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Pompeii

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Posts posted by Pompeii

  1. Lauren, You Go Girl! 
    McCarthy is just a another Rhino with his name is all over that FTX scandal and he also LOVES giving money to Ukraine because he gets back a part of it.

     

    2023-01-05_18-15-28.jpg

  2. Kulbacki, Florence.jpg
    Florence A. “Flo” Kulbacki, age 85 of DuBois, PA passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at her home.

     

    Born on May 18, 1937 in DuBois, PA, she was the daughter of the late Earl L. and Evelyn (Doutt) Pringle

     

    On November 10, 1956 she married her husband of 66 years, Stanley M. Kulbacki. He survives.

     

    Flo, along with her husband had several businesses in DuBois over the years. She enjoyed watching all Pittsburgh sports. She was an avid Pirates, Steelers, Penguins and Pitt Panthers fan. Flo also loved bingo and going to Salamanca.

     

    Along with her husband, Flo is survived by two children (Michael Kulbacki and his wife Toni  and William Kulbacki and his wife Vicki both of DuBois, PA), five grandchildren (Bill, Adam, Kaylee, Michael and Aaron), four great grandchildren (Mackenzie, Braylee, Madison and Maclyn), one sister (Cindy Hanna and her husband Thomas of Reynoldsville, PA),and one sister-in-law (Nancy Pringle of Penfield, PA).

     

    She was preceded in death by brothers George W. “Bill” Pringle and John Pringle, an infant brother and one sister-in-law Hazel Pringle.

     

    There will be no public visitation and private services will be held at the convenience of the family.

     

    The Baronick Funeral Home and Crematorium, Inc. is in charge of arrangements.

     

    Memorial donations may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice in the DuBois area.

     

    Online condolences can be sent to http://baronickfuneralhome.com/condolence

  3. Sometimes its all about the textures in a scene. I love looking around in this photo and “feeling” all of the roughness in it. As you can see, you might say I missed my mark. But that’s what I love about my photography journey. You often are left with something better than you intended. > Linda Stager
    010523_t.jpg

  4. One Thing, Jesus Christ
    SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #2 - January 5th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir


    Reflecting on 2022 with the Lord
    *The goal is for our reflection of 2022 to help guide us into 2023 in a holy, healthy, and humble way. 

    *Socrates once stated, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” He’s right - we must reflect. It’s extremely healthy to step back from time to time and reevaluate one’s life. We often refer to this principle as “know thyself.”


    *Recommended steps:

    1) Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your reflection on the past year.

    2) Mark down thoughts that come to mind. Allow every thought to be fair game. 

    3( Allow one’s life to be seen on the page before your eyes.

    4) Then, consider ways to adjust and grow for 2023 with the help of God’s grace. 


    Humanly - grace builds upon nature. Therefore, we first look at our humanity. 

    What are my habits? 

    Daily routine - what’s my schedule? Am I happy with this schedule?

    Nutrition - what am I eating? Should I consider a change in my diet?

    Exercise - how do I use the body that God has given me? Do I respect my body?

    Social relationships - who are my closest friends? Is the Lord presenting someone in my life that could become a friend?

    Hobbies - what gives me energy, excitement in my spare time? Is it time for me to consider a specific hobby? Do I need to consider letting go of a hobby?

    What are my dreams and hopes? 

    What goals have come to mind for me this year?

    Phone usage - honestly, how often am I on my phone? Do I use it for the right purposes?

    Computer usage - honestly, how often am I on my computer? Do I use it for the right purposes?

    TV usage - honestly, how often do I watch TV? Do I use it for the right purposes?

    Sleep - how much sleep do I need? Am I honoring that aspect of my humanity? 

    Conflicts - which conflicts occurred in 2022? Have those conflicts been resolved? What can I do about the conflicts that have yet to be resolved? If I am not able to do anything about the conflict, have I accepted this fact?

    Stress - what gives me stress? What triggers stress in my life? Do I know these aspects about myself?

