Reader’s links for December 14 – 2016

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In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

124 Replies to “Reader’s links for December 14 – 2016”

  3. Germany: Protesters detained during Berlin rally against violence in Aleppo

    Several protesters were detained during a rally in Berlin, Tuesday, as demonstrators came out to decry the humanitarian situation in Aleppo after pro-government forces took full control of the eastern part of the city earlier in the day.

  4. Allahu akbar !!! UK: Protesters march on Syrian embassy after pro-govt. forces retake Aleppo

    Hundreds rallied outside the Syrian embassy, Tuesday, after pro-government forces retook control of eastern Aleppo, with demonstrators demanding that the British government intervene to protect civilians in the city.

    • These allah-u-akbarists want to see more snuff-mouvies financed by Sorros/Obama/ inspired by Hollywood ? Tough luck ! The fun for this effluent (including the one shown in the video) is hopefully over: Putin & Assad are finally cleaning up ! http://littlenotesfromparis.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/who-gassed-children-of-syria-update.html

      Errrrr…..Sorry, Martin, I actually only quickly popped in to wish you happy Christmas and thanks for all that work over the last year and before and beyond ! (Got carried away, story of my life ;))

        • Martin ! You bringer of such horror from “the other side” but also bringing such sheer beauty. Half way through that poignant movie…moist eyes already. Thank you. And Merry Christmas to you!

      • I can’t keep up. Get here late – or miss 25 hours – and I’m hundreds of posts behind!

        Is it Christmas already? We haven’t even reached bottom, the shortest day.
        Or have we? Maybe I should spend more time with the light-box.

        • It isn’t Christmas yet but Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Hanuka.

          Better early then late and better late then never.

        • yucki writes: “… and I’m hundreds of posts behind! We haven’t even reached bottom, the shortest day.
          Or have we? Maybe I should spend more time with the light-box….”

          LOL, spending more time with the light-box makes me thousands of posts behind AND probably miss out on the longest day. But in the Antipodes, the days getting shorter is welcome if one doesn’t like the sun so much 🙂 Happy Hanuka !

          • The sun and I have a complicated relationship: I have SLE. Very well controlled, thank G-d.
            I avoid direct sunlight like a vampire; yet short days throw everything out of whack. Go figure.

            My father kept Chanukah (Hanukkah [sp?]) extremely low key. It’s not a Biblical holiday. Candles make the history lesson more memorable, but in no way is Chanukah a ‘Jewish Christmas’. That’s not only overly secular, but plagued by Ashkenazi imperialism. (Like lox & bagels and Yiddish.)

            Just enjoy Christmas, he said, for the thrilling Good News believers are celebrating. The birth of the Savior, the Wise Men, the touching universal Mother and Child. The grand songs resonate because we read from the Prophet Isaiah all year. These days we’re welcomed by our neighbors to share their celebrations. Be grateful and enjoy!

            [We always volunteered for work that would give gentile friends the time off. Usually in hospitals or nursing homes.]

  5. “Adrian Brown, 38, allegedly knifed Muhammed Aksar Ali just before their train arrived at Forest Hill Station, south-east London around 1pm on Monday.

    He is also charged with possession of an offensive weapon and assaulting Filipa Dias at the Honor Lea Hostel in Forest Hill on the same day.”

    “Ijaz Malik, prosecuting, alleged that Brown threatened passengers with a knife, then stabbed Mr Ali in the head and torso.
    He told the court: ‘Mr Ali sustained a punctured lung, punctured abdomen and a wound to his head.

    ‘Mr Brown was heard shouting “F****** Muslims, I’m going to kill a Muslim, I’m going to get all the Muslims”.’
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4032666/Man-accused-Forest-Hill-stabbing-appears-court.html

    If his motive to kill is not an Ideology of say that of Communism or Genderism, then where is the force of fear that makes this person strike, stride, submit or silent come from?

    • If his motive to kill is not an Ideology of say that of Communism or Genderism, then where is the force of fear that makes this person strike, stride, submit or silent come from?

      I would check to see if some young relative of his was forced into prostitution by the grooming gangs.

  6. Buckle up — Trump’s era of disruption has only just begun

    Iran warns it will destroy Israel and start World War III if Donald Trump tears up the nuclear deal. China calls him “as ignorant as a child” and threatens to end all cooperation if Trump doesn’t recognize Taiwan as part of China.

    Then there are the Hillary Clinton Democrats, who are trying to steal the election they lost. Some fellow Republicans also are breaking with the president-elect over Russian hacking allegations and his selection of oilman Rex Tillerson for secretary of state.

    If you blinked, you missed the Trump honeymoon. He hasn’t taken office, yet already, the long knives are out for him.

    The conflicts could be Trump’s baptism by fire, except he ran an endless gauntlet of fire during the 18-month campaign. Numerous reports of his demise were not premature, they were flat-out wrong.

    http://nypost.com/2016/12/14/buckle-up-trumps-era-of-disruption-has-only-just-begun/

      • There is no way they can’t know that this is going to cause violence, they know they have a lot of excitable protesters who have been taught to follow every specific and implied order the left gives. They know this is going to cause violence, statements like this are designed to cause violence. For the mouthpieces to make claims like this they have to want a civil war, and they are working hard to start one.

      • If I was one of the intel men who Congress wanted to talk to I would be worried about testifying while Obama is still in the White House. Telling the truth will be calling him a liar and he would find some way to retaliate, waiting until he is out of office would be a lot less risky to my job.

        • Scratch the first comment, it now looks like the intel bosses are refusing to testify until they can get together and make sure they all tell the same story. This is part of the quiet coup and is going to have disastrous results for the US and the West.

  7. Populist earthquakes make 2017 the great unknown

    New York (AFP) – Donald Trump and Brexit: 2016 was a year of populist earthquakes on both sides of the Atlantic, spelling huge uncertainty for upcoming European elections and the direction of US policy.

