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 must use it while we can.
Re-posting an article too important to lose in old threads.
The Turkey-Qatar threat: Money, manpower, ideology combined. While all attention is elsewhere – Russia, China, Iran – there’s a monster poised to destroy the West. It’s also drawing strength and forming alliances with our obvious strategic competitors
Pace Lenin:
When it comes time to hang the infidel, they will vie with each other for the rope contract.
This article just sketches the dimensions. It’ll contextualize much of what Wrath posts every day.
BROTHERS IN ARMS
The Consolidation of the Turkey-Qatar Axis
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2019/12/11/brothers-in-arms/
Yucki John Wayne is asking for a date, break out the popcorn
Movie Trivia: Harry Carry (the man playing the Sheriff) was a friend of Wyatt Earp and based his western character on Earp. John Wayne admired Harry Carry and based his western character on Carry’s western character.
My bad Carey not Carry
!! TY !!
Tomorrow: I need popcorn and Milk-Duds for this.
“The Conservatives have now replaced Blairite New Labour as the main Left-wing party in the country. This is great for everyone who loves the Blair programme of fervent, intolerant political correctness, a continuing war on what’s left of the married family, useless egalitarian state schools and gigantic public spending and borrowing.
Why people make such a fuss about Jeremy Corbyn, while putting up with the more subtle Trotskyism of the Blairites, I have never understood. But maybe you need to be (as I am) an ex-Marxist to understand modern politics.”
…
“Mr Cameron hoped the 2016 vote would be a safety valve, a great blowing off of steam – after which he could carry on with his Left-liberal project. But it went wrong. And the past three years have been an attempt by the Tory Party – at the expense of the country – to wriggle out of the resulting mess.
When they say they’ll ‘get Brexit done’, they don’t actually mean that the great immigration wave will be undone or reversed.
And don’t expect the rolling back of the cultural revolution that has swept away so much of what was specifically British about our customs and laws.
They’re mainly talking about technical trading matters, and the detailed resolution of those will last for years to come. But they will be able to say that we have left, which is after all what the referendum said we were voting for.
And those who hoped to get their country back will be left staring around them and seeing the same old mess. Yes, we’ve saved the Tories. But we have sacrificed the country to do it. I’d have preferred it the other way round.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-7793551/PETER-HITCHENS-Pity-Conservatives-main-Left-wing-party-country.html
Telly Savalas
Frank Capra
Germany: Afghan known to the police riots extremely violently in an ambulance
In the night from Friday to Saturday, around 01:00 am, paramedics attempt to transport a 22-year-old disoriented man to a local hospital in Rhauderfehn. However, the patient, known to the police, was extremely aggressive and rioted in the ambulance. He damaged the interior ceiling of the ambulance parked in Hinrich-Stuart-Street, so that a police patrol crew had to come to support the medical team.The Afghan national remained stubborn, left the ambulance and finally kicked his foot to damage the police car. The accused was captured and arrested. He is taken to the Emden Clinic. During the deployment, a small amount of narcotics was also found with him. The defendant will now have to answer in several criminal proceedings.
More:
https://searchlight-germany.blogspot.com/2019/12/germany-afghan-known-to-police-riots.html
Algerian Migrant Arrested After Breaking into Woman’s Home to Rape Her (breitbart, Dec 15, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/12/15/algerian-migrant-arrested-after-breaking-into-womans-home-to-rape-her/
“A 28-year-old Algerian migrant was arrested in the Swiss municipality of Holderbank this week after attempting to rape a woman after breaking into her home.
The incident saw the Algerian asylum seeker break into the woman’s home as she was sleeping and attempt to rape her while laying on top of her and holding her mouth and nose closed with his hand, 20 Minutes reports.
The victim was able to wrestle herself free of the asylum seeker and flee to a neighbour’s home where she rang the doorbell — only to be attacked and punched in the face by the pursuing migrant, who broke the nose of his victim before running away.
At around 3 a.m. the woman was able to contact local police who were able to locate the would-be rapist hiding in a nearby bush relatively quickly…”
Swedish Woman Convicted for Sexual Relationship with Underage Migrant in Her Care (breitbart, Dec 15, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/12/15/swede-convicted-for-sexually-exploiting-migrant-teen-under-her-care/
“A 30-year-old Swedish woman has been convicted by a district court for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old unaccompanied minor migrant in her care.
