Reader’s Links, December 23, 2017

Daily Links Post graphic

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

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

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

About Eeyore

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

92 Replies to “Reader’s Links, December 23, 2017”

  1. This Venezuelan mogul met Pence. Is he trying to broker an exit strategy for Maduro?

    Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article190926039.html#storylink=cpy

    A Venezuelan millionaire declared persona non grata by the City of Miami for his alleged ties to the Maduro regime is trying to broker an exit strategy with the Trump administration for his beleaguered government, according to various Washington sources.

    Raúl Gorrín, criticized for the controversial purchase in 2013 of the then pro-opposition news channel Globovisión, has paid Ballard Partners — the firm of President Donald Trump’s former Florida lobbyist — $450,000 since June through the U.S. subsidiary of the Venezuelan TV network, ostensibly to help the company expand into U.S. markets.

    But Gorrín’s real ambitions appear to extend far beyond the TV network. According to three sources familiar with his lobbying efforts in Washington — all of whom declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the matter — the media mogul is trying to establish himself as a broker between Caracas and the Trump administration, peddling the idea that President Nicolás Maduro and other key government leaders might be willing to negotiate a transition in Venezuela in exchange for amnesty.

    Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article190926039.html#storylink=cpy

    Richard: Interesting development, if, I repeat if this is true we will have another example of the failure of communism/socialism/marxism. Venezuela use to be a rich vibrant country and now their citizens are leaving to head to any nation they can find a job in. Any return to the old Venezuela is a good thing.

  2. Russian submarines are prowling around vital undersea cables. It’s making NATO nervous.

    BRUSSELS — Russian submarines have dramatically stepped up activity around undersea data cables in the North Atlantic, part of a more aggressive naval posture that has driven NATO to revive a Cold War-era command, according to senior military officials.

    The apparent Russian focus on the cables, which provide Internet and other communications connections to North America and Europe, could give the Kremlin the power to sever or tap into vital data lines, the officials said. Russian submarine activity has increased to levels unseen since the Cold War, they said, sparking hunts in recent months for the elusive watercraft.

    “We are now seeing Russian underwater activity in the vicinity of undersea cables that I don’t believe we have ever seen,” said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Andrew Lennon, the commander of NATO’s submarine forces. “Russia is clearly taking an interest in NATO and NATO nations’ undersea infrastructure.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russian-submarines-are-prowling-around-vital-undersea-cables-its-making-nato-nervous/2017/12/22/d4c1f3da-e5d0-11e7-927a-e72eac1e73b6_story.html?utm_term=.2596edfe1b40

    • Tap into not cut, in time of war they could cut the cables without the fuss that causes us to worry about the cables.

      They are probably playing games to force Trump to divert some naval assets from Korea to the Atlantic.

      • The US Navy had an “Operation Ivy Bells” in which they tapped Soviet underseas cables in the Sea of Okhotsk; I remember they used a device developed at Bell Labs for this.

        The real corker was that Soviet Military Forces considered their undersea cables as being impossible to compromise. As a consequence, all of the signals traffic transmitted on them was in plain text (i.e., unencrypted). Intelligence gold!

        • We all have out blind spots, the Soviets thought they were destined to rule the world (as the current leftist and the Moslems do) and thus they down rate their opponents.

      • Yup they want to tap into the com links, if they were planning on cutting them they would locate the cables and the leave the area until just before the war started.

  3. Marine Leaders Highlight Norway Unit’s Role as Deterrent to Russia

    VAERNES GARRISON, Norway — The stated goals of the Marine Corps’ newest rotational force in Norway are to enhance partnerships with European allies and improve the service’s ability to fight in cold weather.

    But on a brief visit to the 300-member unit ahead of Christmas, the commandant and the sergeant major of the Marine Corps both described the strategic role the small unit fills — and the fact that a peacetime mission can be preface to combat if circumstances change.

    https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/12/21/marine-leaders-highlight-norway-units-role-deterrent-russia.html

  4. Mattis: ‘Storm clouds gathering’ over Korean Peninsula

    FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — “Storm clouds are gathering” over the Korean Peninsula, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis declared Friday. And as diplomats try to resolve the nuclear standoff, he told soldiers that the U.S. military must do its part by being ready for war.

    Without forecasting a conflict, Mattis emphasized that diplomacy stands the best chance of preventing a war if America’s words are backed up by strong and prepared armed forces.

    “My fine young soldiers, the only way our diplomats can speak with authority and be believed is if you’re ready to go,” Mattis told several dozen soldiers and airmen at the 82nd Airborne Division’s Hall of Heroes, his last stop on a two-day pre-holiday tour of bases to greet troops.

    https://apnews.com/4009aed26e5e47a981b08837b591939c/Mattis:-'Storm-clouds-gathering'-over-Korean-Peninsula

  5. Mattis: ‘Storm clouds gathering’ over Korean Peninsul

    FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — “Storm clouds are gathering” over the Korean Peninsula, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis declared Friday. And as diplomats try to resolve the nuclear standoff, he told soldiers that the U.S. military must do its part by being ready for war.

    Without forecasting a conflict, Mattis emphasized that diplomacy stands the best chance of preventing a war if America’s words are backed up by strong and prepared armed forces.

    “My fine young soldiers, the only way our diplomats can speak with authority and be believed is if you’re ready to go,” Mattis told several dozen soldiers and airmen at the 82nd Airborne Division’s Hall of Heroes, his last stop on a two-day pre-holiday tour of bases to greet troops.

    https://apnews.com/4009aed26e5e47a981b08837b591939c/Mattis:-'Storm-clouds-gathering'-over-Korean-Peninsula

  6. As sex with animals becomes a ‘lifestyle choice,’ bestiality brothels spring up in Germany
    By Howard Portnoy December 22, 2017

    “Lipstick on a pig” has become more than a metaphor in Germany, where, according to the Daily Mail, bestiality brothels are all the rage these days.

