₦airaland Forum

Washington state activates National Guard in case of election unrest

The decision by Gov. Jay Inslee comes after ballot boxes were burned in his state and in Oregon, and amid broader concerns about election-related violence.

By Andrew Jeong
November 2, 2024

Washington state will put National Guard members on standby in the week of the Nov. 5 general election, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) announced Friday, days after a ballot drop box in the state was burned by an incendiary device.

Inslee has given the state’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, discretion on how many troops to activate. The figure is fluid, and officials will not be disclosing specific numbers, a spokeswoman for the state’s military department said. The troops will be activated from Nov. 4 through Nov. 7 and will support law enforcement, protect key infrastructure and respond to any unrest.

Inslee’s office described the move as precautionary. But it noted that the Homeland Security Department has warned that the threat to election infrastructure during the 2024 election cycle is high, and mentioned this week’s burning of two ballot drop boxes — one in Vancouver, Washington, and a second in neighboring Portland, Oregon — as a reason for his caution.

In Portland, police are increasing staffing on Election Day in the following days “as a precaution.”

Washington state’s decision follows precautionary steps taken by state and local officials across the United States and reflects broader concerns across the country that violence may erupt around the election.

A Washington Post-Schar School poll of more than 5,000 registered voters conducted in the first half of October in six battleground states found that 57 percent of respondents are very or somewhat worried that supporters of former president Donald Trump would turn violent if he loses, compared with 31 percent who think Vice President Kamala Harris voters would resort to violence. Two-thirds of voters are not confident Trump would accept a loss, while a little more than two-thirds are confident Harris would accept defeat.

The apparent assassination attempts on Trump, as well as Trump’s continued embrace of violent rhetoric, misinformation spreading on social media and conservatives’ efforts to cast doubt on election integrity, have fueled those concerns.

At an early-voting site in San Antonio, a voter punched a poll worker who asked him to remove his MAGA hat, The Post reported. (Texas prohibits election slogans inside voting places. Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, called another voter a “patriot” for objecting to a similar rule in New Jersey.)

The office of Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) said this week it will put 60 National Guard members on standby on Election Day. The guard members will “be available to support existing law enforcement preparations for Election Day on things like traffic enforcement and building security” or help deal with an unexpected weather event that coincides with the elections, the office said, adding that the decision mirrors the state’s preparations for past elections.

In the District of Columbia, Police Chief Pamela A. Smith has said that the entire D.C. police department will deploy through at least the Nov. 5 election. This means all eligible 3,300 officers will work 12-hour shifts, with most leave time and vacations canceled, The Post reported. Smith said that her agency knows of no credible threat and that there is “no need for any alarm.”

Three associations representing law enforcement departments across the country signed a joint statement this week vowing to “stand ready and united to ensure that Election Day 2024 is secure, safe, and fair.”

“Law enforcement must be deliberate and vigilant with the posture taken on Election Day,” the Major County Sheriffs of America, National Sheriffs’ Association and Major Cities Chiefs Association said. The organizations said that their officers have prepared for this year’s elections “for over a year and a half” by conducting tabletop exercises, sharing intelligence with other agencies and receiving briefings from federal and local partners.

Participation in the election process is a fundamental principle of democracy, they said in the statement, “and law enforcement will utilize every resource to ensure for a safe election process for all voters.”

Inslee activates some Washington National Guard members to support public safety activities related to the 2024 elections

November 01, 2024

Today, Gov. Jay Inslee activated some Washington National Guard members to be on stand-by in the event they are asked to support local law enforcement and the Washington State Patrol during election week. The governor has given The Adjutant General the authority to determine how many members of the Guard will be activated.

This is a purely precautionary measure taken in response to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s nationwide warnings regarding threats to election infrastructure and other recent activities that have occurred in southwestern Washington.

The Guard will be on stand-by for four days, beginning Monday, November 4, and ending just after midnight on Thursday, November 7, 2024.

Read the governor's letter to Major General Gent Welsh activating the National Guard. Full text is also below.

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November 1, 2024

Major General Gent Welsh
The Adjutant General
Washington Military Department
Building 1
Camp Murray, WA 98430-5000

Re: Activation of Washington National Guard assets to support public safety activities related to the 2024 Elections.

Dear Major General Welsh:

Based upon general and specific information and concerns regarding the potential for violence or other unlawful activity related to the 2024 general election, I want to ensure we are fully prepared to respond to any potential additional civil unrest of the type described in RCW 38.08.040 occurring within Washington State leading up to, on, and potentially extending beyond November 5, 2024, the date of the 2024 general election.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned that threats to election infrastructure during the 2024 election cycle remains high. The southwest region of Washington state has already experienced specific instances of election-related unrest. On October 28, 2024, an incendiary device was set off in a drop box in Vancouver, Washington, damaging or destroying hundreds of ballots, and a similar device targeted a ballot box in Portland, Oregon.

