Reader’s Links for January 7, 2020

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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.

About Eeyore

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

105 Replies to “Reader’s Links for January 7, 2020”

  1. US said seeing signs Iran prepping ballistic missiles as Tehran vows revenge
    Officials tell CNN there are intense efforts to assess when Tehran will attempt to retaliate for killing of top general — with estimates ranging between days and weeks
    By TOI staff 4 January 2020, 11:09 pm 21

    The US is seeing indications that Iran has stepped up its readiness to launch short- and medium-range ballistic missiles following the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, in an American airstrike, CNN reported Saturday.

    The network quoted an unnamed US official with direct knowledge on the issue, as Washington braces for Iran’s response to Friday’s strike. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said Tehran will react with “harsh revenge” to the hit on the popular general, who was his personal friend.

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-said-seeing-signs-iran-prepping-ballistic-missiles-as-tehran-vows-revenge/

  3. Kosovo arrests Iran supporter over comments after Soleimani’s death (memo, Jan 7, 2020)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200107-kosovo-arrests-iran-supporter-over-comments-after-soleimanis-death/

    “Kosovo police arrested a woman on Tuesday accused of inciting terrorist acts for social media comments against the United States over the killing of Iranian Commander Qassem Soleimani, reports Reuters.

    Police said that Ikballe Berisha Huduti, the founder of a now-defunct pro-Islamic organization called Kur’ani, was arrested following an order from the prosecution and she will remain in detention for 48 hours awaiting a court decision.

    Police said she was detained on charges of “incitement to commit a terrorist offence.”

    Huduti wrote comments on her private Facebook page criticising Washington after the US forces killed Soleimani on Friday.

    “By killing the master of the house you have killed all members of the family, then revenge is obligatory but it has no border,” Huduti wrote, according to Pristina media which had screenshots of her postings.

    She deleted her messages and said on Facebook that her words were taken out of context by local media. She said in other postings she had praised US democracy and US support for Kosovo in 1999 when conflict erupted between ethnic Serbs and Albanians in the former Yugoslavia.

    Showing a photo of her with the former hard-line leader of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, media in Kosovo have described Huduti as a strong supporter of the Iranian government. Her organization was closed by police in 2016. But she denied wrongdoing and there were never any charges against her.

    Kosovo has been a strong supporter of the United States. When the Iranian general was killed, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said: “Kosovo stands firm in support of the US in its right to self-defense.””

  5. Iranians being detained, interrogated at US border (memo, Jan 7, 2020)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200107-iranians-being-detained-interrogated-at-us-border/

    “Iranian-Americans are being detained and interrogated for hours at the US border amid rising tensions between the two countries.

    It has been reported that some were held for 12 hours at a time, and questioned about their views on the situation with Iran despite being US citizens or possessing appropriate documentation to cross the border.

    One Canadian citizen with a green card, Sepehr Ebrahimzadeh, described the chaotic scenes at the US border to the BBC.

    He said he was made to wait with others being questioned about their social media accounts, and he himself was probed about his life in Iran, including his high school years, military service and his father.

    Another described her children’s fear as they attempted to cross the border into the United States on their way home from a family holiday in Canada.

    Iranian-American mum Negah Hekmati told a press conference in Seattle: “My daughter was saying, ‘Please don’t speak Farsi. If you don’t speak Farsi maybe they won’t take you.’”

    She continued: “For me as an immigrant, I’m used to it, unfortunately, but for my kids it shouldn’t be OK and I’m afraid that’s the slippery slope.”

    “My kids should be proud of their ancestors, their heritage.”

    It was also claimed by Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, that passports were withheld whilst those of Iranian descent were questioned about their political views.

    However, Customs and Border Control (CBP) issued a denial that the racial profiling of Iranian-Americans was taking place.

    A CBP spokesman claimed that the delays were due to the holiday season.

    He said: “Social media posts that CBP is detaining Iranian-Americans and refusing their entry into the US because of their country of origin are false.”

    Racial profiling at the borders increased when US President Donald Trump implemented his “Muslim ban” in 2017 which banned nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen from entering the US…”

  6. Algerian president warns Libya’s Tripoli is a ‘red line’, as Haftar offensive rolls-on (alaraby, Jan 7, 2020)
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/1/7/algerian-president-warns-libyas-tripoli-is-a-red-line

    “Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune doesn’t want foreign military intervention in Libya, he said during a meeting with Government of National Accord (GNA) leader Fayez al-Sarraj.

