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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.
ISIS fighter boasted of killing Syrian soldiers by injecting them with DIESEL oil (express, Feb 23, 2017)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/771427/ISIS-fighter-boasted-killing-Syrian-soldiers-DIESEL-oil-injections
“A CONVICTED ISIS fighter boasted of killing Syrian soldiers by injecting them with diesel oil, a court in Austria has heard…”
‘Two police officers SHOT’ during attack in Washington DC (express, Feb 24, 2017)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/771491/washington-dc-shooting-police-two-officers-hospital
“TWO police officers have been shot in the US capital, Washington DC.
The officers were struck in the North-East of the city and are being transported to hospital, according to local media.
A suspect is believed to be dead.
Helicopters and K9 units have been dispatched in the area of the shooting.
DC police chief Peter Newsham said the officers were part of the “crime suppression team” and were in uniform when they were shot.
He added that the officers were blasted in “lower portion of the body” but their injuries were not life threatening.
One is undergoing surgery but is in a stable condition, police confirmed.
The fatal shooting occurred at around 03:40 GMT (10:40PM local time) near Holbrooke Street and Morse Street…”
Councils across Wales BANNED from using the word ‘purdah’ in case it offends Muslims (express, Feb 24, 2017)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/771315/Wales-council-banned-word-purdah-offends-Muslims-Islam
“COUNCILS across Wales have been banned from using the word “purdah” in case it offends Muslims.
It has been widely used for decades to describe a pre-election period in which official government announcements cannot be made.
But it also refers to the Islamic practice in some parts of the world where women are not allowed to be seen.
Panicked council chiefs across the border are now so worried about “religious sensitivities” they have decided to outlaw the word altogether.
Last night the move sparked bemusement in the principality with one leading MP describing it as “political correctness gone mad”.
David Davies, the Tory MP for Monmouth, said: “What a load of PC nonsense. What next? I expect we might soon be prevented from using the word homonym in case it upsets someone.
“People have been using the word purdah for years but are now banned in case some religious sect somewhere in the world takes offence. Quite frankly, it’s madness.”
Purdah prevents central and local government from making official announcements which could be viewed as advantageous to any candidates or parties ahead of an election. It typically begins six weeks before a scheduled election.
Purdah is derived from the Urdu and Persian word parda meaning veil or curtain and refers to the practice of screening women from men or strangers, especially by means of a curtain. It was later used in a political context…”
Swedish journalist ATTACKED after gang of youths ignite INFERNO near housing estate (express, Feb 24, 2017)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/771469/Swedish-journalist-Nerikes-Allehanda-attacked-gang-OBO-vivalla-fire-housing-Obrero-Trump
“A JOURNALIST has been injured and a huge fire has engulfed a Swedish estate agents after a gang of rioters hurled a burning box into one of its local offices.
Flames began to engulf the OBO housing company, situated within the central Swedish city of Örebro at 10pm GMT (9pm local time), according to SVT.
A local reporter from the Swedish newspaper, Nerikes Allehanda received major head injuries after an arsonist threw a large block of ice at his head when he arrived at the scene.
Officials have not yet reported any other injuries or fatalities.
Emergency services who reached the scene an hour after the fire broke out reportedly worked for an hour to tame the fire, but officials expressed fears that the inferno would “spread”.
Erik Hiding, Örebro duty police officer said: “There is someone who has thrown a burning box on the OBO caretaker’s office.
“According to the information I have, it shall burn vigorously. We have units on location.”
Although the fire has reportedly spread up to the roof of the building, the high-rise housing settlement that is said to be next to the company is yet to be evacuated.
Uff Jacobsen, an internal commander at Nerike fire department told STV news site: “We are working hard and right now the fire knocked down, we have great resources in place.
“The fire appears to have reached the soffit, there is a risk of spreading to the centre of the plant.”
Sweden has been the centre of riots over the last week after President Donald Trump claimed an attack involving migrants occurred last Friday in the Scandinavian country.
Violence erupted in Stockholm on Monday and police were forced to fire a shot into the crowd in the hard-hit suburb of Rinkeby, after a mob of around 30 began attacking officers with rocks.
Nigel Farage waded into the row and Swedish publishers of trying “hoodwink” the public, as they refuse to fully report events.”
Israel denies visas to staff from ‘hostile’ Human Rights Watch (theguardian, Feb 24, 2017)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/24/israel-denies-visa-to-hostile-human-rights-watch-and-warns-it-is-assessing-other-groups
“Israel is refusing to issue visas to the international staff of one of the most prominent international human rights NGOs – Human Rights Watch – accusing the group of an “extreme, hostile and anti-Israel agenda.”
The Israeli accusations against the organisation, which documents human rights abuses around the globe, follows a growth in official hostility to local human rights activists under the right wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Human Rights Watch condemned the move as “ominous turn” adding it “should worry anyone concerned about Israel’s commitment to basic democratic values.”
The new policy emerged after Israeli authorities turned down a visa for its new Israel and Palestine director, Omar Shakir who is a US citizen. The rejection had been advised by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a letter rejecting Shakir’s visa application – and seen by the Guardian – Israel accused the New York based group of “public activities and reports [and being] engaged in politics in the service of Palestinian propaganda, while falsely raising the banner of ‘human rights.’’…”
Everyone should kick that dubious org out…
UAE signs over $5bn in deals at arms fair (alaraby, Feb 24, 2017)
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/2/23/uae-signs-over-5bn-in-deals-at-arms-fair
“The United Arab Emirates announced it had signed contracts worth a total of more than $5 billion to purchase weaponry during its international arms fair in Abu Dhabi this week.
The four-day International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX), which kicked off on Sunday, is one of the largest arms fairs in the Middle East. It is held every two years to showcase the latest in defence technologies and innovations.
The UAE, a longtime client of Western defence industries, signed an order with Raytheon of the United States worth more than $740 million but also with Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport for anti-tank missiles valued at $710 million.
The final day on Wednesday resulted in contracts worth $930 million, organisers said, raising the total for the four days to $5.2 billion.
Oil-rich UAE is a key partner in the Saudi-led Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthi rebels stormed the capital Sanaa and advanced on second city Aden.
It is also seen as an important regional ally in the US-led coalition’s fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.”
Hungary and Poland using eachothers’ voting rights as both leverage and a pry bar against EU tyranny. This is a serious danger to Brussels, as other nationalist forces in Europe are watching and learning the strategic move. It may ultinately obliterate the EU.
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/sputniknews.com/amp/europe/201702221050935746-hungary-poland-brussels-european-commission/
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/3134-in-a-battle-between-trump-and-the-federal-reserve-who-really-wins
EXCLUSIVE: Illegal fundraiser for the Clintons made secret tape because he feared being ASSASSINATED over what he knew – and used it to reveal Democrats’ bid to silence him
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4251046/Illegal-Clinton-fundraiser-tape-fearing-life.html#ixzz4Zc1MlnKE
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
A Chinese-American businessman at the center of a Clinton campaign finance scandal secretly filmed a tell-all video as an ‘insurance policy’ – because he feared being murdered.
In footage provided exclusively to DailyMail.com, Johnny Chung spills details on how he illegally funneled money from Chinese officials to Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election bid.