In response to the situation described above and the potential for further violence and illegal activity, I am directing the Washington National Guard (WANG) to prepare to provide critical public safety support by activating necessary Washington National Guard personnel in a standby status. In this role, the WANG will support local law enforcement and the Washington State Patrol as needed. Our state depends on these skilled individuals for critical support to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, to include support necessary to protect vital infrastructure related to carrying out free and fair elections and to respond to any unrest related to the 2024 general election.

Preparation to respond to civil unrest of the type already experienced will also require state level coordination and the activation of additional support functions within Washington’s Emergency Management System.

Under RCW 38.08.040, I am authorized to order the Washington National Guard, or any part thereof, into active service of the State to perform such duty as I deem proper when required for the public health, safety, or welfare and to prepare for events described in RCW 38.08.040. I find that such preparation, and this activation of the Washington National Guard, is required now for the protection of the public health, safety, or welfare of Washington State agencies and the people they serve.

Therefore, I, Jay Inslee, Governor of the state of Washington, pursuant to RCW 38.08.040 and in response to the above-referenced request, and believing such action is necessary for preserving public health, safety and welfare, order into temporary active state service for up to four days, beginning Monday, November 4, 2024, as many members of the Washington National Guard as may be necessary and deemed appropriate for the circumstances described above in the opinion of The Adjutant General of the Washington State Military Department to support public safety efforts related to the 2024 elections, as well as activation of support functions within Washington’s Emergency Management System.

This order of activation expires at 12:01 a.m. on November 8, 2024.

Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee
Governor

BascoVanVeli:
Na wah oh

naptu2:
Ngozi Sonia Okobi-Oke

@thenffofficial this group is technically sound it shows they’ve a good coach who understands his job, they can be the next @nigeriasuperfalcons in the nearest future as they keep graduating cos this was how I and many others start our national team journey.

Concentrate more on the #homebased players a lot of talents are right there in @thenwfl

Poll

*Home based or

*More foreign born

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBY89u_uOCs/

How Facebook pages lure users to ‘financial breakthrough’ with image of Aisha Buhari, others

The use of popular Nigerian images to lure users of Facebook to get financial offers is becoming a trend on the popular social media platform.

The posts on the pages are mostly promoted with pictures of well-known Nigerians in most cases. Thus, operators of the pages are used to lure users of the social media to a trading platform, as a way of “getting rich”.

Among the pictures of Nigerians used is former Nigeria First Lady, Aisha Buhari, on a Facebook page, Dann Films.

The caption of its promoted post on Facebook reads, “We say goodbye to Aisha Buhari, the saddest day for Nigeria”, with an image of Aisha.

Checks indicated that the page was created on September 17, 2018. Further findings showed that it is managed by multiple admins with a sole number administered to the page. The number, through the use of Truecaller, showed the name as “Danny Ting Kts”.

To deceive Facebook users, the page used the name of a Nigerian newspaper, Vanguard, and cloned its website front page, with the heading, “Aisha Buhari did not know that the microphone was on, and we are saying goodbye to him forever.”

However, findings showed that Vanguard did not publish such information.

When the post was clicked, it directed to a website with a different headline claiming, “Central Bank of Nigeria sues Aisha Buhari over statements she made on live television”, with Aisha’s picture, using the front of The PUNCH Newspaper as the source.

The post added, “Live on air, Aisha Buhari regretted revealing the truth. But it was already too late,” but the national newspaper has no such report on its website.

Part of the published misleading information read, “Scandal erupted during a live broadcast, when Aisha Buhari accidentally revealed her secret on the program. Many viewers paid attention to Aisha Buhari’s “accidental” words and started sending messages on the air. However, the show was interrupted by a call from the Bank of Nigeria who demanded that the program be stopped immediately.”

It claimed to have persuaded the director of the Channels Television program to give a copy of the recording of the program.

“If you’ve had a chance to read this article, keep in mind that it may soon be deleted, as has happened with broadcasting. So if you’ve had a chance to read this article, you should instead check out the link provided to us by Aisha Buhari herself,” it further read.

The deleted conversation, it claimed, was between Aisha and one Adline Okere as the interviewer.

In 2022, Channels Television had an exclusive interview with Aisha, where she explained why she apologised to Nigerians over the perceived failure of her husband’s administration to fulfil campaign promises and meet the expectations of Nigerians.

Adline Okere moderated the interview but did not relate to the trading platform or opportunities.