    A law that makes sex with animals legal (although animal porn is still illegal!) has turned bestiality into a big business.

    Bestiality dropped off the statute books as a crime in 1969 but in recent years the number of people believed to be participating in such acts has increased significantly.

    It’s probably pure coincidence, but I would be remiss in not pointing out that the rise in people doing the nasty with farm animals coincides with the arrival in Germany of several hundred thousand refugees in 2015 and 2016.

    In addition to the influx of bestiality brothels, the country now has “erotic zoos” where visitors are welcome to abuse animals ranging from llamas to goats.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2017/12/22/sex-animals-becomes-lifestyle-choice-bestiality-brothels-springing-germany/

    • As sex with animals becomes a ‘lifestyle choice,’ bestiality brothels spring up in Germany

      A shamed kennel-master named Tupps
      Whilst deep into a guzzling his cups
      Laid down with a bitch
      To satisfy an itch
      But still got a nice price for the pups.

      Europe cannot possibly hope to gently extricate itself from this downward slide into a total lack of sensibility.

      Even if one were to disregard this lunacy of state-sanctioned bestiality*—an extremely difficult task at best—the simple fact remains that, contrary to my prefacing limerick, this literal “squirrel sex” (hat tip, Perfectchild) most certainly does not represent any sort of genuine procreation. As if!

      * How Europe’s governments—and their hysterical squawking about declining birth rates or replacement ratios—nonetheless, willingly promote sexual release through bestiality—utterly defies all rationality.

      EVEN AS THE EU IMPORTS MASSIVE NUMBERS OF HOSTILE MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS ECONOMIC TOURISTS WHOSE WELL-DOCUMENTED PENCHANT FOR ANIMAL SEX MEANS THAT THIS INAPPROPRIATE RELAXATION OF (OTHERWISE, ONCE-STRICTLY OBSERVED) LAWS AGAINST ANIMAL ABUSE AMOUNTS TO AN OBVIOUS ACQUIESCENCE WITH RESPECT TO ISLAMIC DISREGARD FOR BESTIALITY.

      The profound hypocrisy of (over a century of) Europe’s humane animal treatment practices abruptly being shunted aside in favor of appeasing the societally ingrained sexual deprivation of purdah (i.e., strict female segregation), equates to willful accommodation for some of Islam’s most despicable and repulsive “traditions”.

      As alluded to above, the sheer notion that Europeans should be given access to sexual relief with animals merely suggests further EU government sanctioning of measures that radically cause any turn-around (so to speak) of changing The Continent’s population replacement rate are all window dressing.

      It is this disregard for any healthy stabilization of indigenous European populations which makes abundantly clear the malignant role that Brussels plays in this continuing (Postmodern — hat tip: Eeyore) deconstruction of Western Civilization.

      There remain (at best) only a few decades of further Caucasian ascendency wherein the influence of European Renaissance Enlightenment values will continue to have any currency with respect to global progress. Once those invaluable tenets are washed from the slate of civilization’s copybook, all bets are OFF.

      Comments, please. As in, I am struggling to rise above the ever-increasing flood tide of negative, cynical, and pessimistic philosophical thought motifs that continue to whatever remains of invade pro-Western thinking. Any and all encouragement from this article’s readers is more than welcome. Thank you so much.

  7. Supreme Court keeps rebuking lower courts that rule against Trump
    By LU Staff December 22, 2017

    In recent weeks the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly chided lower courts that issued rulings unfavorable to the Trump administration, suggesting at least some of the justices believe the judiciary is not treating the Trump administration fairly.

    Though such a conclusion can be reached only by inference, the justices have issued several fairly extraordinary orders in cases involving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the latest iteration of the travel ban. These orders deal rather harshly with trial courts in California, Hawaii, and Maryland in particular.

    The latest signal came in a Wednesday order concerning the number of documents the government must release in connection with a lawsuit challenging the termination of DACA, an Obama-era amnesty initiative that extends temporary legal status to foreign nationals who came to the United States as children. A federal court in California ordered the Trump administration to release all documents relating to its decision to terminate the program. The government counters that it need not publicize its sensitive internal deliberations.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2017/12/22/supreme-court-keeps-rebuking-lower-courts-rule-trump/

  8. Yesterday Babs posted a url to an article talking about how we will have to use a limited focused attack on North Korea. ( https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2017-12/limited-strikes-north-korea-are-past-due ) I posted my reply ( https://vladtepesblog.com/2017/12/22/readers-links-december-22-2017/comment-page-2/#comment-390324 ) about how a limited strike would be a disaster leading to a war with China and how we would have to go in hard, fast and take out the entire country of North Korea. Below is President Trump at the UN talking about how if we are forded to go into North Korea we will totally destroy all of North Korea.

      • After SO MANY YEARS of blather from Clinton, Bush 2.0 and 0bama, there is no simple way to explain the immense relief of hearing Trump use such plain, unequivocal language, especially when addressing a “hot button” (and endlessly troublesome) issue like North Korea.

        I have previously written about “Face” (hat tip: Richard), when it comes to the difficulties of dealing with Asiatic and Islamic cultures. After the better part of a century of attempting to accommodate these “nuanced”, piddling, whiners, there isn’t much in the way of good news.

        Now for the bad news…

        Even as America continually endures endless brickbats for being so “coarse”, “immature” or “uncultured” when it comes to international diplomacy, THE TIME HAS ENDED for all further “delicate negotiations”.

        The non-Western had best get used to it.

    • Absolutely! Anything less is simply crazy.
      That just buys China time – THEIR long game – hah!
      …….fughedditaboudit…….