The Chinese-American Clinton fundraiser recorded the ‘elaborate videotaped testimony’ while in hiding in 2000.
He smuggled it to trusted friends and family with instructions to release it to the media in the event of his untimely death because he believed he was at risk of being assassinated.
Chung is believed to still be alive and living in China.
The video was obtained by author and historian Doug Wead for his new book Game of Thorns, which traces Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 campaign and the Chinese government’s long-running operation to buy political influence in Washington.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4251046/Illegal-Clinton-fundraiser-tape-fearing-life.html#ixzz4Zc1VU4Gf
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Chemical weapon VX nerve agent killed N.Korean leader’s half brother: Malaysian police
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – VX nerve agent, a chemical the United Nations classifies as a weapon of mass destruction, was used to kill the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a bizarre murder in Malaysia last week, police said on Friday.
Kim Jong Nam was killed on Feb. 13, shortly after being assaulted at the airport in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, by two women who wiped the chemical on his face as he prepared to board a flight to the Chinese territory of Macau.
South Korean and U.S. officials have said they believe North Korean agents assassinated Kim Jong Nam. He had been living with his family in Macau under Beijing’s protection and had spoken out against the North Korean regime.
Malaysian police were investigating whether the VX – which is believed to be the most toxic known nerve agent and is banned globally except for research – was brought into the country or made there.
“If the amount of the chemical brought in was small, it would be difficult for us to detect,” police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters.
The two women suspects – one Vietnamese and the other Indonesian – are in police detention along with a North Korean man. Seven other North Koreans are wanted in connection with the case, including a diplomat at the embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia has repeatedly urged the victim’s family to come forward to help with the inquiry, while North Korea has demanded the body be handed over to its embassy directly, sparking tension between the two usually friendly countries.
http://www.oann.com/malaysia-says-vx-nerve-agent-was-used-in-murder-of-kim-jong-nam/
Experts: Kim Jong Un’s brother killed with special poison
February 24, 2017
A recent revelation into the mysterious assassination of Kim Jong Un’s half brother has security experts around the world nervous.
It’s increasingly clear that the North Korean dictator was behind the brutal killing — and it proves North Korea has a stockpile of chemical weapons they’re able (and willing) to smuggle around the world.
The deadly poison used to kill Un’s estranged half brother in a crowded air terminal in Malaysia last week was the banned chemical weapon VX nerve agent, police said Friday.
https://thehornnews.com/experts-kim-jong-uns-brother-killed-special-poison/
Man charged with blasphemy for burning Quran … in Denmark
By Ben Bowles February 23, 2017
The mention of the location in the headline was probably superfluous. If the man had torched a copy of the Quran in a country in the Muslim world, he would been beheaded.
According to The Local, the 42-year-old Dane committed the blasphemous act in 2015. He made a video recording of the burning, then posted it to the Facebook group “Yes to freedom — no to Islam” along with the message, “Consider your neighbour: it stinks when it burns.”
The Danish blasphemy law in question applies to all religions, not just Islam. The prosecutor in the current case, Jan Reckendorff, announced his plan to bring charges in a press release that reads in part:
http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/02/23/man-charged-with-blasphemy-for-burning-quran-in-denmark/
Why America Must Lead
PragerU
PragerU
Why China is building islands in the South China Sea
(Richard: This atricle is very important, please click through and read the full article)
Obama’s post-presidential website is cause for real concern
By Myra Adams February 23, 2017
Every American should visit former President Barack Obama’s official website The Office of Barack and Michelle Obama. (Allow me to speculate that your tax dollars are paying for it.)
Prominently displayed on the home page is a link to the last minutes of Obama’s “farewell speech.” (The final farewell that ended months of farewell speeches.)
“Yes, we can,” he said one last time. “Yes, we did.” And the hometown Chicago crowd roared with
But instead, a Nov. 14, 2016, headline from the left-leaning Daily Kos stated the hard truth: “Republicans now dominate state government, with 32 legislatures and 33 governors.” And it continued, “Republicans dominated state legislatures at a rate not seen since the Civil War.”
Then in Congress, a continuous eight-year anti-Obama wave washed out Obama’s initial 2009 coattail-sustained Democratic majorities leaving the GOP reigning supreme over Capitol Hill in 2017.
“Yes, we did” (devastate our party) Obama conveniently forgot to mention.
Given the political devastation over which Obama presided, it intrigues me that his political organization, Organizing for Action (OFA) is linked at the bottom of his post-presidential website. More puzzling is that OFA’s graphic is equal in size to the Obama Foundation link.
Graphics on a former president’s website do not happen by accident. Therefore, one can only conclude that the Office of Barack and Michele Obama is signaling that their plans include equal amounts of Foundation building (including the Presidential library) and political activism through OFA.
A foundation and presidential library are respected endeavors by former presidents. (See Clinton Foundation for what not to do.) However, I am troubled that OFA is on par with the Foundation on Obama’s homepage. Has any newly minted former president in modern times ever attempted to engage in such blatant political activism against the current president and his party?
When one clicks “Organizing for Action” the first paragraph reads:
http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/02/23/obamas-post-presidential-website-cause-real-concern/
via PI
http://www.daserste.de/information/politik-weltgeschehen/europamagazin/videos/geert-wilders-interview-100.html
Al-Azhar, Vatican agree to combat extremism after Cairo seminar
Al-Azhar and the Vatican have agreed to work together to combat terrorism and extremism after a two-day seminar on the topic in Cairo.
The gathering, which concluded on Thursday, came up with a number of recommendations, including fostering dialogue between the two institutions and tackling causes of extremism and violence which include poverty, illiteracy and misinterpretation of religious discourse, Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported.
The meeting also urged concerted cooperation from the international community to “counter violent and extremist groups…eliminate hatred and hostility towards religions and the denigrating of religious figures—used as a false excuse for violent acts.”
The talks, held at Al-Azhar headquarters, were attended by a number of Al-Azhar scholars including the head of Al-Azhar’s Dialogue Centre, Mahmoud Hamdy Zakzouk. The Vatican was represented by the head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.
Dialogue between the 1,000-year-old Islamic institution and the Vatican was frozen six years ago when Al-Azhar cut contacts over what it said were insults of Islam. This came after a denunciation by former Pope Benedict of a bomb attack outside a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria on 2011 New Year’s Eve, which killed 23 worshippers.
In May 2016, relations between the top religious institutes began to improve when Pope Francis met with the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/258801/Egypt/Politics-/AlAzhar,-Vatican-agree-to-combat-extremism-after-C.aspx
Old school Mahoundian propaganda about how the Quran was a mercy upon mankind… Once you hear “this” for sure you know which direction the proverbial wind is blowing from.
Turkey: Wounded rushed to Kilis hospital after car bomb kills 45 in al-Bab
Dozens of wounded were rushed to a hospital in the Turkish border town of Kilis, Friday, after over 45 people were killed and dozens injured following a car bomb blast in the Syrian village of Sousian, some 8 kilometres (5 miles) north-west of al-Bab.
An alleged suicide bomber targetted a checkpoint manned by the Free Syrian Army (SAA), where a large number of civilians were gathered in a bid to seek permission to return to al-Bab.