    On June 23 and November 8, barely 20 weeks apart, millions of Britons and Americans rejected the establishment in what Richard Wike of the Pew Research Center interpreted as a surge of anxiety about globalization, immigration and terrorism.

    Globalization and immigration have shifted the jobs market and demographics in the West. Many people, even in a country built by immigrants such as the United States, draw a connection between crime and immigration, Wike said.

    Across Europe, from the Netherlands to Poland, from Sweden to Italy, comparisons with the 1930s have become an echoing refrain.

    There are now a plethora of populist movements seeking to rise up against established urban and political elites, as well as against Brussels, and “return” their countries to the struggling middle classes.

    So after Trump takes office on January 20 at the helm of the most powerful democracy on the planet, will 2017 see populists also take power in Europe?

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/populist-earthquakes-2017-great-unknown-022255370.html

  8. Exclusive: China installs weapons systems on artificial islands – U.S. think tank

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery.

    The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said its findings come despite statements by the Chinese leadership that Beijing has no intention to militarize the islands in the strategic trade route, where territory is claimed by several countries.

    AMTI said it had been tracking construction of hexagonal structures on Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs in the Spratly Islands since June and July. China has already built military length airstrips on these islands.

    “It now seems that these structures are an evolution of point-defense fortifications already constructed at China’s smaller facilities on Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, and Cuarteron reefs,” it said citing images taken in November and made available to Reuters.

    “This model has gone through another evolution at (the) much-larger bases on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs.”

    Satellite images of Hughes and Gaven reefs showed what appeared to be anti-aircraft guns and what were likely to be close-in weapons systems (CIWS) to protect against cruise missile strikes, it said.

    http://www.oann.com/exclusive-china-installs-weapons-systems-on-artificial-islands-u-s-think-tank/

    Richard: This isn’t good, as I have said before China intends to control access to the South China Sea including having the final say on who can sail on that body of water and what they can carry. If you pay them passage fees. This is a clear violation of the freedom of the seas that Western Civilization has fought so long to maintain. Nam, India, Tailand, Cambodia, Indonisia, Malaysia and Singapore must use the South China Sea for all or the major part of their imports. So must Taiwan and without freedom of the seas Red China can choke their economy to the point their economy and nation collapse. Japan and the Philippines and Japan get over half of their imports through the South China sea.

    The 7 artificial Islands are positioned at the choke points where the navigable waters are narrowed down to a relatively small channel due to reefs.

    • Not many people also know that China made a strategic partnership with Iceland.

      “In 2010, the two countries agreed currency swaps between Iceland’s krona and China’s yuan, and in 2013 they signed a free trade agreement — the first between China and a European country.

      With Iceland’s support, China was granted observer status in 2013 at the Arctic Council, whose core members are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, the United States and Iceland.

      It also attends annual Arctic Circle Assemblies hosted by Iceland — gatherings of politicians, officials, scientists and businesspeople to discuss the future of the region.

      “China’s got a broad range of Arctic interests — economic, scientific, political, strategic,” said Anne-Marie Brady, editor in chief of the Polar Journal and a global fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington. “But the main thing it wants at the moment would be to make sure it has a seat at any decision-making table and has access to any rights that are up for grabs. So it’s great to have a friendly state like Iceland.”

      Some of the plans discussed by the two countries have been grandly ambitious, such as making a deep-sea port in a northern Iceland fjord to create a major shipping hub on the Northern Sea Route.

      It remains unbuilt, but the economic relationship between the two countries is growing steadily.” (AP)
      “The future sea route through arctic, the North-East passage, reduces the length and duration of the freight route from North Western Europe to East Asia by a third compared to the conventional southern route across the Suez Canal. ” (TagesAnzeiger)
      The cost of transport are reduced by 20 to 30%, and the overall cost of goods are reduced by 3%.
      Trade between (Western) Europe and Asia will grow by 6%
      Main losers will be Suez Canal (Egypt) and Singapore. Also trade from south -Europe will be lower because north-Western Europe (ex. Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway ) will import less from there.
      If the cost of trade with China& Far East Asia will get lower, the trade with USA/Canada may also suffer.

      • They also have large numbers of people in Africa on economic missions and have are getting ready to become big boys on the block in many areas of the world. They are also praying that the worlds economy doesn’t drop soon because rather then being the strongest economy in the world they ahve the weakest economy of the major nations. This is part of the reason they want the ability to charge passage fees in the South China Sea.

  9. Unequal Europe

    Deciding to explain political decisions only with economic factors is problematic. In the case of the Brexit, the Trump election, or the mass immigration initiative, issues of sovereignty, democracy and identity have always been the issue.

    However, it is striking how strongly the economic factors correlate with the voice behavior. Let us take the example of Great Britain. The regional data of the European economy speak such a clear language that it is no longer necessary to wonder why most regions outside of London voted for the Brexit.

    The first chart from Eurostat shows the GDP adjusted per capita GDP. It is immediately apparent that in Great Britain the difference between rich and poor regions is particularly marked. It has darkviolet areas (the poorest) and dark blue areas (the richest). (The easily misunderstood abbreviation NUTS stands for Nomenclature des unités territoriales statistiques.)

    But Britain is not the only country that knows this great downfall. Also in Italy and Spain it has dark blue and dark violet areas. There is also a large gradient in Germany and France, though less marked than in Great Britain.

    What happens in the UK is that the richest region (London) is much richer than the rest of the country, as the second chart shows. Even the Paris region can not keep up with London. In a European comparison, the British households are not so bad at all, but the distance to the rich elite is enormous.

    The third graphic is, however, most significant. It shows how household disposable income developed between 2008 and 2013. It is an excellent indicator to make the effects of the various financial crises visible.

    Great Britain’s decline is particularly striking, mainly due to the domestic real estate crisis. Ireland and Spain were also hit hard, mainly because of the domestic real estate crisis, but also because of the euro crisis. The most affected are Greece and Italy. The causes of Greek tragedy are well known; in Italy the causes are more complex. Interestingly, some regions in the Netherlands had to leave feathers. Here, too, a domestic real estate crisis is the main cause.