      • You are right, it is their long game, they are thinking that they can stall and when pushed to moving will use limited strikes. Trump has several times laid out his doctrine that we don’t nation build, we destroy our enemies, in this case we destroy North Korea and let South Korea take care of their family members to the North. China and Putin are gambling big that the US won’t take North Korea out, they are about to lose that gamble and will discover they face not only the US but also a rearmed Japan and probably a re-energized Taiwan and a reunified Korea. Putin and China will be forced to fortify their borders with Korea and neither has the money to spare.

  9. Spooks for Hire: UAE Recruits ex-CIA Agents to Build Modern Spy Agency – Reports (sputniknews, Dec 23, 2017)
    https://sputniknews.com/news/201712231060269501-spooks-uae-recruit-ex-cia/

    “The United Arab Emirates is pulling out all the stops to develop its own modern and professional intelligence service modeled on Western counterparts. Former agents in Western intelligence agencies are finding it hard to turn down the lucrative propositions…”

    • There are several rent a spook outfits in the US and Britain, mainly staffed with people the left wing governments don’t like.

      • That kinda sympathetic article from OAN about Russian mercenaries in Syria? The one killed was a “medic” of some sort? (They’re all ‘medics’ and ‘trainers’.)

        Fed it to some Russian friends who’d served as officers in the Soviet army. No weeping willow, soy-boys…

        ==>These Russian mercs are NOT nice guys. Not even close. You’ve been around, heard atrocity stories that would curl John Kerry’s hair-plug transplants. Like that.

        Disconcerting some were around family in Ukraine, but the ones fighting ISIS are the VERY worst. They were paid bounties for…stuff…but they got carried away so the practice was discontinued…

        Extremely generous compensation to next of kin, family puts up a cross and lights a candle.
        Uncle Vlad’s an efficient guy. Things calm down, might be tolerable for a better sort, ex-cons safe to repatriate.

        Chinese soldiers are coming to fill in the ranks. Any numbers will be lies. (Or maybe North Koreans…)

        Why does that make me nervous?

        • Because part of the price for the Chinese or North Korean troops may be active military action when Kim forces Trump to move on North Korea.

          Yeah I have heard horror stories about what they are or at least use to be doing. They remind me of the stories I heard about how the Spetz Nez (sp?) were trained during the Cold War. Any lie abut what our Spec Ops were doing was true of them and then those were the stories that you would let the kids hear.

    • The terrorist group Islamic State has over 10,000 loyal fighters in Afghanistan…

      Cluster them up and detonate. End of line.

  10. Church allowed to remove pews to allow Muslim events – after court challenge over plans (express, Dec 23, 2017)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/896034/Church-St-Thomas-Werneth-Oldham-Manchester-pews-Muslims

    “A CHURCH has been given the go ahead to remove its pews so they can welcome local Muslim community events.

    St Thomas Werneth in Oldham has been given the green light to remove the pews so it is able to hold more events within the wider community.

    In a ruling last month, Geoffrey Tattersall QC said the church would be allowed to remove the pews as the proposals would have “major public benefit outweighing any harm resulting from the loss of the pews”.

    The area, which is close to Manchester, has an 88 per cent non White-British population.

    Its website encouraged people of all nationalities to attend the services.

    They said: “We usually have at least six nationalities represented in the congregation on a given Sunday.

    “Whatever your background you can be assured of a warm welcome to our services and our Parish life.”

    The Chancellor of the Diocese of Manchester said: “Its continuing presence is important in enabling social cohesion and contact between local Muslims and Christians.

    “The purpose of the re-ordering of the Church is to open up the Church for community use, as part of its service and mission to the mainly Muslim community in the parish and to enable the wider community to share its heritage.

    “The Church wishes to be a place of welcome, growth and engagement for the local communities.”

    The Venerable Cherry Vann, the Archdeacon of Rochdale said there was significant interfaith work going on in the area and there was a “genuine desire among some of the Muslim leaders to build bridges and work in partnership with the Church…”

  11. Hungary: We Will Make Our Country Family Friendly So Population Can Grow Without Mass Migration (breitbart, Dec 22, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/12/22/hungary-grow-population-without-mass-migration-eu-not-family-friendly/

    “The Hungarian government has pledged measures to support naturally growing the population — rejecting mass migration — as an effort to halt the demographic decline after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared 2018 to be a “year of families”…”

    • This is a good idea, the left has been propagandizing the west with the idea of small to no families to help the environment. Well lets wait and see what the Islamic Invaders do to the environment.

  12. Hundreds of Muslims Storm ‘Unlicensed Church’, Smashing Contents and Assaulting Christians (breitbart, Dec 23, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/12/23/hundreds-muslims-storm-unlicensed-church-smashing-contents-assaulting-christians/

    “Hundreds of Muslim demonstrators assaulted an unlicensed church south of Cairo, an Egyptian Coptic Christian diocese said on Saturday, in the latest assault on members of the country’s Coptic minority.

    The incident took place after Friday prayers when demonstrators gathered outside the building and stormed it. The demonstrators chanted hostile slogans and called for the church’s demolition, the diocese in Atfih said. The demonstrators destroyed the church’s contents and assaulted Christians inside before security personnel arrived and dispersed them.

    The wounded were transferred to a nearby hospital but didn’t elaborate.

    The church in Giza just outside of Cairo is yet to be sanctioned by the state but has been observing prayers for 15 years. The diocese said it had officially sought to legalize the building’s status under a 2016 law that laid down the rules for building churches.

    Local authorities often refuse to give building permits for new churches, fearing protests by Muslim conservatives. That has prompted Christians to illegally build churches or set up churches in other buildings. In contrast, building a mosque results in few restrictions.

    Christians constitute 10 percent of Egypt’s mostly Muslim population. Sectarian violence occasionally erupts, mainly in rural communities in the south.

