Two hundred and forty-five years ago, the American colonies declared themselves independent from British royalty. For many of the signers, it was not an easy decision. In putting their name down on the document, they were committing treason against the crown; a crime punishable by death.
Legend goes that as the founders were debating whether or not to sign the Declaration of Independence, an unknown man who had somehow found his way into the Philadelphia Convention Hall rose and spoke:
“Gibbet? They may stretch our necks on all the gibbets in the land—they may turn every rock into a scaffold–every tree into a gallows, every home into a grave, and yet the words on that Parchment can never die!
“What are these shrinking hearts and faltering voices here, when the very Dead of our battlefields arise, and call upon us to sign that Parchment, or be accursed forever?
“Sign! if the next moment the gibbet’s rope is round your neck! Sign! if the next moment this hall rings with the echo of the falling axe! Sign! By all your hopes in life or death, as husbands—as fathers—as men—sign your names to the Parchment or be accursed forever!
“Sign – and not only for yourselves, but for all ages. For that Parchment will be the Text-book of Freedom – the Bible of the Rights of Man forever!
“Sign – for that declaration will go forth to American hearts forever, and speak to those hearts like the voice of God! And its work will not be done, until throughout this wide Continent not a single inch of ground owns the sway of a British King!
“Yes, as I sank down into the gloomy shadows of the grave, with my last gasp, I would beg you to sign that Parchment, in the name of the God, who made the Savior who redeemed you—in the name of the millions whose very breath is now hushed in intense expectation, as they look up to you for the awful words—'You are free!’”
Happy Independence Day!
ICYMI:
The War on Terror is a “Forever War” by Antonio Jimenez
Here are some of the most important—and terrifying—lines from Xi Jinping’s 100th-anniversary speech by Antonio Jimenez
After nearly twenty years in US hands, the American military hands over Bagram Air Base to Afghan security forces; effectively ending the war in Afghanistan
(See also “Neither ‘Wonderful’ nor ‘Positive’” by Antonio Jimenez)
On Friday, the last American forces flew out of Bagram Air Base, leaving behind the 30 square mile base that was the center of Operation Enduring Freedom. Less than 1,000 troops remain in country, their sole responsibilities being the protection of American diplomats and Kabul’s International airport.
The base—which is situated 30 miles north of Kabul—was built by the Soviet Union in the 50s and used by their military when they invaded the country in 1979. Following the Soviets pull-out of the country, the base fell into disrepair. Following the US invasion in 2001, Bagram quickly became a hub for American and NATO troops. At its peak in 2012, 100,000 US troops passed through. Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump all visited the base.
The pull-out of Bagram effectively ends the US presence in the country, far ahead of President Joe Biden’s September 11th deadline. The Afghan National Security and Defense Force is now in control of the base.
When asked by reporters about the end of the US deployment hours after the news broke, Biden brushed off the questions and said, “I want to talk about happy things, man.”
The head of the Afghanistan International Human Rights Commission, Shaharzad Akbar, tweeted in response, “As an Afghan woman, I don’t have the option ‘to talk about happy things.’ I have to worry about a looming gender apartheid.”
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, celebrated the news of the pull-out, tweeting, “We consider evacuation of all US forces from #Bagram a positive step & seek withdrawal of foreign forces from all parts of the country. Such is in the interest of both them & Afghans. Afghans can move closer to peace & security with complete withdrawal of foreign forces.”
As of Sunday, the Taliban now controls nearly a third of Afghanistan’s nearly 400 districts and look to take many more. Videos have emerged from the county showing national forces surrendering to Taliban forces and even joining them.
“Unfortunately, the majority of the districts were left to the Taliban without a fight,” a provincial council member told the Associated Press.
Ransomware firm REvil strikes again, affecting thousands of targets
(See also “The Next Frontier in Warfare is the Internet” by Antonio Jimenez)
Last month, the meat processing company JBS SA was hit with a cyberattack that took all of their plants out of service—roughly one-fifth of the United States’ meat supply. They came back online after paying the criminal gang REvil an $11 million dollar ransom, paid in bitcoin.
“It was very painful to pay the criminals, but we did the right thing for out customers,” Andre Nogueria, the CEO of the company said at the time.
Well, REvil is back, this time hitting Kaseya VSA, software used by large companies and technology-service providers to manage and distribute software updates to systems on computer networks. Cybersecurity experts say that the attack may have infected over 40,000 computers globally.
“I’ve never seen a ransomware attack impact so may companies at one time,” Al Saikali, a partner at law firm Shook, Hardy, & Bacon LLP, told the Wall Street Journal.
While in Michigan, President Biden told reporters he had been briefed on the incident and that officials were investigating as to whether or not the Russian government was involved. “First of all, we’re not sure who it is for certain. The initial thinking was it was not the Russian government. But we’re not sure yet.”
Other stories from around the globe:
🇲🇲 Myanmar security forces kill twenty-five in the town of Depayin. They “shot everything that moved” (DW)
🇨🇾 Huge wildfire in Cyprus rages, killing four (Reuters)
🇺🇸 US Air Force has built a surveillance drone that is the size of a bumblebee (Newsweek)
🇮🇱 Israeli officials say Iran is behind the attack on a former-Israeli cargo ship in the Indian Ocean (Haaretz)
🇻🇦 Pope Francis travels to Rome to undergo intestinal surgery (Associated Press)
🇵🇭 Filipino military plane crashes, killing forty-five (CNN)
🇲🇽 Ruptured gas pipeline sets the Gulf of Mexico on fire. “Humans caught the ocean on fire” (USA Today)
Quote of the week:
Your state marks this landmark date with new impressive achievements in the economic, social, and technological development. China plays an important, constructive role in dealing with current issues on the international agenda, and in counteracting global threats and today’s challenges.
During the hard years of the revolutionary struggle and the formative years of the new China, the country provided every possible support of the Chinese Communist Party. We preserved the memory of our common history, in particular, the 6th CPC Congress, which took place in the village of Pervomaiskoye otside Moscow. As you know, a permanent exhibition is devoted to this historic event.
It is important that interparty relations are a significant part of Russia-China relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction. I am confident that the dialogue between United Russia and the CPC will continue to develop in a constructive way
~ Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulating Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
Now is the time to become a premium subscriber and support global analysis that is free from influence and bias. Smart and simple analysis of foreign policy and world affairs.