Contributor’s Links post for February 3rd, 2019

Daily Links Post graphic

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We muse use it while we can.

About Eeyore

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

120 Replies to “Contributor’s Links post for February 3rd, 2019”

  1. According to two far-left “accountability watchdogs,” attempts by the state of Texas to verify whether 95,000 non-citizens illegally participated in elections past are discriminatory and racist.

    In a lawsuit filed last Friday, the far-left Campaign Legal Center and League of United Latin American Citizens accused Texas Secretary of State David Whitley and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of violating the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act.

    BREAKING: We’re going to court against Texas’ attempt to unlawfully discriminate against and intimidate eligible naturalized voters. Read more: https://t.co/IQTi6yVlh9 pic.twitter.com/4Vt8voJdSc

    — Campaign Legal Center (@CampaignLegal) February 1, 2019

    The radically far-left organizations’ beef stems from the discovery last month that since 1996, at least 95,000 non-citizens have registered to vote. And of those 95k, an estimated 58,000 have voted.

    https://www.bizpacreview.com/2019/02/03/group-sues-texas-for-finding-95k-non-citizen-voters-calls-it-unlawful-discrimination-and-intimidation-720443

  2. The Montreal-North rapist, who sexually assaulted nine women as a teenager, reportedly re-offended just three weeks after the end of his 10-and-a-half-year incarceration sentence.

    Funnily famous for being the first minor in Canada to be declared a long-term offender, Wisbens Demosthenes was brought to trial this week in a new sexual assault case at the Saint-Jerome courthouse.

    Incarcerated again, this sexual predator has spent most of his adult life behind bars.

    Demosthenes, who will turn 30 in two weeks, was arrested in November 2006 as part of the Capuchon project, launched by the Montreal police to neutralize a serial sexual aggressor.

    The bloodhounds put their hands on the neck of the 17-year-old with a palm print and a trace of DNA.

    https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/02/03/encore-le-violeur-de-montreal-nord

  3. Freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar floated taxing the wealthy at a rate of up to 90 percent, joining fellow Democrats pushing for much higher rates on the top bracket to pay for sought-after programs like “Medicare-for-all.”

    In an interview this week on “Through Her Eyes,” a new weekly show on Roku, Ilhan, D-Minn., suggested “a few things” to change when looking to pay for high-cost programs.

    “One of them is that we can increase the taxes that people are paying who are the extremely wealthy in our communities,” she explained. “So, 70 percent, 80 percent, we’ve had it as high as 90 percent. So, that’s a place we can start.”

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rep-omar-floats-taxing-rich-up-to-90-percent

  4. BOSTON — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to make sure the United States never uses nuclear weapons first.

    The Massachusetts Democrat has introduced a bill with Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington that would make it the official policy of the United States not to use nuclear weapons first.

    The lawmakers say the United States currently retains the option to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict, even in response to a non-nuclear attack.

    They said banning the use of nuclear weapons for first-strike purposes would “reduce the chances of a nuclear miscalculation.”

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/3/elizabeth-warren-introduces-bill-ban-us-first-stri/?fbclid=IwAR0woVbEoOL_ohmP0KUDzb7EbSV2TvaTJum9zuoJeOCDpq6XeunWug9004w

    • BOSTON — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to make sure the United States never uses nuclear weapons first.

      It’s sorta, kinda, justa little too £ü¢kiñg late for that you ignorant wannabe Cherokee. Why not use a few pennies of your big senate travel allowance to visit Hiroshima sometime, you microcephalic wingnut!

  5. PBF Energy battling fire at crude unit of Delaware refinery

    (Reuters) – PBF Energy Inc said a fire occurred around noon Sunday at its 175,000 barrel-per-day crude unit at its Delaware City, Delaware refinery.

    There were no injuries, a PBF spokesman said. The company did not say what caused the fire or the extent of the damage.

  6. Texas police group: ‘Female border patrol agent’ killed on duty in Del Rio sector
    by Anna Giaritelli
    | February 03, 2019 12:30 PM

    Print this article
    A Border Patrol agent has been killed in Abilene, Texas, marking the first death of an agent on duty in 14 months.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan announced Sunday that Donna Doss, a 16-year veteran of the force, died while in the line of duty on Satuirday night. Her death marks the 128th time an agent has died while on duty since 1925.

