Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Friday, 01 October 2021. You can receive this daily briefing by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- Environmental radical to head Bureau of Land Management
- Biden’s Build Back Better agenda fails to reach House floor
- Poor pea production doubles cost of Beyond Meat
- Smith & Wesson flees Massachusetts for Tennessee
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
BLM: The Senate confirmed Tracy Stone-Manning as the new director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Her nomination is considered controversial as she was involved in tree-spiking or abetting other Earth First eco-terrorist activities as a graduate student in the late 1980s. She was not prosecuted because she testified against convicted eco-terrorist John Blount on others in 1993. She does not support relocating the BLM offices to Grand Junction but promised to focus on the western states due to increased impacts from climate change. (AC: Despite escaping conviction for her participation with Earth First tree-spiking, Stone-Manning’s radical approach to environmentalism is likely to appear in new BLM policies. Her focus on climate change policies will likely impact BLM land use for grazing, given her past advocacy for reducing the population and meat consumption. – D.M.)
INFRASTRUCTURE: The vote on the infrastructure bill was postponed last night after a deadlock between House Republicans and Democrats. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) states that the House will reconvene to vote on the infrastructure bill today at 9:30ET/8:30CT. Democrats were confident last night that the infrastructure bill would pass but have now decided they would wait until today to vote so that they can try to negotiate better terms for the social safety net legislation known as the “Build Back Better” plan. Discussions on the “Build Back Better” plan will continue tomorrow, and both parties will negotiate terms for an agreement that will be completed later. -T.W. (AC: Speaker Pelosi famously will not bring legislation to the floor without securing votes behind the scenes. The Progressive caucus in the Democrat party remains intransigent about their position and has no real incentive to come to Pelosi’s side, indicating a continued shift in the balance of power toward the Far Left in Congress. – D.M.)
BEYOND MEAT: A sharp reduction in global harvesting of peas in Europe and Canada is increasing the cost of plant-based meat alternatives, doubling the cost of the Beyond Meat brand. French suppliers also cite spiking energy costs as contributing to the doubling in costs, which are passed along to consumers. While marketed as a more environmentally friendly alternative to meat products, plant-based proteins are not immune from supply-chain disruptions, increased energy prices, and shipping costs. (AC: The long-term viability of meat alternatives should be questioned as pending federal rules will cap methane production and impose fines on businesses failing to reach carbon-neutral standards. Consumers will be unlikely to avoid higher food prices when the regulations take effect as meat alternatives face their series of production and pricing challenges. – D.M.)
SMITH & WESSON: The Springfield, Massachusetts-based firearms manufacturer is relocating to Maryville, Tennessee next year due to changes in state law. Should the proposed Massachusetts laws be enacted, Smith & Wesson stands to lose 60% of its revenue as manufacturing rules would cease production of many items. The move follows announcements from other firearms and component manufacturers fleeing Massachusetts this year for similar reasons. (AC: Since at least 2014, firearms manufacturers have continued to flee Far Left metropolitan areas and states. From a low-intensity conflict standpoint, the changing production and purchasing regulations from state to state may place many “blue” areas at a disadvantage for procuring firearms in the future. Mossberg, Troy Industries, Smith & Wesson, and others are investing millions in relocating to “friendly” territories after feeling the legislative hostility from anti-gun lobbyists and politicians. – D.M.)
HAZARDS WARNING
HURRICANE SEASON: Hurricane Sam continues to push north in the mid-Atlantic but is not expected to make U.S. landfall. According to the National Hurricane Center, life-threatening swells and rip currents are expected this weekend along the East Coast. Tropical Storm Victor is expected to follow Sam’s path and avoid U.S. landfall. The tropical storm is not expected to strengthen into a hurricane over the weekend.
In today’s Early Warning, we discuss attacks on the global payment system. Upgrade your Situational Awareness to Early Warning here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe