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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.
Hannity: The fix was in for Hillary Clinton
Did the FBI conspire to rig the presidential election?
Washington Times opinion editor Charlie Hurt on former Russia probe investigator Peter Strzok’s role in helping to launch the Russia investigation and whether the FBI rigged the 2016 election.
Gingrich on cesspool of corruption covering up for Clintons
Fox News obtains one of the original drafts of Comey’s statement exonerating Clinton; former House speaker reacts on ‘Hannity
Comey edits – and more FBI alleged bias – revealed
“CHURCH HOLDS ‘INCLUSIVE’ BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR MUHAMMAD, JESUS”
WND – December 14, 2017
http://www.wnd.com/2017/12/church-holds-inclusive-birthday-party-for-muhammad-jesus/
“Danish school cancels traditional Christmas service ‘because of Muslim students'” By Voice Of Europe – December 13, 2017
https://voiceofeurope.com/2017/12/danish-school-cancels-traditional-christmas-service-muslim-students/
“Muslim Mayor Cancels Christmas In Nazareth, Blames Trump” Weasel Zippers/Fox News – December 14, 2017
https://www.weaselzippers.us/367559-muslim-mayor-cancels-christmas-in-jerusalem-blames-trump/
Donald Trump and Brexit – do votes count anymore? Is this the end of democracy?
https://youtu.be/B7RAzFiFPHI
Exodus: Jews Flee Paris Suburbs over Rising Tide of Anti-Semitism
French-Jewish families are being forced from their homes in Paris suburbs as Europe continues to be convulsed by levels of anti-Semitism not seen since the end of the Second World War.
The Paris commuter newspaper 20 Minutes documents an “internal exodus” during 2017 of Jews from the Seine-Saint-Denis department, saying it is emblematic of broader concerns that French Jews, like their brothers and sisters across Europe, are finding it increasingly difficult to reconcile their faith with the changing demographics of the continent.
The paper reports that Jews are leaving their homes on the northeastern fringe of Paris to escape the open hostility that French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Sunday condemned as “well-rooted.” The newspaper reports:
The Bondy synagogue president saw a “deteriorating climate” of the last 15 years as driving the exodus, “It’s hard to explain, it’s provocations, it’s looks,” he lamented. “There are places where we do not feel welcome.”
http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2017/12/15/exodus-french-jews-forced-islamists-anti-semitism-rises-across-europe/
Presidential hopeful wants Finland out of EU, says nationalists will bounce back
HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland will leave the European Union and position itself as the Switzerland of the north to protect its independence if Laura Huhtasaari, the presidential candidate of the eurosceptic Finns Party has her way.
he also told Reuters in an interview she wants to tighten immigration rules.
”The rise in Europe of parties that are critical towards the EU and immigration is due to bad, unjust politics,“ she said. ”The role for Finland in the euro zone is the role of a loser and payer…
“I do not want Finland to become a province of EU, Finns must stand up for Finland’s interests.”
The Finns Party, formerly called “True Finns”, rose from obscurity during the euro zone debt crisis with an anti-EU platform, complicating the bloc’s bailout talks with troubled states.
It expanded into the second-biggest parliamentary party in 2015 and joined the government, but then saw its support drop due to compromises in the three-party coalition.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-finland-eurosceptics/presidential-hopeful-wants-finland-out-of-eu-says-nationalists-will-bounce-back-idUSKBN1E722V
Austria Shifts Right as Kurz Forges Government With Nationalists
Austria’s 31-year-old next leader is closing in on a pact with nationalists to form a government that reflects Europe’s anti-immigration groundswell.
An agreement in Vienna, which could come as early as Friday, would allow Sebastian Kurz to become the world’s youngest head of government and return the populist Freedom Party to power as junior partner for the first time since 2005.
Austria’s drift to the right is part of Europe’s shifting politics after a year of populist challenges at the polls, including an anti-immigration party that drew voters away from Angela Merkel. The German chancellor called the Freedom Party’s strong showing a “major challenge” after the election in neighboring Austria in October.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-15/austria-shifts-right-as-kurz-forges-government-with-nationalists
While focus is on North Korea, China continues South China Sea buildup: think tank
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – While attention in Asia has been distracted by the North Korean nuclear crisis in the past year, China has continued to install high-frequency radar and other facilities that can be used for military purposes on its man-made islands in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank said on Thursday.
Chinese activity has involved work on facilities covering 72 acres (29 hectares) of the Spratly and Paracel islands, territory contested with several other Asian nations, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies. The report cited satellite images.
The United States and its allies oppose China’s building of artificial islands in the South China Sea and their militarization, given concerns Beijing plans to use them to deny access to strategic routes.
“It’s completely normal for China to conduct peaceful construction and build essential defense equipment on its own sovereign territory,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing on Friday, in response to a question about the report.
http://www.oann.com/while-focus-is-on-north-korea-china-continues-south-china-sea-buildup-think-tank/
This is part of the reason China isn’t reining in North Korea, they want to get as many military assets in place before the US is in a position to shift our military assets from Korea to the South China Sea. The unintended consequence of this Chinese action is that Japan is using the Chinese aggression to change their Constitution so they can rearm and use military force in areas that aren’t part of Japan. A rearmed Japan who is capable of projecting power is not something that China wants, in WWII if the US, the Anzacs and the Europeans had stayed out of the fight Japan would have conquered China. China knows this but seems to think they can get the US and/or Russia to keep Japan down.
Stay tuned for more actions like this and more moves by Japan, also Black Pigeon Speaks is based out of Japan and is saying that Japan not China is set to become the dominate power in that region. I haven’t watched the video yet but here it is.
Erdogan says Turkey seeking to annul Trump decision on Jerusalem at U.N.
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey is launching an initiative at the United Nations to annul a decision by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.