    “Last night, while on duty, United States Border Patrol Agent Donna Doss lost her life in Abilene, Texas. Agent Doss of Class 569 served for nearly 16 years. On behalf of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, my deepest condolences go out to her family and loved ones,” McAleenan said in a statement

    The Abilene Police Officer’s Association said Doss was struck by a car while helping local law and state enforcement.

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/female-border-patrol-agent-killed-while-working-in-texas

  7. Texas police group: ‘Female border patrol agent’ killed on duty in Del Rio sector
    by Anna Giaritelli
    | February 03, 2019 12:30 PM

    Print this article
    A Border Patrol agent has been killed in Abilene, Texas, marking the first death of an agent on duty in 14 months.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan announced Sunday that Donna Doss, a 16-year veteran of the force, died while in the line of duty on Satuirday night. Her death marks the 128th time an agent has died while on duty since 1925.

    “Last night, while on duty, United States Border Patrol Agent Donna Doss lost her life in Abilene, Texas. Agent Doss of Class 569 served for nearly 16 years. On behalf of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, my deepest condolences go out to her family and loved ones,” McAleenan said in a statement

    The Abilene Police Officer’s Association said Doss was struck by a car while helping local law and state enforcement.

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/female-border-patrol-agent-killed-while-working-in-texas

  8. Globe & Mail – Refugees hoping to become citizens face high bar to achieve language benchmarks

    Fatum Ibrahim is pointing to her nose and smiling ear-to-ear.

    “Nose,” she proudly pronounces, eager to demonstrate her expanding English vocabulary.

    Three years ago, a day shy of Valentine’s Day, 36-year old Ibrahim and seven family members landed in Surrey, B.C., as part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s signature Syrian Refugee Initiative. She didn’t know a word of English, nor could she read or write in her native Arabic.

    Despite taking language classes four days a week, she has a long way to go to meet the English-language requirement for Canadian citizenship. While her mom, dad, grandmother and two school-age brothers are eligible to become citizens this year, she and two other adult siblings, who also never learned to read or write, will not be. Without a passport, they are stuck in Canada, unable to visit the six siblings they left behind in Turkey.

    “I want to be a Canadian. I love it because our country has been destroyed and is gone. Now Canada is our only country. … But I don’t think I will learn to pass the English test until the end of my life,” Ibrahim says through an interpreter.

    Ibrahim and her two siblings, both of whom live with intellectual disabilities, are not anomalies.

    Government-assisted Syrian refugees came to Canada with less education than the refugees who came before them. Eighty-one per cent of the first 15,000 government-assisted refugees reported an education level of secondary school or less.

    While Syria’s average literacy rate – eight in 10 before the war took a toll – is relatively high for the region, there is a sizeable disparity between rates for men and women. Only 77 per cent of Syrian women are literate, compared with 90 per cent of men, with rural women such as Ibrahim faring the worst. It was these women and their families whom the Canadian government prioritized for resettlement.

    “I went to school only for one year, in the first grade. But I didn’t like it. I wasn’t smart,” Ibrahim says. “None of my sisters finished school; our brothers did. We spent our days cooking, cleaning the house, laughing, playing. We were so happy. … Only here in Canada did I start school again. I was terrified.”

    Diana Jeffries manages English-language classes for Pacific Immigrant Resources Society, with funding from the federal government’s Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. She says adult literacy learners such as Ibrahim are right to wonder whether they will ever qualify for citizenship.

    To meet the English-language requirement, individuals must reach Level 4 of the Canadian language benchmarks, meaning they can understand simple sentences and use basic grammar. Ibrahim has sat in a Level 1 class for more than a year.

    “It is impossible. I have never seen someone who is non-literate get past a Level 2 literacy level,” says Jeffries. “You also have to take into account, not only do these women have no literacy skills, they often have tons of anxiety about being in a classroom. They also are women who have a lot of other things going on – often, they lack any sense of agency and have so many other needs with children, caretaking and domestic violence. It can take six months to learn how to print on a line and because it takes a really, really long time, they can give up.”