    The irony of the whole thing is that the weaker regions can now only hope for the despised Donald Trump. When the new president launches a large infrastructure program and cuts corporate taxes, the US economy will experience a boom from which Europe will benefit for a time. If he does nothing of the kind, it becomes more and more difficult for Europe politically.
    (google translate)
    (To understand the article well, it is necessary to go to the original and look at the graphics)

    http://blog.tagesanzeiger.ch/nevermindthemarkets/index.php/40903/ungleiches-europa/

  10. German Defense Minister Refusing to Wear Hijab Causes Saudi Outrage (sputniknews, Dec 14, 2016)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612141048524684-german-defense-minister-refuses-hijab/

    “Controversy arose after German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her entourage refused to wear hijab head coverings or the full length abaya garment while visiting Riyadh last week.

    Von der Leyen said that she “respect[s] the customs and traditions of the country,” but added that, “No woman in my delegation will be required to wear the abaya, as the [right] to choose one’s attire is a right shared by men and women equally,” according to Iran Front Page.

    Her announcement came days after German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a ban on the burqa head covering in Germany.

    During a meeting with Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman al Saud, her counterpart in Saudi Arabia, Von der Leyen wore a dark blue suit while al Saud donned the traditional ghutrah head covering and white thobe garment. After images of Von der Leyen dressed in European clothing appeared in Saudi News, Saudis tweeted their disdain. Al Bawaba translated one tweet as, “The German Defense Minister: Not wearing the hijab in Saudi was deliberate. This is an insult to Saudi Arabia!”…”

  12. Liberation of Aleppo Paves the Way for Syrian Army’s ‘Offensive on Idlib, Raqqa’ (sputniknews, Dec 14, 2016)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612141048530914-aleppo-syrian-army-offensive/

    “The liberation of the Syrian city of Aleppo creates an opportunity for government forces to make further advances against terrorists across Syria, said Boris Dolgov, senior research fellow at the Institute for Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences…”

  13. Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar ash-Sham Hindered Evacuation of Civilians From Aleppo – UN (sputniknews, Dec 14, 2016)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612141048551227-terrorists-aleppo-evacuation/

    “According to a UN commission, al-Nusra Front terrorists and allied Ahrar ash-Sham rebels prevented civilians from leaving eastern Aleppo.

    The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic also said that terrorists and allied Syrian rebels embedded themselves within civilian population. “Alongside a pattern of indiscriminate attacks, the Commission has further received allegations of opposition groups, including the terrorist group Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra [al-Nusra Front]) and Ahrar al-Sham [Ahrar ash-Sham] preventing civilians from leaving as well as opposition fighters embedding themselves within the civilian population, thus heightening the risk to civilians of being killed or injured,” the statement read…”

  14. Syria conflict: Fierce fighting halts Aleppo evacuation (BBC, Dec 14. 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38314291

    “A deal to evacuate rebel fighters and civilians from eastern Aleppo has stalled, with heavy shelling reported in the Syrian city.

    A ceasefire was declared in Aleppo on Tuesday and buses brought in to ferry people out of the devastated enclave.

    But fighting resumed on Wednesday. Syrian activists also say air strikes over rebel-held territory have resumed.

    The breakdown of the deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, is being attributed to demands from the government side.

    It is said to be seeking the evacuation of injured fighters and civilians from nearby towns encircled by opposition forces…”

  15. Syrian Refugees Protest at Russian Consulate in Greek City (abcnews, Dec 14, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/syrian-refugees-protest-russian-consulate-greek-city-44186251

    “About 40 Syrian refugees from camps near Thessaloniki have protested peacefully outside the Russian consulate in the northern Greek port city against Russia’s bombardment of Aleppo.

    Refugees burnt a Russian flag and held up placards outside the building, which was heavily guarded by Greek police.

    Rizan Ali Hasan, 24, said Wednesday’s protest was prompted by high civilian casualties in Aleppo. “Many children were killed,” he said…”

  16. Report: Islamic State Manufacturing Arms on Industrial Scale (abcnews, Dec 14, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/report-islamic-state-manufacturing-arms-industrial-scale-44180067

    “The Islamic State group was manufacturing weapons in and around Mosul on an industrial scale with products largely purchased in bulk from Turkey, according to a report published by an arms research group Wednesday.

    The findings show that IS maintained a “robust and reliable” supply chain between Turkey and Iraq that allowed the fighters to produce tens of thousands of weapons, the London-based Conflict Armaments Research said. The group’s researchers studied IS weapons found at manufacturing facilities and on the battlefield during the Iraqi operation to retake Mosul that is underway…”

    • Predictions are that they will regroup in Libya and no one is sure where they will go when kicked out of there. This is why it will take a long time to win the war, no matter what we do they will try regrouping somewhere. We are going to have to crush the MB along with the Iranian Mullahs before we can come close to stopping the fundamentalist Islamic groups they have spawned.

  17. Kenya: Iranian Men in Israeli Embassy Case to Be Deported (abcnews, Dec 14, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/kenya-iranian-men-israeli-embassy-case-deported-44185410

    “A Kenyan court has ordered the deportation of two Iranian men who were accused of plotting an attack on the Israeli embassy in the capital, Nairobi.

    A court order issued Wednesday said an agreement had been reached between prosecutors and the Iranian embassy leading to the termination of criminal charges and deportation.

    The suspects, Sayed Nasrollah Ebrahim and Abdolhosein Gholi Safaee, had been in custody since Nov. 29, when they were arrested outside the Israeli embassy with video footage of the facility. They had been traveling in an Iranian diplomatic car after visiting a prison where they saw two other Iranians who have been jailed for 15 years on terrorism charges, according to prosecutors.

    They were charged with collecting information to facilitate a terrorist act.