Erdogan was speaking two days after a Muslim leaders meeting in Istanbul condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision, calling on the world to respond by recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
“We will work for the annulment of this unjust decision firstly at the UN Security Council, and if a veto comes from there, the General Assembly,” Erdogan told crowds gathered in the central Anatolian city of Konya via teleconference.
The United States is a permanent Security Council member with veto powers, meaning any move to overturn Washington’s decision at the council would certainly be blocked.
http://www.oann.com/erdogan-says-turkey-starting-initiatives-at-u-n-to-annul-u-s-decision-on-jerusalem/
This is going to be another nail in the coffin of the UN and hopefully the EU and the World Court. Competition is the key to increasing technology, freedom and liberty, not heavy government control and globalism but competition.
FYI: The reason the big corporations spend so much money supporting the big government politicians and political parties is because they don’t want competition and are bribing the politicians to prevent any new companies taking some of their customers away.
US recognition of Jerusalem a ‘bomb’ in the Mideast: Erdogan
Turkey’s Erdogan: Muslim nations to go to UN over Jerusalem (abcnews, Dec 15, 2017)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkeys-erdogan-muslim-nations-jerusalem-51811201
“Turkey’s president says Muslim nations will ask the United Nations for an “annulment” of President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the initiative would start at the U.N. Security Council and if it’s “vetoed there, we will work within the U.N. General Assembly for the annulment of this unjust and lawless decision.”
Erdogan spoke to a rally in the central province of Konya via teleconference on Friday…”
Myanmar court sentences 4 family members in maid abuse (abcnews, Dec 15, 2017)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/myanmar-court-sentences-family-members-maid-abuse-51808086
“A court in Myanmar sentenced four members of a family to as much as 16 years in prison with hard labor on Friday after finding them guilty of enslaving and abusing their two teenage maids, in a case that has prompted widespread public outrage over the girls’ treatment.
The two girls were 11 and 12 when they were sent to the city from their poor village in Myanmar’s delta to work as maids for a family that owned a tailor shop. Five years later, a local journalist heard allegations of child abuse at the shop and investigated, pretending he wanted a suit. He wrote an article about the girls’ broken fingers and scars from cuts, burns and beatings.
Police then investigated and arrested six family members who were accused of locking up and torturing the girls for five years, stabbing them with scissors and knives, and burning them with an iron. They were charged with assault and violations of anti-trafficking and child protection laws.
After a trial lasting more than a year, a district court in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, on Friday sentenced the mother, Tin Thuzar, to 16 years and one month and two adult children to 13 years and one month, defense lawyer Hnin Su Aung said. The husband of one of the children also received a sentence of 13 years and one month…”
Russia’s FSB detains ISIS cell members planning attacks in St. Petersburg (RT, Dec 15, 2017)
https://www.rt.com/news/413307-fsb-isis-petersburg-attack/
“The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained seven people suspected of being members of a terrorist cell linked to Islamic State, the agency reported. A series of bombings was planned for Saturday, it said.
The attacks were planned to involve “a suicide bomber blowing [himself] up inside a religious facility and the murder of civilians with improvised explosive devises in places of mass gatherings,” the FSB statement said.
The cell members were detained overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, the FSB reported. During the raid, law enforcement agents seized “a large amount of explosive materials, elements of IEDs, automatic arms, ammunition and extremist literature.” A bomb-making workshop was dismantled as part of the bust.
The statement stressed that the cell was coordinating its plans with IS masterminds via a Telegram messenger chat channel…”
Russia: Seven IS terror suspects caught red-handed in St. Petersburg
Seven alleged members of the so-called Islamic State were detained in Saint Petersburg on Friday. The group was reportedly planning to carry out several attacks across the city involving suicide bombers.
Miss Iraq Forced to Flee Homeland After Selfie With Miss Israel (PHOTO) (sputniknews, Dec 15, 2017)
https://sputniknews.com/viral/201712151060031840-miss-iraq-selfie-threats/
“The woman who represented Iraq at the Miss Universe beauty pageant apparently had to flee her home country with her family because of a single photo she shared on Instagram.
Sarah Idan, the current holder of the title of Miss Iraq, had to move to the United States together with her family due to fear of reprisals from her fellow countrymen, all seemingly because of a single social media post…”
Berlin police ban Israeli, US flags at pro-Palestinian demo (wapo, Dec 15, 2017)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/berlin-police-ban-israeli-us-flags-at-pro-palestinian-demo/2017/12/15/6b854b84-e1a6-11e7-b2e9-8c636f076c76_story.html
“Berlin police have banned American and Israeli flags at a pro-Palestinian march, after flag burning at previous recent protests prompted outrage in Germany.
Police are also trying to crack down on anti-Semitic chants by having translators accompany the Friday march and record any illegal utterances.
Jewish leaders condemned anti-Israel and anti-Jewish chants during protests in Germany last weekend against the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Berlin police said the marchers Friday were warned in Arabic and German about restrictions, including the ban on flags.
Police said the march will be filmed, adding: “we will not tolerate forbidden utterances.””
Holocaust must be bigger part of migrant courses – German minister (reuters, Dec 15, 2017)
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-germany-antisemitism/holocaust-must-be-bigger-part-of-migrant-courses-german-minister-idUKKBN1E91U1
“More emphasis should be placed on the Holocaust in integration courses for migrants, Germany’s justice minister said, reflecting heightened unease among leading politicians about a spate of anti-Semitic acts including Israeli flag burnings.
More than a million migrants have arrived in Germany in the last three years, many of them fleeing conflict in the Middle East, causing concern that anti-Semitism could increase.
German police have reported protesters setting Israeli flags ablaze and using anti-Semitic slogans in Berlin and other cities in demonstrations against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
In a piece for weekly magazine Der Spiegel, Justice Minister Heiko Maas wrote that the Holocaust, in which the Nazis killed six million Jews, and its significance needed to become an even more important part of integration courses and migrants should be tested on it in the examination at the end of their course.