    Ibrahim is not giving up yet, having just learned how to hold a pen and write her first name. She and her mom, Shakha, try to make it to their three-hour classes Mondays to Thursdays.

    But chronic health challenges lead to sporadic attendance. And attendance matters more than ever.

    Since 2016, LINC programs have adopted a new way of measuring language proficiency. Called the portfolio-based language assessment, it requires students to collect evidence of 32 successfully assessed assignments in order to rise to the next level. Assessments are held in class, so missing a session means missing an opportunity to progress.

    Julie Ship, the settlement language co-ordinator for British Columbia’s Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Services Agencies, argues that the portfolio process is not designed for adult literacy learners who face barriers to classroom engagement. There was no feasibility study of how changes to the assessment process might affect refugees with low-to-no literacy in their native tongues.

    “We are hearing clients are intimidated by the whole process, and if they miss a class, which happens a lot when there are health appointments or they need child minding, they miss out on the assessment,” Ship says. “It is almost too rigorous. The idea was to introduce a steady flow of assessments, but it actually kind of backfires, because talking about assessments all the way through still conveys something scary.”

    In fact, the portfolio process is so rigorous that it exceeds the government’s language requirement for citizenship. To become a Canadian citizen, refugees aged 18 to 54 who have lived in Canada for three years must demonstrate that they can speak and listen at Level 4. Older refugees such as Ibrahim’s mother, father and grandmother are exempt.

    The portfolio assessment process gauges skills in four areas: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Although individuals can pay $200 to bypass LINC classes and take an English-language test, they must be able to read and write to use its online interface. That puts refugees with no experience of reading or writing at a disadvantage. Without a Level 4 certificate, these refugees won’t become citizens, with the capacity to vote or freely travel, until they turn 55.

    Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada responded to a request for comment with a statement that did not address questions about the needs of refugees who are illiterate in their primary language.

    It says in 2018-19, it is spending about $762-million to support the settlement needs of newcomers across all provinces and territories, excluding Quebec, and it spends more on language training than any other settlement service.

    “IRCC-funded language training is offered at a range of ability levels from basic literacy to advanced language skills,” it says. “This includes more specialized courses such as labour market language training, which offers job-specific programming, mainly at higher language proficiency levels, coupled with mentoring and work placements to speed up the transition to employment.”

    In 2008, before the influx of Syrian refugees, Jeffries ran a pilot program specifically for refugees with multiple disadvantages. The program’s funding was not renewed and did not run long enough to compare results with standard programming.

    “The pre-literacy classes were fantastic, because it was really using different teaching pedagogies that were more experiential and kinesthetic,” Jeffries says. “Reading on a flat surface is not easy, nor is looking at black-and-white text on a piece of paper left to right. We could do art projects that were language-based and that were satisfying. In cooking, they could make measurements. We could paint the alphabet, and just do more creative things. Now, there is nothing like that with portfolio-based language assessment.”

    Andrea Solnes, an independent consultant in settlement language, has been writing a guidebook on marginalized and multi-barrier learners, based on research with English-as-second-language teachers. Best practice suggests pair work, learning stations, active use of volunteers and paid teaching assistants.

    “None, that’s how much specific training there is about illiteracy. Teachers are clearly expressing that they would like more,” Solnes says.

    To improve outcomes for adult literacy learners, both Solnes and Ship see value in an approach that is less focused on meeting standards and more focused on building relationships between refugees and the broader community.

    “Because language classes are often the first services that newcomers to Canada access, it is such a strong place to work from,” Solnes says.

    But she says the push for a more standardized assessment structure means students spend less time outside the classroom learning other skills they need to be successful in Canada. “It’s important to not just look at language outcomes, but overall community engagement.”

    Ibrahim is seeking more community support. She asks whether the interpreter can help her prepare for the language test. While she feels she is making progress in the classroom, it is outside those four walls where she struggles most.

    “I only understand at school with my teacher,” Ibrahim says. “What is there outside of school to help me learn? I wish there were other classes after my class. We are trying. English is very hard.”