The Attunda District Court found the woman guilty after she confessed to having had a relationship with the teen in 2017 after he had been put in her care. She claimed the teen had forced her and that she was not aware he was under the age of 18, Nyheter Idag reports.
The migrant, who had just turned 15 when he came to live with the woman, is originally from Albania and came to live in a home with her after he had threatened someone with a knife at the previous home he had been living at.
The migrant claimed that the two engaged in various kinds of sexual intercourse on a daily basis, while the defendant claimed she and the migrant had only had intercourse for a total of six times…”
Tensions remain high in India
Assam Remains Tense: CAA Lists Bengali Hindus In NRC, But Some Still Worried | Ground Report
Fight Spreads To Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram Witnesses Massive Protests Against CAB
India | Protests over citizenship law turn violent
Police fired tear gas and struck demonstrators with batons in New Delhi, where thousands protested against new law that will give citizenship to non-Muslims fleeing religious persecution from several neighboring countries.
The third day of what had been a peaceful demonstration descended into chaos Sunday afternoon: police broke into Jamia Millia Islamia University’s grounds, making arrests and forcing dozens of students to leave, tear gas has been used amid reports of clashes, and three buses were set on fire, police officials said.
Does the Boogaloo Begin in Virginia?
Eeyore I emailed you a meme If you can post it without getting in trouble attach it to the Liberty Doll video.
The left deserves the warning, not that they will take the warning but we have to do all we can to get them to back off.
Defending My Home: An Insider’s View Of the Hong Kong Protest | American Thought Leaders
Can the Labour Party Recover? – ft. We Got A Problem
Democrat Congressman Leaving Party Over Impeachment, Becoming Republican
New Jersey Democratic Congressman Jeff Van Drew, who has strongly opposed the Democrats’ impeachment efforts, is leaving the Democratic Party and becoming a member of the Republican Party after meeting with President Donald Trump.
“Van Drew’s congressional and campaign staff were informed he was planning to switch parties on Saturday, according to Democratic sources,” Politico reported. “The question was now when, not if, Van Drew was joining the Republican Party, according to several Democrats with knowledge of the ongoing conversations.”
Van Drew reportedly met “at length” with Trump on Friday and his decision to switch parties is supposed to be officially announced in the near future, a top GOP source told Politico.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-democrat-congressman-leaves-party-over-impeachment-becomes-republican/
IG Report Reveals Previously Unknown FBI Investigation Of Alleged Dossier Source
The FBI opened up a counterintelligence investigation in October 2016 against a Belarusian-American businessman who Christopher Steele said was an unwitting source for his infamous anti-Trump dossier, according to a newly unredacted version of a Justice Department inspector general’s report.
The FBI failed to disclose the investigation against the alleged source — called Person 1 in the report — to Justice Department attorney and in applications submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) surveillance warrants against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
The report also said the FBI failed to tell the surveillance court that Steele told investigators during a meeting on Oct. 3, 2016 that he considered Person 1 to be a “boaster” and “embellisher” who “may engage in some embellishment.”
Despite those red flags, the FBI relied on information that Steele attributed to Person 1 to represent in Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications that there was probable cause to believe that Page was a Russian agent. (RELATED: DOJ Watchdog Finds ‘Significant Inaccuracies’ In FBI’s Surveillance Applications)
https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/14/fbi-counterintelligence-dossier-source/
China scrambling to cover leaks on detention camps for religious minorities
Chinese officials are rushing to cover their tracks — destroying documents, deleting data and arresting government workers — after the release of secret papers on their mass detention camps for Uighurs and other religious minorities.
The regional government in the province of Xinjiang scrambled to lock down its records after secret speeches and documents, including guidelines for operating detention centers, were released to Western media.
Some former prisoners have been told to surrender their old release papers to authorities — and are being threatened with lifetime imprisonment if they don’t comply.
“The fact that they suddenly want this now must mean the pressure on them is very high,” one former detainee said.
https://nypost.com/2019/12/14/china-scrambling-to-cover-leaks-on-detention-camps-for-religious-minorities/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow
U.S. Secretly Expelled Chinese Officials Suspected of Spying After Breach of Military Base
WASHINGTON — The American government secretly expelled two Chinese Embassy officials this fall after they drove on to a sensitive military base in Virginia, according to people with knowledge of the episode. The expulsions appear to be the first of Chinese diplomats suspected of espionage in more than 30 years.
