrypted personal information was “acquired by an unauthorized person.”
With regard to timing, the notice shall be made “in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay, consistent with the legitimate needs of law enforcement.” Law enforcement may delay notification if “a law enforcement agency determines that the notification will compromise a criminal investigation.”

Finally, where, as here, a breach requires notification to more than 10,000 residents, the data collector must also inform “all consumer reporting agencies.” Per the complaint, the secretary of state’s office did not provide notice to affected voters or consumer reporting agencies in the approximately one-month since the release, which could constitute a lack of notice.

On the other hand, perhaps the state can argue that the length of time that has passed since the potential breach without notification was not an “unreasonable delay” in light of the facts surrounding the release.

As for the type of notice required, the act typically requires written, telephonic, or, with prior permission, electronic notice. However, where the cost of the notice, as here, would exceed $50,000 or the breach affected more than 100,000 individuals, “substitute notice” may be appropriate. This can include notice by email (when known), conspicuous notice on the entity’s website, and notification via statewide media.
Thus, in this case, the statute could likely be satisfied with a press release and conspicuous notification on the Secretary of State web page—an embarrassment, perhaps, but not a huge logistical hurdle.

Do Plaintiffs Have a Case?
Despite the possibility that the secretary of state’s office may have violated GPIPA, plaintiffs’ remedy, if any, is unclear. Notably, plaintiffs have not sued for damages—likely because GPIPA does not expressly allow damages, and, regardless, seeking damages would likely trigger a sovereign immunity fight. Rather, the suit seeks equitable relief requiring the secretary of state to comply with GPIPA’s notification requirements and “prevent future harm due to the disclosure,” and attorneys’ fees.

While it is difficult to imagine that GPIPA was enacted without any enforcement mechanism or remedy—unlike many other states’ data privacy laws—GPIPA does not expressly create an independent civil cause of action, contain any statutory remedies or provide for an award of attorneys’ fees.

Moreover, while the only two published cases that have examined the act have not foreclosed a private right of action, neither has expressly found one, either. In the first, Willingham v. Global Payments, the Northern District of Georgia held the act inapplicable because the plaintiffs in that case were not residents of Georgia.
More recently, in an opinion arising out of the In re Target data breach litigation, the court allowed plaintiffs’ GPIPA claim to survive a motion to dismiss because “Georgia’s data-breach-notice statute is silent as to enforcement” and “neither party cites any case regarding how a court should interpret silence as to enforcement under Georgia law.”

The plaintiffs’ chance of success is unclear based on the paucity of case law examining GPIPA—and the fact that no court has affirmatively found a private cause of action.

Lessons for Government and Industry
Although the merits of plaintiffs’ suit are an open question—both because the secretary of state may have a viable defense and because GPIPA may be relatively toothless—it still carries important lessons for businesses and others collecting and processing personal information.

First, the Secretary of State Office’s “clerical error” illustrates the risk of collecting more data than needed. If only the last four digits of voters’ Social Security numbers were necessary, then the retention of complete Social Security and driver’s license numbers appears to have been an unnecessary risk that, in this case, led to a substantial data leak and litigation.

Second, those collecting and processing personal information should know—and comply with—data breach notification laws. For larger companies, this likely means compliance with various states’ disclosure laws—many of which have much clearer penalties and enforcement mechanisms than GPIPA.

Finally—and perhaps most fundamentally—data collectors and custodians should have a robust information management program in place that is commensurate with the volume and sensitivity of the data at issue. Simply put, a data management system with sufficient checks and safeguards should prevent a “clerical error” from potentially putting millions at risk.

Andrew Phillips is senior counsel in McGuireWoods’ Atlanta office, where he is editor of the firm’s “Password Protected” blog, in which a version of this article first appeared. His practice focuses on representing and counseling clients in a variety of class action and high stakes civil litigation.