“The lessons from the Holocaust need to be one of the guiding ideas in those lessons and not just some chapter of German history,” he said.
“Racism has no place in Germany, so everyone who wants to stay in Germany for the long term needs to be clear that we fight the Neonazis’ anti-Semitism and we won’t tolerate any imported anti-Semitism from immigrants either,” Maas added…”
Why dont you teach them in their home countries?
Yup, that´ll be about as successful as rubber bracelets to stop rapes. The ineptness level is just reaching absurdity.
Yemeni officials say foreign aid workers have left port city (abcnews, Dec 15, 2017)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yemeni-officials-foreign-aid-workers-left-port-city-51812230
“Yemeni officials say foreign humanitarian workers with the U.N. and other international organizations have left the port city of Hodeida because of intensified fighting there.
The officials said Friday that Yemen’s Shite rebels stepped up fighting with forces loyal to the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi along the coast of Hodeida and western Yemen.
The officials say local employees with the U.N. and other organizations are now doing the humanitarian work in Hodeida. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to reporters.
A Saudi-led coalition backing Hadi has been at war with Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels, known as Houthis, since March 2015.
Rebel-held Hodeida is a lifeline for most of Yemen’s population and has long been blockaded by the coalition.”
CANADA – Vaughan hostage taker wore suicide vest, demanded to speak with Trump
Demanding to talk to United States President Donald Trump, the 25-year-old man had nine bombs strapped to a suicide vest, a detonator in one hand and a gun in the other.
And he was threatening to use his entire arsenal inside an RBC branch — at the corner of Major MacKenzie Dr. and Dufferin St. in Vaughan — where he had up to 13 hostages Wednesday.
“He was waving his gun around,” said a person who was on the scene. “He was not demanding money. He asked for no money. He said he wanted crystal meth and he wanted to talk to Trump.”
He also asked for panicked bank employees to call police.
Police are working to determine whether his arsenal or threats were real. But York Regional Police did not take any chances. After a robot was deployed inside the bank, two officers took him out with gunshots.
“I am glad that they did,” said one person who was inside the building before being told to get out by police. “It was a scary situation when a guy has bombs and a gun.”
This investigation is still very much in its early stages with forensics to determine what was authentic. The province’s Special Investigation’s Unit, which investigates police shootings, was all over this taped-off scene Thursday.
One source who was on the scene said officers tried everything they could to get the man to surrender and to free his hostages.
“In the end there was no negotiating with him. He didn’t want to talk anymore,” said the insider, who described him as appearing emotionally unstable.
One of the working theories is suicide by cop. Little is known about the dead man so far. The SIU had not yet released his name.
Who was this mystery man and why did he drive a car from the Bathurst St.-Teston Rd. area four kilometres to the bank with a suicide vest?
“He is Middle Eastern,” confirmed a police source. “I believe he’s originally from Egypt.” One witnessed said there was no references to any religious or terror allegiences in the man’s rantings. The only thing political was the name “Trump.”
Police were guarding the scene of a nearby, spacious, recently built, two-floor luxury home at 130 Lady Delores Dr. where the deceased is said to have been living. Neighbours describe it as an uneventful abode.
With a York Regional cruiser holding the taped off scene, the front door of the house had remained open since late Wednesday evening when police came in. There is broken glass visible on the front step.
“We are awaiting a warrant to search the house,” explained York Const. Andy Pattenden.
When explosives are part of a probe, it’s not unusual to have specialists take a look for live explosives or any products or equipment that could make such devices.
No one has confirmed if the bombs or weapon the dead man displayed were operational. But one person in the building at the time of the incident, said the hostages felt they looked real.
One person I talked with who was inside the building when the hostage taking went down, described it as one of those pat-the-police-on-the-back moments.
But ultimately that will be up to the SIU to decide.
http://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-vaughan-hostage-taker-wore-suicide-vest-demanded-to-speak-with-trump
DAILY MAIL – AMSTERDAM – Dramatic moment armed police shoot knifeman threatening passengers outside Starbucks at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport
Video shows Dutch police moving in on suspected knifeman at Schiphol Airport
Shots can be heard as officers swooped on an area outside a Starbucks Cafe
Came amid reports a man was threatening people with a knife in the terminal
[…]The circumstances surrounding the shooting are not yet clear and police have not revealed whether the incident was terror related. There were no reports of other injuries.
‘The man threatened with a knife and the military police shot him,’ spokesman Stan Verberkt said. ‘He was injured and has been taken into custody.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5183863/Schipol-Airport-evacuated-man-shot-police.html
The Hill – Prominent lawyer sought donor cash for two Trump accusers
A well-known women’s rights lawyer sought to arrange compensation from donors and tabloid media outlets for women who made or considered making sexual misconduct allegations against Donald Trump during the final months of the 2016 presidential race, according to documents and interviews.
California lawyer Lisa Bloom’s efforts included offering to sell alleged victims’ stories to TV outlets in return for a commission for herself, arranging a donor to pay off one Trump accuser’s mortgage and attempting to secure a six-figure payment for another woman who ultimately declined to come forward after being offered as much as $750,000, the clients told The Hill.
The women’s accounts were chronicled in contemporaneous contractual documents, emails and text messages reviewed by The Hill, including an exchange of texts between one woman and Bloom that suggested political action committees supporting Hillary Clinton were contacted during the effort.
more :
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/365068-exclusive-prominent-lawyer-sought-donor-cash-for-two-trump-accusers
Religious freedom review appointee has argued for limited sharia law in Australia
Prof Nicholas Aroney, who has said religious freedom should include right to practise sharia law within limits, appointed to Philip Ruddock-led review
The Turnbull government has appointed an academic who has argued that recognising religious freedom should include acceptance of a limited form of sharia law to the Ruddock review.
On Thursday the government released broad terms of reference for its religious freedom inquiry, headed by former attorney general Philip Ruddock, including the new appointment of University of Queensland constitutional law professor Nicholas Aroney to the five-person panel.