    Iranian agents have been suspected in attacks or thwarted attacks around the globe in recent years, including in Azerbaijan, Thailand and India. Most of the plots had Israeli targets.

    In June 2013, a Kenyan court convicted two Iranian nationals of plotting attacks against Western targets in Kenya and they were sentenced to life in prison. That sentence was reduced on appeal in February to 15 years in prison.

    Those men, Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Sayed Mansour Mousavi, led officials to a 15-kilogram (33-pound) stash of the explosive RDX. Kenyan anti-terror officials said they were members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, an elite and secretive unit.”

  20. Minor refugees had already grown up

    Age tests in Denmark confirm the suspicion in 74 percent of the cases. The Refugee Relief Association has an original explanation for the Schummeleien.
    When granting asylum, Denmark is particularly restrictive. However, minors also receive preferential treatment in the asylum procedure. For example, they can catch up with their parents and be accommodated for children. In particularly doubtful cases, the Ausländerbehörde DIS has commissioned the institute of medicine of the University of Copenhagen to carry out radiographic tests.

    Of the 800 asylum seekers tested to date, 600 were over 18 years old, reports Jyllands-Posten. This confirmed the suspicion in 74 per cent of the doubted cases. By the end of the year a total of 1,000 cases will be dealt with.

    Cases were investigated where the minors were too old for their age, or where their resume contains too many activities for the given age. Anyone who refuses to test is classified by the Office as an adult. The institute for the right medicine also made X-ray photographs of hands and teeth (see box).

    http://bazonline.ch/ausland/europa/Minderjaehrige-Fluechtlinge-waren-doch-schon-erwachsen/story/10213428
    (google translate)

  21. France: European democracy in ‘great danger’ from rising ‘ultra-nationalism’ – Schulz

    President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, who is leaving EU politics to run as a Social Democratic Party candidate in Germany’s general election next year, stated that European democracy is “great danger today”, speaking during his last full European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, Wednesday.

    • Arms seized by Islamic State in Syria pose threat to U.S.-led forces – general

      The head of U.S. forces fighting Islamic State said on Wednesday that weapons seized by the group when they captured the Syrian city of Palmyra posed a danger to U.S.-led coalition in the region, but he said that threat could be managed.

      Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told a Pentagon video briefing that the weapons seized by Islamic State when it captured Palmyra recently included armored vehicles and air defense equipment.

      “I’m not really exactly sure … what they’ve seized there. We believe it includes some armored vehicles and various guns and other heavy weapons, possibly some air defense equipment,” Townsend said. “Basically anything they seized poses a threat to the coalition but we can manage those threats and we will.”

      He indicated U.S. forces would strike the weapons as the opportunity presented itself. He also said fighting between Russian-backed Syrian government forces and Syrian rebels in Aleppo was unlikely to significantly affect the U.S.-backed effort to take the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, Syria.

      http://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-townsend-idINKBN14326K
      ==================================================
      US General Says Daesh May Have Seized Anti-Aircraft Weapons in Palmyra

      US Army General Stephen Townsend said that Daesh terrorists may have seized anti-aircraft weapons in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra.

      Operation Inherent Resolve Commanding General Stephen Townsend said that weapons seized by Daesh in Palmyra include armor and “possibly air defense equipment.”

      “We believe it includes some armored vehicles and various guns and other heavy weapons, possibly some air defense equipment. Basically anything they seize poses a threat to the Coalition,” Townsend told reporters.

      He also said that the US-led coalition anticipates that Russia and the Syrian government will shortly retake the city of Palmyra from terrorists.

      “I expect that the Russians and the [Syrian President Bashar Assad’s] regime will address it here in short order,” Townsend stated.

      The Syrian government forces supported by Russia will unlikely lose more territory to Daesh after terrorists took back the city of Palmyra, Townsend added.

      “I think they will devote adequate attention to holding the ground that they are on,” Townsend told reporters. “My guess is they probably will not lose much more terrain to ISIL Daesh].”

      The commander added that “if the Russians and the regime don’t strike it [Palmyra], we will.”

      On Sunday, Daesh recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra in the Homs province. According to various sources, the number of terrorists that took part in the storming of the city reached 5,000 including hundreds of suicide bombers and dozens of armored vehicles. According to the Homs governor, the government forces managed to evacuate some 80 percent of city’s civilian population.

      https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612141048560930-us-general-palmyra-weapons/

    • Paris to switch off Eiffel Tower lights for Aleppo

      Paris will turn off the lights on its most popular attraction on Wednesday evening in solidarity with the people of Aleppo.

      Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted (below) that the move was “to show solidarity from the city of Paris for the city of Aleppo and its inhabitants”.

      “We hope that this symbolic measure, on a monument that is known around the world, will show the international community once more the urgent need to act,” she told Europe 1.

      The lights will switch off from 8pm.

      Syrian government forces have reclaimed most of the city from rebel fighters in recent days amid reports of atrocities committed against residents attempting to flee.

      UN humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said the organization had received detailed reports of deadly attacks on civilians by victorious pro-government militias.

      French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday joined calls for international observers to oversee the evacuation of civilians trapped under fire in the wrecked city.

      At a meeting with his defence cabinet, Hollande said those trapped by the fighting should “be evacuated in a dignified and safe manner, under the supervision of international observers and in the presence of humanitarian organizations,” the presidency said in a statement.

      Hollande also demanded that the population of eastern Aleppo receive “unconditional aid and protection” and said only a negotiated political transition could lead to “a lasting victory over terrorism” in Syria.

      The French statement echoed a call by the US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, who said on Tuesday that foreign observers should be allowed in to “oversee the safe evacuation of the people who wish to leave but who justifiably fear that if they try, they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad’s gulags.”

      On Wednesday, Aleppo was rocked anew by fierce clashes, jeopardizing a deal for the evacuation of civilians and fighters from remaining rebel-held areas.

      French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said France and Germany were pressing for the creation of humanitarian corridors allowing civilians out and aid agencies into the battered city.