Read more: http://www.dailyreportonline.com/id=1202743008663/Analyzing-the-Suit-Over-Georgia-Voters-Personal-Data-Leak#ixzz3sCITf37b

From: The American Lawyer: How Big Law is Failing Legal Aid, By Susan Beck

The Justice Gap: How Big Law Is Failing Legal Aid
Susan Beck, The American Lawyer
June 29, 2015


(Cleveland legal aid lawyer Maria Smith says her group must turn away more than half of those seeking help. Photo: Michael Mcelroy for The American Lawyer
Read more: http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202730102717/The-Justice-Gap-How-Big-Law-Is-Failing-Legal-Aid#ixzz3jtvBp1Kn)

Cleveland legal aid lawyer Maria Smith says her group must turn away more than half of those seeking help.
Cleveland legal aid lawyer Maria Smith says her group must turn away more than half of those seeking help.
Photo: Michael Mcelroy for The American Lawyer
On a morning in late April, a young woman appears in Cleveland housing court without a lawyer. Her mother faces eviction, she tells the judge, but she can’t come to court herself because she’s in the hospital. The judge asks the daughter if she has any documents proving this. She doesn’t. The judge enters a default judgment for the landlord and orders the mother to move out in 11 days.
Magistrate Judge Myra Torain Embry will call more than 30 eviction cases this morning. With one exception, none of the tenants present have a lawyer. Most likely, they can’t afford one. For more than half the cases, the tenant doesn’t even show, and Embry enters a default judgment for the landlord. Most tenants are given seven days to find new homes.
During a break in the proceedings, Embry says this is a typical day in housing court. “It’s rare to have a tenant with a lawyer,” says Embry, a former legal aid lawyer who has been a housing court judge for 14 years. Even if a tenant hasn’t paid her rent, she can benefit from having a lawyer, she explains. Cases usually settle if a tenant has counsel, and a settlement often gives the tenant more time to move. A settlement also won’t leave an eviction judgment on the tenant’s record, which can harm her credit, and prevent her from qualifying for public housing. In the case of this young woman, a lawyer would likely have known to bring the necessary paperwork, and a default judgment might have been avoided.
Maria Smith, a supervising attorney of the housing unit at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, says they just don’t have the resources to represent most people facing eviction, or other crucial legal problems. The nonprofit is still depleted from cuts made during the recession, down to 40 lawyers from 55. Last year it had to turn away 57 percent of the more than 17,000 legal matters of all kinds that people brought to them.
Smith, 57, has worked as a legal aid lawyer in Cleveland for more than 15 years, previously spending time in Central and South America as a missionary. The stakes in these eviction cases can be scary, she says, especially for children. Smith recalls one judge telling her that her clients were facing “just an eviction,” not a death sentence. “But for some people this can be a spiral down from which they never recover,” she says.
Smith carries a caseload of roughly 30 active cases, and makes less than half the pay of many first-year associates at big firms. (Supervising lawyers at her organization earn between about $61,000 and $92,000.) “I have no complaints about the salary,” says Smith. “But the work is suffocating. I could work 24/7 and still not do everything I need to do.”
A juxtaposition
Scenes like the one in Cleveland’s housing court play out every day in every major city in America, in housing courts, family courts and other settings where critical life issues of the poor are decided.
In contrast to the constitutional right to counsel in criminal cases, an individual doesn’t have a federal right to a lawyer in a civil matter, no matter how serious. A few jurisdictions, however, have passed laws requiring lawyers for individuals in certain serious civil matters, such as the loss of parental rights.
A network of legal service providers who represent the poor for free has arisen to address some of this need, but a lack of adequate public funds and private donations means that, as in Cleveland, more than half of those who seek help are turned away. Put another way, there’s just one legal aid lawyer for every 8,893 low-income Americans who qualify for legal aid, according to the Justice Index, a project of the National Center for Access to Justice at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. That’s how, in a country with one of the highest concentrations of lawyers in the world, poor people often are forced to navigate the potential loss of their home, their children or their benefits on their own.
The crisis in legal aid isn’t new. What is new is that since the recession, profits and revenue at Am Law 200 firms are healthy again—in many cases, surging. Last year, the collective revenue of these firms passed the $100 billion mark for the first time. Many recorded all-time highs in revenues and profits, and profits per partner at a dozen firms exceeded $3 million. Yet in our analysis—the first time we’ve looked deeply at firms’ legal aid giving—it appears that the most generous firms contribute little more than one-tenth of 1 percent of their gross revenue to groups that provide basic legal services for the poor, and many fall far below that amount. This doesn’t include individual donations by firm lawyers, which isn’t feasible to track. While individual donations are important, institutional giving by law firms is crucial for legal aid groups, those organizations say.
We found that the bulk of firms’ charitable donations are directed to other causes, including clients’ pet charities and well-endowed law schools, records show. At the same time, the percentage of law firm pro bono work aimed at helping the poor is declining. Legal aid advocates, however, are largely reluctant to publicly criticize big firms, because they’re so dependent on the funds they do get from them.
Lawyers and firms, especially America’s biggest and most successful ones, have a special responsibility to do more, some observers say. “A big- firm lawyer ought to care that the justice system is working fairly for everyone,” says John Levi of Sidley Austin, chairman of the board of directors for the Legal Services Corporation, a federally funded nonprofit that is the single biggest source of legal aid funding in the United States. He senses that many big firms could dig deeper into their pockets to support legal aid. “I’m not sure they are,” he says.

