Reader’s links for August 2, 2020

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

65 Replies to “Reader’s links for August 2, 2020”

  1. The Mainstream Media has been saying that the Demonstrations in Berlin/Germany had about 15 – 20,000 people.
    To me it looks like a Million and some even said up to 1.3 Million people
    Look at the footage and paint your own picture.

    “Masks make us slaves”: thousands march in Berlin anti-lockdown protest
    https://youtu.be/GlXxU1b3dXs

  2. And at the same “Time” in Berlin Neukölln……. the Peaceful Marxistas

    Germany: Left-wing activists scuffle with police in Berlin
    (note the word “Activist” instead of the more appropriate Terrorist)

  3. Life and Death in the Rainbow Nation, the Left’s former Poster Child

    SOUTH AFRICA
    Suspect arrested in brutal murder of eight-year-old in Limpopo

    Police in Limpopo have condemned the brutal murder of an eight- year-old girl who was earlier allegedly kidnapped by a close relative.

    Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant – General Nneke Ledwaba has strongly condemned the brutal murder of an eight year old child, Mabareki California Molamudi, whose body was found in the bushes at Xipungu village in the early hours of this morning (Thursday).

    Police spokesman Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said members of the Tzaneen Tracking Team (TTT) received the information last night that the suspect went to consult a Traditional Healer at Achornhoek in Mpumalanga and on arrival at about 01h30 this morning, the suspect was indeed found and arrested.

    “Further investigations led the Team to an area next to the local Crèche at Xipungu village in Letsitele policing area outside Tzaneen, where the body was found in the bushes. Mojapelo said the suspect is a close relative to the child. The probe that was conducted at the scene suggested that the child might have been raped before she was murdered. This will be determined by forensic investigations that are unfolding,” he said.

    The child, who was a Grade 1 learner at Totwana Primary School at Xipungu village, was reportedly left with a caregiver, who is also a family member on Monday July 27, when she disappeared.

    “Preliminary investigations conducted by the police revealed that the child was last seen in the company of the suspect, walking to a nearby shop. He later reportedly told some community members that the child was kidnapped by unknown men traveling in a Toyota Quantum, “added Mojapelo.

    “We commend members of the Task Team that was assembled soon after the child went missing, for spending sleepless nights searching for both the child and the suspect. We also thank community members for continuing to work with us and providing valuable information that enables us to do our work”, General Ledwaba said.

    The suspect, aged 34, will be charged with kidnapping, rape and murder. He is expected to appear in Ritavi magistrate court tomorrow.

    https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-07-30-suspect-arrested-in-brutal-murder-of-eight-year-old-in-limpopo/

  4. Houston-area doctor at center of controversial coronavirus cure video doubles down

    • Either the disease isn’t so deadly after all and these placebo cures work or these remedies do prevent hospitalization. The Yale protocol has HCQ delivered during hospitalization, not prior.

    • Note the number of subjects is 20. Elsewhere, I had read that the number was originally 100 times out, 2000. Note the meds that are considered possible remedies. A good study would exclude them, which this one does. But, they exist! In an ethical study, the study gets stopped as soon as the investigators realize the drug efficacy so that the placebo group can receive treatment.
      ——
      NCT04358068

      https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04358068

      20 participants Actual Study Completion Date  :
      July 7, 2020

      Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing at rest or with exertion
      Use of drugs with possible anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity within 30 days prior to study entry, e.g., remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir fixed dose combination, ribavirin, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin, or participation in a clinical trial involving any of these drugs whether for treatment or prophylaxis.
      History of hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia or taking potassium supplementation or magnesium supplementation

      Participants will be randomized 1:1 to receive active/placebo study treatment as follows: HCQ/Placebo 400 mg orally twice a day on Day 0 followed by 200 mg orally twice a day for 6 days, and Azithro/Placebo 500 mg once on Day 0, followed by 250 mg daily for 4 days.