Aroney is an expert on legal pluralism, law and religion who has warned that religious freedom has become a second-class right to anti-discrimination and argued that religious freedom should include a right to practise sharia law within “strictly justifiable limits imposed by the general law”.
In public debate before marriage equality was legalised, Coalition conservatives including the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, and the defence personnel minister, Dan Tehan, warned against amendments with unintended consequences, such as creating religious enclaves shielded by law or opening a back door to sharia……..
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/15/religious-freedom-review-appointee-has-argued-for-limited-sharia-law-in-australia
the guardian –Britain First deputy leader released on bail
Jayda Fransen of far-right group appeared in court charged by police in Northern Ireland over alleged conduct in Belfast
The deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First has been released on bail after appearing in court in Belfast charged over comments about Islam posted on social media.
Jayda Fransen, 31, was charged with threatening behaviour over remarks made earlier this week beside a peace wall dividing Catholics from Protestants in the city.
The comments were posted on social media on Wednesday. The video post said it was shot in the staunchly unionist Shankill area of west Belfast. The post was critical of Islam.
Fransen was bailed after a short hearing before a district judge in Belfast magistrates court on Friday. Police objected to her release.
A diplomatic row erupted between the UK and the US this month after the US president, Donald Trump, retweeted videos posted on Twitter by Fransen. The UK prime minister, Theresa May, criticised Trump for sharing the far-right group’s propaganda. “I am very clear that retweeting from Britain First was the wrong thing to do,” she said at the time.
Fransen, from Anerley in south-east London, was arrested at the same court on Thursday, having appeared on a charge related to other remarks she made at a Northern Ireland Against Terrorism rally in the city in August.
Britain First’s leader, Paul Golding, 35, was also arrested at the court on Thursday as he accompanied Fransen. He was later charged with using threatening, abusive, insulting words or behaviour during a speech he made at the same Belfast rally in August.
Golding was bailed to appear in the same court next month and Fransen will also appear before that court again next month.
Fransen winked and raised her fist in the dock after bail was granted. Around a dozen supporters clapped and cheered in the public gallery.
A police officer had objected to bail, claiming Fransen would commit similar offences to the one she was charged with if released. He said Fransen had made comments urging people to “rise up and take action now” against the “Islamic ideology”.
He raised concerns that similar comments could lead to attacks on Muslims. The judge, Fiona Bagnall, said she acknowledged his concerns but would apply bail conditions to mitigate that risk.
Fransen has been prevented from going within 500 metres of any demonstration or procession in Northern Ireland – the same condition applied when she appeared on the August charge on Thursday.
“We’ll see if bail terms work,” the judge told the court. “If they don’t work, she’ll be brought back to court and she will be in custody.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/15/britain-first-deputy-leader-jayda-fransen-released-on-bail
BBC – At the court –
After bail was granted, Ms Fransen’s supporters in the public gallery cheered and applauded.
She raised her arm in the air as they cheered.
Among her supporters was Paul Golding, the leader of Britain First.
The charge against Ms Fransen relates to comments she is alleged to have made in a video online that was filmed at a peace wall in west Belfast.
Presentational grey line
Friday’s charge stems from an incident at a peace wall on 13 December.
Peace walls are used to separate Catholic and Protestant residents in Northern Ireland, in areas where tension between the two communities can run high.
The police objected in court to Ms Fransen being given bail. A PSNI detective told the court that “our objection is that she’s going to commit further offences”.
However, the judge granted her bail on the condition that she did not go within 500m of any demonstration or procession in Northern Ireland.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-42359462
DAILY MAIL – Britain First’s deputy leader, 31, who Trump retweeted is released on bail after appearing in court over a video post of her ranting about Islam at a Belfast peace wall
Jayda Fransen came to Belfast this week to face court over August ‘offence’
But she was arrested after court appearance over video she made this week
She later faced a second charge and was brought back before court today
The 31-year-old was bailed and posed for pictures with man in Trump mask
[…]Outside court, Fransen accused the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) of ‘political policing’.
‘This is political policing which is not what we stand for – we stand for democracy and free speech and this is a blatant attempt to prevent free speech,’ she said.
‘I am expressing an opinion which I am entitled to do – men have fought, bled and died for that right and everything I have stated specifically about the Islamic ideology I can back up with facts straight from the Islamic scripture.
‘This is a clear campaign to silence us and I assure you it won’t work.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5183753/Britain-deputy-bailed-abusive-peace-wall-rant.html
ISIS vows ‘Berlin will burn’ in chilling threat on Christmas markets (express, Dec 15, 2017)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/892984/ISIS-terror-threat-Berlin-will-burn-Christmas-markets
“ISLAMIC States has vowed to destroy Berlin in a chilling threat on the German capital, one year after the deadly Christmas market attack.
12 people were killed in the truck attack at the city’s busy Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz, next to Berlin’s main shopping street last year.
Now ISIS propaganda has vowed “Berlin will burn”, as jihadis threaten to bring chaos and destruction to the city.
One image, posted to Twitter by ISIS propagandists, shows a heavily armed fighter stood in front of the famous Brandenburg Gate, with the words: “Berlin will burn”.
Another shows an ISIS fighter walking through a church towards Father Christmas and a Christmas tree, along with the words “soon on your holidays” and “soon very soon”…”
Richard: I wish I had read this article before I went to the VA, this one needs a lot of thought to digest. She lays out the world situation in her usual excellent manner but what she is laying it requires a lot of thought. According to what she is saying Pax America is dead and will not be revived. But there is no other nation in a position to become the next Global Hegemon, there will be local dominance in various regions but no Great Power/Super Power to be the worlds policeman. As she points out we have been in this situation before but not when technology allows us to reach out and easily touch everyone in the world. Her statement that there are interesting times ahead is going to be one of the major understatements of the 21st Century.