David Stern, executive director of Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit that solicits firms to underwrite fellowships for young lawyers to work at nonprofit legal aid groups, says he appreciates the support he gets from big firms, but believes most firms should do more. “When you look at how little they give, it’s pitiful,” he says about law firm giving as a whole. “I have been doing this work for more than 20 years, and I am always astounded by law firms talking about charitable giving from a position of scarcity while their partners are bringing home more than $1 million in profits per partner.”
Beyond pro bono
Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit tells lawyers that bono work is critical to addressing the civil legal aid crisis, but will never solve the problem. Rather, he urges law firms to donate more money to legal aid.
“What we need most of all is dramatically increased lawyer and law firm funding for state and local legal aid programs,” he said in a speech at a fundraising dinner for local D.C. legal aid groups two years ago. Given the earnings of the biggest and wealthiest law firms, he said, “no one in this country should be denied access to the courts simply because he or she cannot afford a lawyer.” Tatel pointed out that if the 12 biggest firms in D.C. donated one-quarter of 1 percent of their revenues to legal aid, this would more than double the number of poor clients that legal aid groups could serve. “The District’s legal community can and must do more,” admonished Tatel, previously a partner at Hogan & Hartson who led its pro bono program.
During a recent interview, Tatel underscored that the wealthiest firms have a special responsibility to address this crisis. “Lawyers for whom this profession is extraordinarily profitable must fulfill their responsibility,” he says. When asked about the response from the law firm community after his 2013 speech, Tatel said: “I have not heard any response.”
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett partner Mark Cunha agrees that the law firm community needs to shift its focus to better help the poor. “An awful lot of discussion you hear about providing legal services revolves around pro bono,” says Cunha, who serves on the board of Legal Services NYC, the largest provider of civil legal services for the poor in the country. “There should be as much emphasis on financial contributions by lawyers or firms and government. There’s no question that legal services lawyers are more efficient in providing the kinds of services needed by low-income people.”
The need is evident in courthouses everywhere. Take Philadelphia family court, where one day in June a 35-year-old woman sits with her 7-year old son. She grips a folder with evidence she wants to show the judge, including police reports about her ex-boyfriend. She looks anxious.
“I’ve never been to court before,” she says. “I didn’t even know where it was. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
“Me, too,” her son says.
“You, too? I’m sorry, baby,” she says, holding her son. She begins to cry.
The woman is here because her ex-boyfriend has filed for a protective order against her. The woman claims that the boyfriend has been abusive to her and her son, but she was scared to take legal action for fear of retaliation.
She seems unaware that she might need a lawyer. “The cops that served me [with the documents for this case] told me I didn’t need an attorney,” she says. Did she know that free legal help might be available? “No, I didn’t know I could get free legal aid,” she says. “I was scared for my life. I’m still scared for my life.”
When her case is called, she stands before the judge along with her ex-boyfriend. Her hand shakes as she takes the oath. She agrees to let the case go to trial, but she seems confused about the implications. “What does this mean for me?” she asks as she walks out of the courtroom. She begins to cry again. “I don’t have money for a lawyer. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I can’t even afford my rent. The judge wouldn’t let me say anything or show my evidence. Why?”
Even if this woman tried to get a legal aid lawyer, she’d likely be out of luck. Roughly 11,000 requests for protective orders are filed each year in Philadelphia County. Susan Pearlstein, supervising attorney for the family law unit at Philadelphia Legal Assistance, says they have to turn away 95 percent of the people who request their help. “We don’t have the resources,” she says. Overall, Philadelphia Legal Assistance has only 20 lawyers, and has lost 10 staff members over the last several years. Kathleen O’Malley, managing attorney of Philadelphia-based Women Against Abuse, says her group has three lawyers who work on protective order cases, but they can barely put a dent in the demand. What does her group need most? “Money. More grants and more funding, so we can hire more attorneys.”
What law firms give
Voluntary contributions by individual lawyers and law firms of all sizes account for 7 percent of total legal aid funding: They gave $95.8 million in 2013, according to the American Bar Association, out of $1.385 billion in funding from all sources. It’s not clear how much of that $95.8 million was contributed by Am Law 200 firms. Even if the entire amount came from those firms, which it didn’t, this funding would represent less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the firms’ collective revenue of $96.3 billion that year.
The Pro Bono Institute, which is best known for encouraging pro bono work, also collects data about law firm financial contributions to legal aid groups. Each year it asks firms to answer an optional question about those contributions. The PBI’s data shows that the median law firm contribution in 2014 was $155,000 based on responses supplied by 63 firms. Only five firms gave more than $1 million. The average contribution was $356,503.