American officials believe at least one of the Chinese officials was an intelligence officer operating under diplomatic cover, said six people with knowledge of the expulsions. The group, which included the officials’ wives, evaded military personnel pursuing them and stopped only after fire trucks blocked their path.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-secretly-expelled-chinese-officials-suspected-of-spying-after-breach-of-military-base/ar-AAK8JgO
Hong Kong mall protests flare with leader Lam in Beijing
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Small groups of protesters gathered in shopping malls across Hong Kong on Sunday amid brief scuffles with riot police as attention turned to an upcoming meeting between Hong Kong’s leader and China’s president.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam is scheduled to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday and some observers say the visit could yield fresh directives including a possible cabinet reshuffle.
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Lam, however, appeared to play that down before she left, saying the first task was to curb violence and restore order.
On Sunday in the peak shopping season ahead of Christmas, groups of masked protesters, clad in black, marched through several malls chanting slogans including “Fight for freedom” and “Return justice to us”.
Riot police used pepper spray on crowds in one Kowloon mall, local media reported.
https://www.oann.com/hong-kong-mall-protests-flare-with-leader-lam-in-beijing/
EXCLUSIVE | We Build The Wall President Brian Kolfage: Corrupt International Organization Controls Southern Border, Not DHS Or Border Patrol (VIDEO)
Neither the Trump administration, Congress, US Customs & Border Protection or the Department of Homeland Security are currently in control of immigration along the southern border, triple amputee veteran and a founder of the nonprofit organization We Build The Wall Brian Kolfage warns in an exclusive interview with Gateway Pundit.
The governmental entity with the actual jurisdiction over the crime-ridden border is The U.S. Section of The International Boundary and Water Commission, a “United Nations-type” globalist agency, run by deep state hacks, that is deliberately allowing hordes of foreign nationals to illegally enter the United States, the decorated war hero explained.
“This organization basically controls our borders. Homeland Security doesn’t control them. Border Patrol doesn’t control them. This international organization, that’s half-owned by corrupt Mexico, controls our border,” Kolfage said. “These Mexican officials – a lot of them are corrupt and it’s proven that they’re corrupt – have say what goes on at our border on the United States side.”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/exclusive-we-build-the-wall-president-brian-kolfage-corrupt-international-organization-controls-southern-border-not-dhs-or-border-patrol-video/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=weekend
Brian Kolfage: POTUS, Congress, DHS Don’t Control The Southern Border
Iraq: Protesters walk over Israeli and US flags in Baghdad demo
Hundreds of protesters flooded central Baghdad on Saturday protesting against US sanctions targeting several Iraqis for allegedly belonging to Iranian proxy groups and conducting attacks on bases co-hosting the US and International Coalition personnel.
People were seen walking over US and Israeli flags, waving Iraqi flags and setting the street on fire.
Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused “Iran’s proxies” of repeatedly attacking bases in Iraq where Iraqi Security Forces, as well as US and International Coalition personnel, are located together.
54 injured in Lebanon: violence erupts in Beirut as police clash with anti-government protesters
Fox News – Schiff defends Democrats’ impeachment case against Trump
( 8 min 30 )
Ratcliffe: Adam Schiff lied to the American people
Nunes: Democrats have put people in ‘tremendous danger’
‘You are in need of rehabilitation’: Devin Nunes uses the DOJ IG report to STOMP all over many of Adam Schiff’s claims
In a letter sent to House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes used Department of Justice IG Michael Horowitz’s conclusions about FBI abuses that he delivered in a report released this past week to point out multiple errors made by Schiff during the process of presenting the impeachment case against President Trump.
https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/1206291859196260353
Although he says there are more false claims made by Schiff, Nunes lists seven of them in his letter relating to the Steele Dossier and information used to obtain a surveillance warrant on former Trump campaign associate Carter Page.
The letter continues.
https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/1206292247215509507
In addition to the issues he identified, Nunes uses pretty strong language to characterize Schiff’s position:
“After publishing false conclusions of such enormity on a topic directly within this committee’s oversight responsibilities, it is clear that you are in need of rehabilitation.”
“Your rehabilitation will be a long, arduous process.”
“As part of your rehabilitation, it is crucial to admit that you have a problem.”