Al-Bab, which is located in the Aleppo Governorate in Syria, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Aleppo, remains one of the last major strongholds of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in northwest Syria.
The only redeeming thing about Islam is that it kills boatloads of its own vermin.
5 Points About New National Security Adviser Gen. McMaster
General McMaster is known for winning the most difficult of battles. His warrior side will come in handy in dealing with Afghanistan and Iraq.
By Ryan Mauro
Tue, February 21, 2017
President Trump has chosen General H.R. McMaster as the national security adviser and there’s plenty to be happy about. Below are five points to consider with his choice.
General McMaster is known for winning the most difficult of battles. As explained in this lengthy New Yorker article from 2006, he performed an amazing turnaround in the city of Tal Afar in Iraq. I remember when he arrived in 2005 and shocked observers by needing only about six months to change the situation by building strong relationships with Iraqis on the ground to kick the jihadists out and to quickly build up the local police force.
His warrior side will come in handy as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan bluntly refers to the situation as a “stalemate” requiring several thousand more troops for progress to happen.
He will never forget how Iran killed our servicemen and women in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. McMaster blasted the media for repeatedly referring to “alleged” Iranian support for militias and targets, saying it was “damn obvious to anybody who wants to look into it” that Iran’s proxy warfare against our troops was confirmed. He will never forget or forgive the Iranian regime for harming his brothers and sisters in the U.S. military.
https://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/5-points-about-new-national-security-adviser-gen-mcmaster#
Richard: The author Ryan Mauro is condemning the statement that ISIS is not Islamic but he is also asking us to give the General a chance and see how he acts before we start screaming for his removal.
America doesn’t know how to deal with Islam other than lick it’s nut sack. I imagine it will be the “three cups of tea” approach , hearts and minds shit and giving away cash and viagra and more bullet catching. No, I am not optimistic about America doing anything right with Islam.
“America can be trusted to do the right thing, after they have tried everything else.” Winston Chruchill
The right thing has to be coming up, we are running out of everything else.
Middle East Forum’s Plan for Trump Radical Islam Commission
Trump’s administration pledged to establish a commission on radical Islam. The Middle East Forum has a proposal ready.
By Elliot Friedland
Wed, February 22, 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the struggle against wiping out radical Islam is a priority for his administration. In August 2016, Trump announced “one of my first acts as president will be to establish a commission on radical Islam.”
The Middle East Forum (MEF), headed by Dr. Daniel Pipes, commissioned former congressional staffer Dr. Christopher C. Hull to put together a “comprehensive plan” for what that commission should look like, based on the MEF’s extensive experience in challenging radical Islam.
The MEF sets out the parameters of the commission as follows:
https://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/middle-east-forums-plan-trump-radical-islam-commission
http://www.meforum.org/6542/white-house-commission-on-radical-islam
The White House Commission on Radical Islam: A Recommendation
by Christopher C. Hull
February 22, 2017
This paper for the Middle East Forum (MEF) lays out a responsible approach to implementing President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to create a domestic commission focused on halting the spread of what he termed “radical Islam.”[1]
In August 2016, Donald Trump gave a speech on how to “Make America Safe Again” in which he said, “One of my first acts as President will be to establish a commission on radical Islam.” This paper lays out a responsible approach to establishing such a commission.
I. How should the commission be structured?
A responsible commission would be housed in the White House, with members selected by the President and a chairman reporting to the National Security Advisor. The commission should include as ex-officio members the Attorney General, Secretary of Homeland Security, Director of the CIA, and Secretary of Defense, with a designated liaison from each; be empowered by a joint resolution of Congress to subpoena documents, compel testimony, and grant immunity; and be prepared that its reports may be used as evidence in later criminal proceedings. The President should delegate responsibility for taking action to his National Security Advisor. Finally, the commission should be charged to hold field hearings at sites of important jihadi strikes and events revealing Islamist subversion.
II. What should the commission’s mandate be?
The commission’s mandate should be to explain the core convictions of radical Islam; chart how Islamists recruit and deploy jihadis and expose networks that support “radicalization”; develop new protocols for police officers, federal investigators, and immigration screeners; examine “political correctness” and how to deal with the problem of radical Islam in an honest way; explore where radical Islam gets its resources and how they can be cut off; seek ways to deny radical Islam use of the Internet; recommend what changes should be made to immigration practices; and summarize how America and its allies can halt the spread of radical Islam’s and ultimately defeat it.
III. Whom should the commission include?
The commission should include experts on terrorism and radical Islam; voices for reforming Islam; current or former elected officials; representatives of law enforcement, intelligence, the military and/or the diplomatic community; representatives of the technology industry; and victims of radical Islam and their families.
Click through to read the rest
There will be two (friendly Saudi)Muslim advisors for every commision member to explain Islam to them.
Bangladesh Islamists protest court’s Greek goddess statue
Hundreds of supporters of a hardline Bangladesh Islamist group stage protests calling for the statue of a Greek goddess installed at the Supreme Court to be destroyed or removed
Bangladesh Islamists protest court’s Greek goddess statue
DHAKA (AFP) – Hundreds of supporters of a hardline Bangladesh Islamist group staged protests on Friday (Feb 24), calling for the statue of a Greek goddess installed at the Supreme Court to be destroyed or removed.
The sculpture of Themis, the blindfolded deity of justice and order, has ruffled feathers in the Muslim-majority nation since it was unveiled late last year on the premises of the country’s top court.
Crowds led by the fundamentalist Hefazat-e-Islam group spilled onto the streets of Dhaka after Friday prayers, demanding the immediate removal of the statue.
They chanted slogans and wielded placards with slogans such as “Demolish the statue on the court premises and replace it with the Koran”.
In ancient Greek mythology, Themis was depicted with her eyes shielded and the scales of justice in her hands.
Her image is used to represent fairness, law and custom in countries across the world.
The protests come as hardline Islamists try to push a series of changes in school textbooks, which are overwhelmingly secular, to reflect Muslim traditions.
Conservative Bangladesh has seen increasing tension between hardliners and secularists in recent years, suffering a spate of killings of atheist bloggers, religious minorities and foreigners.
Security in the area around Baitul Mukarram, the country’s national mosque in the capital, has been increased, said local police chief Rafiqul Islam, adding that “at least 1,000 people” were thought to have joined a rally there.
Hundreds of protesters joined a similar rally in the country’s second largest city Chittagong, local police said.
Hefazat spokesman Azizul Haque Islamabadi said that statues or honouring idols are “strongly prohibited in Islam” and accused secular forces in the country of a “conspiracy”.
“We want the statue of the Greek Goddess to be removed immediately. It doesn’t reflect the Islamic culture of the Muslims of our country,” he said.
Court officials have defended the statue as “a symbol of justice”.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/bangladesh-islamists-protest-courts-greek-goddess-statue
Pic – the statue :
http://www.hindustantimes.com/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2017/02/24/Pictures/_dcb59a00-fa95-11e6-ab12-d7625b180dd1.png
Granted independence by Britain in 1970, the Shiite-majority island kingdom of Bahrain has long been the object of Iranian designs. Tehran, which has been supporting insurrectionist groups there for years, has recently escalated its rhetoric.
Flashpoint Bahrain
Iran’s destabilization campaign in Bahrain bears fruit.