    Egypt’s Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamic militants in a series of attacks since December 2016 that left more than 100 dead and scores wounded. The country has been under a state of emergency since April after suicide bombings struck two Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday in an attack that was claimed by the Egyptian affiliate the Islamic State group.”

  13. Merkel’s deputy: Germany must give refugee-hosting cities more (DW, Dec 23, 2017)
    http://www.dw.com/en/merkels-deputy-germany-must-give-refugee-hosting-cities-more/a-41914988

    “Towns should not have to decide on whether “to integrate refugees or renovate their swimming pool,” said Deputy Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel. Otherwise, he said, using resources to help refugees could foster resentment.

    German Deputy Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel on Saturday told German publisher Funke Mediengruppe that the federal government must increase financial support for cities who take in refugees to prevent growing anti-migrant sentiment.

    “Municipalities should not face the decision whether to integrate refugees or renovate their swimming pool. Instead, the federal government must give them the opportunity to do both,” said Gabriel, who also serves as foreign minister.

    Refugee integration has been a stumbling block in talks aimed at forming a government in the wake of divisive elections that took place in September. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party made its debut in parliament this year, riding on a wave of anti-migrant sentiment.

    “We can also prevent that citizens get the impression: Everything is done for refugees, but nothing for us,” added Gabriel, who’s Social Democrats witnessed one of its worst electoral performances during the September elections…”

  14. Danish police arrest Syrian over planned ‘terrorist’ attack (thelocal, Dec 23, 2017)
    https://www.thelocal.dk/20171223/danish-police-arrest-syrian-over-planned-terrorist-attack

    “Danish police on Friday said they had arrested a Syrian asylum seeker from Sweden for “attempting to commit a terrorist act” in Copenhagen.

    The Copenhagen police said they arrested the 30-year-old man jointly with the Danish Security and Intelligence Service on Thursday over a failed attack which he plotted with another 21-year-old man in November 2016.

    “The man is charged with attempted terrorism for having, together with another man convicted in Germany, planned to randomly kill or hurt several people in an unknown location in Copenhagen,” the police said in a statement.

    The police added the two men “wanted to attack people with knives and thereafter detonate one or several explosives, which failed when the accomplice was denied entry into Denmark and arrested by the German police”.

    A German court in July convicted the 21-year-old, described as a Syrian refugee by the German media, for attempting an attack. He was reportedly carrying 17,000 matches, two kitchen knives and six walkie-talkies when the German police arrested him.

    Earlier this year a would-be female jihadist was sentenced to eight years in jail for a planning to bomb two Danish schools. The Islamic State sympathiser, a Muslim convert, was just 15 years-old when she was arrested in 2016.”

  15. UAE embassy street name in Turkish capital to be named after Ottoman pasha amid row (hurriyetdailynews, Dec 23, 2017)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/uae-embassy-street-name-in-turkish-capital-to-be-named-after-ottoman-pasha-amid-row-124633

    “The name of the street where the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Ankara is located will be changed to Fahreddin Pasha, amid a row that came after the country’s foreign minister accused the Ottoman governor and commander of “ransacking” Medina in 1916 during the First World War.

    According to the Dec. 23 report by state-run Anadolu Agency, Ankara Mayor Mustafa Tuna gave instructions to officials at the related municipality department to begin preparations to change the name of the 613th Street, where the embassy is located in the Çankaya district, to Fahreddin Pasha.

    The name of the street will accordingly be changed as per the decisions that will be taken in the first coming municipal council meeting.

    Turkish officials have been on the offensive since Dec. 16, when UAE foreign minister al-Zayed retweeted a Twitter post accusing Fahreddin Pasha of “stealing the goods of the people of Medina,” and “embezzling handwritten manuscript artefacts by allowing their removal to Istanbul via Damascus” during the Siege of Medina in 1916.”

  16. CHP head slams Greek defense minister, vows to take back 18 islands ‘occupied by Greece’ in 2019 (hurriyetdailynews, Dec 23, 2017)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/chp-head-slams-greek-defense-minister-vows-to-take-back-18-islands-occupied-by-greece-in-2019-124635

    “Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu on Dec. 23 lashed out at Greek defense minister’s remarks on the Aegean islands, saying that he will take back a total of 18 islands “occupied by Greece” in 2019, in a reference to the country’s elections in November.

    “The Greek Defense minister says ‘Come and get it.’ I will come and take all of those islands back. Why am I saying this? They said ‘Come and get it’ for Cyprus back in the day. What did Ecevit (former prime minister) do? He went there and took it back,” K?l?çdaro?lu said speaking at a party event in the northwestern province of Kocaeli.

    The debate over the Aegean islands sparked when the CHP leader criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an on Dec. 11 over his failure to raise the issue of “18 occupied islands” during his visit to the country.

    “Why did not you talk about 18 occupied islands? Article 12 and Article 18 of the Lausanne Treaty were clearly violated. There are 13,000 military units and nearly 5,000 Greek troops on the islands,” K?l?çdaro?lu said.”

    • German would-be partners have very different immigration ideas (reuters, Dec 23, 2017)
      https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-germany-politics/german-would-be-partners-have-very-different-immigration-ideas-idUKKBN1EH04Q

      “Leading figures from Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) outlined differing visions on how their possible government would approach immigration, as Germany’s would-be coalition partners prepared for talks in the New Year.

      Chancellor Merkel’s 2015 decision to open the doors to more than a million migrants, many fleeing war in the Middle East, transformed Germany’s demographic landscape and boosted the far right, hurting her bloc and the SPD in September’s election.

      In separate interviews, Thomas Strobl, deputy leader of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and SPD foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel outlined ways of winning back disenchanted supporters.

      Strobl told the Heilbronner Stimme newspaper Germany should cap the number of new immigrants at 65,000 a year, the level in 2012, and far below the limit of 200,000 that the conservatives had previously advocated.

