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.
“ISLAMVatican Cardinal Warns: “West Will Disappear” Because of Mass Migration”
by Paul Joseph Watson – April 5, 2019
https://summit.news/2019/04/05/vatican-cardinal-warns-west-will-disappear-because-of-mass-migration/
“Vatican Cardinal Robert Sarah Warns “West Will Disappear” As A Result of Mass Migration”
Lionel Nation – Published on April 7, 2019
NR: Addressing the gradual but wholesale decortication of civilization by Social Media is something that requires at least 1,000 pages to adequately describe. Considering that PJW manages to hit a significant number of high points in less than ten minutes makes this clip remarkable.
Of especial merit is the recognition that dopamine release is a tremendous gatekeeper for many of the behaviors involved. Curiously, amidst his appropriate hammering upon modern anxiety levels, PJW missed a crucial driver that is mercilessly exploited by all of these online channels.
NOTE: — A recent article noted how today’s high school students are testing for levels of personal anxiety that would have gotten an average 1950’s-era person institutionalized for clinical treatment. Considering the tremendous stress (see: “Type A Behavior and Your Heart”), both psychological and physical, this FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) imposes upon individuals, the downstream and long-term health complications take on actuarial, if not national budget, significance. —
In an age of consensus science, there can be no doubt that much of the online world is lapsing into an addiction to external validation. A combination of shortened attention span and decreased verbal perspicacity cripples individuals whose internal dialogue is predicated upon outside influences and pre-constructed or engineered experiences (see: Boy Bands, and heavily scripted “Reality” television shows).
The mentally inarticulate fall prey to dual deficits in self-expression and personal confidence. This translates into potentially bizarre tectonic formations within a personality.
Creativity and innovation are two already-elusive abilities that are maimed at an existential level by this narrowing of consciousness. Red China’s paucity of original thought serves as confirmation. At a most basic level, lack of confidence will destroy military unit cohesion and personal assertiveness all across the PRC.
Closer to home, this denuding of articulation manifests in the complete shambles known as contemporary art, drama, literature, and music (particularly so-called “modern classical music”). Look no further than Marcel Duchamp, John Cage, Jackson Pollack, David Lynch, Tracey Emin, Jeff Koons, Thomas Kincade, and a host of other artistic criminal frauds that erased the tracks of true classical genius which once was commonplace in life.
We are left with so many holes in our perception: Supposedly “shovel-ready” for our subconscious to fill with whatever casual perception that the artiste couldn’t be arsed to originate himself. Mastery of beauty and the skillful communication of that inspiration? What in the hell is that?!?
See: Silent music dispute resolved
“Musician Mike Batt had paid a six-figure sum to settle a bizarre dispute over who owns copyright to a silent musical work.
Batt, who had a number of hits in the 70s with UK children’s characters The Wombles, was accused of plagiarism by the publishers of the late US composer John Cage, after placing a silent track on his latest album, Classical Graffiti which was credited to himself and Cage.
Cage’s own silent composition, 4’33”, was originally released in 1952.
Batt has now agreed to pay an undisclosed six-figure sum to the John Cage Trust by way of an out-of-court settlement.”
Got that? A SIX FIGURE SUM paid out over supposedly PLAGIARIZING SILENCE. Jesus £ü¢kïñg wept.
Between the parings of Politically Correct speech and historical revisionism, there is little to be had for an internal frame of reference. Gone is any familiar roadmap that might guide or assist in navigating these now submerged philosophical shoals. High tides of obfuscation flood our shores and this deluge of misinformation has spawned a steady diet of subjective reality whose cartoon universe is a mockery of all things good and worthy.
Far worse is how losing these principled bearings is the precursor to introducing a now-common and near-fatal character flaw. Having crucial personal referents stripped away often results in a demagnetized moral compass. Dimming or extinguishing these internal lights purposefully obstructs self-determination and rational decision-making in general.
This singular unmooring of intellect is compounded by the unhinged manipulation of neuroplasticity as part of a concerted effort to impose thought control. Lacking any channel markers or other navigational aids, it becomes the cartographer’s prerogative as to which cognitive landmarks are seized upon by these gullible netizens as they cobble up what currently passes for a sense of self.
PJW notes this as well when he identifies how The Narrative™ and its talking points morph into the most basic circuit elements of a person’s individuality. Say hello to identity politics as prefabricated by public relations wonks. Say hello to snowflakes crowding campus infirmaries for microaggressions contained in words chalked on a sidewalk. Say hello to UK police prosecuting people for online musings of questionable taste, even as they abandon children to Muslim sexual predators and rapists for fear of being called racist.
What PJW misses in an otherwise well grouped set of shots is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Much like modern “art”, it is an absence that drives perception and not the presence of anything substantial. Instead—in a world of people who are “famous for being famous” (e.g., Paris Hilton or Regis Philbin)—being in attendance is of much greater import than an event’s actual reason or theme.
Small wonder that flat-liners like AOC can summon up armies of online followers. With that in mind, what sort of great accomplishment is it to gull so many “sheeple” for a purposefully vague cause with a figurehead who has less brains than one gracing a tea clipper.
At times PJW skirts dangerously close to ignoring the role of personal responsibility but, in a burst of healthily sardonic humor, ends up chastising himself about his own overuse and functional addiction to this electronic ball and chain.
For some exceptionally interesting reading, consider a visit to, “The Dopamine Project”. It isn’t just Social Media that plays upon your brain chemistry like a Steinway grand. Watch, “The Century of the Self”, about the rise of corporate public relations to gain insight into how meticulously Big Business manipulates dopamine flow at every imaginable opportunity.
(— Hat tip: Richard)
(T = 00:09:39)
NR: Watch this once a month and share it with pals.
(T = 00:02:10)
One rapper’s commendable effort to stem the tide of idiocy.
(T = 00:03:27)
The Century of the Self
NR: Edward Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud, almost single-handedly invented modern corporate relations. Although not much mention of dopamine is made, the role of this powerful neurotransmitter is self-evident throughout the series.
For anyone who’s known somebody who just can’t live without next year’s model of the latest and greatest, bright and shiny new object, this classic BBC production is worth the almost four hours of viewing time and should be considered mandatory viewing.