      He rejected calls for Hollande to take a leaf from late Socialist president Francois Mitterrand’s book by visiting Aleppo.

      http://www.thelocal.fr/20161214/eiffel-tower-aleppo-lights-off-paris

      Syria: For the West ‘the defeat of terrorists is defeat of their proxies’ –

      • He’s right.

        As far as the Eiffel Tower…no big deal about the sympathy-lights. Tourism’s gone down the drain anyway.

        Eiffel Tower shut by third strike of 2016
        Paris (AFP) – Workers at the Eiffel Tower concerned over an upcoming paint job at the famous landmark went on strike Tuesday, the third stoppage at the monument in six months.

        Unions representing the 300 workers said they called the strike over the “deliberate absence of transparency” on key decisions relating to the functioning of the tower.

        A spokesman for the hard-left CGT union Denis Vavassori said employees were particularly worried about a paint stripping operation planned ahead of a new paint job in 2017.

        “The monument is in an obvious state of disrepair,” he said, warning of the “health risks” to staff from what he called a “botched” operation.

        The strike left crowds of disappointed visitors who had to make do with admiring the the 324-metre (1,063-foot) tower from the ground.

        The tower’s operator SETE confirmed the latest closure was caused by a labour dispute.

        “Discussions are taking place between management and workers’ representatives,” SETE said, adding it regretted the inconvenience to visitors.

        The dispute is the third in six months at the venerable “Iron Lady”, with staff having already walked off the job twice in June, during the Euro football championship hosted by France.

        Those strikes were in protest over controversial labour reforms pushed through parliament by the Socialist government.

        https://www.yahoo.com/news/eiffel-tower-shut-third-strike-2016-131450848.html

  23. “Two of the writers who worked on “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” jumped into the political fray on Friday with not-so subtle anti-Donald Trump messages.

    “Please note that the Empire is a white supremacist (human) organization,” screenwriter Chris Weitz tweeted. Gary Whitta, who also worked on the film, followed up by adding, “Opposed by a multi-cultural group led by brave women.””
    http://www.thewrap.com/star-wars-against-hate-rogue-one-writers-get-political/

    Two opinions from those who saw the movie:
    1/10 | ja-10702 | 13 Dec 2016
    “It was slow the entire movie and the main female character was boring. It took forever to develop a story and there was really nothing behind it.”

    10/10 | FeministSociety | 12 Dec 2016
    “This is a film as good, if not superior to The Empire Strikes Back which was too male oriented and macho heavy. This film brings more balance to the franchise with another delightful female heroine who proves that the ladies are every bit as tough as the men – if not more so.”
    http://m.imdb.com/title/tt3748528/reviews?ref_=m_tt_urv

  24. Israel Walks the Walk
    Israel demonstrates its resolve to thwart weapons transfers to Iran’s terror proxy.

    Last week, Israel’s defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, announced that Israel was working tirelessly to thwart Iranian weapons transfers to Hezbollah via Syria. For the first time, Lieberman hinted that in addition to sophisticated weaponry, Hezbollah was seeking to acquire WMDs. The defense minister also noted that Israel would operate to preserve its interests “without taking other circumstances or restrictions into account.” Presumably, this means that regardless of the prospects of Hezbollah-Iranian retaliation or the presence of a Russian anti-aircraft umbrella, Israel will continue to act when its interests are threatened.

    Lieberman’s tough talk followed a series of Israeli strikes against military targets within Syria. The first targeted a Hezbollah weapons convoy travelling along the Beirut-Damascus highway while a second strike hit a Syrian military compound just outside Damascus housing elements of Syria’s 4th Armored Division. A third attack on December 7 targeted Mezzeh Air Base in western Damascus. A number of secondary explosions occurred following the attack indicating direct hits.

    Assad’s propaganda outlet, Sana, as well as the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen TV channel blamed Israel for the Mezzeh attack though the former claimed the strike was carried out with surface-to-surface missiles while the latter alleged that it was executed by fighter jets flying over “Lebanese airspace.”

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/265127/israel-walks-walk-ari-lieberman

    • One of the things I hate about Li[e]berman is that his name isn’t spelled consistently.
      Liberman? Leiberman? Lieberman?

  25. Violence Against Non-Muslim Increases in Bangladesh

    by Mohshin Habib
    December 14, 2016 at 4:30 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9538/muslim-hindu-violence-bangladesh

    Minority communities across Bangladesh are once again facing violence and persecution by the Sunni Muslim majority. In the last month or so, dozens of Hindu temples have been vandalized and hundreds of houses burned down by Muslims in different districts across the nation.

    In one incident alone, a group of Muslims carried out attacks that left more than 100 injured and several hundred victims homeless. Hindus, at 9% of the total population the largest religious minority in Bangladesh, were targeted in the attack on October 30, about 120 km from the capital city, Dhaka. Muslims, led by two Islamic organizations — the Tawheedi Janata (“Faithful People”) and Ahle Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat –vandalized more than 15 temples and 200 houses belonging to Hindus. Violence continued a few days later, when, on November 5, extremists repeated similar attacks in the same area despite police “vigilance.”

    A day before the attacks began, a rumor circulated that a 27-year-old Hindu man named Rasraj Das edited a photograph superimposing the Hindu God Shiva onto an image of the Kaaba (the holiest site in Islam) and posted it on his Facebook page. Within hours of the post, he was caught by local Muslims and handed over to the police. Prior to his arrest, Das pleaded his innocence on his Facebook page, saying:

  26. Extremist Cleric Banned in Pakistan but Welcomed to the UK
    An extremist preacher banned in Pakistan but allowed into the UK has been booted from the mosque in Scotland where he was scheduled to

    An extremist preacher banned in Pakistan but allowed into the UK has been booted from the mosque in Scotland where he was scheduled to speak.

    Syed Muzaffar Shah Qadri was due to speak at the Falkirk Central mosque, but after a public outcry about the imam ensued and an expose on the imam was published by the Sunday Post, mosque leaders have dumped Qadri and thanked the newspaper for alerting them to Qadri’s extremism.