However, the conversation centres on marketing the trading platform with Aisha claiming to have said, “Do you think I don’t work hard enough?” Or that I am not like most Nigerians? Believe me, if I lived on one salary, I’d never have become a millionaire. When someone tells me I’m just lucky, I laugh in their face, because today, there’s everything on the Internet to get rich without leaving your couch.”

Okere responded, “So you’re saying that anyone can make money like you? I don’t believe it…”

However, a major misleading information is that the website addressed Aisha as “him” rather than her.

“You could see just how angry Aisha Buhari was about this sentence (of Adline). She started arguing with the host and accidentally blabbed about the loophole that made him rich”, the post read.

Promoting the platform named, Spectrax, 250 dollars is said to be made into millions in 12 to 15 weeks.

It claimed, “this platform is the perfect solution for those who want to get rich quick. It’s built on self-learning artificial intelligence, which exchanges crypto-currencies for you. That is, you don’t need to understand how bitcoin or any other digital currency works – the program determines the best time to buy or sell assets and trades independently. The advantage is that you don’t have to do anything – just make a minimum deposit, wait for the call from the platform operator to sign up and the program will start earning money itself. I don’t just recommend it – I insist that every Nigerian should utilize this platform. And, then, you’ll forget once and for all about the need to work.”

A check on the link directs users to Spectrax, where they sign up before “getting rich”

Findings also indicated that this same technique has been used with images of Channels Television presenter, Seun Okinbaloye; and Journalist Kadaria Ahmed, on different Facebook pages.

Speaking with a technology expert, Akinwale Balogun, told our correspondent that the pages gradually taking over social media are not only misleading but harmful to the platform and its users.

He urged Facebook to take measures to eradicate such posts from its platform.

“The actions of those pages are not only misleading but harmful to users and Facebook itself. Those pages have now seen the social media platform as where they could easily access without any disturbance to execute their businesses.

“I believe there are many reputable channels making (good) use of Facebook. However, it is high time Facebook took measures and address the situation before the pages turn it to what it is not,” he said.

GloriousGbola:
[quote author=GloriousGbola post=132698844]Fu-ck these south Africans and their never ending bad bele

Oya Where and how do we vote!

Let's do this!

Eligibility:
Voting is open to anyone 14 or older, worldwide. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any country or area
that is now included in the Territory, but later appears on Administrator’s list of “restricted territories,”
or becomes subject to trade sanctions imposed by the United States or the United Nations, shall be
immediately and specifically excluded from the Territory, and such residents will not be able to vote in
this contest.

Timing:
The Voting Period for the Global Vote will begin on November 14, 2024 and end at 12:00 PM EST on
November 16, 2024 (the “Voting Period”). The Voting Period for the Best Costume competition will be
announced subsequently (the “Voting Period”). Votes received outside of the Voting Period will not be
counted.

How to Vote:
Download the Miss Universe app and follow the instructions to vote. You may vote for free once per
contest (on the android and ios application) by pressing on the yellow star; by pressing on the green star
on the image of your chosen candidate, you may cast additional votes with no limit; by pressing on the
gold star on the image of your chosen candidate and selecting the voting pack of your choice for
purchase using mobile operator and/or credit card billing, depending on your country. The prices for
voting packages are subject below. Prices are listed in U.S. dollars. Conversion rates apply.
Only votes that comply with the instructions and these Voting Rules and Procedures will be counted.
You shall not use any third party services to vote on your behalf. The contestant with the highest
number of votes as determined by Administrators during the Voting Period will determine a place in the
top candidates for the Semi Finals and advance to the Finals. The Administrators reserve the right, in
their sole discretion, to reject votes cast by any individual who tampers with the voting process or acts
in a disruptive or unsportsmanlike manner.

Farewell to a True Legend - Suliat Olajumoke Abideen

Today, we say goodbye to not only a brilliant player but a remarkable leader and icon of Edo Queens FC, Suliat Abideen. With every game, Suliat showed unmatched commitment, grit, and passion. Her exceptional skill, sharp instincts, and undeniable presence on the field brought immense pride and numerous laurels to our club, including the unforgettable winning goal in the final of the WAFU Zone B tournament. Her contributions have shaped our team and inspired every one of us.

Suliat, thank you for your leadership, your heart, and your dedication to Edo Queens. You will forever be a part of our legacy, and we know you’ll achieve greatness as you take on this new chapter with ABB Fomget FC. We wish you nothing but success, fulfillment, and continued victories ahead.

Forever a Queen.

Farewell to a True Legend - Suliat Olajumoke Abideen

Today, we say goodbye to not only a brilliant player but a remarkable leader and icon of Edo Queens FC, Suliat Abideen. With every game, Suliat showed unmatched commitment, grit, and passion. Her exceptional skill, sharp… pic.twitter.com/f8EnhCmaW2

— Edo Queens FC (@EdoQueensFC) November 1, 2024