(Maria Smith and a client in Smith’s office. “I could work 24/7” and not finish the work, she says.
Read more: http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202730102717/The-Justice-Gap-How-Big-Law-Is-Failing-Legal-Aid#ixzz3jtwGTfaA).

When we asked the largest and most profitable firms how much they gave last year to legal services groups helping the poor, the response was mixed. Most firm leaders didn’t want to discuss the topic on the rec­ord, let alone disclose data. Others made it clear they didn’t welcome these questions. Maria Smith and a client in Smith’s office. “I could work 24/7” and not finish the work, she says.
One of the few leaders who discussed this topic publicly was William Voge, the chairman of Latham & Watkins, the top-grossing firm in The Am Law 100. “I think Big Law should do more. Whatever we’re doing can’t be enough, given the demand for legal services out there,” he says. Last year Latham’s revenue jumped 14 percent, to $2.6 billion, and profits per partner grew 16.5 percent, to $2.9 million. Voge did not disclose Latham’s legal aid contributions, saying that it would be difficult to collect that information and would be misleading without counting individual contributions from partners, which would be even harder to determine. “You could not look at the firm’s contribution alone and have it be representative of what the firm does,” he says.
(Some firms underwrite legal aid fellowships for young lawyers. Click here for stand-out firms.)
Four firms did agree to disclose their level of giving to legal aid: Kirkland & Ellis ($2.6 million); Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison ($1.5 million); Reed Smith ($300,000); and Sidley Austin ($2.1 million). The highest level of giving as a percentage of revenue was at Paul Weiss: its $1.5 million donation represents 0.14 percent of its revenue; Kirkland and Sidley were close behind at 0.12 percent.
“Our giving to legal aid has increased dramatically in recent years,” says Brad Karp, the chairman of Paul Weiss. “While we and our peer firms can always do more, I’m proud of the work that we and others in our community do to try to make legal services available to those members of our community who desperately need them.”
Uncertain public support
Private contributions to legal aid have become increasingly important, given the precarious nature of public support. The federally funded Legal Services Corporation is the largest single source of legal aid funding, but represents less than one-fourth of total support. The balance comes from a patchwork of sources, including state and local appropriations, interest on client funds, and private fundraising from lawyers and law firms. Adjusted for inflation, LSC’s funding has shrunk 40 percent in 10 years, and it’s not clear how it will fare in the current federal budget process. President Barack Obama has asked that its funding be increased from $375 million to $452 million for the new fiscal year, which begins October 1. The House Appropriations Committee has adopted a bill that would cut LSC’s budget by $75 million, down to $300 million, while the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $385 million. At press time, it wasn’t clear how this would be resolved.
Another dire funding problem for legal services is the dwindling money from IOLTA—interest on lawyer trust accounts—which have long been a significant source of legal aid support. When lawyers hold money in trust for clients, the interest earned must by law be turned over for legal aid funding. The negligible interest rates that have persisted since the financial crisis have decimated this funding source. In 2008 IOLTA produced $240 million for legal aid; by 2013 the amount was down to $74.5 million—the lowest figure since the ABA started tracking legal aid funding in 2002.
The ABA’s Model Rules, which aren’t binding on lawyers, say that a lawyer should voluntarily give financial support to organizations that provide legal services to people of limited means. But it doesn’t suggest a level of support.
LSC president James Sandman is reluctant to suggest how much law firms should give to legal aid, but wishes they would make legal services groups a priority in their giving. The former managing partner of Arnold & Porter notes with dismay that legal aid groups are increasingly competing for charitable funds with firms’ corporate clients, who pressure firms to donate to their favored causes. “While these nonprofits are doing good and valuable work,” he says, “these expenditures are more in the nature of marketing or client relationships.”