    “The mosque would never knowingly give a platform to views that counter our beliefs of tolerance and non-violence,” said committee member Khalid Saeed.

    “We would like to take this opportunity to thank The Sunday Post for raising this issue and would like to reiterate our community’s zero tolerance for hatred or violence of any kind.

    “Following engagement with members and our own youth committee, Falkirk Central Mosque will ensure that progressive values are promoted and where possible will work with Police Scotland to ensure community safety.

    https://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/extremist-cleric-banned-pakistan-welcomed-uk

  27. ISIS Reportedly Institutes FGM in Kurdish Areas
    After a law was passed in Kurdistan in 2011 making the barbaric practice illegal, the rate of FGM in the area fell by 60 percent. Now it’s reportedly back.

    Areas of Kurdistan under the control of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) are seeing an increasing and alarming rate of female genital mutilation (FGM), reported Al Sumaria TV.

    Shirzad Mohammad, the head of a youth organization said that in the Kurdish areas, the rate of FGM was very high, but dropped dramatically after a law was passed by parliament outlawing the practice.

    However, in the areas under ISIS control, the rate of FGM rate is very high because laws instituted by the terror group which mandate the cutting of women.

    Dalshad Mohammad, a member of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, also noted that Islamic State jihadis have been instituting this “heinous crime against women.”

    After a law was passed in Kurdistan in 2011 making the barbaric practice illegal, the rate of FGM in the area fell by 60 percent.

    https://www.clarionproject.org/news/isis-reportedly-institutes-fgm-kurdish-areas

  28. Iranian President Says Jihad Is Only Option for Palestinians
    Iran’s allegedly moderate President Hassan Rouhani has called on Palestinians to take up arms against Israel and wage holy war.

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said there was no alternative for Palestinians other than armed jihad. He made the remarks in a meeting with the leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terrorist group funded by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

    Rouhani is widely touted as a moderate by Western media outlets, despite continuing repressive policies and financing terrorist groups.

    “Today, the world public opinion is faced with this strong argument that the Zionist regime has never been after peace, and this argument and reasoning should be used to show that there is no way, but jihad and resistance for the Palestinians against the usurper regime,” he told Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah, the head of Islamic Jihad, in a meeting in Tehran.

    Despite literally being at a meeting in which he himself was funding and encouraging international terrorism, Rouhani accused Israel of funding terrorism and sectarian violence in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and North Africa, according to Fars news agency.

    https://www.clarionproject.org/news/iranian-president-says-jihad-only-option-palestinians

  30. The Untold Story of the 1988 Massacres in Iran

    Being in July 1988 and lasting for five months, Iranian revolutionary officials killed close to 30,000 political prisoners. Great care was taken to keep the killings undercover but a recently released audio tape recording the objection to the killings by one of the Ayatollahs on the death committee has brought the subject into the media. Those on the committee still are in places of power today.

      • She doesn’t like having someone point out what she is doing, after all how dare one of the little people dare ask her hard questions and point out how she is lying.

  32. al jazeera – The Crusades: an Arab Perspective – Revival: The Muslim Response to the Crusades (Episode 2)

    • What a lot of people refuse to accept is that filing a false report of a hate crime is in itself a hate crime. She won’t be charged with a hate crime and the usual suspects are all out trying to find excuses for her actions. As far as I am concerned she has been proven to be a liar and until there is a lot of collaborating evidence anything she says in her defense is a lie.

  36. Tunisian court approves marriage of pregnant 13-year-old to relative

    The judgement triggered anger from non-governmental organisations which said the girl had been raped.

    Tunis: A Tunisian court has approved the marriage of a 13-year-old girl to a relative who made her pregnant, an official said Tuesday.

    The judgement triggered anger from non-governmental organisations which said the girl had been raped.

    The girl, from the northwestern region of Kef, had a sexual relationship with the brother of her brother-in-law.

    She was 13 years and 11 months old and “was not raped”, said Chokri Mejri, the court official.

    “We interviewed the girl and after verifying all the details, we considered her fit for marriage. As proof, she is pregnant,” he said.

    Under Tunisian law, sex with a girl under 15 without the use of force is punishable by six years in prison, but the culprit can halt proceedings by marrying the victim.

    “The two families demanded marriage to avoid a scandal,” Mejri said.

    The court gave its green light on December 1 and the marriage agreement was signed on December 5, he said.

    A wedding party had been planned for Sunday but was cancelled after the government’s child protection office called for the marriage to be annulled.

    “When it’s a 13-year-old child, we can’t talk of a sexual relation with consent. It’s a rape,” the agency’s representative Houda Abboudi said.

    “The court’s decision didn’t take into account the interests of this child… who will marry her rapist,” she said.

    The Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) rights group said the decision was “scandalous”.

    “Judges think that at the age of 13… she can give consent,” said ATFD head Monia Ben Jemia.

    “At 13 years old, one can’t give free and enlightened judgement, especially since there is no sex education at school,” she said.

    Tunisia is viewed as being ahead of most Arab countries on women’s rights.

    A bill to counter violence against women, proposed in 2014, is still waiting to be discussed in parliament.

    http://www.deccanchronicle.com/world/africa/141216/tunisian-court-approves-marriage-of-pregnant-13-year-old-teen.html

    ======================================

    CNN – Tunisian court approves marriage of pregnant 13-year-old

    A Tunisian court Tuesday has approved the marriage of a 13-year-old girl to a 20-year-old relative who made her pregnant, a move that caused an uproar among organizations concerned with chidren’s rights in the country.

    The marriage between the girl, from the northwestern region of Kef, and the brother of her brother-in-law took place in the presence of their parents, despite attempts to stop it.

    The judge was relying on an article in the Tunisian Criminal Code which stipulates that while sex with a girl under 15 without the use of force is punishable by six years in prison, the culprit can halt proceedings by marrying the victim.