    The head of Libya’s internationally-recognised government travelled to Algeria and met with the newly inaugurated North African leader to discuss tensions in the region, while Turkey has authorised sending troops to prevent the escalation of violence.

    During Monday’s meeting with Al-Sarraj, Tebboune called Tripoli “a red line no one should cross”.

    He also called on the international community to “assume its responsibilities to impose an immediate ceasefire and put an end to this military escalation which is claiming more victims every day”…”

  7. Destructive duo Assad and Putin meet in Damascus amid tensions over Soleimani killing (alaraby, Jan 7, 2020)
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/1/7/destructive-duo-assad-and-putin-meet-in-damascus

    “Russian President Vladimir Putin met brutal Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad Tuesday during a surprise visit to Damascus, his first since the start of the nearly nine-year war, the presidency said.

    “Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Damascus for a visit during which he met President Assad at the headquarters of the Russian forces,” it said in a statement.

    Putin said enormous progress had been made during the Assad talks, Russian news agencies reported.

    “In his conversation with Assad, Putin noted that we can now say with confidence that a huge distance has been travelled towards restoring Syrian statehood and the country’s territorial integrity,” the agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

    The blood-letting pair listened to a military presentation by the commander of Russian forces in Syria, said the presidency, which posted a picture of the two leaders shaking hands.

    Putin extended his greetings to Russian forces for the Orthodox Christmas.

    Putin had visited Syria in December 2017 but had not been to the capital, only stopping at the Russian base of Hmeimim on the Mediterranean coast…”

  8. Dozens of Syrian regime troops killed in suspected IS attack in Deir az-Zour (alaraby, Jan 7, 2020)
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/1/7/dozens-syrian-regime-troops-killed-in-suspected-is-attack

    “At least 40 regime soldiers were killed in an suspected Islamic State group attack in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zour on Monday evening, activists have reported.

    The Syrian news network Euphrates Post said that a bus carrying troops from the 11th Infantry Division of the Syrian regime army was attacked by machine gun fire from unknown militants and causing an explosion, killing all 40 personnel onboard.

    The bus was travelling from the village of Muayzaliyah to Deir az-Zour city, where the troops were going to spend leave.

    Syrian regime military security and members of the pro-regime Palestinian Liwaa Al-Quds militia set up a cordon around the site of the attack and arrested two people for taking photographs, the Euphrates Post added.

    The Facebook page of the 11th Infantry Division confirmed that the bus had been targeted and said that poor weather forced the bus to drive slowly, making it easier for the militants to ambush tge vehicle.

    IS’ news agency Amaq reported that militants from the extremist group had targeted regime vehicles, destroying some of them and killing and injuring others, without specifying how many…”

      • As I said the vets understand them, and will still respond by pushing their way to the from of the line. In 1979 when Iran seized our Embassy the Vietnam Vets Congress was meeting. They voted unanimously to send a letter to Carter demanding he reinstate the draft and draft the vets first.

        If they If we had gone to war them (as we should have) most vets wouldn’t have waited for the draft, we would have enlisted. These are the people the songs are aimed at.

        • We should and must remember. These soldiers bought the freedom that the Tucker Carlsons regard as their entitlement. Paid a price beyond measure.

          But music before or during war time has to positive. Remind us why we fight. Boost our sense of common purpose, banish defeatism with optimism.

          And fun. Pretty girls, happy children. Comic, cartoons that make fun of the enemy. We win, always.

  13. Spanish Far-Right Leader Says Morocco Is ‘Humiliating’ Spain (mwn, Jan 7, 2020)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/01/290608/spanish-far-right-leader-morocco-humiliating-spain/

    “The leader of the Spanish far-right political party Vox, Santiago Abascal, has called for the expulsion of Morocco from the “territorial waters of the Canaries” during a debate.

    “Spain is currently alone and humiliated by Europe, but also by Morocco, which today proclaims its sovereignty over our territorial waters. Because of the softness of [Pedro] Sanchez’s government, Morocco finds us weak and tries to abuse it,” said Abascal.

    The politician made his speech during the investiture debate of the Spanish Head of Government Pedro Sanchez.

    Abascal questioned the legitimacy of Pedro Sanchez’s government. For the far-right leader, the Spanish government and institutions are in the process of “devaluing” Spain, opening it up to mockery from other countries.

    “For example, our Moroccan neighbors are wasting the money that Mr. Sanchez offers them to control the borders by buying tanks and helicopter gunships while they claim the waters of the Canaries,” accused Abascal.