      Stratification will be by “high” versus “low” risk of progression to severe COVID-19, where “high risk” is defined as a person age ?60 years or having at least one of several specified comorbidities.

      https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04358068
      National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
      Collaborator:
      Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries LTD

      The study team is led by Protocol Chair Davey Smith, M.D., of the University of California, San Diego. David Wohl, M.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Kara W. Chew, M.D., and Eric S. Daar, M.D., both of the University of California, Los Angeles, serve as protocol vice-chairs. The trial is expected to enroll quickly given the high incidence of COVID-19, and initial results may be available later this year.

      For more information about A5395, visit ClinicalTrials.gov and search identifier NCT04358068. Adults interested in participating in the study should email ac*****************@fs***.org(link sends e-mail).

      https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-begins-clinical-trial-hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin-treat-covid-19
      Participants in the ACTG study, called A5395, will receive oral medications to take at home. Those randomly assigned to the experimental treatment group will take 400 milligrams (mg) of hydroxychloroquine twice on the first day and 200 mg twice daily for an additional six days. They also will take 500 mg of azithromycin on the first day and 250 mg daily for an additional four days. The control group will receive equivalent numbers of placebo pills.

      https://www.wxyz.com/news/coronavirus/fauci-calls-henry-ford-study-on-hydroxychloroquine-and-covid-19-flawed

      “We know from another study (corticosteroids) gives benefit in reducing deaths with advanced disease,” he said. according to Fauci, the fact that people who received hydroxychloroquine were also using corticosteroids.

      “That study is a flawed study, and I think anyone who examines it carefully is that it is not a randomized placebo-controlled trial

      https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2020/07/31/houston-doctor-in-hydroxycholorquine-viral-video-gives-exclusive-interview-still-wants-anthony-faucis-urine/

      https://www.rferl.org/a/serbian-president-urged-to-share-data-on-covid-19-deaths-among-disabled-people/30761036.html
      Earlier in the week, Reuters reported that an unnamed source had said Russia’s first COVID-19 vaccine candidate should secure government approval in August.

      Russia reportedly has two vaccines – one developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute in cooperation with the Defense Ministry and one by the Vektor state research laboratory in Novosibirsk – undergoing approval.

      Speaking to journalists in Nizhny Novgorod, Minister Mikhail Murashko added that teachers and medical workers would be given priority for the vaccination program.

    • europravda -Coronavirus: EU says it struck deal with Sanofi for 300 million doses of potential COVID-19 vaccine

  5. William Binney of the NSA Discusses True origin of Russiagate

    Mr Binney explains why he believes the entirety of Russiagate was cooked up by the American CIA

  6. At Paris airport, Covid tests are now mandatory for travellers from high-risk countries

  7. Trump pans overturning of Boston bombing sentence

    President Donald Trump calls a federal appeals court decision to overturn the sentence of of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, “ridiculous.”

  8. SAS move in to Mali as British troops warned they’re ill-prepared for extreme violence (express, Aug 2, 2020)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1317600/sas-special-forces-news-Mali-mission-United-nations

    “BRITISH TROOPS heading into war-torn Mali on a United Nations operation later this year lack resources are not prepared for the intense level of extremist violence, senior officers have warned.

    Of particular concern is the threat of roadside bombs on vehicles which are forced to use roads and tracks because they are too heavy for sand, and the lack of sufficient medical air cover. The warnings follow the deployment of a 45- strong SAS unit Special Forces unit to the French base at Gao, in Mali last week, tasked with collating an “intelligence threat assessment” for commanders amid increasing instability in the Sahel and attacks on peacekeepers.

    They will seek to identify ‘ communication dead spots’ which would leave British troops isolated if attacked.

    Crucially, another aspect of its mission will be to mitigate the challenge of sending wheeled vehicles which must stick to roads and paths.

    Roadside bombs are the current hallmark of jihadi activity, with more than 700 Islamic State fighters and their affiliates now operational across the country striking the 13,000 strong United Nation on a regular basis.

    Britain plans to send 250 troops from the Light Dragoons and Royal Anglian Regiment to support the United Nations mission in Mali in December – in addition to the 100 RAF personnel and three Chinook helicopters who have supported the French part of the mission for the past four years.