Even if you don’t know such a person, this is still one of the most explanatory documentaries when it comes to cataloging now-epidemic Western consumerism and, especially, Conspicuous Consumption.
(T = 03:53:43)
Trailer: Century of the Self
NR: Absolutely worth watching, if only to whet your appetite for the main event.
After viewing this entire four hour meghilla, a lot of previously weird-seeming PR and marketing frippery will make much more sense. Well … at least much more than it does at present (which is totally bent-axle).
(T = 00:09:05)
Ham it all to dell. Here’s the trailer:
Link to full document:
Propaganda
Edward L. Bernays (1928)
https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_mediacontrol71.htm
It seems as though Bernays anticipated the Deep State much like how HG Wells, in his profound genius, both understood the Internet meme and cyberspace’s odd permanence of memory:
Modern means of communication – the power afforded by print, telephone, wireless and so forth, of rapidly putting through directive strategic or technical conceptions to a great number of cooperating centers, of getting quick replies and effective discussion – have opened up a new world of political processes. Ideas and phrases can now be given an effectiveness greater than the effectiveness of any personality and stronger than any sectional interest.
The common design can be documented and sustained against perversion and betrayal. It can be elaborated and developed steadily and widely without personal, local and sectional misunderstanding.
“Californian grandmother sits with her rescuers after being kidnapped from a Uganda safari park and held five days by gunmen who demanded $500,000 ransom for her release”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6896353/California-grandmother-kidnapped-four-gunmen-RESCUED-unharmed-driver-ransom-payment.html
(Whenever forced to pay the Jizya, the Western media call them “Rescued.”).
“An American tourist who was kidnapped alongside her driver in a national park in southwestern Uganda has been freed after the safari tour company allegedly paid their $500,000 ransom”
“The kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $500,000 for her release and a source claimed to the New York Times that the tour company paid for her release, which reportedly took place on the Democratic Republic of Congo side of border area Ishasha.”
When paying your captors to release you, this is not rescue. This is blind faith in trusting Muhammad. The first lesson of the master-slave relatiship to come.
“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week the United States does not pay ransoms to release its citizens.
‘Please remember that any payment to a terrorist or a terrorist regime gives money so that they can seize more of our people,’ he said after meeting families of other citizens that had been kidnapped.
‘Even a small payment to a group in, say, Africa can facilitate the killing or seizure of tens or even hundreds of others, including Americans or foreign nationals in that region.’ ”
(Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is racist. Think of those poor Africas who can’t have the things that he has. He has made the world an unfairer place .. Socialism. Making theft about Equality.. since forever ).
“We have armed ranger guides, if you’re going out on a drive in the park you’re supposed to have one but these tourists went out on their own without a guard,’ spokesman Bashir Hangi told Reuters.
‘From their camp in the park, they just got into a vehicle and went out. They should have notified us and informed us that they’re going out for a game drive and then we would have availed them a guard but they didn’t do this.’ ”
Dangerous people around.
And the few who warn about Islam (and Communism and Sexual Identity), to see the youth and mentally vulnerable enter in, with the punishment of death should they ever wake up and want to get out.
If the tour company is American, it can likely deduct the ransom on line 50 https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8873.pdf
So then, in that way, the US has paid part of the ransom (by decreasing the tax liability).
A young member of parliament who joins the Freemasons in order to relaunch his career learns of how the Freemasons are conspiring to encourage France into a war against Germany.
This French film of 1943 was directed by Paul Riche (the pseudonym of Jean Mamy & former Freemason) was later imprisoned and executed.
With English subtitles/narration.
When first joining the Freemasons, the initiate is led with a blindfold and smollett noose.
“The initiation begins with the Tyler (or Tiler depending on the Lodge) giving three distinct knocks signaling that the initiate is ready. A conversation between the Inner Guard, Junior Warden and Worshipful Master takes place where they say that a candidate wishes to seek admission. In their conversation, they find that the candidate is asking to obtain the privileges of freemasonry “by the help of God, being free and of good report.” These three items are all requirements to becoming a mason.
…
The candidate is blindfolded to represent that he is living in darkness and wears a loosely tied noose around his neck.”
http://www.secretsocietieswebsite.com/masonic-rituals-initiation-entered-apprentice/
To pick out the gullible from society, who wish to receive “Privileges” and blindfold and put a noose around their neck, to subconsiously stress them out, to then swear allegence in submission to the Collective and to their Conversion.
Hypnosis 101.
Dhimmislam.
Cuckunism.
Wankidentity.
Serving their Whores of Babylon.
THERESA MAY CAUGHT FACING BOTH WAYS ON THE CUSTOMS UNION
It is this persistent but transparent duplicity – transparent in the sense that a 2-year old child could see through it – which has destroyed the credibility of the Prime Minister and eliminated any trust in her on the part of her country, her Party, or for that matter the EU leaders which whom she tries to negotiate. Martin Howe
https://lawyersforbritain.org/theresa-may-caught-facing-both-ways-on-the-customs-union
WHY – M’LUD – WE LEFT THE EU ON MARCH 29
As Lord Justice Sir Richard Aikens has said in the Daily Mail this is clearly an arguable case and so I am expecting this to come before the High Court for a Declaration to be made that we are Out and all the plotting and chaos in Parliament is ‘cut short’ at a stroke! Robin Tilbrook
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/why-mlud-we-left-the-eu-on-march-29/
REMAINING IN THE EU WILL CONSTITUTE PERJURY BY THE QUEEN
Failure to terminate the membership of the European Union will continue to lead us all deeper into a treasonous liability arising from placing our governance subject to a foreign Potentate. That Potentate is unelected by the UK’s electorate, is unaccountable to them and irremovable by them. This is an absolute affront to the Dignity and Majesty of the Crown. It could foreshadow the total demise of the Monarchy. When Brexit is finally done, Parliament must be shown to have discharged its absolute responsibility not to have reduced its own omnipotence. In summary, the British public must be brought to an understanding that Brexit is a vital precondition for the maintenance of our sovereignty and independence and that our political forces are acting responsibly and with great integrity on behalf of the whole community. In passing, it will do no harm to remind all levels of Parliament in this process. Lord James of Blackheath CBE
https://www.ukcolumn.org/article/lord-james-remaining-eu-will-constitute-perjury-queen
GERARD BATTEN & LBC PRESENTER ON – BREXIT/EUROPEAN ELECTIONS/NIGEL FARAGE/TOMMY ROBINSON – 22 mins 48 secs
BREXIT & ISRAEL SACRIFICED FOR OIL
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/36378/Default.aspx
Old news, faintly ridiculous in the context of today.