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-refugees-hoping-to-become-citizens-face-high-bar-to-achieve-language-2/

    • Imagine asking an American who is not literate to move to Syria and learn Arabic. Is this fair to that American? Why would Syrians be generous enough to support that effort? Imagine, too, that the American’s family is literate, but disdains women members who learn to read and write. Would Syrians attempt to change the family’s attitudes enough to make a difference?

  9. Israel’s Red Lines in Lebanon and Syria

    BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,080, February 3, 2019

    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The “War Between Wars” is an ongoing Israeli military and intelligence effort to disrupt the force build-up of the Iranian-Shiite axis throughout the Middle East. This campaign, which has evolved into an entire force activation doctrine, has seen the Israeli defense establishment employ an approach that differentiates between Syria and Lebanon.

    Israel’s low-profile military campaign against the Iranian-Shiite axis in Syria is continuing despite changes in the geo-strategic environment. But the use of Israeli air power to disrupt enemy force build-up has yet to cross into Lebanon. It is possible that this could represent one of the most significant regional escalation scenarios in the near future.

    The “War Between Wars” is an ongoing Israeli military and intelligence effort to disrupt the force build-up of the Iranian-Shiite axis throughout the Middle East. This campaign, which has evolved into an entire force activation doctrine, has seen the Israeli defense establishment employ an approach that differentiates between Syria and Lebanon.

    In Syria, Israel launches frequent intelligence-fueled air strikes that target Iranian military build-up sites. The strikes also destroy Iranian weapon transfers that use Syria as a transit zone on their way to Hezbollah bases in Lebanon.

    https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/israel-red-lines-lebanon-syria/

  10. Pakistani rights group says regional leader killed by police (reuters, Feb 3, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-killing/pakistani-rights-group-says-regional-leader-killed-by-police-idUSKCN1PS0K5

    “Authorities in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province said on Sunday they had launched an investigation into the death of a regional leader of a Pakistani civil rights group, who died in what his movement called a “targeted attack” by police at a sit-in…”

  11. THEY LIED! FBI Hid Proof that Hillary’s Emails Were Attacked Multiple Times As Far Back as 2011 — But Used A 2016 DNC Incident As their Case for Mueller Probe

    The fairy tale that the Russians hacked the DNC’s emails in 2016 in an effort to help candidate Trump win the Presidency led to the corrupt Mueller investigation.
    Per a review of evidence provided by the FBI we know that Hillary’s emails were hacked as early as 2011 and Hillary was warned about these attacks.
    Overall, Hillary and the FBI appear to be covering up the facts.

    The Mueller sham is unconstitutional and a crime on numerous counts. The mainstream media (MSM) won’t tell the American people and the world that the entire scam was built on and runs on numerous lies. A recent review of events related to Hillary Clinton’s emails further indicate that the entire Mueller sham was built on a series of lies covered up by the FBI.

    Hillary wasn’t suddenly hacked by Russians in 2016. We don’t really even know if Hillary’s emails or the DNC’s emails were hacked by the Russians at all. We don’t even know if the DNC’s emails were hacked. What we do know is that the information surrounding Hillary’s emails and the DNC emails is sketchy and conflicting – like the Mueller investigation is as a whole.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/02/they-lied-fbi-hid-proof-that-hillarys-emails-were-attacked-multiple-times-as-far-back-as-2011-but-used-a-2016-dnc-incident-as-their-case-for-mueller-probe/?omhide=true

  12. Iraqi Forces Thwart Missile Launch Targeting US Base (aawsat, Feb 3, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1574351/iraqi-forces-thwart-missile-launch-targeting-us-base

    “Iraqi security forces on Saturday foiled a missile attack on Ayn al-Asad air base in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, a statement by a security official said.

    Units from the Iraqi army found three Grad missiles with a timer attached to them and pointed to the direction of Ayn al-Asad air base, where US forces are stationed. US President Donald Trump had earlier visited the location during his surprise trip in December.

    “The Iraqi troops managed to disarm the missiles with only 15 minutes left ahead of their pre-set launch time,” the statement added.

    Ayn al-Asad is the second largest air base in Iraq.

    No information was provided on who is suspected to be behind the missile launch, although ISIS retains a presence in the deserts of western Iraq.”