    Commanded by Lt Col Thomas Robinson, they will act as a long-range reconnaissance force for the UN by providing intelligence that will help the mission to protect civilians and progress towards sustainable peace in Mali…”

  9. (Richard: I don’t know if this is right but…)

    PLA could give CCP the adieu they need

    • China accounts for 16.3% of India’s imports (contrasted with 5.5 % from the US, the next biggest source of imports).
      And many products India exports, such as generic pharmaceuticals, depend on precursors from China. [CIA World Factbbok]

      “Roughly 80% of active ingredients used by commercial sources to produce finished medicines come from China…

      “[A] growing number of Indian generic makers purchase ingredients from China. In fact, the Indian government is trying to find ways for its domestic industry to become less reliant on Chinese suppliers.

      “There are implications here for consumers elsewhere – and the possibilities can be seen by playing connect the dots. In the U.S., for instance, medicines imported from India account for 40% of all generics used. And roughly 90% of all prescriptions written in the U.S. are for generics. The upshot: An untold amount of ingredients made in China are finding their way to U.S. medicine cabinets….

      “…85% of medicines in the U.S. strategic national stockpile depend on some component coming from China, whether it is an active ingredient, the chemical intermediates used to make ingredients, or raw materials.”

      https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2020/01/27/china-coronavirus-pharmaceutical-ingredients/

      • “In order to address the growing security and safety concerns about Chinese-made pharmaceuticals, some suggest that the United States switch to India as an alternative API supplier. However, doing so would be no different from rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

        “It is true that many Indian pharmaceutical firms are leading API manufacturers but India depends on China for sourcing nearly three quarters of APIs in generic drug formulations.

        “The disruption in the supply chain notwithstanding, switching to India for the supply of APIs would only make the drugs sold in the United States more expensive: APIs and chemical intermediates from China are 35 to 40% cheaper than Indian ones.

        “Moreover, India has its own drug safety problems as well.…
        https://www.cfr.org/blog/us-dependence-pharmaceutical-products-china
        ……
        If China poisoned us with anthrax – no fancy gene-splicing necessary – we’d have no where to turn for ciprofloxacin, the cure for it. (Though I have a personal stash left over from 2009.)

      • When I started posting this channel I said that I thought they were the Indian Government spreading Propaganda.

        India wasn’t combined into one nation until the Brits did so in the 1700s and 1800s, they are even more ethnically diverse then China and have more languages. This is why they chose English to be their national language. They are a true multicultural and multilingual nation, personally I don’t think they will last much longer but while they do they are a good foil against China.

        I don’t want to switch the buying of generic drugs from China to India, I want to bring the manufacturing of the generics back to the US. I realize this will be expensive and take a lot of time but as the current crisis shows internal manufacturing of our own medicines is a matter of national security. The Dems worked hard to move our manufacturing plants overseas and it will be hard and costly to bring them back home. The coming series of wars will drive that point home with a vengeance.

        • Your point about India being a country of countries is well-taken. Loosely federated, they’re actually pretty stable, in their own messy way. (Except for Jammu-Kashmir, of course.) Each region, each fiefdom is fairly autonomous, accounts to its constitutency.

          They lucked out with Mr. Modi; he’s wildly popular across most of India. The tiny class of limousine liberals is the only exception. He’s so charismatic, all they can do is call him fascist.

  10. Two men are left fighting for their lives in hospital after FOUR stabbings on another night of knife-crime chaos in Lawless London (dailymail, Aug 2, 2020)
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8585167/Four-men-stabbed-night-knife-crime-London-leaving-one-victim-34-fighting-life.html

    “An investigation is being launched after police and paramedics were called to a stabbing in London street.

    Two men self-presented at a south London hospital with stab wounds in the early hours of August 2.

    The men are believed to have sustained their injuries during a fight on Red Lion Street in High Holborn.

    Police were alerted by London Ambulance Service at around 3:15am that the men had self-presented to hospital.

    A 34-year-old man is in hospital in a life-threatening condition.

    The other man, 27, is not believed to have sustained life-threatening injuries.

    At around 3:30am the same day, officers stopped on Clerkenwell Road after seeing a car parked with its hazard lights on.