…Britain, along with its European allies, has effectively sacrificed Israel on the altar of expedience and economic survival.
~~ Newsflash! ~~
ISRAEL isn’t Europe’s to “sacrifice” or “save”.
That ship sailed long ago.
Your altars have been profaned. Restore the sanctity to your OWN house: EVICT both Moloch and Mohammad.
Bring back the G-d of justice and mercy, that He may enlighten you. And pray for courage, for the determination to survive as children of the living G-d.
BRITAIN TO HAVE ‘TOUGHEST INTERNET LAWS IN WORLD’ AS GOVERNMENT BACKS DUTY OF CARE
There is, however, concern at the scope of the law which covers social media, messaging apps, search engines, online forums like Mumsnet and TripAdvisor and online comments and editorials on newspaper websites. The Society of Editors said it could have a “chilling effect” on free speech and open the way to press regulation by the backdoor… wide-ranging powers being given to the regulator could threaten freedom of speech, while the scope of the crackdown on firms of all sizes could stifle innovation. Charles Hymas
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/07/britain-have-toughest-internet-laws-world-government-backs-duty/
CROSS-PARTY MSPs OPPOSE CALLS TO LEGALISE ASSISTED SUICIDE
Figures including Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, SNP MSP John Mason, Labour MSP Elaine Smith and six others have written a letter in The Sunday Times stating that “society should be preventing suicide, not assisting it”.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17556517.cross-party-msps-oppose-calls-to-legalise-assisted-suicide/
Thierry Baudet FvD Victory Speech After the First Exit Polls
https://youtu.be/N3w6SQlY2kE
Vlad, what are your thoughts about the Kalergi plan for Europe. I’d love to hear yourspin on it mate.
So why’s Obama slinking around Germany and ‘privately’ meeting with Angela Merkel?
“…Obama had been called out by the Drudge Report for visiting foreign leaders in Europe in the spring of 2017 right before President Trump visited those leaders in Europe. It turns out that one of those Obama meetings is now under scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein gave a redacted document to Rep. Devin Nunes, showing two major redactions about the creation of the Trump “Dossier” and the launch of FISA warrants and Robert Mueller’s investigation during the 2016 campaign. The redactions were: “the name of a country and the name of a foreign agent who supplied information.”
Now we know: the country is Germany and the foreign agent was either Angela Merkel or someone who worked for Angela Merkel in foreign intelligence.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/04/so_whys_obama_slinking_around_germany_and_privately_meeting_with_angela_merkel.html#ixzz5kQyYBxP8
59-yo man violently robbed by two 17yo “youths” in Antwerp, Belgium. They film themselves kicking him in the head and post the video:
https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20190407_04307335
EU Extends Sanctions Against Iran Due to Alleged Human Rights Violations (sputniknews, Apr 8, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/world/201904081073912877-eu-iran-sanctions/
“The European Union has extended for a year, until 13 April 2020, sanctions against Iran in connection with alleged human rights violations in the country, the EU Council said on Monday.
“The Council today extended until 13 April 2020 its restrictive measures responding to serious human rights violations in Iran. These measures consist of a travel ban and an asset freeze against 82 people and one entity, and a ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression and of equipment for monitoring telecommunications,” the statement said.
In addition, these measures include a “ban on the export to Iran of equipment that can be used for internal repressions, and equipment for tracking telecommunications.”
These measures were first introduced in 2011 and have been renewed annually since then.”
Turkey ‘Ready’ for New Military Operation in Syria – Erdogan (sputniknews, Apr 8, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201904081073917213-turkey-new-syria-operation-possible/
“Earlier, the Turkish president warned that Ankara planned to “resolve” the “Syrian issue on the field,” rather than the negotiating table, after the 31 March election.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he intends to discuss the possibility of a new Turkish military operation in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow on Monday.
“Our preparations at the border are completed. Everything is ready for the operation. We can start it at any moment. I will discuss this and other issues during the visit to Moscow,” Erdogan said, speaking to reporters before getting on his plane to fly to the Russian capital.
Erdogan’s comments follow his earlier remarks about Turkish preparedness to launch an ‘anti-terrorist’ operation east of the Euphrates River, and in Syria’s Manbij, against the US-backed Syrian Kurdish self-defence forces, whom Ankara classifies as a terrorist group.
Erdogan previously said that the military had decided to postpone the operation following a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump in mid-December, after which Trump made the decision to withdraw US troops from Syria…”
Swedish Woman Blows Afghan Rapist a Kiss of Support During Trial – Reports (sputniknews, Apr 8, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201904081073910981-sweden-rape-trial-airkiss/
“A woman who runs a foster home justified blowing a kiss to an asylum seeker accused of and later sentenced for raping underage girls by saying that she wanted to show that she “thinks of him”. His youngest victim was only thirteen.
An Afghan asylum seeker who had been living in a foster family in Västra Götaland County has been sentenced to five months’ juvenile detention and 10 years’ expulsion for the rape and sexual assault of teenage girls, the news outlet Fria Tider reported.
The Afghan shall also pay damages of of SEK 115,000 ($12,500) to the girl he raped and SEK 7,000 ($750) to the 13-year-old girl he sexually abused.
The somewhat lenient punishment is due to the fact that the accused claimed to be a refugee child, even though the Migration Court of Appeal ruled that he is not, Fria Tider noted.
The rapist came to Sweden as an “unaccompanied refugee child” in 2015. While his asylum applications have repeatedly been refused, he has been staying with a foster family. There, he proceeded to abuse and rape fellow care recipients. According to the Gothenburg District Court, the first sexual attack took place in April 2018.
A 13-year girl, who was one of his victims, testified in court that the Afghan came to her room at night, lay down on her bed, restrained her and assaulted her. He refused to listen to pleadings that he stop and leave, she said.
At the end of November 2018, the Afghan raped another teenage girl living at home in the same manner. After the rape, the girl suffered from severe depression and anxiety. She couldn’t sleep or eat due to the mental trauma.