[T]he Iranian government appears determined to test President Trump’s resolve by ramping up pressure on Bahrain. Earlier this month, Hojjat al-Islam Mojtaba Zonour, [a high-ranking Iranian official], explicitly threatened to level the U.S. base in Bahrain with ballistic missiles. . . .
Every Friday for 38 years, either the supreme leader or a cleric appointed by him has led Friday prayers in central Tehran and delivered a sermon that highlights the official priorities and positions of the Islamic Republic. This past Friday, the appointed prayer leader . . . told the Bahraini government, “Failure awaits you; your destruction is near.”
Such rhetoric should not be dismissed as empty. After all, the Islamic Republic is on the warpath. Its carefully cultivated proxies are the dominant power in Lebanon, prop up the Syrian government, . . . and have staged a coup d’état in Yemen. The possibility that Iranian officials might target not only the U.S. presence in Bahrain but the entire country is not unthinkable. . . .
If President Trump, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wish to show allies that America will once again stand by them, and if Trump is serious about standing up to terrorism and aggression, it is time to support Bahrain forcefully and openly. Simply put, Tehran will interpret silence as weakness, and weakness as an invitation to further aggression.
https://www.commentarymagazine.com/politics-ideas/flashpoint-bahrain-iran/
Stop Telling Me How Dangerous My Bathtub Is
Dissecting the statistical sophistry of the “bathtub fallacy”: [you’re more likely to die from slipping in the bathtub (or from car accidents, or lightning strikes) than terrorist attacks.]
First [of all], terrorism is designed to . . . sow terror. As [Janan] Ganesh writes, “most people can intuit the difference between domestic misfortune and political violence. The latter is an assault on the system: the rules and institutions that distinguish society from the state of nature. Bathroom deaths could multiply by 50 without a threat to civil order. The incidence of terror could not.”
Second, . . . ladders, stairs, and bathtubs are undeniably useful. Terrorists, less so.
Finally, comparing the incidence of terrorism with that of common accidents is an incompetent and irresponsible use of statistics. Household accidents are lots and lots of small, unrelated events. As a result, while individual accidents can’t be predicted, the overall risk is easy to quantify and is pretty stable from year to year.
Terrorism is different. There are small incidents, but there are also huge ones in which hundreds or thousands of people die. It’s [what statisticians call] a “fat-tailed distribution,” in which outliers are really important. It also isn’t stable: five or ten or even 50 years of data isn’t necessarily enough to allow one to predict with confidence what’s going to happen next year.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-02-14/stop-telling-me-how-dangerous-my-bathtub-is
PARIS – FEB 23 2017
PARIS FEB 23 2017
PARIS FEB 23 2017
Two plus weeks of rioting!! How long before the French people decide to take matters into their own hands?
BREITBART – President Trump Blasts European Security: ‘Take a Look at What’s Happening in Germany, Take a Look at What’s Happening in France’
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland Friday morning President Donald Trump took a swipe at the security situation in Europe, which has seen a number of bloody terror attacks in recent years.
Vowing that he would not allow the same attacks to take place in the United States, and that his administration would “keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country”, President Trump at first made light of press coverage he’d received over his comments on Sweden earlier in the week.
Referring to the Swedes who spoke out against the widespread perception that the migrant crisis has been well handled by their nation, among them Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson, President Trump said that his comments were quickly vindicated by civil unrest and criminality in Sweden itself. He said:
“By the way, take a look at what’s happening in Europe. I took a lot of heat on Sweden, and then a day later, I said ‘has anyone reported what’s going on?’.
“And it turned out that not so many of them did. Take a look… I love Sweden, great country, great people. They understand, the people over there understand I’m right”.
Turning to other European nations struggling with the impacts of the migrant crisis and the Islamist terrorists it has enabled to gain access to Europe, President Trump also namechecked Germany and France. Germany saw an unprecedented two years of Islamist terror to the end of December 2016, when a Berlin Christmas market was ram-raided by a terrorist driving a stolen truck. 12 were killed.
Speaking of Nice, France — also attacked by an Islamist driving a truck at high speeds to mow down pedestrians — and of the French capital, the American president relayed an anecdote of a friend who once regularly visited Paris for pleasure. With the deteriorating security situation in the city, President Trump said his friend no longer visited at all.
The remarks come just days after the latest Paris tourism figures show visitors fell 1.5 million in 2016, which cost the French economy some €1.3 billion.
Looking at these problems in Sweden, Germany, France, and elsewhere, the President promised he wouldn’t allow the same fate to befall the United States. He said:
“Take a look at what is happening to our world, folks. We have to be smart, we can’t let it happen to us. Let me state this as clearly as I can, we are going to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country.
“We will not be deterred from this course, and in a matter of days, we will be taking brand new action to protect our people and keep America safe. I will never, ever apologise for protecting the safety and security of the American people”.
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/02/24/president-trump-blasts-european-security-take-a-look-at-whats-happening-in-germany-take-a-look-at-whats-happening-in-france/
Arabs not the best?! That’s not a very diplomatic thing to say…
The Changing Regional Architecture of the Middle East
While Arabs maintain their longstanding ethnic majority in the Middle East, it is the non-Arab states—Turkey and Iran—that are the region’s most powerful Muslim forces.
The last two generations have witnessed the steady decline of the Arab states, to the extent that some no longer even exist as the unitary entities they once were, like Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya. Generally speaking, the Arabs have not modernized successfully. Most Arab states (excluding the oil-rich and less populous Gulf states) suffer in one way or another from a critical imbalance between population and resources resulting in consistently poor economic performance. . . . The erstwhile movers and shakers like Egypt, Syria, and Iraq are but shadows of their former selves. . . .
The void left by Arab weakness has been filled by the non-Arab states of the region. . . . Iran and Turkey, as opposed to most of the Arab states, are not recently established entities and unlike many Arab states are not artificial creations, but large countries of some 80-million people each. They have long histories as sovereign nations, with unique linguistic and cultural identities of their own. . . . Turkish and Iranian nationalism has consequently proved to be considerably more cohesive and politically successful than Arab nationalism.
Arab nationalism, especially in its revolutionary Nasserist formulation, was the panacea that promised the Arabs renewed power, prestige, and prosperity. But it did nothing of the kind and turned out to be a false messiah. . . . [And while] Arab nationalism sought to supersede religious sectarianism in the Arab world and to unite all the speakers of the Arabic language as one nation, Islamism had the opposite effect of exacerbating sectarian differences.
For the Islamists, religion was obviously the key marker of collective identity. In the Islamist worldview there were very clear and meaningful divisions and distinctions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims. As radicalizing Sunnis and Shiites highlighted their [disparate] identities, various non-Muslim minorities were left with little choice but to withdraw into the protective sanctuary of their respective communities. Arab societies broke down into their sectarian components, eroding the integrity and cohesion of multi-sectarian Arab states.
http://dayan.org/content/changing-regional-architecture-middle-east
The Mars option would be best….
United Arab Emirates to launch first ever Islamic mission to Mars
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2767212/united-arab-emirates-to-launch-first-ever-islamic-mission-to-mars/
Trump calls on Elon Musk to settle all Muslims on Mars
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2016/06/15/trump-calls-on-elon-musk-to-settle-all-muslims-on-mars/?utm_term=.66259799d808
UNRWA may be looking for a new home. Keep it OUT of Canada- [Attention: Ezra Levant, urgent!