What they gave: Click on the thumbnails for charts detailing legal aid giving by the most profitable and largest U.S. firms.

Big Law’s beloved charities
Many firms direct the bulk of their charitable contributions to a range of groups other than legal aid, according to public filings made by foundations that some firms have set up for charitable giving. Kirkland & Ellis, for example, has one of the most generous law firm foundations. According to the foundation’s most recent filing with the Internal Revenue Service, the firm donated $8.2 million to 304 charitable groups in 2013. Of those donations, 21 percent, or $1.7 million, went to groups that provide legal services to the poor.
The firm’s largest contribution, $591,500, went to Northwestern University, where firm chairman Jeffrey Hammes earned his law degree. The Legal Aid Society of New York received the next-largest contribution ($448,117), and Kirkland’s third-largest gift went to the Bain Capital Children’s Charity ($298,200). Bain Capital is a major Kirkland client. Other recipients include Stanford University ($277,000), the Navy Seal Foundation ($50,000) and the American Football Coaches Foundation ($6,667).
The Jones Day Foundation, which distributed $3.5 million in 2013, gave $750,000 to Johns Hopkins University and $350,000 to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Legal aid groups received $270,000. The firm says it gives money to legal aid outside of its foundation, but wouldn’t say how much.
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which has the highest profits per partner of any firm in The Am Law 200, at $5.5 million, also has a charitable foundation, which distributed $1.85 million in 2013. It gave $1.05 million to New York University, where firm co-founder Martin Lipton is chairman of the board of trustees, $200,000 to NYU Langone Medical Center and $300,000 for Prep for Prep, which helps students of color attend private schools. Wachtell’s foundation didn’t contribute to legal aid groups. Daniel Neff, co-chairman of Wachtell, says the firm makes most of its charitable contributions outside the foundation, and declined to say how much Wachtell donated to legal aid.
Wachtell, like most major New York firms, participates in a pledge program to raise money for The Legal Aid Society of New York, the city’s second-largest civil legal aid provider, according to the society’s website. Fifty-two law firm “sustaining members” promised to donate $600 for each lawyer they have in New York, and these pledges raised $8.4 million last fiscal year. An annual gala raises millions more. In all, law firms contributed $12.4 million to the group last fiscal year.
Seymour James Jr., who heads The Legal Aid Society as its attorney-in-chief, praises the legal community for its financial contributions and pro bono work. “They have been tremendously supportive,” he says. Still, the organization is woefully underfunded. “There are hundreds of people we are unable to serve every week,” he says. About 2 million New Yorkers are living in poverty, he says, and The Legal Aid Society’s roughly 280 civil lawyers aren’t enough. He estimates it would take well over 1,000 lawyers to meet needs.
One factor in this funding crisis is that The Legal Aid Society’s $600 per lawyer law firm pledge level hasn’t changed in 19 years, since it was set in 1996. Chairman Richard Davis acknowledges that the board, which consists mostly of partners from Am Law 100 firms, has been reluctant to raise this amount. “People say, ‘Why don’t you increase it?'” says Davis, a former Weil, Gotshal & Manges partner who now has a solo practice. “But we don’t want to compromise our relationship [with these firms] by increasing it to more.” Vice-chairman Blaine “Fin” Fogg of Skadden says he’s discussed raising this amount with a few board members, but hasn’t brought the issue to the whole board. “Would I be happy if the sustaining law firms gave us more? Sure,” he says. “But there has been some reluctance to ask for an increase lest some firms say, ‘Enough already.'”
Six hundred dollars represents four one-hundredths of 1 percent of the $1.3 million average revenue generated by a lawyer at 18 of the biggest New York firms. This $600 is also less than the target amount for law firm giving set by legal aid providers in Chicago ($1,000 per lawyer) and Boston ($800), and the same as the main legal service provider in Atlanta ($600), where lawyers on average make much less.
Fogg and others stress that most big New York firms contribute to many legal aid groups, not just to The Legal Aid Society, so their total legal aid support isn’t reflected by these numbers. But no one, it appears, tracks collective giving.
Outside New York, two legal communities have found that a coordinated approach has spurred giving to legal aid. The Chicago Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Chicago Bar Association headed by Robert Glaves, said that last year at least 11 firms met the challenge of paying $1,000 per local lawyer for collective contributions to local legal services groups. More than $5 million was raised from all firms, a 43 percent increase since the program was started in 2008.
In Washington, D.C., Georgetown University Law Center professor Peter Edelman devised a novel program to track law firm giving to local legal aid groups. In 2011 the D.C. Access to Justice Commission, which Edelman chairs, started its Raising the Bar in D.C. program, which asks firms to donate amounts ranging from 0.075 percent to 0.11 percent of their local D.C. revenues to legal aid groups. (The firms report their donations to Ernst & Young.) The commission set the top percentage after finding that the two or three most generous firms gave 0.11 percent of local revenue.
Last year the Raising the Bar program raised $5 million for local legal services groups, a 66 percent increase since the program’s first year. Jessica Rosenbaum, the commission’s executive director, says that gathering the information to set those benchmarks was crucial. “Firms were in the dark about what was a generous giving level,” she says. After the information was out, she says, “it created a healthy competition among firms.”