    There were two 25-year-old-men in the car with stab injuries.

    Officers provided first aid until paramedics arrived and took the men to hospital.

    One man has since been discharged from hospital and has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and is currently in custody.

    The other man remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition.

    Police are treating these incidents as linked and originating from the fight on High Holborn.

    An investigation is underway and the crime scene remains in place.

    This comes after a weekend of carnage in London where at least three shootings took place…”

  11. Turin Lets Muslims Hold Public Eid Celebrations Despite Coronavirus Restrictions (breitbart, Aug 2, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/02/turin-govt-gives-muslims-permission-hold-holiday-celebrations/

    “The local government in Turin, Italy, has allowed Muslim groups to publicly celebrate an Islamic holiday while still restricting other gatherings due to the Wuhan coronavirus.

    The Turin government has given permission for Muslims to engage in celebrations for the Eid al-Adha festival in nine public and private areas of the city.

    Local politician Augusta Montaruli, a member of the national-conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI), slammed the move while noting that the government had cancelled a yearly Christian procession, the processione della Consolata, in June.

    “What was the use of banning the Consolata procession, interrupting an ancient tradition in Turin, when the mass prayers of Muslims were authorised?” Ms Montaruli said.

    “This is Turin on the day of the Islamic festival of sacrifice, where organising the crowd into separate groups has only increased the number of gatherings in the various neighbourhoods of the city. Thousands of men are crowded together on prayer carpets without the slightest social distance,” Montaruli told Il Giornale.

    Montaruli, who serves in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, slammed the national leftist government. She said it “flexes its muscles when it comes to limiting the religious and political freedoms of Italians in the streets, but grants everything to those who impose foreign identities and traditions in public, in defiance of the delicate health situation that threatens the return of COVID-19”.

    Italy, which has been one of the countries in Europe worst hit by the coronavirus, is facing a potential new wave of infections. According to populist leader Matteo Salvini, the threat is due to the surge in arrivals of illegal migrants in recent weeks.

    Many of the migrants arriving in the country have tested positive for the Chinese virus. Some have also escaped migrant reception centres put under quarantine where there have been outbreaks.”

  12. Terrorist Loses Case for Early Release After Claiming New Prison Rules Breached His Human Rights (breitbart, Aug 2, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/02/govt-wins-case-stop-early-release-terrorist-rules-human-rights/

    “The High Court has ruled against convicted terrorist Mohammed Zahir Khan who demanded to be released early from prison after he claimed that the government’s new rule which mandates terrorists serve the majority of their sentences was a breach of his human rights and discriminated against Muslims.

    Parliament passed emergency legislation in late February that ended the automatic release of terrorists halfway through standard time-limited sentences. Instead, terrorists must serve at least two-thirds of their sentence in jail before being considered for parole. The Parole Board will only consider release before the end of their sentence if the terrorist is deemed not a risk to society.

    The legislation was passed after two jihadists who had been released early from prison went on to commit acts of terror. In November 2019, Usman Khan killed two and injured others in a stabbing attack on London Bridge after he had been released halfway through his 16-year sentence. In early February, Suddesh Amman stabbed people in Streatham, London, days after being released from prison.

    One of the 50-some terrorists to see their previously assured automatic release overturned was Mohammed Zahir Khan, who had been jailed in 2018 for encouraging terrorism, provoking racial tensions with Shia Muslims, and disseminating terrorist material. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison, and the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act was passed days before his expected automatic release date on March 1st, delaying his parole assessment until November.

    Khan took his case to High Court, claiming that treating terrorist prisoners differently from other criminals was a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. Khan also alleged that the change in law would punish people with “particular Islamic beliefs” meaning it would “disproportionately” impact Muslims.

    Two judges, however, disagreed with Khan, according to the BBC. Mr Justice Graham said it was “impossible” to consider a terrorist in the same manner as an ordinary criminal, saying that Parliament’s move in “altering arrangements for the early release of terrorist prisoners was a logical and rational response”.