A bold, common sense UN move for the Trump administration
UNRWA was established as a temporary measure just after Israel’s 1948-1949 War of Independence to provide short-term humanitarian assistance to the 420,000 -650,000 Arab refugees from what became Israel. Over the years, UNRWA has helped prolong the refugee problem it was created to resolve. It boasts an annual budget of $1.3 billion, of which American taxpayers provide $400 million.
During the 2014 Gaza war, UNRWA facilities – including schools and clinics – served wittingly or unwittingly as weapons depots and rocket launch pads. During periods of quiet, anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish curricula in UNRWA schools have indoctrinated future generations of terror recruits.
Since simply abolishing UNRWA would overburden Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, the U.S. should call for UNRWA to be folded into the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and require that Palestinian Arab refugees be treated like all other displaced groups.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/320825-a-bold-common-sense-un-move-for-the-trump-administration
OT, If you have the latest update on Firefox some videos can be downloaded by left clicking on them, one of the options that pop up is save video as.
Thank-you.
I have to download Firefox. All I have is Safari.
Iran’s Regime of Terror by the Numbers
In 38 years the country’s Islamist regime has taken the people into poverty and illiteracy while the leadership has gotten richer and richer.
The mullahs now ruling Iran were able to hijack the revolution that sacked the U.S.-backed Shah regime back in February 1979. However, the 38-year report card left by the mullahs has only raised extreme anger throughout the Iranian society.
Numbers are very vivid in revealing the undeniable atrocities caused by the mullahs’ disastrous policies.
The daily trend of continuous executions in Iran has raised anger amongst the international community for years. Iran is considered the number one executioner per capita.
The number of executions in Iran “paints a sinister picture of the machinery of the state carrying out premeditated, judicially-sanctioned killings on a mass scale,” according to Amnesty International.
Suicides are also on the rise, especially amongst women, ranking Iran first in the Middle East and third in the world. There are also reports of a growing number of teenagers committing suicide.
Drug addiction is yet another disastrous result of the mullahs’ rule in Iran. The amount of drugs spreading amongst women and teenagers is skyrocketing and state-run media are citing experts estimating at least 8 million Iranians are suffering from this dreadful phenomenon.
Iran’s roads are even considered very dangerous, as the mullahs refuse to allocate the necessary budget to provide safe passages. 20,000 people die each year in Iran and 300,000 injured (150% more than the global average). Iran’s annual road accident casualty statistics are even compared to an all-out war.
http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/iran%E2%80%99s-regime-terror-numbers
I remember the Green revolt. The unhappy greens stayed up all night shouting Allahu Ackbar from their rooftops. Iranians are Muslims first and foremost. America likes to think that it is a nation of American wannabes held captive by the enemies of Saudi Arabia, their financial partners and friends.
The American wanna be’s left Iran a long time ago to avoid the religious police.
Scary demography statistics for the mullahs – they’re going to be a minority soon themselves. Only the minority Arab and Kurdish populations are having babies.
Epidemic rate of Persian women suffering from clinical depression. Drug addiction rampant. Extremely high incidence of STDs, scarred fallopian tubes = no babies.
Yazidis and Christians: Scapegoats of Regional Politics in Iraq
Get up close with those who face the brunt of attacks in this war-torn country and get the real facts from Clarion’s team on the ground.
“They hurt Yazidis.” “They hurt Christians.” Both comments were made to me about the Kurds during my time in Iraq by differing political and interest parties.
Yet, it wasn’t from any Christian or Yazidi in the region that I heard such comments. A recent article titled “Kurds’ move to keep Yazidi, Christian refugees from their homes is hurting anti-ISIS alliance,” reported this to an American public that is hungry to know what’s going on in Iraq with the persecuted minorities.
So I decided to go there and visit them for myself. What I found was a stark contrast to the politically-tied voices that shout otherwise. And like most situations, the truth was found somewhere in the middle.
Historically, Yazidis have been a rural group – not well educated or organized in any capable capacity. They peacefully practiced their religion in their villages and raised families as most rural minority groups do. Then came the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL). They were killed, kidnapped as sex slaves and scattered.
https://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/yazidis-and-christians-scapegoats-regional-politics-iraq
OT/ Candle lighting 5:27 p.m. – The days are getting longer and longer, a little less hassle Friday afternoon. When you observe the Sabbath, you experience the seasonal changes in the most immediate way.
___Torah Portion Mishpatim, Exodus : 21:1-24:18
Last week we got the Big Ten, this week basic legal principles. From indentured labor terms to the lex talionis. MUST read! Learn why you DON’T want a pierced ear.
__Haftarah Portion Jeremiah 34:8 – 34:22 and 33:25 – 33:26
What happens if you don’t follow the rules given above? Jeremiah tells us.
__Haftarah Portion- alternate: Some traditions the reading is Samuel 1 20:18 – 20:42. If you’re unfamiliar with the context, you won’t get it. Observe that King Saul is bipolar. Sad story when your kids have to be afraid of you.
~ ~ ~ ~
Take the time, let Exodus be the theme. There’s slavery, freedom, then the choice: when we choose to remain slaves, for whatever reasons. Don’t.
Be free this Sabbath, you’ve earned it. (If you didn’t, and you’re a Christian, it’s ok. He took the burden, so you get a break.)
Relax and enjoy.
The motto of Vermont (the old motto from the time of the revolution long before the left moved there and tried to change everything) “Live Free or Die”
Slavery is not an option, despite what the left wants us to thing.
Left’s Psychiatric Diagnoses of Trump Reminiscent of Soviet Practices
(Oleg Atbashian, Bombthrowers.com) American progressives have been enamored with many Soviet ideas in their time, trying to transplant them to the U.S. — from government diktat and central planning to academic indoctrination and propaganda through entertainment. And while the Soviet Union has gone the way of the dodo, its glorious socialist legacy is still up for the picking.
One of these unparalleled Soviet achievements is the use of psychiatry to silence dissent and delegitimize political opposition, allowing the KGB to lock up dissidents in mental hospitals nicknamed psikhushkas.
In the United States today hundreds of zealous progressive psychiatrists are similarly diagnosing Donald Trump “in absentia” with a variety of incapacitating diseases, from narcissism to neurosyphilis, demanding that he be deposed (and hopefully locked up in a psikhushka along with his supporters).
First, some history. From the 1950s through the 1980s, thousands of Soviet dissenters were incarcerated in mental hospitals. This helped the Communist government to destroy its critics both physically and mentally without the potentially messy trials, while at the same time discrediting all political dissident as the product of ill minds.
http://www.libertyheadlines.com/psychiatric-diagnoses-trump-reminiscent-soviet-practices/?AID=7236
DAILY MAIL – British ISIS suicide bomber joined other extremists on a Gaza aid convoy organised by George Galloway after he returned from Guantanamo Bay and BEFORE his £1m compensation payout
Alexanda Kotey, 32, was part of the ‘ ISIS Beatles’ and also on the Gaza convoy
George Galloway organised 2009 event – but denies knowing Kotey or al-Harith
Al-Harith was arrested in Afghanistan and taken to Guantanamo in 2002
He was released in 2004, paid compensation in 2010, and went to Syria in 2014
Extremist then blew himself in Mosul this week as ISIS fights to hold Iraq city
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4251814/ISIS-suicide-bomber-joined-extremists-aid-convoy.html
SWITZERLAND – Winterthur mosque presses charges against duo who reported imam for inciting murder
The association that runs the An’Nour mosque in Winterthur has lodged a complaint with police against two members of the congregation thought to have reported their imam for inciting murder – a day after ten people were arrested for allegedly beating up the duo in revenge.