As jets square off in Syria, U.S., Russia continue geopolitical resets in the Great Crossroads
By J.E. Dyer December 15, 2017
The big reason you don’t hear anyone confidently characterizing the current, overall geopolitical condition of the planet is that it doesn’t fit any model from the last 500 years – and if you go back further than that, the conditions of technology and human development were too different to make comparisons very meaningful.
Don’t let anyone tell you, for example, that it’s the 1930s all over again. There were some reasons to make that assessment up through 2-3 years ago, with Barack Obama exhibiting a grab-bag of characteristics from Jimmy Carter, Neville Chamberlain, and FDR, and the leaders of Europe oddly fussy, fatalistic, and passive in the face of growing danger.
But the fiction that American policy is a continuation of our longstanding posture after World War II – which became more brittle by the year under Obama – is now shattered. As with the transformation under Obama, it is useless to cry over spilled milk about this. The Pax Americana was lost during the Obama years, and it is now clear that there will be no effort to recover it. Besides a set of irreversible trends overseas, American herself is pretty preoccupied internally at the moment. We are where we are.
The Trump policy looks more like the U.S. posture before World War I, in terms of geopolitical systematization (or lack thereof) and basic elements – and there is no reason to think that will change any time soon.
Instead of exercising the U.S. dominance of the post-World War II period – which Obama formally disavowed, while yet seeking to leverage it for certain purposes – Trump operates much more in the “young great power” mode of Theodore Roosevelt.
https://libertyunyielding.com/2017/12/15/jets-square-off-syria-u-s-russia-continue-geopolitical-resets-great-crossroads/
A call for an end to civility in political discourse
By Howard Portnoy December 15, 2017
How far we haven’t come as A nation! In January 2011, in the wake of the shooting spree in Tuscon that claimed six lives, Barack Obama delivered what to some was an emotional and stirring appeal to Americans to usher in a new era of civility. Others saw it for the cynical gesture it was, recalling that just weeks earlier the same president had urged Latinos to “punish our enemies and … reward our friends” in the midterm elections.
At the time of his speech, some on the Left deciphered Obama’s words as “intended for Republicans,” implying that Democrats were already the party of civility, while the Right was made up principally of “bitter clingers.”
When those same bitter clingers, now rebranded as “deplorables” voted to replace the Obama style of governance in 2016 with its diametric opposite, liberals showed just how civil they were, holding rallies and marches that declared that Donald Trump was “not our president.”
Now the whole silly enterprise has come full circle. Campus Reform reports that two professors at the University of Northern Iowa are arguing that practicing “civility” in college classrooms leads to “white racial power.”
https://libertyunyielding.com/2017/12/15/call-end-civility-political-discourse/
The teachers are calling for a race war, they really don’t want one. They think their side will win a race war, they won’t. All a race war will do is kill a lot of people and destroy even more of civilization.
OT
[ nothing to do with I....]Tod eines Bankers – Der Skandal um die älteste Bank der Welt
( 52:05)
Am 6. März 2013 stürzte David Rossi, der Pressechef der Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, aus dem Fenster seines Büros. Selbstmord oder Mord?
In der Dokumentation werden der Fall Rossi und mögliche Verbindungen zu den dubiosen Geschäften der ältesten Bank der Welt untersucht. Das Geldinstitut sitzt inzwischen auf faulen Krediten in Milliardenhöhe.
David Rossi starb am 6. März 2013. Sein Körper schlug gegen acht Uhr abends auf dem Pflaster vor dem Sitz der ältesten Bank der Welt, der Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, auf. Eine Videokamera dokumentierte den tödlichen Sturz. Selbstmord oder Mord? Die Umstände seines Todes sind bis heute ebenso wenig geklärt wie die Frage, was Kommunikationschef David Rossi über die dubiosen Finanzaktivitäten des Geldhauses wusste.
Fest steht, dass er nur zwei Tage vorher angekündigt hatte, mit der Staatsanwaltschaft über Interna sprechen zu wollen. Zu einem Zeitpunkt, als sich die Situation der Krisenbank nochmals dramatisch zugespitzt hatte. Das Geldhaus Monte dei Paschi ist seitdem Sinnbild einer vor sich hin schwelenden Bankenkrise, nicht nur in Italien. Allein die italienischen Geldhäuser sitzen – nach offizieller Lesart – auf einem Berg aus faulen Krediten im Wert von über 300 Milliarden Euro.
Die Vereinbarungen zur Abwicklung maroder Banken in der Eurozone – seit 2016 eigentlich in Kraft – werden regelmäßig unterlaufen, nach Einschätzung von Experten ein erhebliches Risiko für das europäische Finanzsystem.
Die Dokumentation untersucht im Stil eines Krimis die Ursachen für den Niedergang der Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Sie thematisiert darüber hinaus mögliche gravierende Versäumnisse der italienischen Bankenaufsicht, für die auch Mario Draghi als einstiger Gouverneur der Banca d’Italia mitverantwortlich wäre. Die Spurensuche führt vom beschaulichen Siena bis ins Finanzzentrum London, wo kurz nach Rossis Tod ein weiterer Banker auf mysteriöse Weise ums Leben kam.
Sexual Civil War | Michelle Malkin and Stefan Molyneux
“Israeli security forces shoot Palestinian terrorist after he stabbed police officer. He was armed with a knife and suicide bomb belt. **GRAPHIC FOOTAGE**”
Breaking911 – twitter – December 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/941768591904575488
https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/intelligence-leaks-reveal-erdogan-regime-arming-criminal-turkish-gangs-germany/
Intelligence Leaks Reveal Erdogan Regime Arming Criminal Turkish Gangs in Germany
An explosive report has revealed that close associates of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and officials of his AKP Party are funding and arming criminal gangs in Germany. This information reportedly was leaked by German intelligence to several media outlets, which subsequently published the allegations.