    Financially - have I been financially prudent? Are there ways in which I can financially improve?

    Fears - be specific, what do I fear? Have I talked to the Lord about these fears?

    Anxieties - what are my anxieties?

    Am I taking breaks in my life? Or, am I just going, going, going? Do I respect my humanity in terms of recovering, taking a deep breath, and rejuvenating?

    Health - how is my health? Am I happy with my health? Am I quite frustrated about my health? Am I open to the Lord about my health? Would it be prudent for me to inform my doctor about something concerning my health? Would it be prudent for me to consider a checkup?

    Perception of oneself - How do I view myself? Do I speak to myself in such a way that I would speak to others? Or, am I difficult on myself? Am I able to forgive myself? Do I see myself in light of the fact that God created me and has a specific plan for me?

    *Anything else that is not mentioned above. 


    Spiritually

    Prayer schedule - could this be improved for 2023?

    Types of prayer - should I consider a different style of prayer?

    Am I listening in my prayer life or am I just talking a lot?

    Do I spend regular, consistent time with God?

    Am I focused on the sacraments? Do I consider my baptism? Do I receive God’s mercy in the sacrament of confession? Do I receive nourishment in the sacrament of the Eucharist?

    How am I learning in the spiritual life? Podcasts, books, spiritual director, retreat, Mass, Mass readings, videos, etc.

    Am I due to make a pilgrimage somewhere? Maybe this could be international or domestic. Maybe this could be within the state of Pennsylvania. Is it time for me to visit a shrine, a cathedral, or another church?

    Which saints in 2022 stuck out to me the most? Should I consider learning more about this saint?

    What have I learned during Mass that has been profound this past year? Should I learn more about this?

    Meditation - how do I like to pray? Where do I like to pray? Do I pray in the car? While exercising? While cleaning? While sitting in the church pew? 

    Is there a certain aspect of the faith that I am being drawn to learn more about? (charity, lives of the saints, the Eucharist, tradition, history, morals and ethics, the Bible, the Virgin Mary, suffering, the virtues, etc.)? How can I learn more about this?

    Artwork - does artwork play a role in my spiritual life? Does my home have beautiful, Catholic art? Do I ever pray with artwork? Have I seen the beautiful art of Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rembrandt and others? Is there a piece of art within my home parish that has jumped out at me this 2022 year?

    Lectio divina - do I spend time with Scripture? Do I meditate on the readings for the upcoming Sunday Mass?

    *Anything else that is not mentioned above. 

     

    Intellectually

    What are the ways in which I am learning about Catholicism? (books, podcasts, videos, parish groups, etc.)

    Who are the pivotal players that I am learning from? (the saints, EWTN, YouTube channels, parish groups, friends, authors, etc.)

    What’s my daily schedule of intellectual learning? Do I take specific time out of my day to learn about any of the following disciplines: theology, philosophy, science, economics, history, politics, fiction, cooking, nonfiction, literature in general, sports, mathematics, gardening, ethics, morals, technology, foreign languages, finances, or many other disciplines not previously mentioned. 

    Or, have I lost touch with learning?

    Should I consider a different approach to learning? (books, podcasts, join a group, consider a course, etc.)

    Is there a specific topic that used to intrigue me and give me life but I have since lost touch with this? Should I consider returning to it in 2023?

    *Anything else that is not mentioned above. 


    Pastorally (this word could be interpreted as relationships with others, family, community, work, Church, nation, world)

    What parish activities am I involved in? Is there something I should consider joining? Is there something I should consider not doing anymore?

    Is there something not offered by the parishes that I should consider presenting to the parish?

    What is my community involvement? Am I part of any non-profit organizations? 

    Did I stop doing certain community things as a result of Covid-19 and maybe I should consider returning to these things that I once took part in before the pandemic?

    How is my relationship with my immediate family? 

    Is there a specific person I should consider contacting? Would a phone call, a letter, or a visit be a good idea?