On Tuesday morning police in the canton of Zurich arrested ten suspects in a raid on a dozen houses in Winterthur.
One was later released, but eight adults and one juvenile remain in custody, accused of having beaten up and threatened two individuals at the mosque last November.
The pair are thought to have tipped off a journalist about a controversial sermon given by the mosque’s imam in which he called for the congregation to kill Muslims who do not participate in common prayer.
The reporting of the sermon in early November led to the arrest of the imam, who is now facing criminal proceedings for inciting crime and violence.
Now, the association that runs the mosque wants to press charges against the pair for allegedly secretly filming the controversial sermon, according to 20 Minutes.
The public prosecutor confirmed the news to the paper on Wednesday.
Zurich lawyer Andreas Meili told the paper that theoretically a prison sentence is possible, if it is found that the pair’s secret filming violated rights to privacy.
The news is the latest episode in a long-running controversy surrounding the An’Nour mosque, thought to be linked to the radicalization of young people in the city — an accusation the mosque denies.
Speaking to 20 Minuten, the journalist who broke the story about the imam’s sermon said he had been threatened by members of the mosque.
He called for police protection for the two informants and other witnesses who report alleged criminal behaviour at the mosque.
http://www.thelocal.ch/20170224/winterthur-mosque-presses-charges-against-duo-who-reported-imam-for-inciting-murder
Heftige Prügelei in An’Nur-Moschee: Zehn Verhaftungen
Real Anti-Semites Against Fake Anti-Semitism
The left opposes bombing synagogues except when it supports it.
February 24, 2017
Daniel Greenfield
Keith Ellison is suddenly very concerned about anti-Semitism.
The former Nation of Islam member who appeared on stage with Khalid Abdul Muhammad (“that old no-good Jew, that old imposter Jew, that old hooked-nose, bagel-eating, lox-eating… just crawled out of the caves and hills of Europe, so-called damn Jew”) and defended the anti-Semitism of Louis Farrakhan (“Do you know some of these satanic Jews have taken over BET?”) is worried about the hatred of Jews.
The leading candidate to head the DNC who used to rant about, “European white Jews… trying to oppress minorities all over the world” denounced President Trump for having, “taken… so long to even say the word ‘anti-Semitism.’”
How long did it take Ellison to stop defending the anti-Semitism of Farrakhan or of Joanne Jackson?
And Ellison isn’t through yet. He associates with CAIR, a hate group that has defended terrorists who target synagogues, and touts an endorsement from Jesse “Hymietown” Jackson.
Keith Ellison put out a press release after the bomb threats to Jewish centers declaring, “To all those who have felt threatened: I stand with you.”
Speaking of threats, the Minnesota Daily opinion editor, Michael Olenick, had described Ellison’s writing as “a genuine threat to the long-term safety and well-being of the Jewish people, a threat that history dictates must not be ignored.”
Except it was ignored.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/265898/real-anti-semites-against-fake-anti-semitism-daniel-greenfield
GERMANY – Turkey encouraging teachers to spy in German schools: report
The Turkish government has urged teachers and parents in western Germany with Turkish roots to report any criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan they hear at schools, according to local media.
The Turkish consulate in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) told parents and teachers at “information events” in Düsseldorf, Essen, Cologne und Münster in January that they should spy on classes at German schools, the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) reported on Thursday.
Attendees were told to report any criticism of Erdogan they witnessed in schools to the consulate.
“We have heard from various different sources that people were told to report every piece of criticism of Turkey, which had been heard at schools in NRW, to the consulate ,” Sebastian Krebs, a spokesperson for the Union for Education and Science (GEW) said.
“The consulate also encouraged parents to tell their children to film teachers and pass on the evidence to Turkish authorities,” he added.
The GEW also claims to have been provided with syllabuses for classes on the Turkish language and culture which had been provided to teachers by the consulate.
“These syllabuses are heavily coloured by nationalism,” said Krebs.
Nefren Tuncay, vice Consul in Düsselforf, denied the accusation to The Local.
“The claim by the GEW that pupils were encouraged to film their teachers, or that it had anything to do with politics in Turkey, is not true,” she said.
According to Tuncay, the event was to do with discrimination children of a Turkish background face in school and constructive ways in which it can be tackled.
She added that the event was transparent and open to the public and that photos and minutes on its content are freely available online.
A representative of the Turkish Parents Association of Germany (Föted) had a slightly different explanation for the meeting.
Many parents with Turkish roots complain that the Turkish government is misrepresented in German schools, Ali Sak told WAZ.
“These parents don’t have anyone who they can talk to about this other than the consulate. The real reason they were invited was so that they could discuss this problem with the consulate and with parent associations,” he said.
This is not the first time in recent weeks Ankara has been accused of spying within Germany’s large ethnic Turkish population.
Earlier in February police raided the homes of four Turkish Muslim preachers on suspicion they spied for Erdogan’s government.
The imams are accused of reporting on Turkish followers of US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan blames for last July’s failed coup attempt against him.
https://www.thelocal.de/20170223/turkey-encouraging-teachers-to-spy-in-german-schools-report
Nuclear Weapons Aren’t Going Anywhere
February 24, 2017
Daniel Greenfield
Genies don’t go back in the bottle. And jelly beans don’t go back in the jar once they’re scattered all over the floor.
Obama pushed a delusional plan to eliminate nuclear weapons. Instead he wound up financing Iran’s nuclear program under the guise of trying to stop it. Meanwhile our own defensive and offensive capabilities became shakier.
It’s understandable why people would want to get rid of nuclear weapons. They’re a huge and terrifying threat. The destruction they can unleash remains unprecedented. But disarming ourselves doesn’t work. The only method of preventing a nuclear war that has been shown to work is deterrence.
Mutually Assured Destruction prevented a nuclear war.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/265913/nuclear-weapons-arent-going-anywhere-daniel-greenfield
Sebastian Gorka on defeating ISIS
Israel Prepares As Iran and Hezbollah Ratchet Up the Rhetoric
Israel’s genocidal enemies beat the drums of war.
February 24, 2017
Ari Lieberman
According to Arab media sources, the Israeli Air Force launched a series of strikes against military targets within Syria in the early morning hours of Wednesday. The attacks, which reportedly targeted a Hezbollah weapons convoy, occurred near Damascus. According to at least one report, a busload of Hezbollah terrorists was hit, though this was not confirmed.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement. The muted Israeli response is consistent with Israel’s policy of acting resolutely to preserve its interests while keeping unnecessary rhetoric and gratuitous bravado under wraps. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Israel’s enemies who have struck an extremely belligerent tone in recent weeks, even more so than usual.