When the girls reported the incident to their foster mother, the middle-aged woman did nothing to stop the attacks and even protected the rapist, Fria Tider reported. The court assessed the victims’ story as “very credible and coherent”. It is also supported by the testimony of several witnesses and technical evidence.
The court found that the foster mother had a “negative attitude” toward the victims and a “positive attitude” towards the Afghan. The woman even refused to testify in the presence of the rape victim and provided information not supported by other testimonies.
“At lunch break, she wanted to approach to [the Afghan], and was told she couldn’t, and so she blew him a kiss,” the Gothenburg District Court wrote, as quoted by Fria Tider.
In an interview with the news outlet, the foster mother explained her behaviour as follows: “Yes, I blew him a kiss to show that I think of him.”
The woman called the verdict “utterly horrible” and accused the rape victim of being a liar.”
Stockholm syndrome now epidemic amongst the loser left. I just wonder how she would feel if she had been raped. Hang on! Maybe she is hopeful still.
Seriously I am at the stage where if they want to rape idiot leftists then why worry?
“Stockholm syndrome now epidemic amongst the loser left.”
Exactol! You beat me to it, Michelle. My thought as well.
If you extract the notion of neuroplasticity from PJW’s video about Social Media, it’s rapidly apparent that Stockholm Syndrome is a ne plus ultra example of intellectual deformation and re-adaptation.
Clearly, the mind is more than capable of basing its personality on unrefined, raw input. For the way people (Leftists especially) take up empty slogans (“Hope and Change” anyone?) or irrational policies (suicide by Green New Deal?), it’s beyond clear that very little post-processing of newly arrived information is happening at an individual level.
This deficit of function at a temporal level (i.e., immediate time space or situational) translates into a deep space void of internally vetted information such as long-term memory.
Media (television especially) incubates attention spans so short that autoscopic or introspective thought becomes instantaneously boring, if not downright scary. Snowflakes, particularly, seem panic stricken at the notion of being left alone with their thoughts, much less having to do so in a dark room (horreurs!).
What makes this case so utterly ridiculous is the foster mother’s textbook perfect symptoms of a maternal figure as enabler of childhood sexual abuse. The unprovoked sexual violence lends vivid moral clarity to this case. As in: Rape is one of those crimes that is ALWAYS WRONG.
“Seriously I am at the stage where if they want to rape idiot leftists then why worry?”
With my usual odd mix of the compassionate and mercenary (i.e. mercy and justice), no child deserves to experience such sadistic defilement, nor does an already depleted West need to lose any more of its genetic cream.
Warped Swedish thought patterns can be changed, especially in an otherwise healthy kid. Once the gene pool is polluted with inbred, violent, retarded filth, there is little hope of retrieving that phenotype.
Only hyper-advance editing and splicing (e.g., CRISPR) technology could conceivably retrieve DNA from that sort of biological cesspool. Ancient methods of preserving ethnicity make the concomitant dangers posed by gene editing into a literal and veritable reproductive fool’s mate.
This relinquishment of all moral authority takes on the context of unburdening for the way that those with a demagnetized moral compass so readily abandon the birthright and honor-bound duty to decide for oneself (i.e., internally validate).
The unexamined life is not worth living.
— Socrates
That people simply cannot be bothered to take the time needed to sort and certify the legitimacy of outside thought patterns is the very worst sort of willful ignorance. It is one of modern man’s very worst sins and all the more unpardonable in this information age.
Instead, as with any good Kali Yuga, the cumbersome task of thinking for oneself is shrugged off as the intellectually disarmed are led down a lagomorphic memory hole bedecked like Ali Baba’s cave with every last distracting and attention-getting gewgaw, gimcrack, and five-minute-toy imaginable (see: panem et circenses).
All for the purpose of keeping wandering minds far away from the ballot box each November. Soon enough, only the anointed will even get a chance to vote. Anyone who thinks that such an electoral abortion is the Left’s exclusive domain may wish to be left alone with their thoughts. As Baron Bodissey is fond of pointing out, America is a uniparty system and the GOP has all the moral righteousness of Jimmy Swaggart.
It was a rhetorical question based on the fact that if you are already in bed with islam you can hardly expect it to curtail its expansionist views which includes your side of the bed, and you, also. As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
Thank you for responding, Michelle. I refused to believe that you had become that cynical and certainly understand the sentiment that adult Leftists richly deserve whatever fate they invite into their beds.
Years ago, I lost all sympathy for Muslimas and virtue signaling Pomo Prog Feminist nutters that are raped, murdered or just plain get the living shit kicked out of them by their pet rapefugees.
Lay down with Muslim men, wake up with wife-beaters.
Saddest of all is how it would take only a week- or month-long fad of the Lorena Bobbitt (pubic) Hairstyling School-type to calm down all of these needle-dicked Arab ponces.
Burma | No Country For Radical Islam
The “Asian Network”: China’s Sprawling Diaspora Control
Indonesia rejects appeal of woman imprisoned for blasphemy (abcnews, Apr 8, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indonesia-rejects-appeal-woman-imprisoned-blasphemy-62245003
“Indonesia’s Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a woman whose complaint about the volume of mosque loudspeakers led to an 18-month prison sentence for blasphemy.
The ethnic Chinese woman, Meliana, was sentenced in August, more than two years after her comments sparked riots in Tanjung Balai, a port town on the island of Sumatra.
A notice on the court’s website said the appeal was rejected on March 27. It didn’t give a reason.
The case has highlighted how Indonesia’s blasphemy law has become a tool for Islamic hard-liners to persecute followers of minority religions.
Meliana’s ordeal began in July 2016 when she asked if the volume of the loudspeakers at her neighborhood mosque could be lowered.
Rumors spread in Tanjung Balai that she wanted to stop the five-times-a-day call to prayer. Days later, mobs attacked her home and burned and ransacked at least 14 Buddhist temples.
Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, has criticized the conviction and said the complaint wasn’t blasphemous.
At least 147 people have been imprisoned under blasphemy or related laws since 2004, according to Human Rights Watch. The number of cases has slowed since 2014 under President Joko Widodo’s administration.”
President Joko Widodo
How on £ü¢kïñg Earth is anyone supposed to keep a straight face when being introduced to this guy? Well, at least when they’re not on his turf.