    How is my relationship with my extended family? Is there a cousin, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, etc. that could use a phone call, a letter, or a visit? Would catching up with a coffee be a good idea? Was there a family situation that took place in 2022 which would be worth reflecting upon? What does this experience tell me? 

    Is there a friend that I’ve lost touch with? Am I called to reach out to this friend in 2023? 

    What are my thoughts on the United States of America? Are there ways in which I could improve as a citizen? Am I well informed politically, historically, etc.? Am I learning about this country through the correct outlets or do I need to reevaluate how I am being educated about national news? 

    Do I respect the environment? Am I wasteful in any way? Could I make a few adjustments to benefit the world? Could I be more prudent with the use of my resources?

    *Anything else that is not mentioned above. 

     

    Most importantly:
    Am I allowing God to work through me? 

    Am I able to take my hands off of the wheel of life and allow for God to be in the driver’s seat?

    Do I know that I am called to be a saint?


    I conclude with words from Cardinal St. John Henry Newman:

    “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission.”

    May 2023 be a year in which we live out this mission with a renewed focus. 

    Fr. Ben Daghir


    ========================
    Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.

    Fr. Ben Daghir.png

  5. WHO'S IN THE NEWS:

    ▫️17th man arrested in Paxton’s online child predator sting
    PAXTON — The number of men arrested in the Paxton Police Department’s online undercover sting operation targeting child predators has risen to 17. On Thursday, Dec. 29, Paxton police arrested Dylan C. Conerty, 26, of Decatur, on charges of traveling to meet a minor, indecent solicitation of a child, solicitation to meet a child and exploitation of a child.
    https://www.fordcountychronicle.com/articles/featured/17th-man-arrested-in-paxtons-online-child-predator-sting/ 

    ▫️GRAPHIC: Former deputy accepts plea deal to 100 years in prison for child sex crimes
    LIVINGSTON PARISH, La. - Former Livingston Parish sheriff’s deputy Dennis Perkins has agreed to a sentence of 100 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea in a case that stunned the entire community when details first emerged in 2019. Perkins pled guilty to second-degree rape, sexual battery of a child under the age of 18, sexual battery of a child under the age of 13, video voyeurism, mingling of harmful substances, and production of child pornography.
    » https://www.13abc.com/2023/01/03/graphic-former-deputy-accepts-plea-deal-100-years-prison-child-sex-crimes/
    » https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2023/01/03/graphic-former-deputy-accepts-plea-deal-100-years-prison-child-sex-crimes/
    » https://www.wafb.com/2023/01/03/dennis-perkins-expected-plead-guilty/ 

    ▫️Struthers man Russell Miller facing charges in sex sting
    YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A Struthers man is facing charges following an undercover human trafficking investigation. Russell Miller, 41, is charged with engaging in prostitution, possession of criminal tools and voyeurism.
    https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/struthers-man-facing-charges-in-sex-sting/ 

    ▫️Registered sex offender arrested for rape, kidnapping in Wyoming County
    Police said William Synder, 54, of Middlebury, violated a protection order and held a woman at a home in Perry for more than two days. Police arrested Snyder Dec. 28 and charged him with rape, criminal sex act, kidnapping and criminal contempt.
    https://13wham.com/news/local/registered-sex-offender-arrested-for-rape-kidnapping-in-wyoming-county-perry-middlebury 

    ▫️Woman Escapes Horror After Being Held Hostage For 5 Days By Man She Met Online
    Tomball, Texas – On December 29, 2022, deputies with Constable Mark Herman’s Office responded to an apartment complex in the 24200 block of Kuykendahl Road in reference to a female victim that was severely assaulted by a male suspect she met on an online dating platform, identified as Zachary Mills. Further investigation revealed that she arrived at his residence on December 24th and was held her against her will until she was able to escape and seek help from a neighbor on December 29th. She was then transported to a local hospital to have her injuries treated.
    https://breaking911.com/woman-escapes-horror-after-being-held-hostage-for-5-days-by-man-she-met-online-sheriff/ 