      But Gabriel, whose party’s restive membership would be unlikely to accept such a draconian cap, suggested municipalities around Germany and Europe could be compensated financially if they agreed to shelter refugees.

      “That way municipalities would decide themselves how many refugees to take,” he told the Funke newspaper group. “That would avoid citizens gaining the impression that refugees get everything and we get nothing.”

      Germany has argued in vain for the stream of migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa to be divided proportionately between the European Union’s member states, with poorer, more ethnically homogenous eastern members particularly set against the idea…”

  17. Pakistan ‘needs US trust not funds’ (tribune, Dec 23, 2017)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1590935/1-pakistan-needs-us-trust-not-funds/

    “Military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that Pakistan does not need help from the US, except in the form of trust, stressing that the Afghan war has been imposed on Pakistan, and no country has done as much as Pakistan has done for the war-torn country.

    Talking to a private TV channel, Maj Gen Ghafoor, the Director General of the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), said that Pakistan and the US “have an amicable relationship”.

    Elaborating, he said even though the Pakistan-US relationship had had its ups and downs, it remained positive on the whole. He added there was hardly an example of better cooperation in history than the one between Pakistan and the US…”

  18. Trump travel ban should not apply to people with strong U.S. ties: court (reuters, Dec 23, 2017)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court/trump-travel-ban-should-not-apply-to-people-with-strong-u-s-ties-court-idUSKBN1EH00A

    “(Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court on Friday said President Donald Trump’s hotly contested travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries should not be applied to people with strong U.S. ties.

    The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers several West Coast states, also said its ruling would be put on hold pending a decision on the latest version of the travel ban from the Trump administration by the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Since taking office in January, Trump has been struggling to enact a ban that passes court muster…”

    • This and other rulings like this are clear constitutional over reach, the courts don’t have the authority to make decisions on foreign policy.

  19. Gulf leaders buy caviar, Rolexes and other gifts for UK ministers (middleeasteye, Dec 23, 2017)
    http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gulf-leaders-buy-caviar-and-rolexes-uk-ministers-166106789

    “Gulf monarchies have continued to shower UK foreign ministers with lavish gifts, according to newly released government data.

    The data reveals that Omani Foreign Minister Yousuf Bin Alawi gave Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson six tins of Caspian Caviar, worth more than $1,000 in total, when they met in July. In the same month, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry gave Minister of State for the Middle East Alistair Burt a Rolex watch worth nearly $8,000.

    These are the latest in a long line of gifts which UK ministers have received from Gulf governments. These include luxury christmas hampers, rugs and a $2,600 designer briefcase given to defence minister Tobias Ellwood by the United Arab Emirates.

    Responding to these revelations, campaigners told Middle East Eye they are concerned that undemocratic Gulf monarchies with poor human rights records have too much influence on the UK’s foreign policy.

    “Whether it is caviar, expensive watches or luxury hampers, the message is the same,” said Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).”These gifts aren’t being given out of any sense of generosity. They are being given to buy friends and increase influence.”

    “If repressive regimes and brutal dictatorships are giving gifts to MPs, then it is time for those politicians to think about the messages they’re sending out, and to stop offering such intimate political support to human rights abusers.”

    Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said: “Many of these regimes have consistently repressed democracy and violated human rights. These lavish gifts are a transparent ploy to influence the UK’s foreign policy so that it favours the regimes rather than the people of the Gulf.”…”

  20. Houthis Impose their ‘Rhetoric’ in Sanaa Mosques (aawsat, Dec 23, 2017)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1121571/houthis-impose-their-rhetoric-sanaa-mosques

    “Houthi militias imposed on Friday their rhetoric during Friday’s prayers celebrated at the mosques of Sana’a and the provinces they control, by ordering Imams to mobilize worshipers to fight at the battle fronts and to donate blood and food, basing their order on a “divine power” provided to their militants and leader Abdullah al-Houthi.

    The orders were written in an official circular distributed on Friday by Houthi employers at the offices of the “Endowments and Guidance,” a step that pushed worshipers in Sana’a to leave the mosques, now controlled by Houthi militants.

    The worshipers prefer to pray at home after the places of worships were transformed into militia headquarters, which have no relation with their ideologies.

    Since controlling Sana’a and other areas in Yemen, Houthi militants worked on removing the moderate mosque preachers and, instead, on appointing extremist imams, who are close to them…”

  21. Houthi Forces strike back in western Yemen, several areas captured (alalam, Dec 23, 2017)
    http://en.alalam.ir/news/3240141/houthi-forces-strike-back-in-western-yemen–several-areas-captured

    “The Houthi forces began their assault by storming the Yakhtul area that is located just north of the Mocha Coast in the Ta’iz Governorate.

    Despite heavy airstrikes from the Saudi Coalition, the Houthi forces were able to capture most of the Yakhtul area, forcing the Southern Resistance fighters to retreat south towards the Mocha Coast.

    Video footage of this advance was released by the Houthis on Friday; this short film shows their fighters capturing a Southern Resistance base and destroying two vehicles with an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)”

  22. Egypt’s President Sisi inaugurates east of Suez Canal developmental projects (ahram, Dec 23, 2017)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/285878/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-President-Sisi-inaugurates-east-of-Suez-Can.aspx

    “Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is set to inaugurate Saturday several developmental projects in New Ismailia city, east of the Suez Canal zone, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

    In statements reported by Al-Ahram, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority Mohab Mamish said the president will inaugurate new fish farms east of the canal, including 3,000 tanks in the new phase.

    The new phase comes nearly a year after El-Sisi inaugurated a major fish farming project in the Suez Canal zone governorate of Ismailia in December 2016, in an attempt to narrow the gap between production and consumption.