German-language outlet ZDF reported that German intelligence wiretaps revealed AKP Party officials transferring money to leaders of the “Osmanen Germania” (Ottoman Germany) biker gang. The money was for purchasing weapons and directing attacks on critics of Erdogan’s increasingly tyrannical regime in Turkey among Germany’s sizable Turkish population.
Two AKP officials figure prominently in the reports.
Surveillance records are said to show Metin Külünk, a close friend of Erdogan, giving money to “Osmanen Germania” for the purposes of buying weapons in June 2016. Police officials observed Külünk handing envelopes of money to a senior leader of the gang — who has since been arrested. At the same time, the gang was being directed to cause disturbances as the German Parliament considered a resolution condemning the early-20th century Armenian Genocide by Turkey. The resolution passed.
Prominent lawyer sought donor cash for two Trump accusers
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/365068-exclusive-prominent-lawyer-sought-donor-cash-for-two-trump-accusers
A well-known women’s rights lawyer sought to arrange compensation from donors and tabloid media outlets for women who made or considered making sexual misconduct allegations against Donald Trump during the final months of the 2016 presidential race, according to documents and interviews.
California lawyer Lisa Bloom’s efforts included offering to sell alleged victims’ stories to TV outlets in return for a commission for herself, arranging a donor to pay off one Trump accuser’s mortgage and attempting to secure a six-figure payment for another woman who ultimately declined to come forward after being offered as much as $750,000, the clients told The Hill.
The women’s accounts were chronicled in contemporaneous contractual documents, emails and text messages reviewed by The Hill, including an exchange of texts between one woman and Bloom that suggested political action committees supporting Hillary Clinton were contacted during the effort.
video at site
Huma Abedin Took “Muslim Engagement” Files Out of State Dept
December 15, 2017
Daniel Greenfield
The Clintons and their associates, whether it’s Sandy Berger or Cheryl Mills, certainly have a gift for making paperwork disappear.
Huma Abedin was allowed to remove quite a few State Department files, as Judicial Watch reveals.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/268739/huma-abedin-took-muslim-engagement-files-out-state-daniel-greenfield
“The Clintons and their associates, whether it’s Sandy Berger or Cheryl Mills, certainly have a gift for making paperwork disappear. ”
“[M]aking paperwork disappear”?!? Hell, what about making several dozen people “disappear”???
However much I detest violence against women—physical or sexual—Bill Clinton’s wide swath of rape and other sex crimes shrinks to microscopic proportions when compared to the Clinton crime family’s ongoing criminal enterprise against America’s national security.
Just the Uranium One scandal alone merits swift capital punishment for this coterie of unrepentant, Anti-American lawbreakers. Need I mention WJC’s 1998 provision of Communist China (in exchange for campaign financing) with guided missile technology that significantly upgraded Beijing’s ICBMs?
Please pardon me whilst I hurl (in projectile fashion).
Jerusalem, Israel’s Capital: Watch the Masks Fall
by Najat AlSaied
December 15, 2017 at 5:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11550/jerusalem-israel-masks-fall
Many analysts say that US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a campaign promise to evangelical Christian and right-wing Jewish voters, but there is another way of looking at it. Trump’s recognition might be a golden opportunity for two-faced opportunists to be unmasked — a shot of reality that might eventually help the peace process and solve this long-lasting conflict.
Since the declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, many Arab observers, intellectuals and academics have started to question the veracity of those jihadists who claim they are sacrificing themselves to defend Jerusalem, because when the actual announcement came — nothing happened. Those who were exploiting sensitivities related to Jerusalem — especially political Islamists, such as Hamas and Hezbollah — come mainly from the axis of resistance, led by Iran.
Other opportunists are the two-faced countries in the region, such as Qatar and Turkey. While publicly hostile towards Israel, behind closed doors they support it. Further opportunists are the Western and Arab media, who for decades have been promoting the idea that the problem is the Israeli occupation, but never mention the Palestinian Authority corruption.
Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has also revealed the shortcomings of the US Department of State. It has not played any role in clarifying the above-mentioned points and, by this negativity and bureaucracy, only generated further hatred towards the US.
Germany: Hundreds rally in Berlin over Jerusalem
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Berlin on Friday to support Palestine and vent their anger over US President Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
Think the Alabama result has derailed Donald Trump? Think again
by John R. Bolton
December 15, 2017 at 3:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11549/trump-derailed
Pundits are furiously assessing the broader consequences of the Democrats’ upset Senate victory in Alabama on Tuesday, but there is less there than meets the eye. True, the Republican Senate majority now hangs by a thread, forcing even harder fights for every legislative victory.
Nonetheless, Republican chances for major gains in November 2018, perhaps six or seven Senate seats, remain strong. Moreover, Democrat ?Al Franken is resigning his seat any day now because of sexual misconduct charges, bringing another totally unexpected Republican opportunity.
Of course, any statewide Democratic victory in Alabama is stunning, but there were also stunning reasons for it. Republican Roy Moore was a flawed candidate even before allegations of sexual misconduct emerged – and he still lost by just one percentage point.
The winner, Doug Jones, will likely be defeated at the next regular election in 2020. The stakes have unquestionably been raised, but President Trump and Republicans hold a strong hand.
At some point, Democrats will have to declare what they believe in. Just as Hillary Clinton, the “inevitable” 2016 victor, fell from grace when she revealed her beliefs, so too will legions of aspiring Democrats.
Trump is also demonstrating how a President can continue to command the national agenda, regardless of the comings and goings of domestic politics. For all these reasons, those who think Alabama marks the beginning of the end for Trump should think again. This is not even the end of the beginning.
Read the entire article, he points out that even though Moore was at best a flawed candidate he has come withing 1.7 points of winning and it may be closer, all of the ballots haven’t been counted yet.
He also points out that while the use of the military to solve the Korean nuclear problem is risky it is far less risky then letting Kim get the ability to launch nukes to the US and then blackmailing us everything he wants a new car.
Czech Republic: Protest against European far-right leaders’ meeting
Around 400 people protested outside the Intercontinental hotel in Prague on Friday against a far-right meeting due to take place on Saturday.
‘I do not believe in moderate Islam, but I do believe in moderate people’ – Geert Wilders
( 26 min )
The rise of the political right is being felt across Europe and the Netherlands is no exception, where controversial politician Geert Wilders, a veteran of the game, took second place with his party in this year’s elections. Will his radical policies now make it into the Dutch and the European mainstream? Geert Wilders was our guest.
Mauro: Political Uproar if Port Authority Bomber Linked to Bangladeshi Extremists
Acquitted Bundy Case Defendants Sue the FBI
Both the FBI and former Director James Comey face lawsuits for “malicious prosecution,” claiming they presented false evidence in their case and destroyed exculpatory evidence…
http://www.libertyheadlines.com/acquitted-bundy-case-defendants-sue-fbi/?AID=7236
The Dems are really pushing the limit.
Commissioner Suggests U.N. Send Troops To Fight ‘Quiet Genocide’ Of Gun Violence In Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) — Some politicians in the past have recommended deploying the National Guard to help Chicago quell gun violence, but Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin went even further on Thursday, suggesting the United Nations perhaps send in peacekeepers in the face of what he called a “quiet genocide.”
Boykin was traveling to New York to meet with Oscar Fernandez-Taranco of Argentina, the U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Support, to seek international help with “horrific levels of shootings” and other violent crime in West Side and South Side communities.
“I’m hoping to appeal to the U.N. to actually come to Chicago and meet with victims of violence, and maybe even possibly help out in terms of peacekeeping efforts, because I think it’s so critical for us to make sure that these neighborhoods are safe,” Boykin said at O’Hare International Airport on Thursday.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/12/14/richard-boykin-united-nations-gun-violence/
“Commissioner Suggests U.N. Send Troops To Fight ‘Quiet Genocide’ Of Gun Violence In Chicago”
Last I checked, gunfire wasn’t all that “quiet”. Evidently, some people aren’t listening or, just maybe, the Propaganda Media has their ears plugged.
‘Quiet Genocide’, my arse.
Widows in Syria’s Idlib told to move in with male guardian (middleeasteye, Dec 15, 2017)
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hts-backed-idlib-authority-says-widowed-women-cant-live-without-male-guardians-606373275
“The civil governance wing of the hardline militant group ruling northwest Syria published a strict new religious law this week requiring all widows in their territory to move in with a sharia-compliant male member of her family to serve as a guardian.
The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) released a statement on Wednesday announcing the decision, which it says is aimed to “preserve the reputation” of widows and single mothers.
The SSG is a civil authority formed in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province in early November and is backed by the hardline rebel coalition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which enforces a strict interpretation of Islamic law. A leading faction in HTS is Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate.
Wednesday’s decision comes as the SSG enforces a months-long consolidation of civil and military power in Idlib province. Earlier this week, the SSG released an ultimatum giving its main political rival in Idlib – the comparatively moderate Syrian Interim Government (SIG) – 72 hours to cease all operations.
Since its founding in 2013, the SIG has been the primary civilian authority throughout most of opposition-held Syria. A system of administrative local councils established by the SIG operates schools, hospitals and other public services on the ground…”
Yemen Govt. Urges International Community to Take Immediate Measures against Iran, Houthis (aawsat, Dec 15, 2017)
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1113936/yemen-govt-urges-international-community-take-immediate-measures-against-iran
“The Yemeni government called on Friday the international community to take “immediate” measures to implement all United Nations Security Council resolutions related to it, starting with resolution 2216, reported the Yemeni news agency SABA.
It also called for holding the Iranian regime and the Houthi militias responsible for their hostile acts against the people of Yemen and the region, accusing them of obstructing the political process and prolonging the political and humanitarian crisis in the country.
It welcomed the fourth UN report on the implementation of resolution 2231 which it condemned the blatant and hostile Iranian meddling in Yemen’s internal affairs.
The report had also condemned Iran’s obvious support to the terrorist Houthi militias, providing them with advanced and dangerous rockets that threaten the security and stability of Yemen, as well as that of the region…”
UAE, Bahrain Welcome International Rejection of Iran’s Policy of Expansionism (aawsat, Dec 15, 2017)
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1113891/uae-bahrain-welcome-international%C2%A0rejection-iran%E2%80%99s-policy-expansionism
“The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain welcomed the UN Secretary General’s report on Iran’s violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, as well as US positions rejecting Iranian regional activities, and called on the international community to respond strongly to the threat posed by the Persian State.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the UN chief’s report on Resolution 2231 has confirmed “what the UAE and its allies have long known: that Iran is continuing its expansionist and destabilizing behavior in the region, and is fuelling the conflict in Yemen.”
The statement went on to say: “The evidence presented by the United States leaves no doubt about Iran’s flagrant disregard for its UN obligations, and its role in the proliferation and trafficking of weapons in the region.”
The ministry pointed to Iran’s violations in the region, including “missiles, drones, explosive boats, illegal Iranian arms shipments to the Houthis and other proxies”, adding that such activities were promoting sectarian violence and endangering civilians.
“The UAE calls on the global community to more forcefully address the threat posed by Iran, and stand ready to work with its allies to take actions that will ensure compliance with relevant UN resolutions,” the statement concluded.
The Bahraini Foreign Ministry on Thursday lauded the report issued by the UN, which explained the negative interventions and hostile practices of Iran in Yemen…”
Turkish armored vehicles beat rivals in Slovak tests (hurriyetdailynews, Dec 15, 2017)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-armored-vehicles-beat-rivals-in-slovak-tests-124188
“Two Turkish-made armored vehicles bested their foreign rivals in performance tests held in Slovakia on Dec. 14, according to Turkish defense sources.