Timothy Hester, the chairman of Covington & Burling, is a strong advocate for pro bono work, but he says he’s not convinced that law firms have a special obligation to support legal aid, especially given their status as partnerships owned by individual partners. He sees legal aid funding as a societal problem. “We’re making the decision [to contribute] on behalf of every partner,” he says. “It’s important for law firms to contribute, but I like to encourage partners individually to contribute. Not everyone will have the same view.” He notes that Covington participates at the highest level in D.C.’s Raising the Bar program, giving 0.11 percent of its local revenue, but suggests that is the limit. “You can’t expect a lot more than what we’re already doing,” he says. “You can’t expect giving to be unduly high.”
‘The crisis is so bad’
Although pro bono hours by the Am Law 200 firms have been generally robust from 2008 to 2013, it appears that a shrinking percentage of that time was spent helping the poor with basic legal needs. In 2013 only 46 percent of the hours reported by 80 firms to the Pro Bono Institute were aimed at helping the poor—the lowest percentage since the PBI started tracking this metric in 1995, when it was 71 percent. In 2014 the percentage jumped to 70 percent; PBI officials say they have been educating firms on the importance of keeping tract of that type of work.
Data gathered by The American Lawyer for its annual pro bono survey supports the PBI’s findings. When asked to list their biggest pro bono project of 2014, the majority of firms cited a project that focused on something other than helping the poor with everyday legal needs. More than 20 listed a death penalty case. (While that is valuable work, it’s not in the nature of legal aid work.) Other examples of top projects include voting rights disputes, environmental litigation, marriage equality cases, a Holocaust reparations project, and a transgender name change project.
Several firms, however, listed projects aimed at addressing the access-to-justice crisis of the poor. Davis Polk & Wardwell lawyers logged more than 2,000 hours last year helping more than 100 low-income homeowners victimized by fraudulent mortgage modification practices. Hunton & Williams runs two clinics for low-income individuals in Virginia; other firms periodically offer clinics, too.
Getting big firms to handle evictions, custody and child support issues, and consumer debt cases can be a hard sell to lawyers who would rather work on sexy headline-making cases. “It can seem too unfamiliar, even for an experienced litigator, says LSC’s Sandman. “People don’t want to embarrass themselves.” Sandman says he’s made it his mission to urge firms to devote more pro bono time to helping the poor with their basic legal needs, and accepts every opportunity he’s offered to speak at law firms about this.
Covington & Burling chairman Hester says he was inspired by Sandman’s talk at his firm to represent a tenant in housing court. It was satisfying, he says, but admits it wasn’t as stimulating as death penalty defense work, which he’s done for more than 30 years. “It doesn’t grab your intellectual attention in the same way as a thorny death penalty appeal,” he says. Still, he and others at Covington have been discussing ways to get the firm’s lawyers to do more work like this. “The question is, how do we encourage people to see this work for the poor in our local community as sufficiently engaging?”
Lisa Dewey, the pro bono partner at DLA Piper, says she’s been increasingly thinking about ways the firm can address the basic legal needs of the poor. “People shouldn’t avoid this work because it’s not sexy enough,” she says. “This is really important stuff.” The firm has helped create and run legal clinics in Baltimore and Chicago and at Veterans Administration hospitals. In March, DLA Piper and Arent Fox announced a novel collaboration with Georgetown University Law Center to open a “low bono” law firm that to serve low-income people who make too much to qualify for free legal aid, but who still can’t afford a lawyer at market rates. The D.C. Affordable Law Firm is slated to start taking clients in the fall.
DLA Piper’s Dewey says the firm is also thinking beyond traditional models of legal help. “The crisis is so bad,” says Dewey. “There’s no way everybody who needs a lawyer will get one. We’ll have to come up with new solutions, whether we’re using nonlawyers or self-help resource centers.”
Collen Cotter, executive director of the Cleveland Legal Aid Society, says some simple changes wouldn’t cost much but could make a huge difference. Court forms, for example, should be written in plain En­glish. “The terms ‘petitioner’ and ‘respondent’­—it’s not clear to most people what that means,” she says. LSC’s Sandman agrees. “We have a system that is largely built by lawyers for lawyers.” he says.
Hoping and praying
On a Saturday morning in late May, dozens of people sit quietly in a waiting room at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Health Center on the east side of Cleveland, where the Cleveland Legal Aid Society is holding a clinic. It’s staffed mostly with young lawyers doing pro bono work from Squire Patton Boggs, in-house lawyers from the Cleveland Clinic and local law school students.
One young woman has a dispute with her former employer, who runs a beauty salon where she apprenticed. “He made me work without pay, and I didn’t get my final paycheck,” she says. Although she was working for minimum wage, she says she was forced to sign a noncompete agreement preventing her from working at other salons. “I’m very nervous right now,” she says. “I feel like he’s trying to intimidate me.”
Another woman clutches a stack of papers. “I’ve got all this paperwork, and I don’t know how to fill it out,” she says. The 38-year-old mother of two says her husband died in March and didn’t leave a will. His bank won’t release his money until she goes through probate, and the forms confuse her. She lives in a nearby county, and was sent here by her county’s legal service provider because it didn’t have the resources to help her. She shuffles the papers. “They make it very difficult for common people to go through this.”
Maria Smith of Cleveland Legal Aid says she’s discouraged that society doesn’t see more value in providing legal services for such people. But she says she tries to stay optimistic. “The young lawyers coming through [legal aid] now are just incredible,” she says. How does she keep from becoming overwhelmed? “I pray a lot,” she says. “Most frustrating is that it would not take much away [from others] to change this.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the largest civil legal aid provider in New York City. It is Legal Services NYC. An earlier version also incorrectly stated the number of lawyers on staff at Philadelphia Legal Assistance.
(For additional coverage, including our editorial on Big Law and legal aid, click here.)