On Tuesday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei referred to Israel as a “cancerous tumor” and encouraged Palestinians to revolt until achieving the goal of “complete liberation of Palestine.” Earlier in the week, an unnamed but high-level Syrian official told a Kuwaiti media outlet that Syria “will be partners with Hezbollah in any future war against Israel.”
Not to be outdone, Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun, a corrupt political lackey who is almost certainly on Hezbollah’s (or the Islamic Republic’s) payroll voiced strong support for Hezbollah and its acquisition of sophisticated weapons in violation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701. He also threatened Israel with an “appropriate response” if Israel violated Lebanese sovereignty.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/265903/israel-prepares-iran-and-hezbollah-ratchet-ari-lieberman
Fighting ISIS and Islamic Terror Panel with Sebastian Gorka (CPAC 2017)
Jewish brothers stopped at red light ‘assaulted with HACKSAW by anti-semitic attackers’ (express, Feb 24, 2017)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/771795/Jewish-brothers-red-light-assaulted-hacksaw-anti-semitic-attackers
“A PAIR of Jewish brothers were allegedly brutally assaulted by two anti-semitic thugs with a hacksaw in Paris.
The brothers, who were wearing their Kippahs at the time, were reportedly attacked as they were stuck at a red light in Seine-Saint-Denis on Tuesday, officials said.
A spokesperson for the Bobigny prosecutor’s office said police have opened a formal investigation into the alleged ordeal.
Prosecutors said that the vicious brawl between the four drivers started after the two alleged attackers started “throwing dirty looks” at the brothers, aged 29 and 17, while waiting for the light to turn green “because they noticed that the two men were both wearing a Jewish skullcap”.
One of the thugs then reportedly rolled down his car window and yelled “I’m going to kill you, dirty Jew”, before jumping out of the car brandishing a hacksaw.
One of the attackers then used the saw to beat up the two brothers after they had been dragged out of the car.
The older brother suffered a “deep gash” to his hand as he tried to push the blade away, and has been signed off work for 10 days.
His teenage brother suffered a shoulder injury in the attack.
The two victims claim that several men who had been drinking at a nearby roadside bar “joined the fight” and also started beating them up.
The two attackers, who have not yet been identified, are still on the run, police said.”
Jihadis took pregnant wife hostage in post office robbery to fund terror attack in France (express, Feb 24, 2017)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/771759/jihadis-terror-attack-france-isis-hostage-post-office-robbery
“TWO jihadis held a postal worker’s pregnant wife and son at knifepoint to raise money to wage terror in France.
Ibrayima Sylla, 37, and Pierre Roubertie, 26, stormed the Paris home of Jacques Penhouet, a post office teller, armed with a knife and a Taser.
The two ISIS fanatics took the postal worker’s heavily pregnant wife, Claire, and son hostage.
While Roubertie guarded the mother and son, Sylla dragged Mr Penhouet – who had the key to the post office safe – to his workplace.
The radical Islamist walked off with more than £1,600 (€2,000) in cash after forcing the terrified father to empty the safe.
Mrs Penhouet and her son were released hours later, unharmed but shaken by their ordeal…”
DAILY MAIL – ITALY – Police investigate shocking video of Italian Lidl employees tormenting two Roma gypsies they trapped in a recycling container ‘like wild animals’
Two women were filmed trapped inside the container in Tuscany, in Italy
They were taunted by two employees at a Lidl supermarket
The footage has been described as ‘disgraceful’ by the town’s mayor
The leader of Italy’s far-right Northern League party has offered to help defend the men
A video showing supermarket employees tormenting two women who were trapped inside a recycling container has sparked outrage in Italy.
The women, both Roma gypsies, were seen crying for help as two men, employed by Lidl, laughed at them.
They were trapped inside the container after the shop workers saw them rummaging through the bins, and one of the staff climbed on top of it to shout at them.
The men were heard chanting: ‘You can’t go into the rubbish container at Lidl.’
The footage has been viewed more than 200,000 times, and the head of Italy’s far-right Northern League party, Matteo Salvini, has pledged to offer legal support to the men.
It happened in the Tuscan town of Follonica, where mayor Andrea Benini told La Repubblica: ‘One thing that baffles me about that video is the lightness and the absolute indifference to Roma women who are involved, which is an unacceptable attitude that affects the heart of our values.
‘The City cannot do anything but react severely and immediately in response this disgraceful episode, we will take public initiatives to reaffirm the value of solidarity and inclusion.’
Lidl has condemned the workers involving, saying it ‘firmly condemned behaviour of this kind’.
It vowed to take ‘appropriate measures’.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4257462/Italian-Lidl-employees-seen-tormenting-two-Roma-gypsies.html
Dutch PM Mark Rutte causes outrage branding Muslim call to prayer ‘horrific’ whining (express, Feb 24, 2017)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/771679/prime-minister-netherlands-mark-rutte-muslim-call-to-prayer-horrific-whining
“DUTCH Prime Minister Mark Rutte has outraged Muslim leaders after describing the Islamic call to prayer singing as “horrific” whining.
Mr Rutte – who faces voters next month in the Netherlands’ parliamentary elections – was being interviewed for Holland’s Christian radio station, Evangelical Broadcast Service.
He was asked about an earlier statement, when he had called the Muslim call to prayer song “whiny music”.
The song – played from mosque minarets – has become commonplace across the Netherlands.
But when Rutte was asked to confirm what he had said, he told show host Tijs van den Brink: “Yes, I find it horrific.”
Mr Rutte went on to warn Muslim leaders that although they have religious freedom, they should not upset non-believers…”
Rights groups: Slovakia discriminates against Roma kids (abcnews, Feb 24, 2017)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rights-groups-slovakia-discriminates-roma-kids-45714946
“Rights groups say Slovakia has failed to end the discrimination of Roma children in the country’s education system.
In a joint report published on Friday, Amnesty International and the European Roma Rights Center say Romani children are over-represented in the schools for the mentally disabled and are placed in segregated classrooms or schools.
The groups say the Romani children receive poor education, condemning them to live in poverty and seclusion.
The European Union previously issued a warning to Slovakia, and to Hungary and the Czech Republic, about the discrimination. However, the report says “Romani children remain trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, marginalization and despair.”
The groups have called on the EU “to push Slovakia to bring its policies in line with EU law on race discrimination.””
Report: German spy agency targets foreign reporters’ phones (abcnews, Feb 24, 2017)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/report-german-spy-agency-targets-foreign-reporters-phones-45715112
“The German weekly Der Spiegel reports that the country’s spy agency had at least 50 numbers and email addresses of journalists among its surveillance targets.
Spiegel reported Friday that a list seen by the magazine contained over a dozen numbers belonging to the BBC in Afghanistan and London. It says a New York Times phone number in Afghanistan and several cell and satellite phone numbers for the Reuters news agency in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria were also on the list.
Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, known by its acronym BND, declined to comment directly on the report.
In a statement sent to The Associated Press, the agency said it only communicates with the German government and lawmakers on parliament’s intelligence oversight committee about “operative aspects” of its work.”