    The government also aims to increase the minimum sentences for the most dangerous convicted terrorists from ten to 14 years, with up to 25 years on licence. On May 20th, the government put forward the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill, which would also “end[] early release for the most serious offenders who receive Extended Determinate Sentences – instead, the whole time will be served in custody”.

    The bill has passed through the House of Commons and is due for its second reading in the House of Lords when lawmakers return to Parliament after the summer recess.

    While the change in legislation has meant terrorists will spend less time on the streets, there have been increased concerns over the prospect of up to 150 exiled foreign fighters returning to the UK.

    Following the Court of Appeal ruling that ISIS bride Shamima Begum can return to the UK to challenge in court in person the government’s decision to strip her of her British citizenship, the Henry Jackson Society warned that scores more could make similar legal bids.

    Whitehall sources have also said that the prospect of more returning jihadists would represent a “headache” for security services, which are already monitoring 43,000 terrorists, 3,000 of which are being closely watched.

    The government this week was told that it could challenge the Court of Appeal decision, so Ms Begum’s return had been put on hold.”

  13. Algerian Kebab Chef Who Chopped Off Teen’s Leg Back in Court (breitbart, Aug 2, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/02/algerian-kebab-chef-who-chopped-off-mans-leg-back-court/

    “An Algerian doner kebab chef who chopped off another Algerian migrant’s leg after a dispute turned violent two years ago is back in a Leipzig court after the victim’s lawyer appealed his two-year probation sentence.

    Kebab chef Husein T. was sentenced to just two years of probation following his initial trial for the attack which took place on September 10th, 2018, at the Al-Madina-Bistro in the German city of Leipzig.

    The 29-year-old is back in court after the lawyer for his victim, 19-year-old Algerian migrant Djelloul B., appealed the light sentence. He and local prosecutors are demanding that Husein T. be given at least three years in prison, German tabloid Bild reports…”

  14. VICE – Trump’s Secret Police Are Freaking People Out. Here’s What’s Going On.

    The DHS chief said once the “violence” dissipates, the agents will leave, but there’s no timeline as to when that’s expected to happen.

  15. twitter @CNN

    CNN political analyst @joelockhart tells @smerconish that Joe Biden shouldn’t debate President Trump.

    Trump “will take the truth and destroy it, and Biden will be in the position of correcting him over and over and over again.

    I don’t think he should give him that platform.”

    https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1289560337910575108

  16. Black Lives Matter: “We Will Burn Down This System” – Part II

    by Soeren Kern
    August 2, 2020 at 5:00 am

    Multinational companies, philanthropic foundations and private citizens have been donating tens of millions of dollars to Black Lives Matter (BLM), and a recent survey by the Pew Research Center has found that more than two-thirds of Americans support the BLM movement.

    While Gatestone Institute and doubtless many others wish that blacks and all minorities benefit from the equal opportunities and protections offered by the U.S. Constitution, the high level of backing for BLM raises the question: How much does the public really know about BLM?

    Part I of this series revealed the anti-American agenda of Black Lives Matter, which, under the guise of fighting racism, seeks to transform the United States into a communist dystopia. BLM’s leaders openly admit that they want to abolish the nuclear family, police, prisons and capitalism.

    BLM leaders have threatened to “burn down the system” if their demands are not met, and are also training black militias.

    Part II of this series examines:

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16301/black-lives-matter-part-ii

    • Black Lives Matter: “We Are Trained Marxists” – Part I

      by Soeren Kern
      July 2, 2020 at 5:00 am

      A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that more than two-thirds of Americans support the Black Lives Matter movement. The high level of backing raises the question of how much the public knows about BLM.

      On the surface, BLM presents itself as a grassroots movement dedicated to the noble tasks of fighting racism and police brutality. A deeper dive shows that BLM is a Marxist revolutionary movement aimed at transforming the United States — and the entire world — into a communist dystopia.