As Homer would tell you, it works on so many levels! Let’s get on with this lunacy, eh?
A.) As if putting “President” in front of this dog’s-breakfast-of-a-name is going to make it any less ludicrous. It’s as though these Muslims have some unspoken contest to give themselves monickers that cause Westerners to unavoidably smirk thereby giving immediate offense to any member of the perpetually aggrieved (Haid D’Salaami, anyone?).
B.) Just the first name “Joko” warns you that everything to follow is going to be a £ü¢kïñg joke. No?
C.) Then there’s this Joko stuff. I wonder if it makes him feel like the proverbial “Man o’ War” or some such studly balderdash.
D.) “Widodo”. As always with Islam, it’s either bloody murder or Comedy Central. Where, oh where, to start with this gem. One would think that just the presence of syllables sounding out “dodo” would suffice.
E.) But noooooo! It’s Widodo, like “We dodo, and you-so-schmart”.
F.) And just like the now-extinct dodo, without Western aviation technology the vast majority of Muslims would be flightless; without any meaningful nuclear arsenals they’re easily clubbed over the head and roasted; finally, Islam’s sacred cows make some of the tastiest hamburgers. What’s not to like?
G.) Finally, try and imagine how much you have to pay a professional herald who can loudly announce in front of a crowded room, “President Joko Widodo!” and not immediately bust a gut.
Afghan forces battle Taliban for 5th day in western province (abcnews, Apr 8, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghan-forces-battle-taliban-5th-day-western-province-62243736
“Afghan security forces are battling the Taliban for a fifth day after the insurgents launched a wide-scale attack in the western Badghis province, officials said Monday.
Col. Qais Mangal, a spokesman for Defense Ministry, said that at least 12 security forces have been killed in the last 48 hours, bringing the overall death toll to more than 40. Mangal said dozens of insurgents have been killed and wounded by air and ground forces.
Some 2,000 Taliban fighters attacked checkpoints and an army compound in the Bala Murghab district before dawn Thursday. Mohammad Nasir Nazari, a provincial council member, said some 600 Afghan soldiers who were trapped inside the base were able to escape and reach the provincial capital of Qala-e-Now over the past two days after reinforcements reached the base.
He said army commandos and special police units are currently battling the insurgents, with high casualties on both sides. He was unable to provide an exact breakdown of the numbers killed and wounded.
The Taliban effectively control nearly half the country and have continued to carry out daily attacks on Afghan security forces despite holding several rounds of peace talks with the United States in recent months. The Taliban have refused to meet with the Afghan government, which they view as a U.S. puppet…”
RECLAIMING Melbourne #LIVE
We’re taking BACK our city from these radicals
The Cowardice & Hypocrisy of the #MeToo Democrats On Full Display Daily at the Mexico Border
AOC is a Complete Idiot
DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigns after clashes with Trump on immigration
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kirstjen-nielsen-resigning-dhs-secretary-expected-to-offer-resignation-today-live-updates-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen abruptly resigned Sunday, as the president continues to fume over continued illegal border crossings. CBS News first reported Nielsen’s impending departure, which Mr. Trump confirmed in a tweet after a 5 p.m. meeting with Nielsen at the White House.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan will serve as acting DHS secretary, Mr. Trump announced.
“Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service,” Mr. Trump tweeted Sunday. “…I am pleased to announce that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become Acting Secretary for @DHSgov. I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!”2019-04-07/
As cold weather breaks, violence returns: 24 shot in 30 hours over warmest weekend this year
seeley
In a period of a little over 24 hours this weekend, 24 people were shot in Chicago, including three children under 13 — and three of the adults shot died from their injuries, according to police.
Beginning at 4 a.m. Saturday through about 10 a.m. Sunday, Chicago police were investigating shooting cases that included the homicides and a mass shooting of six people outside an afternoon baby shower in West Englewood in which an 8-year-old boy was shot in the chest and back and a 10-year-old girl was struck in the shin.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-citywide-shootings-20190407-story.html
LAPD to scrap some crime data programs after criticism
April 5, 2019
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A newspaper reports Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore plans to make changes to a controversial program that uses data to identify people who are most likely to commit violent crimes.
The Los Angeles Times said Friday that the move is a concession to criticism included in an audit and raised by privacy groups.
In a memo to the Police Commission, Moore detailed multiple changes in response to a 52-page audit by Inspector General Mark Smith.
Smith found that inconsistent criteria were used to label people as “chronic offenders.” Smith also couldn’t determine the overall effectiveness of a geographic component that tried to pinpoint the location of some property crimes.
https://www.apnews.com/2f53080e081042fc82fa00178b0f7dd8
Sacramento wants to tax soda, tires, guns, water, pain pills, lawyers, car batteries…
To plagiarize T.S. Eliot, April is the cruelest month. But not for the reasons the poet wrote. Rather, for all the taxes.
And there are bills in the Legislature to make taxes sting even worse.
By April 10, Californians must pay their local property taxes. Five days later is the deadline for filing state and federal income tax returns. Also, the state and the feds want any initial pre-tax payment that’s required on current earnings.
So tax collectors get three swings at us this month.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-skelton-soda-tax-20190408-story.html
LAPD to scrap some crime data programs after criticism
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A newspaper reports Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore plans to make changes to a controversial program that uses data to identify people who are most likely to commit violent crimes.
The Los Angeles Times said Friday that the move is a concession to criticism included in an audit and raised by privacy groups.
In a memo to the Police Commission, Moore detailed multiple changes in response to a 52-page audit by Inspector General Mark Smith.
Smith found that inconsistent criteria were used to label people as “chronic offenders.” Smith also couldn’t determine the overall effectiveness of a geographic component that tried to pinpoint the location of some property crimes.
https://www.apnews.com/2f53080e081042fc82fa00178b0f7dd8
Bokhari: Amazon Is on a Digital Book Burning Spree
Under pressure from left-wing journalists and activists, Amazon is purging right-wing authors from its store, including a book co-authored by English Islam critic and independent commentator Tommy Robinson.
The web retail giant has become the dominant market player in book sales, accounting for nearly 50 percent of physical and 83 percent of e-book sales in the U.S. As such, Amazon has the power to effectively cut an author off from the vast majority of the books market.