    ▫️Sex offender seen with high school girls' basketball team now in custody
    CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. - A convicted sex offender turned himself in early Wednesday morning after the CBS 6 Problem Solvers were tipped off that the man had been helping the Thomas Dale High School varsity girls' basketball team during recent games and practices. Isaac T. Outten, 43, turned himself into law enforcement in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at about 3:30 a.m., according to Virginia State Police.
    » https://www.wtvr.com/news/problem-solvers/problem-solvers-investigations/isaac-outten-girls-basketball-january-03-2023
    » https://www.yahoo.com/news/police-search-sex-offender-seen-220517376.html 

    ▫️Police: Man sex trafficked two women in Eau Claire
    A 30-year-old Eau Claire man has engaged in sex trafficking at least two women in Eau Claire and other states, police say. Leonard D. Caston Jr. was charged Tuesday in Eau Claire County Court with a felony count of solicitation of prostitutes. A warrant has been issued for Caston’s arrest.
    https://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front-page/police-man-sex-trafficked-two-women-in-eau-claire/article_f6bea15e-060c-5367-8e88-41d74e24bee0.html 

    ▫️18-year-old accused of sex trafficking 13-year-old girl
    A Florida woman was arrested Monday after she convinced a 13-year-old girl to escape from their foster home before forcing her to have sex with adults in Broward County, according to detectives. Hannah Rose Marie Ellsworth, 18, is facing charges of sex trafficking of a minor, promoting the sexual performance of a child, and four counts of lewd battery of a minor between the ages of 12 and 16, county court records show.
    » https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/crime/fl-ne-woman-arrested-sex-trafficking-13-year-old-20230104-p7ccjgdgqja33pdgpu4zgqvppi-story.html
    » https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article270710197.html 

    ▫️ Former director of Manchester children’s museum gets prison on child pornography charge
    The former executive director of the Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester was sentenced five and one-half years in prison Tuesday for distributing child pornography, according to federal authorities. Robert Eckert, 56, of West Hartford, also was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to five years of supervised release, according to federal authorities.
    » https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/Lutz-Children-Museum-Manchester-Eckert-child-porn-17691918.php
    » https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/former-childrens-museum-director-sentenced-to-prison-for-distributing-child-pornography/2946945/
    » https://news.yahoo.com/former-director-manchester-children-museum-211800037.html 

    ▫️Former Riverside County School Counselor Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges
    In February 2021, a victim filed a report with law enforcement officials alleging that Ruben Rico Franco, 62, a former counselor at a Banning school, sexually assaulted the complainant from the ages of 10 to 14. Law enforcement officials believe there may be additional survivors impacted by former school counselor Ruben Rico Franco. Anyone who was victimized or has information on a sex crime committed by Franco is urged to call the Banning Police Department at 951-922-3170.
    » https://www.dlawgroup.com/riverside-county-school-counselor-arrested-sexual-assault/
    » https://ktla.com/news/local-news/former-counselor-at-riverside-county-school-arrested-on-suspicion-of-sexual-assault/ 

    ▫️Rocky Ridge man gets 45 years in prison for sexually exploiting girls
    A Rocky Ridge man was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Tuesday for the sexual exploitation of two minors to produce child pornography, officials said. Dennis James Harrison, 40, pleaded guilty in August 2022 to exploiting two preteen girls, according to a news release from the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office.
    https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/rocky-ridge-man-gets-45-050100613.html 
    ______________________

  6. Calliari, Louise.jpg
    Louise M. Calliari, age 94 of DuBois, PA died Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at Christ the King Manor.

     

    Born on May 13, 1928 in Penfield, PA , she was the daughter of the late Thomas and Carmella (Flamio) Camise.

     

    Louise was a waitress at the Keystone Restaurant and the M&M Restaurant in DuBois for many years.

     

    She was an avid Pittsburgh Pirate and Steeler fan.