      This is the first of a two-part series, which reveals:

      https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16181/black-lives-matter

  17. DAILY MAIL – Muslims slaughter cattle, camels and sheep in bloody sacrifice to celebrate Eid al-Adha during scaled back festivities because of the coronavirus crisis

    Muslims around the world continue to celebrate Eid al-Adha as they slaughter livestock amid scaled back festivities because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Today marks the second of the four-day Feast of the Sacrifice, which coincides with the last days of the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

    Eid al-Adha commemorates Muslims’ belief that prophet Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, before God replaced his son with a ram to be sacrificed instead.

    Many Muslims who can afford it sacrifice cattle as part of the celebrations, as well as camels, goats, sheep or rams.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8583423/amp/Muslims-sacrifice-animals-celebrate-Eid-al-Adha-scaled-festivities.html

  18. Salvini faces new trial after right-winger’s immunity is stripped in migration row
    MATTEO Salvini has been stripped of his parliamentary immunity and now faces charges for allegedly kidnapping more than 100 rescued migrants.
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1316902/Italy-news-Matteo-Salvini-migration-parliamentary-immunity-Senate-latest-update

    Italian senators backed removing the political privileges of the right-wing League leader yesterday in a tight vote. Mr Salvini could now face a trial for allegedly illegally detaining migrants at sea. It’s in relation to a case last year when he refused to let a rescue ship carrying scores of migrants dock at the Italian island of Lampedusa.
    The then-interior minister blocked the Spanish NGO Open Arms vessel from docking, leaving it marooned at sea for nearly three weeks.

    Mr Salvini insisted the decision to stop the migrants from leaving the ship was reached collectively within the government.

    He wanted European Union countries to reach an agreement to take them in.

    At the time, his League were in a coalition with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.
    Responding to the vote, Mr Salvini said: “Defending Italy is not a crime. I am proud of it, I would do it again, and I will do it again.”

    Prosecutors in Sicily accuse him of illegal detention for preventing migrants from disembarking for a rescue ship onto Italian soil, if convicted he could face a jail for upto a term of 15 years.

    The Senate voted 149 to 141 to strip him of his parliamentary immunity, paving the way for prosecution.
    The League leader is already set to stand trial in a similar case.

    In February, the Senate voted to strip him of his parliamentary immunity in a case involving the Italian coastguard.

    Prime minister Giuseppe Conte has previously branded Mr Salvini “obsessed” with keeping migrants out of Italian ports.
    All the parties in the ruling coalition government backed the lifting of My Salvini’s immunity.

    “By sending me for trial they’re giving me a big gift but unlike the others I’m going there with my head held high and my back straight,” Mr Salvini said.

    His League party is still the most popular in Italy despite a recent slump in the polls.

  19. Muslim sailor aboard USS George Washington gets Navy waiver to grow 4-inch beard

    For most of his four-year Navy career, Petty Officer 3rd Class Leo Katsareas has only been allowed to grow a quarter-inch beard.

    But he believes his Islamic faith dictates he should maintain one that’s fist length.

    Now Katsareas, who is currently assigned to the Norfolk-based USS George Washington, can do so while still serving. He was recently granted a special grooming accommodation that allows him to grow facial hair up to 4 inches — for now.

    The accommodation is subject to change if his duty station does.

    “For too long, sailors like me have had to choose between serving our country and expressing our deeply held religious beliefs,” Katsareas told Military(dot)com, which first reported the waiver. “Recognizing and appreciating our nation’s diversity of religious views, reflected in its sailors, will lead to a stronger and better Navy. That’s a win for everyone.”

    Eric Baxter, an attorney with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty who helped Katsareas obtain the waiver on appeal, told The Virginian-Pilot it’s important for the U.S. military to allow men and women in uniform the same rights as any other citizen unless it directly poses a threat.

    “There’s a common misconception that people who are religious are just making choices about what to do,” he said. “The truth is, when someone has a religious conviction, they feel compelled to comply with religious obligations. They feel a deep injury if they are unable to do the things they believe God is calling them to do. … It feels demeaning there’s not an acknowledgement of religious differences and a greater willingness to accommodate those.”

    Katsareas, a mass communication specialist, was unavailable for an interview this week. According to the Becket Fund’s website, he is an Australia native and converted to Islam as a teenager. He “fell in love with America’s history, its principles, and particularly its commitment to freedom,” the website states, and came to the United States eight years ago.