    “It makes sense: when a nation does not respect itself, everyone tries to take advantage of it,” he added.

    The statements come in response to two bills presented by Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Committee and approved by the House of Representatives on December 16.

    The two texts aim to update the delimitation of Morocco’s territorial waters, as well as the establishment of an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles off the Moroccan coast.

    The new delimitation, extending to the border towns of Saidia in the East and Lagouira in the South, also concerns the water near the Canary Islands.

    The Spanish government considered the decision “unilateral” and indicated that such an initiative “must be made by mutual agreement between the two countries and in strict compliance with international law.”

    In response to the Spanish claims, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita said that Morocco has a “sovereign right” to redefine its maritime borders. However, the Kingdom is open for dialogue to discuss and negotiate any overlaps with the Spanish borders, in compliance with international law.

    “There has not been and there will not be any voice in this government to defend our sovereignty and democracy in Europe and anywhere else,” said Abascal during the debate, shedding light on the party’s role in defending Spain’s sovereignty.

    During the debate, Abascal also called for an effective claim of sovereignty over the island of Gibraltar and the expulsion of Britain, along with the arrest of Catalan separatists.

    In the last parliamentary elections in November 2019, Vox became the country’s third most-represented party.

    The tense investiture debate ended with the organization of a new ballot, given that Pedro Sanchez did not obtain the absolute majority of votes during his vote of confidence on January 5.

    While Sanchez needed to receive 176 votes out of 350, he only earned 166 votes. Votes against him reached 165, while 18 Members of the Parliament abstained.

    The vote of confidence is a necessary step to allow Sanchez to remain at the head of the Spanish government.

    The new vote is set to take place on Tuesday, January 14, but this time it will only need a relative majority.

    The vote represents a decisive step for Spain that has been marked by political instability since 2015. The current government is composed of a coalition between the main left parties, including Podemos and the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), the party of Sanchez.”

    • Spanish Media: Morocco Has Same Technology as Drone That Killed Soleimani (mwn, Jan 7, 2020)
      http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/01/290626/morocco-us-technology-drone/

      “Spanish news agency EFE has revealed that Morocco is the only African and Mediterranean country that owns an unmanned aircraft of the same spec as the drone the US used to kill Iran’s second most powerful figure, Major-General Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport.

      Although the US did not disclose the type of drone, Spanish media identified it as the MQ-9 Reaper, also known as Predator B or “killer of the heavens.”

      The EFE agency described the drone as a multimission model, with a 15,200-meter flight ceiling, 1,850 km autonomy, and remote piloting that is mainly used for the execution of moving targets, as well as in intelligence operations.

      With 2 tonnes of weight, the drone can reach a top speed of 370 kilometers per hour.

      EFE reported that as well as Morocco, countries including Italy, Turkey, the UK, France, Spain, and the Netherlands all own the same technology. The outlet did not specify how many aircraft each country owns.

      Designed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the MQ-9 entered service in 2007. The US air fleet currently includes 93 drones.

      The $15 million aircraft has a Multispectral Targeting System that allows target discovery and designation by means of laser and infrared sensors, as well as by using various cameras to see activity live from any corner of the planet.

      The aircraft is also equipped with Unit-12 Paveway II, GBU-38 guided pumps, four AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles which enable a precise carrying out of attacks with slight collateral damage.

      Rift in Spain-Morocco relations
      Morocco’s moves to modernize its military including recent arms acquisitions, and military joint exercises with allied countries have led some factions in Spain to express concerns about its military power in the Mediterranean region.

      Diplomatic relations between Morocco and Spain, though historically strong, are experiencing a slight cooling off after Morocco proposed to bills to redefine the borders of its territorial waters, as well as the establishment of an exclusive free zone of 200 nautical miles off the Moroccan coast.

      Morocco seeks to extend the outer limits of its continental shelf off the Atlantic coast. The move conflicts with Spain’s attempt to assert its sovereignty over a maritime zone in off the Canary Islands where there is an overlap with the area claimed by Morocco.

      The leader of the Spanish far-right political party Vox, Santiago Abascal has accused Morocco of spending money acquired from Spain, as part of Spain-Morocco bilateral cooperation to combat irregular migration, to buy armaments from other countries.

      “For example, our Moroccan neighbors are wasting the money that Mr. Sanchez offers them to control the borders by buying tanks and helicopter gunships while they claim the waters of the Canaries,” Abascal argued in a bid to further destabilize Spanish Head of Government Pedro Sanchez during his investiture debate.”