     

    Louise is survived by three children (Thomas Calliari and his wife Doris of Brockway, PA; Susan Calliari and her husband Kenneth Flanick of Powell, OH; and Cheryl Burkes and her husband Ernie DuBois, PA), and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

     

    She was preceded in death by her son (Gary Calliari), three brothers, two sisters, a grandson (Brian Calliari), and a great grandson (Lane Palmer).

     

    There will be no public visitation. 

     

    A memorial service will be announced at a later date at the convenience of the family.

     

    Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Way, Memphis , TN 38105.

     

    The Baronick Funeral Home and Crematorium, Inc. is in charge of arrangements.

     

    Online condolences can be sent to http://baronickfuneralhome.com/condolence

  7. Rylee Rebecca Grimm, a baby girl, arrived at 11:10 PM Sunday, January 1, 2023 at the Maternal and Child Center at Penn Highlands DuBois. The parents, Ryan and Taylor Grimm of St. Mary's were excited to have their new baby.

    “The whole experience at Penn Highlands DuBois was magical,” shared Taylor. “The staff was so helpful and Rylee is absolutely perfect.”

    Baby Rylee weighed 7.9 pounds and was 21 inches long.
    010423_t.jpg
  8. WHO'S IN THE NEWS:

    ▫️Multiple cases involving sex offenders filed in Madison County
    EDWARDSVILLE – A number of cases related to sex offenders, mostly failure to register, were recently filed by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
    https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Multiple-cases-involving-sex-offenders-filed-17687627.php 

    ▫️Report: Terrell Hills PD tracked down child sex assault suspect in Europe
    TERRELL HILLS, Texas – A child sex assault suspect wanted on multiple felony charges here was arrested after a detective for Terrell Hills police used cell phone information to locate him in Europe. Florentin Dita, 36, was arrested upon returning to the United States in September on felony charges of possession of child pornography, indecency with a child - exposure and publish/threaten to publish intimate visual material.
    https://www.ksat.com/news/ksat-investigates/2023/01/02/report-terrell-hills-pd-tracked-down-child-sex-assault-suspect-in-europe/ 

    ▫️Arrest made in Merrick County related to sexual abuse child in Iowa
    LINCOLN, Neb. - Herbert G. Eddards, 44, is facing multiple charges, including sexual abuse of a child in the second degree, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and lascivious acts.
    https://www.klkntv.com/arrest-made-in-merrick-county-related-to-sexual-abuse-child-in-iowa/  

    ▫️Calhoun couple arrested on sexual exploitation of children charges
    On Thursday, Dec. 29, William Sandridge, age 42, and Allyn Sandridge, age 41, of Gordon County, were arrested and each charged with eight counts of sexual exploitation of children by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit. The GBI CEACC unit was assisted in the execution of this search warrant by the Calhoun Police Department, the Polk County Police Department, and the United States Secret Service.
    https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/calhoun_times/news/police_fire/calhoun-couple-arrested-for-sexual-exploitation-of-children/article_5b5938a2-88a3-11ed-a7ff-c7ea0e14eb0d.html 

    ▫️Thai Woman Pleads Guilty to Her Role in International Sex Trafficking Conspiracy
    ST. PAUL, Minn. – Sumalee Intarathong has pleaded guilty to her role in a large-scale international Thai sex trafficking organization, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents, the criminal organization conspired to make money by compelling hundreds of women from Bangkok, Thailand, to engage in commercial sex acts in various cities across the United States. Before her arrest in Belgium on August 5, 2016, Intarathong, 61, served as a boss/trafficker for the organization.
    https://pbjlearning.com/2023/01/01/thai-woman-pleads-guilty-to-her-role-in-international-sex-trafficking-conspiracy/ 

    ▫️Florida lawyer sentenced to probation after pleading to 34 counts of child pornography charges
    Tampa, Florida: 52-year-old attorney Chris Ragano "refused to confess" to the wrongness of his actions despite pleading to 34 charges related to child pornography as a part of an Alford plea.
    https://www.realdarknews.com/florida-lawyer-sentenced-to-probation-after-pleading-to-34-counts-of-child-pornography-charges/  
    ______________________