    Baxter said his client has struggled to get appropriate waivers since joining the Navy in 2016, often having to start all over again when he was transferred.

    His most recent special accommodation request was initially denied this spring. That’s when he reached out to the Becket Fund, which has helped those in other military branches with similar requests. The Air Force started granting accommodations last year, and the Army made it easier to get them a couple years before that.

    “The Navy has been the most restrictive,” Baxter said.

    The Navy’s views on facial hair have gone back and forth for centuries. Most recently the service banned beards in 1984, citing concern over sailors being able to properly seal emergency breathing apparatuses. Then-Secretary of the Navy John Lehman said at the time, however, it was due simply to aesthetics, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.

    In March, the Navy updated its policies to allow fleet commanders to approve most religious accommodation requests. Also, only the deputy chief of naval operations has the authority to deny such requests, “and he does so only when necessary … to fulfill a compelling government interest,” Cmdr. Dave Hecht, a spokesman for the Chief of Naval Personnel, said in an email.

    “All Sailors are welcome to request a waiver in order to observe religious practices,” he wrote. “We value the diversity in our force to include our Sailors’ religious preferences.”

    Hecht said the Navy could not discuss Katsareas’ case due to privacy concerns. But under recent Department of Defense guidance, he said the service is further reviewing its standards and policies “to ensure that we promote the morale, cohesion, and readiness of the force to improve diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity for our Service members.”

    Grooming standards, including facial hair policies, are part of that, he said.

    All approved religious accommodations, Hecht said, last for the service member’s career but are up for review or revocation when there’s a change in circumstances such as change in duty or work environment.

    Baxter said his client wishes the waiver was career-long without such restrictions, but currently has no way to formally request that. Litigation could be on the table if the accommodations were revoked in the future, he said.

    The sailor has said he’d be willing to shave the hair in life-threatening circumstances, but doesn’t think he should have to otherwise.

    “The ongoing threat of being required to immediately shave places pressure on my religious beliefs,” Katsareas told Military.com.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/muslim-sailor-aboard-uss-george-washington-gets-navy-waiver-to-grow-4-inch-beard/ar-BB17qoVa

    • Nuts. Confused convert. He’s a tard, not a Sikh. High probability of running amok.
      Slippery Slope. Toss the Uniform Military Code to accommodate dreadlocks and purple hair. Nighties and slippers.

  20. Spokesman: US Culpable for Supporting Anti-Iran Terror Groups
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/08/02/2319104/spokesman-us-culpable-for-supporting-anti-iran-terror-groups

    “Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson hailed the Intelligence Ministry for arresting the ringleader of a terrorist group based in the United States, saying the US regime must be held accountable for supporting the acts of terrorism against the people of Iran.
    In a statement on Saturday? Seyed Abbas Mousavi praised the Intelligence Ministry’s “decisive” move to arrest the ringleader of theUS-based terrorist and sabotage group.

    “The US regime considers itself to be standing by the Iranian people while it harbors and supports in different ways notorious terrorists and those have claimed responsibility for several terrorist operations inside Iran and who have the blood of innocent Iranian people and citizens on their hands?” he said? according to the Foreign Ministry’s website.

    Mousavi also expressed the Islamic Republic’s strong protest at the US government? and said? “The regime must be held accountable for supporting this terrorist grouplet and other outfits as well as criminals that lead sabotage? armed and terrorist operations from within the United States against the Iranian people and shed the blood of Iranian citizens.”

    On Saturday? the Iranian Intelligence Ministry said its forces have dealt a “heavy and serious blow” to Tondar (Thunder) terrorist group by arresting its ringleader.”

  21. US Astounded by Terrorist Ringleader’s Arrest: Iran Intelligence Minister
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/08/02/2319643/us-astounded-by-terrorist-ringleader-s-arrest-iran-intelligence-minister

    “Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alawi said a recent complicated operation by the country’s security forces which led to the arrest of Jamshid Sharmahd, a terrorist group ringleader, has left the US astounded.