“You are hijacking the Intelligence Committee for political purposes while excusing and covering up intelligence agency abuses.”
“You’ve already been discredited by your years-long false claim that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to hack the 2016 presidential election.”
“I refuse to believe you are beyond redemption.”
https://twitchy.com/jacobb-38/2019/12/15/you-are-in-need-of-rehabilitation-devin-nunes-uses-the-doj-ig-report-to-stomp-all-over-many-of-adam-schiffs-claims/
Fox News -Comey: ‘I was wrong’ to say FISA process was ‘followed’
( 15 min 50 )
twitter @realDonaldTrump
So now Comey’s admitting he was wrong.
Wow, but he’s only doing so because he got caught red handed.
He was actually caught a long time ago.
So what are the consequences for his unlawful conduct.
Could it be years in jail?
Where are the apologies to me and others, Jim?
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1206281389991219200
Gowdy on Comey admitting he was wrong: Two years too late
Former Congressman and Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy and the Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel react to Jim Comey’s ‘Fox News Sunday’ interview with Chris Wallace.
DiGenova: James Comey set a standard of misconduct with his own behavior
Nadler: Trump Participating in a ‘Crime in Progress’ Against the Constitution and American Democracy
On Sunday’s broadcast of ABC’s “This Week,” House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) accused President Donald Trump of committing a “crime” against the Constitution and American democracy that he categorized as “in progress.”
Nadler said, “This is a crime in progress against the Constitution and against the American democracy. We cannot take the risk that the next election will be corrupted through foreign interference solicited by the president, which he is clearly trying to do. It goes to the heart of our democracy. It was the heart of what the Constitution meant by high crimes and misdemeanors for the president to engage in self-dealing for his own benefit to put himself above the country and to threaten the integrity of our elections, which upon everything else depends.”
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/12/15/nadler-trump-participating-in-a-crime-in-progress-against-the-constitution-and-american-democracy/
Straightening Out Russian Foreign Policy
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Russian foreign policy since the mid-2000s tends to be perceived in contradictory terms: as either a negative for Russia or the product of a grand strategic vision on the part of the Russian leadership. It is also often falsely perceived as representing a break with the past. Moscow’s foreign policy moves need to be viewed with a balanced perspective and should be placed in their historical context.
The grand analytical narratives of Russian foreign policy dating from the early 2000s draw radical and opposing conclusions. Some analysts warn that Russia is on a downhill trajectory because of internal economic troubles, while others claim it has been transformed into a geopolitical player as important as the US, China, or the EU.
Russian diplomacy lies somewhere in between a grand long-term strategy and a set-up for an apocalyptic scenario in which Russia loses big.
The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent conflict in eastern Ukraine, the war with Georgia in 2008, and the Syrian campaign are seen by many as clear signs that Moscow has expansionist ambitions.
But one can also argue that those actions were intended to solidify Russian influence that was already in place. Take, for example, Crimea. Even before 2014, Russia effectively controlled the peninsula, had military bases there, and enjoyed the support of a part of the population. Though radical in terms of international law, from a purely strategic point of view the annexation of the peninsula in 2014 led to a solidification of Moscow’s grip on the territory through the opening of additional military bases and increasing economic influence.
https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/russian-foreign-policy/
More Trump 9th Circuit Appointees Confirmed! Liberal Tears Flow!
More Trump 9th Circuit Appointees Confirmed! Liberal Tears Flow!
Avatar by Brock Simmons December 14, 2019 222 Comments
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Trump’s 10th nominee to the now-formerly very liberal Federal 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals was confirmed by the Senate earlier this week. After the recent confirmations of Danielle Hunsaker and Patrick Bumatay (the first Filipino and first openly gay judge on the 9th), Lawrence VanDyke will be sworn in next month.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/more-trump-9th-circuit-appointees-confirmed-liberal-tears-flow/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=weekend
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/more-trump-9th-circuit-appointees-confirmed-liberal-tears-flow/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=weekend
Doug Collins Shares Moderate Dems’ Concerns About Impeachment
Syria: Rare footage shows thousands of IS prisoners awaiting trial in al-Hasakah central prison
Thousands of men suspected of being affiliated with the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIL/ISIS) await trial in al-Hasakah central prison in northeast Syria, now administered by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Rare footage from inside the prison shot on Monday December 2 shows detainees in orange jumpsuits sitting on mattresses in overcrowded cells while SDF guards keep watch.
According to Abd Alrahman, a detainee from Iraq, guards have allowed him to paint in his cell.
“[This painting] is about a prisoner of mind, here the black represents the darkness,” he said. “Here he wants to free himself but he cannot reach to the key and he needs some help just like I am imprisoned and the party [SDF] helped me, they gave me this equipment to paint.”
Some 5,000 detainees from 54 countries are reportedly held in the prison, some of them teenagers. Al-Hasakah central prison and other detainment facilities in north-eastern Syria are at the centre of a dispute between Washington and its European allies, who have yet to find a solution to prosecute prisoners from Western countries.
According to the Pentagon, of the roughly 10,000 suspected IS prisoners held by the SDF in the region, about 8,000 are from Iraq and Syria. Although the US State Department has declined to say how many are from Europe, they are estimated to number in the hundreds according to some reports.
Syrie : selon Jean-Yves Le Drian, « 10.000 combattants de l’État Islamique, actuellement en prison, sont prêts à reprendre le combat »
« je trouve qu’on sous-estime beaucoup le risque et les dangers que représentent aujourd’hui les combattants jihadistes de Daech qui sont en prison » a mis en garde Jean-Yves Le Drian, ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères.
2 videos
http://www.fdesouche.com/1312379-syrie-selon-jean-yves-le-drian-10-000-combattants-de-letat-islamique-actuellement-en-prison-sont-prets-a-reprendre-le-combat
Leftist Losers React to UK Election
Muslims Flee Britain After Boris’s Win
Team Great Britain
Giuliani Drops Bombshells Revealing HUGE Money Laundering Operation Involving Bidens, Burisma – Records Show Prosecutor Investigating Burisma Was Poisoned
Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani taunted the Deep State-Democrat-media complex Sunday morning and said he will be sharing evidence he “has garnered through hundreds of hours of research.”
“Stay tuned,” Rudy said building anticipation.
In my next thread of tweets I will be sharing some of the evidence I have garnered through hundreds of hours of research. Turn notifications on & stay tuned.
— Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) December 15, 2019
Rudy Giuliani traveled to Hungary and Ukraine a couple weeks ago and met with officials in Kiev in his ongoing efforts to expose corruption and pay-to-play schemes involving the Biden crime family and other Democrats.
Read more
Mr. Giuliani revealed last Monday morning on Steve Bannon’s radio show “The War Room: Impeachment” that he was working to release a report on his findings from his latest trip to Europe to Attorney General Bill Barr and GO
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/giuliani-drops-bombshells-revealing-huge-money-laundering-operation-involving-bidens-burisma-records-show-prosecutor-investigating-burisma-was-poisoned/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=weekend
“Joe DiGenova speaks out…”
by Kane – December 15, 2019
https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/joe-digenova-speaks-out/
“DiGenova: James Comey set a standard of misconduct with his own behavior”
OAN – December 15, 2019
“Psychological warfare and the Trump Impeachment—Jack Posobiec Explains | Crossroads”
Crossroads with Joshua Philipp – December 13, 2019
The non-violent vandalism and odd hour and randomness indicate mental illness more than malice. Note the disordered thought that may explain why he neglects to shield his face in front of the camera.
https://jewishjournal.com/online/308458/nessah-synagogue-in-beverly-hills-targeted-in-apparent-break-in/
Labour’s Communists Double Down
Erdogan bashes Israel, calls on Muslims to unite against the West
Ankara claimed it is the “lone voice” standing up for Palestinians today.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Erdogan-bashes-Israel-calls-on-Muslim-to-unite-against-the-West-610375
In a speech to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Israel and called for Islamic unity among the “brothers and sisters” to confront the West and conspiracies against Islamic countries. Turkey’s ruler insinuated that Turkey was a victim of “terrorist attacks” because of its “principled stance” against “oppression in Jerusalem.”
Ankara claimed it is the “lone voice” standing up for Palestinians today. Turkey has warm relations with Hamas. The Hamas member Saleh Arouri arrived in Turkey on Sunday. He has been accused of involvement in kidnapping, murder and other forms of terrorism in 2014. Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas also came to Turkey with Arouri and Moussa Abu Marzouk and others as part of a large delegation. Ankara has asked NATO to condemn terrorism but hosts Hamas.