    He is also set to inspect tunnel construction under the new and current canals…”

  23. Spain: Migrants attempt to scale fence in Ceuta

    A large group of migrants attempted to scale the barbed wire fence separating Morocco from Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, early Saturday morning.

    They were dispersed by Moroccan troops, except 33 people, who managed to climb the fence but did not manage enter Spanish territory.

    There is a large permanent presence of migrants on the border of the two Spanish enclaves in North Africa; Ceuta and Melilla, the only European land borders to Africa.

    The European Court of Human Rights had ruled in October that such “forced expulsions” constitute “a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.”

    • While some of the weapons seem excessive to the western eyes I can see where most of them can be useful to the Western Governments under seige by anifa. From the way the commentator is talking she is afraid that her friends on the left are going to be facing weapons like this in the near future.

      She was talking about disproportionate use of force, you never meet the violence of mobs with the same or a lower level of force, you have to take charge of the situation by using force several levels above what the mob is using.

  24. Somali refugees who fled drought, extremism face ration cuts (abcnews, Dec 23, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/somali-refugees-fled-drought-extremism-face-ration-cuts-51966221

    “Some walked for days to escape the threat of Africa’s deadliest Islamic extremist group and the desperation of drought. But the problems for more than 200,000 Somali refugees are far from over.

    Now huddled in five sprawling camps in Ethiopia, the refugees face ration cuts in the coming months unless more international support arrives. Their plight is often overlooked in a region where hunger and conflict in Somalia and South Sudan put millions at risk…”

  25. Forward>>> “Amazon’s Alexa is a CRAZY SJW LIBERAL! | Louder With Crowder” Steven Crowder – November 24, 2017

    • DAILY MAIL – ‘There was a lot of talk about religious beliefs’: Workmate says Flinders Street accused told colleagues ‘they needed to believe in Allah’ as he claims he’s been aggressive before and would ‘blow up’ while working

      Saeed Noori, 32, was charged with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of conduct endangering life
      Noori allegedly deliberately crashed into 18 people outside Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station on Thursday
      A former workmate claims Mr Noori forced his religion on people, telling them they needed to believe in Allah
      His mother arrived at court with her face covered by a Hijab and was filmed yelling and swinging her handbag
      She sobbed and rocked back and forth as her son’s charges were laid out at the Melbourne Magistrates Court

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5209371/Accused-Melbourne-rampage-driver-forced-religion-others.html

  26. Key FBI official was in contact with Mother Jones reporter who broke dossier story in 2016

    ames Baker, the FBI’s recently reassigned general counsel, was in touch with David Corn of Mother Jones in the fall of 2016, GOP sources said.

    House Republicans are investigating contact between the FBI’s top lawyer and a Mother Jones reporter in the weeks before the left-leaning outlet broke the first news story about the existence of a disputed dossier alleging ties between President Donald Trump and the Kremlin, according to two congressional GOP sources who described documents linking the two men.

    The GOP sources said the documents — made available recently to lawmakers by the Department of Justice — revealed that James Baker, the FBI’s general counsel, communicated with Mother Jones reporter David Corn in the weeks leading up to the November 2016 election. Corn was the first to report the existence of the dossier on Oct. 31 and that it was compiled by a former high-level western spy.

    https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/22/trump-dossier-fbi-james-baker-david-corn-mother-jones-316157

  27. Palestinians: Another “Reconciliation” Bites the Dust

    by Khaled Abu Toameh
    December 22, 2017 at 2:00 pm

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11594/palestinians-another-reconciliation-bites-the-dust

    For more than two months, the Hamas-Fatah “reconciliation” agreement that was reached in Cairo in October has been hailed by many Arabs and Westerners as a sign that the Palestinians were finally marching forward together.

    It turns out, however, that the dramatic announcement of the agreement, which was reached with the sponsorship of the Egypt, was all a bluff.

    Those in the know about the Palestinian world predicted that the latest “reconciliation” deal would fail. At least five previous agreements between Hamas and Fatah, reached under the auspices of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen over the past ten years, likewise failed. Every one of these agreements was stillborn, not worth the time it took to uncap the pen.

    The latest “reconciliation” agreement, then, has just joined this impressive list of defunct accords. Moreover, it is not too speculative to suggest that any truce struck in the foreseeable future between Hamas and Fatah would also swiftly join its predecessors in the graveyard of agreements.

    So, why do these “reconciliation” agreements between the two rival Palestinian parties keep failing? Why has it become impossible for the Palestinians to reunite themselves and work together for the sake of a better life for their people? Who is responsible for the divisions and internal bickering among the Palestinians and who are the biggest losers and winners from the continued power struggle between Hamas and Fatah?

    • It turns out, however, that the dramatic announcement of the agreement, which was reached with the sponsorship of the Egypt, was all a bluff.

      I’m shocked … shocked I tell you!

      [/Captain Renault]

      Why … it’s almost as if these announcements were some sort of taqiyya [gasp!].

  28. ‘NO VIOLATION’: After Rosie Tells Shapiro ‘Suck My D***’ And ‘Lick Me,’ Twitter Rules No Abuse

    In a shocking turn of events, The Lords of Twitter have ruled that Rosie O’Donnell’s abusive language targeting Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro should go unpunished. Despite the fact that O’Donnell used crude language including ‘Suck My D***’ And “Lick Me Too Ben,” the Masters of Media ruled that despite Shapiro’s query as to whether O’Donnell’s actions constituted targeted harassment, O’Donnell’s behavior fell within the province of permitted dialogue on Twitter.

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/25031/no-violation-after-rosie-tells-shapiro-suck-my-d-ben-shapiro?utm_source=cnemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=122317-news&utm_campaign=position2

  29. PELOSI: Illegal Migrants ‘Embody The Best of Our Nation’

    Illegal migrants “embody the best of our nation,” says the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

    The flattery for migrants came December 21 as Pelosi urged the House Committee on Rules to include an amnesty for 3.25 million ‘dreamer’ illegals in the two-week budget resolution. According to Politico:

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/21/illegal-immigrants-embody-best-of-nation-pelosi/

  30. DAILY MAIL – UK armed forces’ Imam urges British Muslims to join the military and stamp out extremism

    Imam Asim Hafiz, said his quest was not just for faith but ‘for the whole of Britain’
    He rubbished claims that Muslims are not integrating within UK communities
    There are currently 530 Muslims serving in the UK military out of 147,000

    […]But the Ministry of Defence wants to increase this number and has launched a major recruitment drive.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5207315/British-Muslims-urged-join-military-Imam.html

  31. UK to deport Afghan torture survivor on Christmas Day (theguardian, Dec 23, 2017)
    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/23/uk-to-deport-afghan-torture-survivor-on-christmas-day

    “A 39-year-old Afghan survivor of torture is to be forcibly removed from the UK and returned to his home country on Christmas Day, in what is thought to be the first case of its kind.

    Lawyers for the man, an asylum seeker accepted by the Home Office to be a torture survivor, have mounted a last-minute legal challenge to try to prevent him from being deported.

    The man has lived in the UK for almost 11 years, but is due to be on board a Turkish Airlines flight to Afghanistan via Istanbul at 4.25pm on 25 December.

    His solicitor, Jamie Bell of Duncan Lewis, lodged a judicial review in the upper tribunal of the immigration and asylum chamber on Friday…”

  32. Quebec City police arrest suspect in connection with online threats against Muslims

    The RCMP tipped off Quebec City police about the comments

    A man has been arrested by Quebec City police for allegedly making hateful comments about Muslims online.

    Nicolas Thériault, 46, was arrested Friday and appeared in court Saturday to face charges of inciting hate and uttering threats.

    Quebec City police (SPVQ) said they were informed about the comments, which appeared on a social media site, by the RCMP.

    “In that message, there were incitements of hatred against the Muslim community,” SPVQ spokesperson Mélissa Cliche told CBC News.

    An investigation allowed them to identify a suspect.

    Cliche would not say if the suspect was part of a larger group, or if the social media messages were posted to a forum or sent in a private message.

    She said that people need to be aware that they are responsible for the messages they send online.

    “It’s OK to exchange ideas on social media, but there really is a limit to respect so that it doesn’t become criminal,” Cliche said.

    Thériault was released on $500 bail and under numerous conditions, including staying more than 500 metres away from all Quebec mosques and not being allowed to own weapons or use a computer.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-police-arrest-suspect-in-connection-with-online-threats-against-muslims-1.4463830

    ============================================
    CTV News – Quebec City man arrested for social media threats against Muslims

    Quebec City police arrested a man on Friday for allegedly threatening Muslims on social media.

    An investigation into the threats was conducted alongside the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Team, resulting in the suspect being identified and located.

    Nicolas Theriault, 46, appeared in court on Saturday, where he was charged with inciting hatred and uttering threats.

    Quebec City police did not specify the nature of the threats or on which social media platforms they were made.

    https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-city-man-arrested-for-social-media-threats-against-muslims-1.3734139

    ========================================
    most probably this man :

    09-09 2012 – journal de Montreal

    http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2012/09/09/la-saaq-bernee

    • When will these idiots finally drop the whole “lone wolf” mythos?

      There are no lone wolves. Every last one of them arise from exposure to Islam doctrine, whether it be the Quran or some jihadist website. Islamic terrorist does not happen in a vacuum.

  33. twitter @realDonaldTrump

    How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin’ James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife’s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/944665687292817415

    FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/944666448185692166

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

    the gateway pundit – BREAKING REPORT: Deep State Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe to Retire Early

    WaPo – Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s deputy director who has been the target of Republican critics for more than a year, plans to retire in a few months when he becomes fully eligible for pension benefits, according to people familiar with the matter.

    McCabe won’t become eligible for his full pension until early March. People close to him say he plans to retire as soon as he hits that mark. “He’s got about 90 days, and some of that will be holiday time. He can make it,’’ said one.

    ==============
    Andrew McCabe is also being investigated by the Office of U.S. Counsel violating the Hatch Act according to a new report by Circa News.

    The Hatch Act prohibits FBI agents from campaigning in partisan races. Photos of McCabe campaigning for his wife raised questions about McCabe’s compliance with the law.

    […]Some of the reaction from Trump supporters: McCabe should be fired before he’s eligible for his funded pension benefits:

    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/12/breaking-report-deep-state-deputy-fbi-director-andrew-mccabe-retire-early/

  34. Ambassador to Netherlands apologizes for calling his own comments ‘fake news’

    WASHINGTON — The U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands apologized for claiming “fake news” when confronted by his own words about the Netherlands in an interview with a Dutch reporter.

    In an interview with the news program Nieuwsuur, Peter Hoekstra had denied making controversial statements about so-called “no-go zones” in 2015, when he claimed cars and politicians were being burned in Muslim neighborhoods in Europe.

    “I didn’t say that,” Hoekstra said. “That is actually an incorrect statement. Yeah, we would call it ‘fake news.’”

    Later, Hoekstra appeared to deny having denied what he said. “I didn’t call that ‘fake news.’ I didn’t use the words today,” he said. “No, I don’t think I did.”

    “I made certain remarks in 2015 and regret the exchange during the Nieuwsuur interview,” Hoekstra said. “Please accept my apology.”

    Hoekstra, a former Michigan congressman who once chaired the House Intelligence Committee, was born in the Netherlands and moved to the United States at age 3. A longtime Trump supporter, he was rewarded with a nomination as ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Senate confirmed the nomination last month, and he will report to the Hague in January.