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/04/08/amazon-is-on-a-digital-book-burning-spree/
I’d never pay for an e-book kept on the Great Server in the Sky. Even free, I don’t want Bezos reading over my shoulder.
That's where my friend POTUS-2 hangs out, anyway…US pulls forces from Libya as fighting approaches capital
The United States has temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from Libya due to “security conditions on the ground,” a top military official said Sunday as a Libyan commander’s forces advanced toward the capital of Tripoli and clashed with rival militias.
A small contingent of American troops has been in Libya in recent years, helping local forces combat Islamic State and al-Qaida militants, as well as protecting diplomatic facilities.
“The security realities on the ground in Libya are growing increasingly complex and unpredictable,” said Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the head of U.S. Africa Command. “Even with an adjustment of the force, we will continue to remain agile in support of existing U.S. strategy.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/08/us-pulls-forces-from-libya-as-fighting-approaches-capital.html
These Chinese sanitation workers have to wear location-tracking bracelets now
43 comments
Public pressure barely made a dent
China has quite the reputation for monitoring its citizens, and it feels like various parts of the country are constantly figuring out new ways to use gadgets to that end — RFID chips in cars, facial recognition sunglasses, and location-tracking uniforms for students each made headlines in the past year. Now, you can add sanitation workers with GPS-equipped tracking bracelets to the list.
On April 3rd, news broke that sanitation workers in Nanjing, China’s Hexi district were being required to wear GPS-tracking smart bracelets to not only monitor their location at all times, but audibly prod them if they stopped moving for more than 20 minutes.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/6/18298562/these-chinese-sanitation-workers-have-to-wear-location-tracking-bracelets-now
In China, an App About Xi Is Impossible to Ignore — Even if You Try
CHANGSHA, China — Inside a fishing gear store on a busy city street, the owner sits behind a counter, furiously tapping a smartphone to improve his score on an app that has nothing to do with rods, reels and bait.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/world/asia/china-xi-jinping-study-the-great-nation-app.html
U.S. designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday designated Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization, an unprecedented step that raises tension in the Middle East.
Iran has warned it will take reciprocal action against Washington for its move against the Guards, the country’s most powerful security organization.
https://www.oann.com/u-s-designates-elite-iranian-force-as-terrorist-organization/
Foreign interference in 2019 Canada election very likely: Ottawa
OTTAWA (Reuters) – It is very likely that foreign actors will try to meddle in Canada’s October federal election, with the focus on political parties, voters and candidates, Canada’s electronic signals spy agency said on Monday.
The Communications Signals Establishment (CSE) did not mention any specific threat from Russia.
https://www.oann.com/foreign-interference-in-2019-canada-election-very-likely-ottawa/
This is going to be the claimed in all elections for a long time, the left wants to set the stage for their claims of a stolen election. Look at the last election in Georgia for Governor, Stacey Adams lost by over 50,000 votes but she is claiming she really won it was just that the Republicans kept a lot of blacks from voting.
The new claim (being tried in the 2016 Presidential election (USA) as well as in the upcoming German and Canadian elections. We are seeing the claim of vote fraud being used in Turkey. The tyrants of the world are coming together to take over all nations, they will then fight to see who dominates the other nations.
Erdogan casts doubt on Istanbul vote, hints at possible re-run
ANKARA (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday Turkey’s local elections were marred by “organized crime” at ballot boxes in Istanbul, raising the possibility of re-running a March 31 vote that handed a slim majority to the main opposition party.
Erdogan’s comments, his strongest challenge yet to the election process in Turkey’s largest city, briefly drove the lira down and also weighed on Turkish stocks.
https://www.oann.com/erdogan-says-margin-too-small-for-opposition-to-claim-istanbul-win/
Another tyrant that is saying the people don’t know what is best for them so he has to crook the election to remain in power.
India’s Modi-led alliance closes in on majority, survey shows ahead of vote
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling alliance will be just a few seats short of a majority in parliament, bolstered by a rise in nationalist sentiment over hostilities with arch foe Pakistan, a survey showed on Monday, days before voting begins.
About 900 million people are eligible to vote in the election starting on Thursday, in which Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led group is taking on the Congress and its allies and a clutch of regional parties.
https://www.oann.com/indias-modi-led-alliance-closes-in-on-majority-survey-shows-ahead-of-vote/
Skirmish with Pakistan guarantees a boost for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata.
Let’s see now.
Three stories on Yahoo News yesterday possibly having to do with muzzies but no mention on two of them.
1. Kidnapped victims in Philippines (mentioned)
2. Kidnaped Safari woman freed after paying ransom (no mention)
3. Chad conflict (no mention)
Another good cartoon from Branco
https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/04/08/cartoon-of-the-day-anticipation/
Collective punishment at the University of Tennessee
By Hans Bader April 8, 2019
Two students wore blackface at the University of Tennessee, in a Snapchat image with a racist caption. The University is responding by putting tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff through sensitivity training. It may even require the 186,000 minors participating in the state’s 4-H program to attend sensitivity training. It will also require students at the University of Tennessee’s main campus in Knoxville to take classes in “global citizenship,” as a way to make them to engage in racial “dialogue” and increase “understanding” of racial “differences.”
As the Knoxville News Sentinel reports:
https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/04/08/collective-punishment-at-the-university-of-tennessee/
euronews- Salvini makes moves to forge a European right-wing alliance ahead of EU elections
zero hedge – Europe’s Right-Wing Populists Unite Behind Salvini Ahead Of EU Elections
With EU elections just around the corner, Europe’s conservative populist parties announced a new alliance Monday with the goal of becoming the strongest faction in the European Parliament, while seeking to radically influence EU policies on security, migration, family values and the environment, according to Euro News.
“The news is that we are broadening the community, the family. We are working for a new European dream today. For many Europeans, the EU (European Union) is a nightmare,” Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told reporters following a meeting of Europe’s far-right party leaders met in Milan on Monday. Salvini is spearheading the alliance, called “Towards a Europe of Common Sense,” which he says he hopes will “win and change Europe.”