Erdogan claimed that Israel was making the “situation in Jerusalem and Palestine” worse every day. He said that Israel doesn’t recognize justice, law, rights or humanity and that this “deepens the crisis in the region against Muslims.” Turkey is seeking to champion Islamic countries aganst Israel, Ankara claimed. “We will never stop defending the rights of the Palestinians and standing in solidarity with all the oppressed.” Turkey is involved in an expanding military campaign and occupation of northern Syria that has caused more than 150,000 people to flee Afrin in 2018, and 200,000 to flee areas near Tel Abyad in recent months. Turkey doesn’t see those people as oppressed, according to the speech.
[..]
DiGenova: James Comey set a standard of misconduct with his own behavior
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/12/india-muslims-screaming-allahu-akbar-violently-riot-to-pressure-the-country-into-admitting-more-muslims
I guess this tactic makes sense to someone.
IRGC Navy Monitors All Foreign Vessels in Persian Gulf, Commander Says
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/12/15/2160777/irgc-navy-monitors-all-foreign-vessels-in-persian-gulf-commander-says
“Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri highlighted his forces’ powerful presence in the Persian Gulf and said all foreign vessels passing through the waters are closely monitored by the IRGC Navy…”
Defense Minister: Iran Boosting Deterrent Power
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/12/15/2160795/defense-minister-iran-boosting-deterrent-power
“Iran has successfully implemented a strategy to maintain and boost its deterrent power, Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said…”
Iran Urges Paradigm Shift based on Regional Cooperation, Confidence-Building
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/12/15/2160887/iran-urges-paradigm-shift-based-on-regional-cooperation-confidence-building
“Iran once again asked regional states to adherence to common principles such as dialogue and mutual respect; equal footing; respect for sovereignty; rejection of the threat or use of force; and non-aggression and non-intervention in internal or external affairs of each other…”
Assailants Burn Lebanese Ruling Parties’ Offices after Night of Clashes
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2036951/assailants-burn-lebanese-ruling-parties-offices-after-night-clashes
“Attackers in northern Lebanon set fire to the offices of two major political parties on Sunday, the state-run National News Agency said.
The assaults came just hours after the capital Beirut was rocked by the most violent government crackdown on protesters since nationwide demonstrations began two months ago. Lebanese security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and used water cannons throughout the night to disperse anti-government protesters from the city center — the epicenter of the protest movement in Beirut — and around parliament.
The overnight confrontations in Beirut left more than 130 people injured, according to the Red Cross and the Lebanese Civil Defense.
The confrontations were preceded by clashes between counter-protesters – namely supporters of the Shiite Hezbollah and Amal parties – with riot police in Beirut.
In the northern Akkar district on Sunday, attackers broke the windows and torched the local office for resigned Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Mustaqbal movement in the town of Kharibet al-Jindi.
In a separate attack in Akkar district, assailants stormed the local office of the Free Patriotic Movement, founded by President Michel Aoun and headed by his son-in-law, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil. The FPM, which boasts the greatest number of MPs in parliament, said the contents of the office in Jedidat al-Juma town had also been smashed and burned.
Lebanon is facing one of its worst economic crises in decades, and the protesters accuse the ruling political class in place for three decades of mismanagement and corruption. While protesters have rallied against the entire political class, Bassil is arguably the most reviled leader among the protesters.
The violence comes a day before the president is due to hold talks with different parliamentary blocs to name a new prime minister on Monday.
Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan on Sunday ordered an investigation into the clashes which she said injured both protesters and security forces. She said she watched the confrontations “with concern, sadness and shock.”
Al-Hassan blamed “infiltrators” for instigating the friction and called on the demonstrators to be wary of those who want to exploit their protests for political reasons. She didn’t elaborate.
Nationwide protests began on October 17, and the government headed by Hariri resigned two weeks later.
Political parties have since been bickering over the shape and form of the new Cabinet. Protesters want a technocratic government, not affiliated with established political parties.
After weeks of back and forth, Hariri has emerged as the likely candidate for the job.”
Erdogan Says Turkey Could Bar US from Using Key Airbases
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2037206/erdogan-says-turkey-could-bar-us-using-key-airbases
“Turkey could shut down its Incirlik airbase, which hosts US nuclear warheads, in response to possible US sanctions and a separate Senate resolution that recognized mass killings of Armenians as genocide, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.