    “In that particular case, the judge was simply abiding the law, which is definitely an antiquated law,” a fellow court judge, who did not want to be named because they are not authorized to speak with media, told CNN.

    “Tunisia was one of the first countries in the region to ratify international treaties that guarantee the rights of children. However this law was never amended. It’s up to the judge to decide whether to apply it or not,” the judge said.

    Marrying the ‘rapist’

    A group of non-governmental organizations held a sit-in outside the court on Tuesday to protest the decision and released a joint statement expressing outrage over “approving a marriage between a 13-year-old child and her rapist.”

    They called on the government to protect the pregnant girl and ensure that she continues her education.

    The ministry of Women’s Affairs, Family and Children in Tunisia released a statement saying it was deeply concerned by the decision, adding that it had been trying to annul the marriage “for the sake of the child’s interest.”

    It also called on the country’s parliament to speed up the process of adopting a bill to counter violence against women. The bill was proposed in 2014 but is still waiting to be discussed.

    The proposed bill would introduce sweeping definitions of gender-based violence, covering psychological and economic harm in both the public and domestic spheres. Marital rape would be outlawed and there would be an end to impunity for rapists if their victims are under 20 and they subsequently marry them.

    http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/14/middleeast/tunisia-court-child-marriage/index.html

    • Tunisians rally against law on marriage of minors

      Dozens of people demonstrate in front of the Tunisian parliament to demand the revision of a law allowing a man to escape prosecution for having sexual relations with a minor by marrying their victim.

      • I don’t know that it’s that they don’t care it may be that they don’t see what an unarmed populace can do with the police helping the invaders.

        • But those interviewed at the end don’t seem to think they’re “invaders” or that there’s really a problem….

          They’re dead from the neck up. Gotta build a wall, as Eeyore suggested, keep those lunatic Swedes quarantined.

          Do they still have gender-normal Swedes? Those interviewed look mighty ambiguous.

          • Don’t forget the hate speech laws, those opposed may be afraid to speak the truth because they don’t want to spend time in prison.

  38. Muslim Student Who Said She Was Harassed by Trump Supporters Charged With Filing False Report: Sources (nbcnewyork, Dec 14, 2016)
    http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Missing-Muslim-Student-Baruch-College-Arrested-False-Alert-Trump-Subway-406606865.html

    “A New York college student who said she was harassed on a subway train earlier this month has been arrested, law enforcement sources told NBC 4 New York.

    Yasmin Seweid, 18, was charged with filing a false report after she told authorities three men called her a terrorist and chanted “Donald Trump” at her aboard the 23rd Street 4/5/6 subway station on Dec. 1.

    The Baruch College student allegedly told police that she was approached by the trio and told to “get out of this country,” was called a terrorist aboard the train and told to “get the f****** hijab off your head!” She also alleged that one of the men grabbed her bag and broke the strap.

    Seweid posted to Facebook about the attack on Dec. 2, saying that “it breaks my heart that so many individuals chose to be bystanders while watching me get harassed verbally and physically by these disgusting pigs.”

    She called the incident “traumatizing” and spoke with multiple news organizations about it.
    She went missing the next week but was found on Dec. 10.

    Attorney information for the woman wasn’t immediately available.”

    • Because the problems they cause are wildly disproportionate to their absolute numbers.
      Because they clot together and take over urban neighborhoods, and cost so much more per head than those they’ve displaced.
      Because they travel in packs, always outnumber their prey, and YOU are always threatened by THEM.

  40. France ‘worst in the world’ at guessing Muslim population (thelocal, Dec 14, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.fr/20161214/france-worst-in-the-world-at-guessing-muslim-population

    “The French are one of the worst nations in the world for overestimating the Muslim population, according to new research.

    French people are the most likely to hold misconceptions about the current and predicted Muslim population in their country, according to a study by Ipsos Mori published on Wednesday.

    French people reckoned that 31 percent of the population was Muslim, when the real figure according to Pew research in 2010 was 7.5 percent…”

    • How the number of Muslims in Germany is way lower than people think (thelocal, Dec 14, 2016)
      http://www.thelocal.de/20161214/this-is-how-many-muslims-actually-live-in-germany

      “New figures show that the number of people who identify as Muslim in Germany has grown – though not nearly by as much as Germans think.

      A report by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) released by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday shows that as of the end of 2015, between 4.4 million and 4.7 million Muslims live in Germany.

      Within a total German population of about 81.4 million people, that means between 5.4 and 5.7 percent of the people living in Germany practice Islam. And it’s an increase of about 1.2 million people since the last census in 2011.

      The report attributes the growth to the large number of immigrants who came to the country last year, including the record number of nearly 900,000 refugees, many coming from predominantly Muslim countries.

      “The task of integration is more urgent, as is a debate about it and shaping culture in Germany,” said Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière in a statement about the report…”

      • Swedes wildly overestimate Muslim population: survey (thelocal, Dec 14, 2016)
        http://www.thelocal.se/20161214/swedes-wildly-overestimate-muslim-population-survey

        “Swedes overestimate both the size of the country’s Muslim population and the rate at which it is growing, according to new research.

        When asked what proportion of the country’s population was Muslim, the average guess was 17 percent. In reality, around 460,000 Muslims live in Sweden, or 4.6 percent of the total population.

        That makes them the fifth worst out of the EU countries polled – and in 11th place if non-Europeans are included – at guessing the Muslim population, with France, Italy, Germany and Belgium being the only other EU member states with a wider so-called ‘perception gap’.

        Islam is Sweden’s second largest religion after Christianity. Around 27 percent are not affiliated with any religion, according to the Pew Research Centre….”

  41. Bern tells foreigners ‘integrate or lose permit’ (thelocal, Dec 13, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.ch/20161213/bern-tells-foreigners-integrate-or-lose-permit

    “Foreigners should only receive a permanent residence permit if they are well integrated in Swiss society, say MPs debating reforms to the country’s foreigners law.