    “It will be the greatest honor of my life to serve as United States ambassador to the Netherlands. I look forward to the opportunity to learn, to listen and to move on in the spirit of peace and friendship with the people and the leaders of the Netherlands,” Hoekstra said in his statement Saturday.

    Hoekstra earned a reputation as a hard-line warrior against what he calls “radical Islam.”

    His 2015 remarks —SINCE WIDELY DEBUNKED — maintained that there were Muslim-controlled neighborhoods across Europe where non-Muslims are forbidden to enter.

    “The Islamic movement has now gotten to a point where they have put Europe into chaos. Chaos in the Netherlands. There are cars being burned, there are politicians that are being burned,” Hoekstra said in 2015. “And yes, there are no-go zones in the Netherlands.”

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/12/23/ambassador-netherlands-apologizes-calling-his-own-comments-fake-news/979046001/

  35. Iraqis denounce anti-indecency edict targeting ‘female mannequins’ in Shia holy city (alaraby, Dec 23, 2017)
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/12/23/iraqis-denounce-ban-on-mannequins-in-shia-holy-city

    “Residents in Iraq’s Shia holy city of Karbala have denounced a ban on female mannequins being displayed with anything other than Islamic clothing.

    Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and an important figure in Shia Islam, is buried in Karbala.

    Posters warning against indecent behaviour have been plastered around the city as part of the application of a 2012 provincial council decision to uphold Karbala’s “holy character”, council member Nasser Hussein al-Khozali said.

    The signs warn residents against “shockingly displaying women’s clothes”, as well as “selling indecent films” and airing “music or indecent words in public places”.

    The posters, signed by an “implementation committee for the decision on Karbala’s holy character”, warn that sanctions will be taken against offenders.

    Not everyone is the city supports the decision, however.

    “Listening to music is part of personal freedoms,” said taxi driver Majah Hassan, as a song belted out of his car radio.

    “Nobody can forbid it as I’m not harming anyone by doing it.”

    Inside a shopping centre, women’s clothes salesman Ahmad Hussein railed against a decision that he said infringed freedoms and hurt business.

    “The provincial council would do better fixing the roads and improving public services,” he said.

    The head of a civil society association said the council decision was no different from the harsh rules imposed by the Islamic State group in areas they controlled until their defeat in Iraq earlier this month.

    “This kind of decision, which is allegedly based on religion, is in fact no different from IS ideology,” Ehab al-Wazarni said.

    Hadi al-Mussawi, also an activist, said the move “aimed to garner votes in the elections” for parliament in May.

    After seizing control of second city Mosul in 2014, IS prohibited shopkeepers and street vendors from displaying women’s clothing on mannequins.

    Several Shia armed groups also imposed the rule in southern Iraq at the height of the sectarian violence that followed the 2003 US-led invasion of the country.”

  36. Israel quits UNESCO over ‘attacks’ months after US withdrawal

    Following in the footsteps of the US, Israel announced its exit from UNESCO, citing “attacks” by the organization. The move comes after 128 UN members voted to reject the US’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

    The decision was based on the UN-run agency’s “attempts to disconnect Jewish history from the land of Israel,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said. He added that the official letter of withdrawal will be submitted by the end of the year and that Israel will effectively leave the organization by the end of 2018.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Israel’s envoy to UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen, to officially announce the withdrawal, Haaretz reports.

    In doing so, Tel Aviv joins Washington, which announced in October that it will leave UNESCO due to its “continuing anti-Israel bias” and “the need for fundamental reform in the organization.” According to Haaretz, Netanyahu made the decision after a series of discussions centered around Israel’s desire to not leave the US isolated in the move.[…]

    https://www.rt.com/news/414038-israel-withdraw-unesco-jerusalem/
    ===============================================
    ISRAEL TO FORMALLY ANNOUNCE WITHDRAWAL FROM UNESCO

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Friday to submit a formal letter to the organization’s director-general announcing Israel’s departure from the UN body.

    “The letter will be submitted by Ambassador Carmel Sharma-Hacohen in the coming days, certainly before the end of the year,” said Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon.

    The UNESCO constitution holds that a country’s withdrawal from the organization takes effect on 31 December of the year following that during which the notice was given. Accordingly, Israel’s departure will become effective on 31 December 2018.

    Israel signaled its intention to leave the body in October, hours after the US announced its withdrawal. Netanyahu praised the American declaration, calling it “a brave and moral decision, because UNESCO has become the theater of the absurd and because instead of preserving history, it distorts it.”

    The US listed “concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO,” as reasons for its departure.

    Then-director-general of UNESCO Irina Bokova expressed “profound regret” at the decision. Bokova was succeeded last month by Audrey Azoulay, France’s former culture minister, who became the first Jewish head of the agency.[…]

    http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-to-formally-announce-withdrawal-from-UNESCO-519816

  37. Suspected Da’ish member arrested with pistols, ammunition at Karachi airport (tribune, Dec 23, 2017)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1591187/1-suspected-daish-member-arrested-pistols-ammunition-karachi-airport/

    “A Malaysian national arrested at the Karachi airport for trying to smuggle weapons and ammunition is currently under investigation for having links with the Islamic State.

    On Saturday, Al Muhd Alfie Kqhyriel tried to board a Malaysia-bound flight TG-342 while carrying four pistols, eight magazines and 71 bullets hidden in his luggage and shoes.

    Airport Security Force (ASF) senior official Faisal Yaseen said, “The ASF personnel intercepted a suspicious-looking passenger crossing the security belt at the departure area of the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport.”

    “The suspect hesitated when we asked him to remove his shoes and place them on the scanning machine,” he said, adding that “we arrested him and found pistols and ammunition hidden in his shoes’ cavities and microwave oven”…”