“If it is necessary for us to take such a step, of course we have the authority … If this is necessary, together with our delegations, we will close down Incirlik if necessary,” Erdogan said on A Haber TV.
Turkey can also close down the Kurecik radar base if necessary, he said.
“If they are threatening us with the implementation of these sanctions, of course we will be retaliating,” he added.
Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey has been a main base for US operations in the Middle East and more recently in the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, while Kurecik, in eastern Turkey, is a key NATO base.
Turkey’s decision to proceed with the purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems has added to growing tensions between the two NATO allies. Washington says the Russian system poses a threat to NATO and has removed Turkey from the US-led F-35 stealth fighter jet program.
As for the US Senate measure last week, it was condemned by Turkey.
US Ambassador David Satterfield was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, where Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Oney conveyed Turkey’s “strong reaction” to the Senate action, a ministry official said Friday.
Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed around World War I, a mass loss of life that many scholars regard as the 20th century’s first genocide. Turkey disputes the description, saying the death toll was inflated and those killed were victims of a civil war.
Erdogan suggested on Sunday that Turkey could also respond with parliamentary resolutions recognizing the killings of indigenous Americans in past centuries as genocide.”
Kuwait Arrests Muslim Brotherhood Member Arriving from Turkey
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2036931/kuwait-arrests-muslim-brotherhood-member-arriving-turkey
“Authorities in Kuwait arrested a prominent Muslim Brotherhood member upon his arrival in the country from Turkey, reported al-Rai newspaper.
It identified him as Islam A., a dentist who works in Kuwait.
Authorities deported him to Egypt after carrying out the necessary investigations with him.
The detainee had previously worked at a Sohag hospital in Egypt and had connections with members of a detained Brotherhood cell that was busted by Kuwait.
The cell had been previously deported to Egypt in line with a security agreement with Kuwait.
Al-Rai said the latest detainee had resided in Turkey for four months before returning to Kuwait where he was seeking to complete travel documents.
He confessed during investigations with Kuwaiti authorities to his ties with the busted cell.
He also confessed to providing financial support to Brotherhood members in Egypt.
Sources revealed that he enjoys close relations with one of the suspects behind acts of violence in Egypt, including arson against churches.”
“Russia Collusion: Kremlin Funds Anti-American Activism at UN” The New American – December 14, 2019
Not about Islam, or communism, but about individualism. I love this guy:
https://youtu.be/Y-AAVy0EBNY
10 Kurdish fighters killed in Turkish shelling in Syria as clashes resume
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/12/15/10-kurdish-fighters-killed-in-turkish-shelling-in-syria
“At least 10 members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia were killed on Saturday after being targeted by Turkish artillery bombardment in northern Syria.
The Syrian news website Bawabat Halab quoted a member of the Turkish-allied “Syrian National Army” (SNA) as saying that Turkish forces on Mount Barsa, north of the city of Azaz, fired rockets and shells at the SDF fighters.
Mount Barsa was captured by Turkey and its SNA allies from Kurdish forces during the “Operation Olive Branch” military operation in January 2018.
The SNA source said that Turkish forces had bombed the SDF fighters after they had been spotted preparing for an attack on an area held by the Syrian National Army northwest of Aleppo…”
“Robert Spencer: ‘Two-state Solution is a Myth'”
American Truth Project – December 13, 2019
Militants kill 22 in eastern Congo despite claims of security progress
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-congo-security/militants-kill-22-in-eastern-congo-despite-claims-of-security-progress-idUSKBN1YJ0KC
“Suspected Islamist militiamen killed at least 22 people overnight in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said on Sunday, as the rebels kept up attacks on civilians despite government claims to have them on the defensive.
Similar attacks have killed at least 179 civilians, researchers say, since the Congolese army launched an offensive on Oct. 30 against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan Islamist group active in eastern Congo.
In his State of the Nation address on Friday, Congo President Felix Tshisekedi said the campaign had “dismantled” nearly all of the ADF’s sanctuaries and that the rebels were turning to guerrilla tactics out of desperation.
But the government has blamed the ADF for similar attacks going back years, including dozens of night-time massacres since 2014 that have killed hundreds of civilians. Repeated military operations have failed to fully eradicate the group.