Salvini was joined Monday by the far-right Alternative for Germany’s co-leader Joerg Meuthen, Olli Kotro of the euroskeptic populist party The Finns, and Anders Vistisen of the right-wing, populist Danish People’s Party. Those parties now come from other parliamentary groups, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD). -AP
The alliance hopes to form a majority bloc following the May 23-26 elections – “the most numerous, important, determined and forward-looking group,” according to Salvini.
“We are not aiming to lose or just participate. Our goal is to win and change the rules of Europe.”
The group’s top priorities are a halt to all clandestine migration, restoring political sovereignty to EU nations, protecting “European culture,” and stronger European borders – while the #1 threat to Europe is Islamic extremism.
“As interior minister for 10 months, the No. 1 risk in Italy and Europe is Islamic extremism, Islamic fanaticism, Islamic terrorism,” said Salvini. “There are extreme-right and extreme-left minorities in Italy and in Europe, (but) they fortunately are controlled and of limited numbers.”
Salvini rejected the notion that the groups are filled with political extremists bent on totalitarian rule.
“Today at this table there are no nostalgic extremists,” he said, adding: “The only nostalgics are in power in Brussels. Today, we look ahead with a clear memory of what happened in the past, but the tired debate of right, left, fascist, communist, is not what makes us passionate.”
Political experts say the May 23-26 European Parliament vote could prove to be a tipping point in post-war European politics, if traditional political powerhouses lose support and extremist, populist parties gain more clout.
The vote, which involves 705 seats this year, is run as national ballots in each of the bloc’s states. National political parties with common ideology then unite in EU-wide groups, like the center-right EPP, the center-left S&D Socialists or the liberal, pro-business ALDE.
The new euroskeptic alliance, launched under the banner “Toward a Europe of common sense,” expands on the parliament’s four-year-old Europe of Nations and Freedom Group (ENF), which already includes France’s far-right National Rally, Austria’s Freedom Party and the Netherland’s Party for Freedom. -AP
The alliance, which is holding a rally on May 18 in Milan’s central Piazza Duomo, says their invitation is open to all like-minded parties who wish to join the faction. If they win a majority in the EU elections, the group would cancel for good the process of inviting Turkey to become a member of the European Union – a process which has been stalled for years.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-08/europes-right-wing-populists-unite-behind-salvini-ahead-eu-elections
europravda – The Brief: populist pitch vs political reality
Turkey lira PLUNGES against dollar as furious Erdogan calls for election RE-RUN (express, Apr 8, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/1111445/Turkey-lira-turkish-lira-latest-price-us-dollar-tayyip-erdogan-election-results
“TURKEY saw its lira plummet today on the back of comments from President Tayyip Erdogan calling for a re-run of the local elections.
Furious President Erdogan launched a scathing attack on the result of the public votes, which took place on March 31, claiming they were marred by “organised crime” at ballot boxes in Istanbul. The Turkish leader called for a re-run of the local elections after his ruling AK Party lost by a slim majority in Turkey’s largest city to the main opposition party.
His comments sent the lira tumbling to as far as 5.7120 against the US dollar and was trading at 5.6910 at 2.15pm UK time. The AK Party, which also lost the mayoralty in the capital Ankara to the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has appealed several stages of the count in Istanbul.
Before the elections, the AKP governed both Ankara and Istanbul for 25 years.
President Erdogan claimed his party had uncovered electoral irregularities which meant the margin of votes between Istanbul’s top two candidates, less than 20,000 in a city of 10 million voters, was too narrow for the opposition to claim victory.
He drew comparisons to the United States where he said voting was often re-run in the case of small margins, but stopped short of giving an example of such an incidence.
Speaking before departing for talks in Russia with President Vladimir Putin, President Erdogan said: ”They believe that such tight margins do not give comfort to the public.”
He continued: ”The citizens are telling us to protect their rights, they are complaining of organised crimes.
”And we, as political parties, have determined such organised crimes.”
The AKP has appealed to the High Election Board (YSK) for a full recount of votes cast in the election across all 39 districts of Istanbul.
The YSK is looking into the AKP’s challenges but is yet to comment on the claims…”
London acid attack: Woman in 60s and teenage girl attacked in Thornton Heath (express, Apr 8, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1111461/London-news-acid-attack-thornton-heath-uk-crime
“A TEENAGER and woman were attacked with a noxious substance at Thornton Heath, London in broad daylight.
The two women were targeted with the substance along County Road, at the junction with Norbury Avenue around 11.45 am on Monday. The victims suffered facial injuries and were taken to hospital. No arrests have been made. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
Jon Ellacott, who witness the incident, told London Evening Standard: “All we know is that a noxious substance was thrown from a van at a woman with her children, walking down the road.
“The first we knew about it was when the fire brigade, police and paramedics turned up.”
The Met Police said in a statement: “Police were called at 11:44hrs on Monday, 8 April to reports of a noxious substance attack on County Road at the junction with Norbury Avenue, Thornton Heath.
“Officers attended alongside the LAS and LFB and found two female victims, one aged in her 60s and another in her teens, suffering facial injuries.
“They were taken to hospital where their injuries have been assessed non life-threatening.
“No arrests have been made. Enquiries continue.””
GHOST TOWNS of Europe – the terrible cost of Merkel’s unchecked Euro migration (express, Apr 8, 2019)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/682522/Albania-migrants-Merkel-European-Union
Trump Designates Iran’s IRGC as Terrorist Group Despite Tehran’s Warning (sputniknews, Apr 8, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/us/201904081073924649-iran-revolutionary-guard-corps-us-terrorist-group/
“Earlier, Iranian lawmakers warned that if Washington went ahead and designated the Revolutionary Guards as a terror group, Tehran would counter by listing the US military on a terror blacklist alongside Daesh (ISIS).
The United States has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organisation, President Donald Trump announced on Monday.
In a statement published on the White House’s official website, Trump boasted that the “unprecedented” move “recognises the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft.”
According to Trump, the IRGC is “the Iranian government’s primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign.” The designation, he said, “makes crystal clear the risks of conducting business with, or providing support to, the IRGC. If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism,” Trump stressed.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Monday that the designation will take effect one week from now, and called on the world to follow suit.
“We are calling on other nations to isolate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps; we have to diminish their power,” a senior administration official said during a background briefing on Monday.