    Currently most foreigners arriving in Switzerland with an employment contract are granted a B permit, which has a minimum validity of one year and can be granted for five years, before most then receive a C permit, which allows long-term residency.

    However in an effort to encourage the integration of foreigners politicians want to make C permits dependent on integration, news agencies reported following a parliamentary debate on Monday.

    According to parliament, that means speaking a national language, respecting public order, security and national values (such as equality between men and women) and contributing to the economy or following a training course.

    Foreigners who don’t respect these conditions could have their B permit revoked entirely, while those who already have a C permit could have that swapped for a temporary B if they are not yet deemed well integrated.

    Those who are long-term dependent on welfare could also have their permits revoked, even if they have been in the country for 15 years…”

  42. U.S. State Department Warns Americans Against Travel to Algeria (moroccoworldnews, Dec 14, 2016)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/12/203731/u-s-state-department-warns-americans-travel-algeria/

    “The U.S. State Department has updated its travel advisory yesterday, warning Americans against travel to Algeria.

    The alerts and warnings page for Algeria hadn’t been updated since March 1, 2016. But as of December 13, the Department of State “continues to warn U.S. citizens against travel to remote areas in southern and eastern Algeria, as well as isolated parts of the Kabylie region, due to a high threat of terrorist attacks and kidnapping.”

    Terrorist groups, says the US DoS, remain active in those regions. “While major cities are heavily policed,” it states, “extremists have conducted attacks (often using bombs, ambushes, or false roadblocks) in the mountainous Kabylie region (provinces of Boumerdes, Tizi Ouzou, Bouira, and Bejaia) an the southern and eastern border regions, including the Chaambi mountains area, south of Souk Ahras, near the Tunisian border.”…”

  43. In break from policy, US arming Iran-backed militias in Iraq (gulfnews, Dec 14, 2016)
    http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/iraq/in-break-from-policy-us-arming-iran-backed-militias-in-iraq-1.1945325

    “Kalah Sur (Iraq): In a significant break with past policy, US-led forces in Iraq have started arming and training hundreds of fighters belonging to Shiite militias historically known for having ties to Iran.

    The sectarian militias are being trained for the operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul. While Mosul’s future remains uncertain, the cooperative effort is expected to strengthen the Shiite forces both militarily and politically.

    The US-led coalition has provided hundreds of guns and training to the fighters in recent weeks, indicating a new level of cooperation, although US military officials quickly moved to downplay it, saying the fighters currently being trained have no ties to the Iranian-backed groups that targeted Americans in the past.

    “We only train forces we can vet,” said Col. John Dorrian, the US military spokesman in Baghdad. “You assess to make sure they don’t have association with terrorist groups, or groups associated with the government of Iran. They must be with groups that promote respect for human rights and rule of law.”

    Dorrian acknowledged that some militias are still classified as terrorists by the US, but insisted those being trained had no ties to groups that have “American blood on their hands.”

    But US officials acknowledged the difficulty in fully vetting all members of the militias. And the senior leadership of the Shiite forces includes individuals who have been deemed terrorists by the United States…”

    • I just read that De Blasio is a Soros creature. Very sad for our great metropolis to have that thing as mayor. Almost – ok, I’m exaggerating – but almost as bad as the tardish mayor of London. Or the tardish, whore-ish[*] mayor of Paris.
      __
      [*] Source: Oz-Rita.

  45. huffpo

    Anti-Muslim Hate Group Brags About Influence In Trump’s White House

    ACT for America’s Brigitte Gabriel says the group has a “direct line” to the president-elect. She’s not lying.

    […]“I think it’s really outrageous that the nation’s most virulent anti-Muslim hate group is bragging about its ties to the incoming Trump administration,” Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told HuffPost. “And they’re not lying. There are ties.”

    […]The group, for example, wants to eliminate the country’s refugee resettlement program in its entirety. It wants to classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, likely as a means for shutting down important American Muslim advocacy groups and prosecuting those groups’ members.

    ACT for America, Gabriel wrote, should also “write and push a resolution that forbids Muslim Brotherhood front groups such as CAIR from addressing state elected bodies.” And she wants ACT for America to “re-write FBI training manuals on counter terrorism.”

    Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, told HuffPost that she was “not surprised by what’s being claimed or touted in this email.”

    “In fact, it only confirms the organization’s troubling connections to the incoming Trump administration and their disturbing agenda,” she said. “If there was anyone who had any doubt, this email should put that question to rest.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/act-for-america-trump-influence_us_58508f98e4b092f086861e1c

    • Hooper is a dangerous MB-operative. I can’t remember exactly, but Don Laird wrote some well-documented piece about him. Maybe at GoV. Anybody remember?

        • Maybe this will have the info you are wanting.

          IBRAHIM HOOPER

          http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2136

          Ibrahim Hooper (formerly Doug Hooper) is a white American convert to Islam and one of the founders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). At present, he serves as a spokesman and “Director of Strategic Communications” for that organization. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in journalism & mass communication.

          Hooper has candidly stated that while he does not endorse the violent tactics of Islamic radicals, he does share their desire to impose Islam on all of America. “I wouldn’t want to create the impression that I wouldn’t like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future,” he told the Minneapolis Star Tribune in a 1993 interview. “But I’m not going to do anything violent to promote that. I’m going to do it through education.”

          Ten years later, in 2003, Hooper stated that if Muslims were ever to become a numerical majority in the U.S., they would likely seek to replace the Constitution with Islamic law (Sharia), which they view as divinely inspired and thus superior to all other legal systems.

          In 1998 Hooper and CAIR denied Osama bin Laden’s culpability for that year’s bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. Despite the demonstrable links between the al Qaeda leader and the bombings, Hooper asserted that “a great deal of what happened is … due to misunderstandings on both sides.” Three years later, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Hooper again hedged on whether he thought bin Laden was responsible: “If Osama bin Laden was behind it, we condemn him by name.” (Emphasis added)