  17. At least two killed, 14 injured in Quetta blast (tribune, Jan 7, 2020)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2132263/1-least-one-killed-several-injured-quetta-blast/

    “At least two men have been killed and over a dozen injured – including two soldiers of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) – in a blast in Quetta on Tuesday.

    It is immediately not clear what caused the blast which took place near a vehicle of the security forces on McCaughey Road in the provincial capital of Balochistan.

    The casualties have been rushed to hospital where some of the injured are said to be in a critical condition.

    One of the dead has been identified as Akram Khan.

    Law enforcers have cordoned off the area as investigators search for forensic evidence. The cause and nature of the blast have yet to be determined.

    Home Minister Ziaullah Langove has condemned the blast saying that “anti-state elements are trying to sabotage the law and order in the country.”…”

  19. Turkey deports 7 suspects over terror links (aa, Jan 7, 2020)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-deports-7-suspects-over-terror-links/1695068

    “Turkey has deported seven Iraqis back to their country due to their links to the terrorist group Daesh/ISIS, said Turkish security sources on Tuesday.

    In an anti-terror operation on the last day of 2019 in the Black Sea province of Samsun, Turkish security forces arrested 20 suspects and sent them to court.

    On Tuesday, the court ordered the deportation of seven of the suspects to their countries, following an earlier decision to deport 10 others.

    The issue of the handling of Daesh/ISIS members and their families detained in Syria — including foreign members of the terror group — has been controversial, with Turkey arguing that foreign-born terrorists should be repatriated to their countries of origin while several European countries have refused, saying the terrorists were denationalized.

    However, Ankara has said several European countries resisted its efforts to send Daesh/ISIS members back to their countries, but that it will nevertheless press forward…”

  21. ‘Unacceptable for people’: Danish asylum centre slammed in anti-torture report (thelocal, Jan 7, 2020)
    https://www.thelocal.dk/20200107/danish-asylum-centres-slammed-in-anti-torture-committee-report

    “The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture published on Tuesday a highly critical report on a detention centre in Denmark.

    The committee called the centre at Ellebæk in North Zealand “unacceptable for people”.

    The Strasbourg-based European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) is the anti-torture committee of the Council of Europe.

    The report is based on visits to Ellebæk and other detention centres including Nykøbing Falster Arrest.

    Both facilities house migrants who are under arrest based on Denmark’s immigration laws (Udlændingeloven), but not for committing crimes.

    In the report on Denmark, which was published on Tuesday, the CPT calls Ellebæk one of the worst facilities of its kind in Europe.

    “In our view it is unacceptable to keep people in (prison)-like conditions and furthermore with (poor) sanitary conditions and bad hygiene,” Hans Wolff, the leader of a delegation which visited Ellebæk in April last year, told TV2.

    “There are a lot of reasons why Denmark is proud of its human rights (record), but when you come to these places and you find such appalling conditions then one might question either the capability of Denmark to do it better or maybe the will of Denmark to do it in such a bad way,” he added.

    “It is not compatible with human rights to keep people under such bad conditions in immigration detention centres,” Wolff also said.

    Migrants at the two centres are not suspected or convicted of any crime, the report stresses.

    One specific criticism in the report is of only 30 minutes’ daily access to outside exercise provided at Ellebæk.

    Another involved punishment for use of mobile telephones.

    Meanwhile, the use of restrainment was also criticized as potential abuse.

    “The Committee expresses its serious misgivings that the application of the prison rules led to a situation where detained migrants who were found in possession of a mobile phone had to be punished by law with at least 15 days of solitary confinement,” the report states.

    “Moreover, due to the lack of rip-proof clothing, detained migrants at risk of suicide were sometimes placed entirely naked in an observation room. The CPT considers that such a practice could amount to degrading treatment,” it also notes.

    Ellebæk is used to place rejected asylum seekers who refuse to comply with their deportation. This may be due to their fears of persecution or because no repatriation arrangement exists between Denmark and their home country.

    Danish authorities are not obliged to act upon the criticism, but CPT has nevertheless called for conditions to be changed or the migrants to be accommodated elsewhere.

    The committee has asked Denmark to provide a response to the recommendations within three months.

    Denmark’s immigration law, Udlændingeloven, provides for what is termed as “motivational detention” (“motivationsfremmende frihedsberøvelse”) of rejected asylum seekers in such cases.

    “I find such measures [detention, ed.] necessary in relation to ensuring an efficient deportation system,” immigration minister Mattias Tesfaye told the parliamentary immigration committee in a written response last year.”