  13. Report: 3 Scientists Killed in Iranian Space Center Fire (aawsat, Feb 3, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1574756/report-3-scientists-killed-iranian-space-center-fire

    “A fire in the Iran’s space research center has killed three scientists, semi-official ISNA news agency said, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

    The Sunday report quotes Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi as saying that three researchers have died “because of a fire in one of the buildings of the Space Research Center.”

    Jahromi did not elaborate in the report.

    Iran plans to launch a satellite into orbit despite US criticism that such launches benefit its ballistic missile program.

    According to AP, in January, the country launched a satellite, but authorities said it failed to reach the “necessary speed” in the third stage of its launch.”

    • Report: 3 Scientists Killed in Iranian Space Center Fire

      I guess that last launch had some blowback after all.

  14. Egypt airstrike kills 8 militants near Libya border (memo, Feb 3, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190203-egypt-airstrike-kills-8-militants-near-libya-border/

    “Eight militants were killed in an airstrike near Egypt’s border with war-torn Libya, according to a military spokesman on Saturday.

    In a statement, Colonel Tamer al-Refai said the militants were plotting hostile acts against Egyptian targets.

    “The operation took place upon intelligence information… that confirmed the presence of a cell in the western desert preparing for hostile acts,” al-Refai said.

    Eight “terrorists” were killed and a hideout that contained an amount of arms and ammunition was wiped out in the airstrike.

    The reported data could not be independently verified.

    Over the past two years, the Egyptian military has announced thwarting several attempts to smuggle weapons into the country through the Libyan border.”

    • Watch this video, I don’t know if this action will go anywere but it has the potential to cause a big kerfuffle, especially if the can come up with a catchy name for the cause.

  15. Saudi Television Airs Polisario-Friendly Documentary, Crosses Red Lines in Relationship with Morocco (moroccoworldnews, Feb 3, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/02/265011/saudi-television-polisario-friendly-documentary-red-line-morocco/

    “A documentary on Western Sahara aired on Saudi-owned Television Al-Arabiya has put forth pro-Polisario claims, putting Saudi Arabia’s Moroccan ally in an uncomfortable position regarding its Western Sahara claims.

    While refraining from overtly espousing a number of pro-Polisario concepts like “occupation” or “colonization,” the historical time frame presented in the show unequivocally buttressed the claim that Morocco “invaded” and “occupied” Western Sahara when Spain left the territories.

    Al-Arabiya added insults to injury, however. In addition to its pro-separatist historical timeline, the documentary’ narrative suggested that the international community recognizes the Polisario Front, the separatist group claiming independence for the self-styled Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), as “the legitimate representative of the Sahrawis.”

    Morocco and Saudi Arabia are historically strategic allies, with especially strong bonds between the two royal families. But the recent months have seen a pattern of gradual decline of warmth in the “strong,” “strategic,” and “historical” relations that the two kingdoms used to enjoy…”

  16. Govt embarks on making country Islamic welfare state with cut in Hajj subsidy (tribune, Feb 3, 2019)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1902987/1-govt-embarks-making-country-islamic-welfare-state-cut-hajj-subsidy/

    “After claiming to transform Pakistan into an Islamic welfare state similar to that of ‘Riyasat-e-Madina’, the government has rejected the very first recommendation presented by Council of Islamic Ideology (CII).

    The CCI had declared the financial support for Hajj pilgrims as permissible and wanted the government to reinstate the subsidy.

    The government, however, declined the proposal saying the Hajj pilgrimage was obligatory only for those who can afford its expenses, hence the subsidy funds were to be used for the welfare of masses in some other way.

    Sources told The Express Tribune that the CCI members had decided the state was responsible for facilitating pilgrims, therefore the government should give a Hajj subsidy.

    The top clerics of the country resolved that the government subsidy was a form of facility rather than Zakat or charity. Moreover, financial support such as Hajj subsidy is given to different sectors on different occasions.

    The CCI members had also maintained that Hajj expenditures varied across the world and that unlike Zakat, there was no means to measure Hajj expenditures.

    The council also agreed that the government sets these expenditures as per the ongoing purchasing power.

    Religious affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri suggested to subsidise food expenditures to be borne by the pilgrims, but most of the federal cabinet members had opposed the move.”