The tests were done to allow the Slovak army to see the performance of the Ejder Yalç?n and Cobra II vehicles, which it may add its inventory, according to the sources, who asked not to be named due to confidentiality concerns.
Slovakian Defense Minister Peter Gajdos and top military officials observed the tests.
As part of a project to supply four-wheel drive armored vehicles, 10 armored vehicles from Turkey as well as Germany,
France, Canada, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the United Arab Emirates, and Slovakia were run through trials on a test track.
The Ejder Yalç?n – co-produced by Nurol Machine and FNSS – and Cobra II – made by Otokar – were the Turkish competitors.
When the vehicles showed off their skills on the track, the Turkish duo excelled in power, endurance and mobility tests, said the sources…”
365 women killed in Turkey in first 11 months of 2017: Report (hurriyetdailynews, Dec 15, 2017)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/365-women-killed-in-turkey-in-first-11-months-of-2017-report-124209
“A total of 365 women were killed by men in the first 11 months of 2017, according to data compiled by the “We Will Stop Femicide” women’s rights activist platform based on news reported in the media.
The organization’s last report included figures for the month of November, in which 27 women were killed as a result of domestic violence.
The report stated that in November 15 percent of the women killed were victims of murder for “wanting to get a divorce,” 11 percent were killed for “taking decisions about their lives independently,” seven percent were killed for “financial reasons,” four percent were killed for “turning down [the man’s] reconciliation efforts,” and another four percent were killed over “debates about their children.”
Most of the women killed in Turkey in November were aged between 25 and 35, according to the compiled data, with 75 percent of the women in this age range becoming victims after wanting to get divorce.
In the same month, some 12 of the women were killed at their homes, five on the street, one in the car, two in their relatives’ houses, one in the garden, one while waiting at a bus stop, and one by the coast. The authorities had not determined where the other three were murdered.
Some 26 percent of the women were killed by their husbands, 14 percent by their fathers, 11 percent by their boyfriends, seven percent by men with whom they had previously broken up, eight percent by their sons, four percent by their relatives, and four percent by their former husbands. The rest could not be determined.
Some 52 percent of the killed women were shot dead by a firearm, 15 percent were killed with a knife, and four percent by suffocating to death through chocking.
The provinces with the highest femicide rates were Istanbul with four, the Black Sea province of Sakarya with three, the Mediterranean province of Mersin with three, the southeastern province of ??rnak with two, and the Mediterranean province of Antalya with two.
As for the cases of sexual abuse, 39 women were recorded to have been exposed to sexual violence in the country in November, while this figure totaled 29 for cases of child sexual abuse.
The report also stressed once again that women who are victims of sexual abuse tend to be neglected by their families, which pushes them to undertake independent measures for their self-protection. Among many victimized women, some end up committing suicide, the report stated.”
CHP leader cites seven problems in Middle East (hurriyetdailynews, Dec 15, 2017)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/chp-leader-cites-seven-problems-in-middle-east-124213
“… “The first basic problem is the lack of education of the people of the region. According to research, the average education period for people older than 25 in Muslim countries is 5.6 years. This period is 14 years in New Zealand, 13.6 years in the U.S. and 13.5 years in Canada,” he said.
K?l?çdaro?lu added that Islam has been “made into an instrument for terror and radicalism,” saying that “in order to stop this, close coordination between Islamic countries plays an important role.”…”
Police foil planned PKK attack on Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Istanbul (hurriyetdailynews, Dec 15, 2017)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/police-foil-planned-pkk-attack-on-organization-of-islamic-cooperation-summit-in-istanbul-124197
“Police foiled a planned bomb attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul earlier this week.
Police on Dec. 13 found a minibus filled with 60 kilograms of explosives in Istanbul’s Bahçelievler district and launched an investigation, also detaining at least 11 suspects.
According to information obtained by daily Hürriyet, the National Intelligence Agency (M?T) branch in the southeastern province of Diyarbak?r noticed increased activity between PKK militants it has been tracking.
Authorities then determined that a person in contact with one of the militants in Diyarbak?r bought a minibus in Istanbul, which was subsequently monitored by intelligence units.
The M?T’s Diyarbak?r branch then determined that the PKK was planning a suicide attack on the Dec. 13 OIC summit in Istanbul.
Istanbul’s anti-terror and intelligence police tracked the whereabouts of the vehicle by monitoring surveillance cameras and using technical means, before determining the IDs of the suspects.
The operation kicked off when PKK militants loaded 60 kilograms of explosives onto the vehicle in a parking lot in Bahçelievler before planning to head to the summit area.
Security forces reportedly waited 20 hours for the arrival of the suspects near the minibus…”
Russia ready to supply armaments, military hardware to Afghan forces: Putin (khaama, Dec 15, 2017)
https://www.khaama.com/russia-ready-to-supply-armaments-military-hardware-to-afghan-forces-putin-04049
“The Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is prepared to supply armaments and military hardware to the Afghan forces in a bid to help curb the growing activities by the international terror groups in Afghanistan.
Speaking during a press conference, Putin expressed his country’s concerns regarding the growing insurgency activities by the terror groups in the northern parts of Afghanistan, particularly in the areas close to the former Soviet Union borders.
“We see the growing threat in Afghanistan from international terrorists. We see that radical international formations are occupying more and more areas in north Afghanistan at the border with former republics of the Soviet Union,” he was quoted as saying by TASS News.
Putin further added “This relates to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. No doubt, this causes our big concern, especially considering the presence of the Russian 201st military base in Tajikistan and the airbase in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said.
Insisting on the need for international support to the Afghan government, Putin said “As in the previous years, we are ready to provide this support, including in the training of national law-enforcement personnel and the armed forces, supplying necessary armament systems and military hardware,” he added.
He warned that without economic support, Afghanistan won’t be able to solve all its problems, including the problem of drug trafficking…”