  9. Twitter Files #12
    1.THREAD: The Twitter Files
    Twitter and the FBI “Belly Button”Image
    2.By 2020, Twitter was struggling with the problem of public and private agencies bypassing them and going straight to the media with lists of suspect accounts.
    3.In February, 2020, as COVID broke out, the Global Engagement Center – a fledgling analytic/intelligence arms of the State Department – went to the media with a report called, “Russian Disinformation Apparatus Taking Advantage of Coronavirus Concerns.”Image
    4.The GEC flagged accounts as “Russian personas and proxies” based on criteria like, “Describing the Coronavirus as an engineered bioweapon,” blaming “research conducted at the Wuhan institute,” and “attributing the appearance of the virus to the CIA.”Image
    5.State also flagged accounts that retweeted news that Twitter banned the popular U.S. ZeroHedge, claiming the episode “led to another flurry of disinformation narratives.” ZH had done reports speculating that the virus had lab origin.Image
    6.The GEC still led directly to news stories like the AFP’s headline, “Russia-linked disinformation campaign led to coronavirus alarm, US says,” and a Politico story about how “Russian, Chinese, Iranian Disinformation Narratives Echo One Another.”ImageImageImageImage
     
    7.“YOU HAVEN’T MADE A RUSSIA ATTRIBUTION IN SOME TIME” When Clemson’s Media Forensics Hub complained Twitter hadn’t “made a Russia attribution” in some time, Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth said it was “revelatory of their motives.”ImageImage
    8.“WE’RE HAPPY TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH YOU ON THIS, INSTEAD OF NBC.” Roth tried in vain to convince outsider researchers like the Clemson lab to check with them before pushing stories about foreign interference to media.Image
    9.Twitter was also trying to reduce the number of agencies with access to Roth. “If these folks are like House Homeland Committee and DHS, once we give them a direct contact with Yoel, they will want to come back to him again and again,” said policy director Carlos Monje.Image
    10.When the State Department/GEC – remember this was 2020, during the Trump administration – wanted to publicize a list of 5,500 accounts it claimed would “amplify Chinese propaganda and disinformation” about COVID, Twitter analysts were beside themselves. 
    11.The GEC report appeared based on DHS data circulated earlier that week, and included accounts that followed “two or more” Chinese diplomatic accounts. They reportedly ended up with a list “nearly 250,000” names long, and included Canadian officials and a CNN account:ImageImageImage
    12.Roth saw GEC’s move as an attempt by the GEC to use intel from other agencies to “insert themselves” into the content moderation club that included Twitter, Facebook, the FBI, DHS, and others:Image
    13.The GEC was soon agreeing to loop in Twitter before going public, but they were using a technique that had boxed in Twitter before. “The delta between when they share material and when they go to the press continues to be problematic,” wrote one comms official.Image
    14.The episode led to a rare public disagreement between Twitter and state officials:ImageImage
    15.“IT MAKES SENSE TO PUSH BACK ON GEC PARTICIPATION IN THIS FORUM” When the FBI informed Twitter the GEC wanted to be included in the regular “industry call” between companies like Twitter and Facebook and the DHS and FBI, Twitter leaders balked at first.Image
    16.Facebook, Google, and Twitter executives were united in opposition to GEC’s inclusion, with ostensible reasons including, “The GEC’s mandate for offensive IO to promote American interests.”Image
    17.A deeper reason was a perception that unlike the DHS and FBI, which were “apolitical,” as Roth put it, the GEC was “political,” which in Twitter-ese appeared to be partisan code.