  17. Turkey aims to enhance friendship with Greece: Y?ld?r?m (hurriyetdailynews, Feb 3, 2019)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-aims-to-enhance-friendship-with-greece-yildirim-140969

    “Turkey’s Parliament Speaker Binali Y?ld?r?m said on Feb. 2 the country aimed to “enhance friendship” and “reduce animosity” between Ankara and Athens.

    Speaking to reporters in Istanbul after commemoration of a population exchange between Greece and Turkey after World War I, Y?ld?r?m said the two countries share a common history and culture despite on and off disputes in the Aegean Sea.

    His remarks come ahead of a two-day visit by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Feb. 5-6.

    Y?ld?r?m added that Tsipras would be hosted with “Turkish hospitality.”

    Tsipras is expected to be the first Greek leader to visit a former Christian Orthodox seminary located on one of the Princes’ Islands off the Istanbul coast.

    In 1996, a decades-long dispute between Turkey and Greece over uninhabited Aegean islets brought the two countries to the brink of armed conflict and has since led to renewed tensions.”

  18. Swedish student to face trial after anti-deportation protest that stopped flight (thelocal, Feb 3, 2019)
    https://www.thelocal.se/20190203/swedish-student-to-face-trial-after-ant-deportation-protest-that-halted-flight

    “The Swedish student who livestreamed her onboard protest against the deportation of an Afghan asylum seeker will go on trial on Monday.

    Elin Ersson will appear at Gothenburg District Court, charged with violating Sweden’s Aviation Act…

    The penalty for violation of the Aviation Act is a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of six months.”

  19. Germany cracks down on clan crime with ‘zero tolerance’ (DW, Feb 3, 2019)
    https://www.dw.com/en/germany-cracks-down-on-clan-crime-with-zero-tolerance/a-47341384

    “Police recently launched a new policy that takes on criminal clan families in Germany’s large cities. But how much of an impression have the first raids really made? And will hard-line enforcement alone be enough?

    It was the biggest raid against large criminal families in the history of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW): In mid-January, 1,300 police officers in Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, Recklinghausen and Gelsenkirchen raided Shisha bars, betting shops, cafes and teahouses on suspicion of money laundering, tax evasion and unreported income.

    A new “zero tolerance” course of action is being taken against clan crime in the western federal state and beyond, with raids also being carried out in Berlin, Bremen and Lower Saxony. The new strategy is based on making the clans insecure.

    NRW’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul has called the operations the starting point for a new “policy of 1,000 pinpricks.” But are clan families really as nervous as the police make them out to be? Or are they actually trustingthat police won’t be able to keep up the pressure in the long run?

    “It has already made the [clan] scene insecure,” says Islamic scholar and migration expert Ralph Ghadban. “But much more important is the signal the state is sending: We are taking back the streets. This makes members of the public feel more secure.”

    This is also the framework for understanding the case of Arafat Abou-Chaker in Berlin, a clan member whose arrest warrant was overturned.

    “Everyone was aware that if Arafat Abou-Chaker was potentially called to court to face charges, he would probably not remain in custody until that time,” says Norbert Cioma, head of Berlin’s police union. “Still, it was important to let him see a cell from the inside.”

    “A suspended arrest warrant does not mean investigations will end,” Cioma adds. “We are certain that the public prosecutor’s office will continue its efforts.”

    500,000 clan members in Germany

    For decades, police turned a blind eye to extended criminal families, in part to avoid being accused of racial discrimination. This has made the present-day challenge all the more difficult as clan structures have solidified, parallel societies have formed, and the enemy has grown.

    “There are now half a million people across Germany who belong to a clan, though not every person is a criminal,” Ghadban estimates. Many nationalities are represented. There are Lebanese clans, Turkish, Kurdish, Albanian, Kosovan and even Chechen extended families who run illegal businesses.

    Recently, a clan member who was a registered recipient of unemployment benefits was discovered with €60,000 euros in his boot. The man is still at large.

    “In Germany we do not have a reversal of the burden of proof such as Italy does, for example,” Ghadban complains. “This means we have to prove that the money in the boot is stolen property, instead of the alleged criminal having to prove that it has been honestly earned.” Ghadban says that Germany will only be able successfully to combat clan crime if the judiciary takes a tough stance.