Richard Kivanzanga, the deputy administrator of Beni territory, told Reuters he had counted 22 bodies on Sunday in the villages of Baoba and Ntombi.
“The assailants killed women, men and children,” he said. “It wasn’t possible to evacuate all the bodies today because we had to wait for an escort from the army.”
The surge in violence has lead to deadly protests against the army and U.N. peacekeepers for failing to protect them.
It has also complicated efforts to stamp out an Ebola outbreak in the area. Infections have started to rise in areas health workers have been unable to access because of insecurity.
The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Tuesday on six members of the ADF, including its leader Musa Baluku. Islamic State has claimed some ADF attacks this year, but researchers say there is a lack of hard evidence linking the two groups.”
Turkey ready to give any military support Libya needs: Erdogan
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-libya-security-erdogan/turkey-ready-to-give-any-military-support-libya-needs-erdogan-idUSKBN1YJ0LB
“President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday Turkey is ready to provide Tripoli any military support it needs after Ankara and Libya’s internationally recognized government signed a security deal.
“We will be protecting the rights of Libya and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he said on A Haber TV. “We are more than ready to give whatever support necessary to Libya.”
Khalifa Haftar, who leads forces in eastern Libya, “is not a legitimate leader…and is representative of an illegal structure,” Erdogan said after meeting in Istanbul with Fayez al-Sarraj, prime minister of Libya’s Government of National Accord.”
In Pakistan, the merciless assassin: The blasphemy law (Part Three) Junaid Hafeez awaits justice
https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/in-pakistan-the-merciless-assassin-the-blasphemy-law-part-three-junaid-hafeez-awaits-justice-1.1576405282978
“He has been waiting for justice for six years in his solitary confinement.
He was a lecturer of English at the Bahuddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. A gold medalist from Dera Ghazi Khan, having been awarded the Fulbright scholarship in 2009, he went to the Jackson State University, in Jackson, Mississippi, USA, where he studied American literature, photography and theatre. In 2011, he was back at the Bahuddin Zakariya University. Now he was a post-graduate student and a visiting lecturer. Not many students and teachers liked him for his ideas–progressive, receptive to discussion, unorthodox. He was one of them yet he dared to be different. That didn’t last long.
On March 13, 2013, a group of students from the religious organisations, Jamaat-e-Islami and Tehreek-Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat, joined by fifteen hundred other like-minded young people, held a protest against the young lecturer, barely a few years older than most of the students. Pamphlets were distributed, and speeches were made. He was accused of blasphemy for having a Facebook page that reportedly challenged clergy’s hypocrisy. Those who misuse religion for their organisational hegemony have a linear response to any challenge to their authority: absolute repudiation, often through enforced silence. No questions are permissible, not even well-meaning ones. Questions equal desecration of religion.
His arrest happened soon. The case was filed under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code. 295-C despite other punishments in its domain is known for its death award. He was jailed in Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan.
His name was Junaid Hafeez. He was twenty-seven years old. His life froze at twenty-seven. His life would never be the same…”
ISIS has created mobile app for recruitment and funding: Egyptian Fatwa Observatory
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/357786/Egypt/Politics-/ISIS-has-created-mobile-app-for-recruitment-and-fu.aspx
“The Observatory for Monitoring Takfiri Fatwas and Extremist Ideologies at Egypt’s Dar Al-Iftaa said in a statement on Sunday that the terrorist group ISIS has created a new mobile application on Google Play and the App Store called ‘Because Communication Matters.’
According to the observatory, the terrorist group uses this application to promote its ideology and attract more supporters.
The observatory said that ISIS created this application after an online campaign against it succeeded in shutting down around 26,000 accounts belonging to the group on different social media platforms.
The observatory believes that this led the group to create the new app outside of the common social media platforms
The observatory explained that the new app guarantees users full confidentiality, and that it is well-shielded against any possible infiltration by security agencies.
According to the observatory, the application can host around 10,000 users, and is able to store videos and transfer encrypted information.
The observatory’s statement referred to a report by VICE News, which says that since last week the group has created around 10 channels and pages on the application, and that some of them have over 100 followers.
The observatory said that ISIS is also using the application to collect more funds in Bitcoin.
The observatory warned from the dangers of such a development in the group’s communication techniques, especially as it is currently trying to reorganize itself following the death of its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.”