Turkish diplomats seek asylum in Germany after failed coup (abcnews, Feb 24, 2017)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkish-diplomats-seek-asylum-germany-failed-coup-45707145
“Germany is continuing to receive requests for asylum from Turks with diplomatic passports in the wake of a crackdown on the opposition following last year’s failed coup, the Interior Ministry said Friday.
At least 136 people with Turkish diplomatic passports are currently applying for asylum, said Tobias Plate, a ministry spokesman, who was responding to German media reports. He didn’t confirm reports by public broadcaster NDR and daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the figure had stood at 53 in November.
It wasn’t clear how many were diplomats and how many were family members, and there was no indication how many applications had been processed.
The situation has caused diplomatic tension between the two countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed Chancellor Angela Merkel at a meeting this month to reject asylum requests and extradite 40 soldiers allegedly involved in the failed July 15 coup.
Germany denounced the coup attempt but has been critical of the far-reaching crackdown that followed, which saw tens of thousands of government employees lose their jobs and thousands imprisoned.
The overall number of asylum applications from Turkey rose from 1,800 in 2014 to 4,600 in 2015, and 5,700 last year. Most of those who applied for asylum in 2016 said they belonged to the Kurdish ethnic minority, Plate said.”
Egypt Christians flee Sinai after a spate of attacks (abcnews, Feb 24, 2017)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/egypt-officials-christian-killed-sinai-sixth-month-45705848
“Suspected Islamic militants gunned down a Coptic Christian man and stabbed his daughter to death inside his home in northern Sinai, the seventh such killing in a month’s time in the restive region, officials and a Christian priest said Friday, prompting hundreds of Christians to flee from the area for fear of being targeted next…”
Erdogan: Turkey can hold referendum on death penalty (abcnews, Feb 24, 2017)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/erdogan-turkey-hold-referendum-death-penalty-45711113
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey could hold a referendum on reinstating the death penalty, if parliament fails to pass such a measure.
Erdogan made the comment on Friday while campaigning for a “yes” vote in a referendum on whether to expand his powers…”
French prosecutor asks magistrate to open probe on Fillon fake jobs allegations: report
France’s financial prosecutor has asked an investigative magistrate to open a probe into allegations that presidential candidate Francois Fillon’s wife was paid large sums of money for work she may not have done, newspaper Le Parisien reported.
The report from Le Parisien followed an earlier media report on the website of French TV station M6 that the prosecutor was likely to publish a statement on the matter later on Friday.
The prosecutor had said earlier this month it was continuing its probe into the affair, which has seen Fillon lose ground in opinion polls. Fillon, the candidate of The Republicans’ right-wing party, has denied any wrongdoing.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-fillon-inquiry-idUSKBN163283
BBC – French magistrate to investigate Francois Fillon
The magistrate has more powers to investigate what was until now a preliminary inquiry. The judge can still decide to drop the case.
Mr Fillon is suspected of paying to his wife and children for “fake jobs”.
Mr Fillon, who denies any wrongdoing, says the accusations are intended “to destroy” him and the Republicans.
Until recently, Mr Fillon was the favourite to win the elections in April and May, but he now faces mounting pressure to quit the presidential race.
The former prime minister has slipped behind far-right leader Marine Le Pen and is neck-and-neck with centrist Emmanuel Macron.
Le Canard Enchaine a weekly satirical French magazine, alleged that Mr Fillon’s wife Penelope was paid hundreds of thousands of euros for work she may not have done.
The couple have said she was legitimately employed as his parliamentary aide, and her lawyer, Pierre Cornut-Gentille, said she had submitted evidence of the work she did.
But French media later aired a 2007 interview with Mrs Fillon in which she said she had never worked as her husband’s assistant.
Investigators are also looking into payments of more than €80,000 (£69,000; $86,000) made to Marie and Charles Fillon, when their father was a senator between 2005 and 2007.
Mr Fillon said his children were paid as lawyers, for specific tasks. But neither was a qualified lawyer at the time.
According to Le Canard Enchaine, they drew pay cheques not for assignments, but for two full-time jobs.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39084865
DAILY MAIL – USA – Jesse Jackson Jr. collects $138,400 a year in federal government benefits after serving 2.5 years in prison for looting his own campaign – but critics question if he’s eligible for the money
Ex-Democrat Rep claims $138,400 a year in workers’ comp and disability checks
Doctors say bipolar disorder and depression stop him from being able to work
The money is paid out to those who develop illnesses or injury while on the job
Critics have questioned how being a Congressman led to bipolar disorder
Jackson’s lawyer says he can’t explain how, but doctors have confirmed illness
He was jailed for 30 months in 2013 for stealing $750,000 from his campaign
Figures came out after wife Sandi Stevens initiated divorce proceedings
[…]What’s remarkable here is by his getting workers’ comp, it appears that Congressman Jackson’s attorneys have convinced the government that his bipolar disorder was created by the rigors of being a member of Congress,‘ he said.
[…]The figures emerged after District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert Okun ordered Jackson to pay child support for the children he had with Stevens: Jessica, 16, and Tre, 13.
He told the court that his monthly expenses are $1,608 per month. Sandi Jackson says her monthly expenses are $11,030, she has no income and is in $35,000 debt.
Jackson was ordered to pay $1,529 a month in temporary child support as of March.
The ex-Representative was imprisoned after it emerged that he had spent around $750,000 in campaign funds on a series of luxury items.
The 3,000 purchases included a fedora that once belonged to Michael Jackson and multiple cashmere capes.[…]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4253354/Jesse-Jackson-Jr-gets-138K-year-federal-government.html
Every 4.8 Seconds A White Woman Or Girl Is Raped By Muslims In Europe
This was originally published in Counter-Currents on November 17th, 2015. The extrapolations and statistics weren’t meant to be ‘exact’, but rather just an illustration to help paint a picture of just how horrible and massive the scope of these events is. I might not have explained that well enough in the introduction however because one or two readers on Counter-Currents and some of the other sites where it was reprinted made a point of registering their disagreement with the accuracy of the statistics.
http://www.europeancivilwar.com/every-4-8-seconds-a-white-woman-or-girl-is-raped-by-muslims-in-europe/
US Supreme Court justices (today) debating whether enforcing the Treaty of Hidalgo border treaty with Mexico allows using force (bullets) when someone on the Mexican side approaches.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?424204-1/radio-washington-today (not a great audio quality)
I don’t know what the court will say but precedent says that it does, it also allows people in the US to return fire when fired on from Mexico.
Farage on Trump: The EU Is ‘Absolutely Terrified of Him – Good’
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party, told PJM that there is “nothing to be lost” with President Trump meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that Trump has to show he’s “not going to be a pushover.”
“Well, he has to show he wants to have a better relationship with Russia. He believes we have shared common interests in dealing with Islamic terrorism and issues like that but he’s not going to be a pushover — that’s what you’ve got to show,” Farage said during an interview Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington.
“He’s going to say, ‘Look, you’ve behaved badly but we want to form a grown-up relationship with you.’ One thing is for certain, there’s nothing to be lost with him meeting Putin. Nothing at all,” he added.
Farage rejected the notion that the U.S. cannot make a good deal with Russia.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/2017/02/24/farage-on-trump-the-eu-is-absolutely-terrified-of-him-good/
Nigel Farage CPAC 2017 Interview