    Support programs for women and youth

    Yet a policy that finally recognizes the problem of clan crime, a police force that carries out continuous raids and a judiciary that uses all legal means are together still not enough, Ghadban adds. He says these must be backed up by programs for people who want to get out of the clans. “About a third of clan members actually want to lead a normal life. They feel trapped in their clans,” explains Ghadban.

    The problem in Germany is that there are still no programs for clan members who want to get out, although Berlin’s Neukölln district is about to start one.

    “We must, above all, turn to young people and women,” Ghadban demands, explaining that it’s only these target groups that have a realistic chance of escaping traditional family structures. First and foremost, he says, the alternative, a life without a clan, must be attractive enough. In his view, this would include guaranteeing an education, subsequent help in finding a job and support on the way to self-employment.

    “This is a lengthy process,” warns Ghadban, “and in Germany, we don’t yet have any infrastructure that supports this process.”

    Policy of prevention and enforcement

    Experts insist that when it comes to integrating clans, Germany must now make up for what it failed to do four decades ago. Or, as Islamic studies and legal scholar Mathias Rohe puts it, Germany must avoid the mistakes of the past.

    Rohe recalls when the first Lebanese civil war refugees came to Germany in 1975: “At the time, we made it clear to these people that we did not want them here — that is, they had no access to education and also no access to work.”

    Rohe believes that by receiving refugees in this way, Germany indirectly confirmed the exact prejudices against the state that existed in the refugees’ home countries. “People came from countries where they could only survive with the protection of the extended family. It was their survival strategy. The state, in contrast, only discriminated against them.”

    Like Ghadban, Rohe is calling for a holistic concept of prevention and enforcement, as well as for understanding, as difficult as this may be when faced with clan members’ offensive and aggressive behavior. “People are not monsters, even if they sometimes seem like they are. And we must at least recognize that they are bound by other loyalties.”

    At the moment, police are optimistic they can win the battle against criminal extended families. But at the same time, there is an awareness of how much patience will be required. Rohe compares it to running a race. “It won’t be a 100-meter sprint. It’ll be a marathon.””

  20. Erdogan says cannot understand US ‘silence’ over Khashoggi murder (france24, Feb 3, 2019)
    https://www.france24.com/en/20190203-erdogan-says-cannot-understand-us-silence-over-khashoggi-murder

    “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday accused the United States of maintaining a “silence” on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who killed by a Saudi hit team in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.

    “I cannot understand America’s silence… We want everything to be clarified because there is an atrocity, there is a murder,” Erdogan told an interview with state-run TRT television.

    “The Khashoggi murder is not an ordinary one.”

    Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and Saudi regime critic, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

    He visited the consulate to obtain paperwork for his upcoming marriage to a Turkish woman.

    Turkey says Khashoggi was killed by a team of 15 Saudis who strangled him at the kingdom’s diplomatic mission.

    Riyadh, after denying the killing for two weeks, eventually described it as a “rogue” operation but denied any involvement by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    The case has caused strains in the kingdom’s ties with Washington.

    Turkish officials are seeking answers from Saudi Arabia to a number of questions including who order the hit, and the whereabouts of Khashoggi’s body.

    Unhappy with Riyadh’s cooperation in the investigation, Ankara has also called for an international inquiry.

    A UN judicial expert investigating the murder met this week with Turkish authorities in Ankara and Istanbul and carried out inspections outside the Saudi consulate.

    Eleven men are on trial in Saudi Arabia accused of involvement in the murder with the attorney-general seeking the death penalty for five of the defendants.”

  21. General Motors threatens to sue union over Super Bowl ad

    The war between Canada’s autoworker union and General Motors intensified over the weekend, with the automaker threatening to sue over a union commercial critical of GM set to air in Canada during Sunday’s Super Bowl.

    On Friday, lawyers for GM wrote to Unifor, the Canadian union, with a “demand” that Unifor “cease and desist from any further publication (in any form and media whatsoever) of the advertisement,” Unifor said in a media statement.

    The union said it would not comply with GM’s demand.

    https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2019/02/03/super-bowl-ad-gm-threatens-lawsuit-unifor-union/2762478002/