The designation is the first time that the US has formally labelled another country’s military as a terrorist group. Previously, the US moved to sanction dozens of individuals and entities over their connections to the IRGC, but not the organisation itself, possibly out of fears that such a move could lead to reprisals.
According to Trump, the terror designation “underscores the fact that Iran’s actions are fundamentally different from those of other governments,” and is aimed at expanding the overall “scope and scale” of the US’s pressure “on the Iranian regime.”…”
Iran Designates US Military a Terrorist Organisation – Reports (sputniknews, Apr 8, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201904081073928085-iran-us-military-terrorist-organization-trump-revolutionary-guards/
“Previously, Iran warned that if US President Donald Trump lists Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organisation, Tehran would respond with a similar measure against the US CENTCOM. The corresponding bill has already been prepared.
Iran’s Supreme Security Council has designated the US CENTCOM and related forces as a terrorist organisation, Press TV reported. In addition, the media outlet noted, the council accused Washington of supporting terrorism.
“As a retaliatory measure to the US illegal decision [to recognize the IRGC as a terrorist organization], Iran declares the US regime a ‘state that supports terrorism’ and the CENTCOM and forces that are linked to it a ‘terrorist group’,” the security council’s statement, quoted by the Islamic Republic of Iranian Broadcasting state media outlet, read.
The move was announced shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a similar decision against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, warning about “the risks of conducting business” with the elite forces.
The council has blasted Trump’s decision:
“The Supreme National Security Council of Iran, strongly condemning the dangerous and illegal step of the US regime, which put the IRGC on the list of foreign terrorist organizations, considers this groundless measure the main danger to peace and security in the region and around the world,” the TV channel quoted the Iranian Security Council statement.
Since reports about Trump’s plans to blacklist the IRGC appeared, Iranian officials have been warning that they would put the US Army in the region “on the terror blacklist besides Daesh*”.
US Sanctions Against Revolutionary Guards Corps
The IRGC, a paramilitary organisation which was formed in the wake of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution to defend the government, was already sanctioned by the US. The US Treasury Department imposed restrictions against the organisation in 2017 under a 9/11-era executive order over the group’s alleged ‘terror-sponsoring’ activities.
As Washington claimed, the Revolutionary Guards were providing assistance to the Syrian military, as well as backing the activities of the Hezbollah and Hamas, which the US and some of its allies consider to be terrorist groups.
The IRGC comply only to orders from Iran’s supreme leader, operating independently of the regular military. Previously, the US claimed that the corps may control or have a significant influence over up to 50 per cent of the Iranian economy, including non-military sectors.”
-cute-
(Though the mental image of twerking Twisted-Ragheads is revolting.)
Iraqi Migrants Evade Security, Infiltrate US Air Force Base in Europe (sputniknews, Apr 8, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201904081073922254-airbase-security-migrants-fail/
“At this point, it remains unclear why the guards did not properly search the vehicle upon its arrival at the base entrance, and whether the migrants were aware of the destination of the truck they were hiding in.
A group of eight migrants ended up bypassing the perimeter of the Chievres Air Base in Belgium and making it into the complex before being arrested, due to apparent negligence of the onsite security personnel, RTL Info reports.
According to the media outlet, the federal police confirmed that the migrants were hiding aboard a German truck that was delivering supplies to the military installation operated by the US Air Force, and that it was the truck driver himself who discovered them.
This development was apparently made possible due to a breach of safety regulations as security personnel should’ve inspected the truck’s cargo hold upon the vehicle’s arrival at the base entrance, but for some reason didn’t do so.
According to RTL, the base’s administration did not exhibit any desire to comment on this development.
The migrants – five men, one woman and two children – are all Iraqi nationals, and at this point it remains unclear whether they were aware of the final destination of the truck they were hiding in.”
Pope Francis Blames Europe, U.S.A. for Death of Children in Yemen and Syria (breitbart, Apr 8, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2019/04/08/pope-francis-blames-europe-u-s-a-for-death-of-children-in-yemen-and-syria/
“Pope Francis blamed Europe and the United States for the deaths of children in Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan in an address this weekend, declaring that there would be no wars if rich Western countries did not manufacture and sell arms.
Speaking in the Vatican to students and faculty from Milan’s San Carlo Institute, the pope exclaimed with voice rising in anger that the reason wars have occurred in Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan, is because “rich Europe and America sell weapons to kill children and kill people.”
Curiously, the pope’s explicit mention of Europe and the United States does not appear in the official Vatican transcript of Saturday’s address, but it can be heard in the video recording of the event.
“I’m sure you all want peace. And why are there so many wars? For example, in Yemen, in Syria, in Afghanistan. Why? If they didn’t have the weapons, they wouldn’t wage war. So why do they wage war? Because we… rich Europe, America, sells weapons to kill children, to kill people. We’re the ones who make the difference!”
“And you have to say these things clearly, without mincing words, without fear,” he continued. “And if you young people are not able to ask these questions, to say these things, you are not young, there is something missing in your heart that should make your blood boil.”
“Do you understand? We’re the ones who make the difference. Both with unjust economic systems and by building weapons to kill others,” he said.
“On the conscience of a nation that manufactures weapons and sells them is the death of every child, every person, and the destruction of families,” he said.
“We always have to ask ourselves these uncomfortable questions,” Francis concluded. “There are questions that will never have an answer, but by asking the questions we will grow and become adults with unrest in our heart. And then be aware that we are the ones who make the difference.””
The Latest: WHO says 2 doctors killed in Libya clashes (abcnews, Apr 8, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-strike-hits-libyan-capitals-open-airport-62249516
“The United Nations health organization has decried the killing of two doctors who died treating civilians amid fighting between armed groups in Libya’s capital, Tripoli.
Ahmed Al Mandhari, the World Health Organization’s regional director for the eastern Mediterranean, said in a statement Monday that the targeting of doctors was “unacceptable.” He said the doctors were killed trying to “evacuate wounded patients from conflict areas,” and that attacking medical workers “worsens the situation for civilians caught up in conflict.”
According to the WHO, there have been over 46 attacks on health workers and facilities in Libya since the beginning of 2018, killing eight health workers and patients, and injuring 24.
Fighting has escalated Monday in Tripoli after forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Hifter, based in Libya’s east, have launched an attack to take the capital from the U.N.-backed government.”