Reporter Anita Abedian contributed to this article.

What’s being said

nootkabear
Aug 24, 2015
covnbaeyer and Prof. Mai Linh Spencer, Academic Director, Lawyers for Americahave made very good points. I cannot help but wonder while reading this very informative and well written article, how lawyers and lawfirms can treat pro se litigants with such contempt, when they are really doing nothing to see that Legal Aid helps those in need.When people are forced into a corner, many of them will learn as much as they can, and go into he court pro se. The way these pro se litigants are treated is dispicable. I understand all of the many arguments about why pro se litigants should not be allowed into the courtroom, but at the same time, attorney‘s fees have become totally outrageous for common people. To deny them any form of justice should be viewed as criminal. That is not what our country was founded on.Statistics have shown that the American justice system is worse than most third world country when it comes to justice for the poor. That leaves these people even more vulerable to injustice.Thanks for such a great article!

covnbaeyer
Jun 30, 2015
What percentage of the IOLTA donations are big firm? My guess is that they carry the bulk of that number. I would also be curious to know whether legal services orgs find in kind/pro bono hours or $ donations more valuable.

Prof. Mai Linh Spencer, Academic Director, Lawyers for America
Jun 29, 2015
Thank you for this well-researched article, which I hope will serve as a call to action. One simple and cost-effective method to provide significant legal services to the poor is for a firm to sponsor a Lawyers for America fellow. For less than $57,000 total, a firm can fund a 3L to extern for 8 months at a partnering legal services org, then return to that same org after graduation and bar exam to work for an entire calendar year. That‘s 20 months of work directed at closing the justice gap. For more information, see com/lawyersforamericaThe program currently operates out of UC Hastings, where I am its Academic Director. We hope to see it spread to other schools and areas, so that we can eventually close the justice gap. It would be wonderful to have private firms join our effort in this relatively modest, but very meaningful, way.

Read more: http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202730102717/The-Justice-Gap-How-Big-Law-Is-Failing-Legal-Aid#ixzz3jtuWWAjF