    “I think they thought the FBI was less Trumpy,” is how one former DOD official put it.Image
    18.After spending years rolling over for Democratic Party requests for “action” on “Russia-linked” accounts, Twitter was suddenly playing tough. Why? Because, as Roth put it, it would pose “major risks” to bring the GEC in, “especially as the election heats up.”Image
    19.When senior lawyer Stacia Cardille tried to argue against the GEC’s inclusion to the FBI, the words resonated “with Elvis, not Laura,” i.e. with agent Elvis Chan, not Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF) unit chief Laura Dehmlow:Image
    20.Eventually the FBI argued, first to Facebook, for a compromise solution: other USG agencies could participate in the “industry” calls, but the FBI and DHS would act as sole “conduits.”Image
    21.Roth reached out to Chan with concerns about letting the “press-happy” GEC in, expressing hope they could keep the “circle of trust small.”Image
    22."STATE... NSA, and CIA" Chan reassured him it would be a “one-way” channel, and “State/GEC, NSA, and CIA have expressed interest in being allowed on in listen mode only.”Image
    23."BELLY BUTTON" “We can give you everything we’re seeing from the FBI and USIC agencies,” Chan explained, but the DHS agency CISA “will know what’s going on in each state.” He went on to ask if industry could “rely on the FBI to be the belly button of the USG."Image
    24.They eventually settled on an industry call via Signal. In an impressive display of operational security, Chan circulated private numbers of each company’s chief moderation officer in a Word Doc marked “Signal Phone Numbers,” subject-lined, “List of Numbers.”Image
    25.Twitter was taking requests from every conceivable government body, beginning with the Senate Intel Committee (SSCI), which seemed to need reassurance Twitter was taking FBI direction. Execs rushed to tell “Team SSCI” they zapped five accounts on an FBI tip:ImageImageImageImage
    26.Requests arrived and were escalated from all over: from Treasury, the NSA, virtually every state, the HHS, from the FBI and DHS, and more:ImageImageImageImage
    27.They also received an astonishing variety of requests from officials asking for individuals they didn’t like to be banned. Here, the office for Democrat and House Intel Committee chief Adam Schiff asks Twitter to ban journalist Paul Sperry:Image
    28.“WE DON’T DO THIS” Even Twitter declined to honor Schiff’s request at the time. Sperry was later suspended, however.Image
    29.Twitter honored almost everyone else’s requests, even those from GEC – including a decision to ban accounts like @RebelProtests and @bricsmedia because GEC identified them as “GRU-controlled” and linked “to the Russian government,” respectively:ImageImage
    30.The GEC requests were what a former CIA staffer working at Twitter was referring to, when he said, “Our window on that is closing,” meaning they days when Twitter could say no to serious requests were over.Image
    31.Remember the 2017 “internal guidance” in which Twitter decided to remove any user “identified by the U.S. intelligence community” as a state-sponsored entity committing cyber operations? By 2020 such identifications came in bulk.Image
    32.“USIC" requests often simply began “We assess” and then provided lists (sometimes, in separate excel docs) they believed were connected to Russia’s Internet Research Agency and committing cyber ops, from Africa to South America to the U.S.:ImageImageImage
    34.Some reports were just a paragraph long and said things like: “The attached email accounts… were possibly used for “influence operations, social media collection, or social engineering.” Without further explanation, Twitter would be forwarded an excel doc:ImageImage
    35.They were even warned about publicity surrounding a book by former Ukraine prosecutor Viktor Shokhin, who alleged “corruption by the U.S. government” – specifically by Joe Biden.Image
    36.By the weeks before the election in 2020, Twitter was so confused by the various streams of incoming requests, staffers had to ask the FBI which was which:Image
    37.“I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR WORK LOAD”: Requests poured in from FBI offices all over the country, day after day, hour after hour: If Twitter didn’t act quickly, questions came: “Was action taken?” “Any movement?”Image
    38.Wrote senior attorney Stacia Cardille: “My in-box is really f--- up at this point.”Image
    39.It all led to the situation described by @ShellenbergerMD two weeks ago, in which Twitter was paid $3,415,323, essentially for being an overwhelmed subcontractor.

    Twitter wasn’t just paid. For the amount of work they did for government, they were underpaid. 

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