    “He was strongly supported by American and Israeli intelligence services? and they considered it unlikely for Iran’s Intelligence Ministry to be able to penetrate their umbrella support and apprehend him inside the Islamic Republic of Iran through a complicated operation?” Alawi said on Sunday.

    He added? “Jamshid Sharmahd and his associates planned some 27 acts of terror all of which were thwarted thanks to the perseverance? vigilance and knowledge of Iranian intelligence forces”.

    “Once? when some individuals threatened in a phone call to catch him (Sharmahd)? he said in response that his seat was on the sixth floor of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; he meant they were not able to arrest him?” said the minister.

    Alawi added that the person who regarded himself as having a seat at the FBI is now in the hands of Iranian intelligence agents.

    Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said on Saturday it had arrested Jamshid Sharmahd? adding its forces dealt a “heavy and serious blow” to Tondar (Thunder) terrorist group by nabbing the ringleader of the anti-Iran terrorist group based in the United States.”

  22. Yemen Army Downs US RQ20 Spy Drone over Jizan: Spokesman (+Video)
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/08/02/2319511/yemen-army-downs-us-rq20-spy-drone-over-jizan-spokesman-video

    “The air defenses of the Yemeni army on Sunday shot down a US RQ20 spy drone over Jizan region, south of Saudi Arabia, the Arab country’s Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said.

    “The air defenses managed to shoot down an US RQ20 drone in the airspace of Haradh district off Jizan by an appropriate weapon?” A spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces? Gen. Saree said in a statement? according to al-Masirah.

    The AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma is a small? battery powered? American hand-launched unmanned aircraft system produced by AeroVironment based in California. Primary mission is surveillance and intelligence gathering using an electro-optical and infrared camera.

    Yemeni forces have managed to down numerous US-made drones in recent years? notably destroying a US-operated advanced MQ-9 Reaper attack drone in August 2019.

    The US has been a major backer of Saudi Arabia ever since it formed a military coalition campaign against Yemen in March 2015 in a bid to bring the government of former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power…”

  23. President Hails Iran’s Success in Economic War
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/08/02/2319569/president-hails-iran-s-success-in-economic-war

    “Iranian President Hassan Rouhani highlighted the country’s successful battle with the enemy’s maximum pressures.

    Iran has achieved great successes in thwarting the enemy’s plots during more than two years of maximum pressures and economic war against the Islamic Republic? Rouhani said in a Sunday meeting of the Administration’s Economic Coordination Headquarters.

    He said the economic realities in Iran reveal that the country has the necessary capabilities to carry out concerted plans to overcome the unprecedented economic pressures.

    The president also said that the enemy’s main objective in the “economic war of attrition” imposed on Iran is to confuse the country’s management and decision-making process? foment negative expectations? and create a vague prospect of the future.

    It is necessary to make logical decisions and rely on national unity to thwart the hostile plots? the president underlined.

    In remarks on Friday? Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said the enemy’s long-term goal is to drag the country and the administration into bankruptcy? adding? “Destroying the economy of the country is another goal that they (enemies) pursue because if the economy of a country collapses? it will not be able to survive.”

    “The sanctions pursue an additional goal as well. They want to disconnect the relations between the Islamic Republic and the Resistance Forces in the region. This is because they know that Iran will help these forces as much as they can?” the Leader warned.”

  24. Houthis Deport 6 Baha’i Community Members from Yemen
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2425081/houthis-deport-6-baha%E2%80%99i-community-members-yemen

    “Weeks after deporting a Jewish Yemeni family, the Iran-backed Houthi militias exiled six Baha’i leaders after years of jailing and trying them for apostasy and espionage.

    Well-informed sources in Sanaa confirmed that the six Baha’is were initially released in response to UN efforts. The sources, however, revealed that Houthis gave them an ultimatum of either staying in prison or leaving Houthi-run territory. This comes despite the Houthis allegedly issuing general amnesty for the Baha’is some four months ago.

    The amnesty decision includes the faith group’s leader who was facing a death sentence.

    Baha’i sources in Yemen told Asharq Al-Awsat the six sent to exile are: Hamid Haydara, Walid Ayash, Akram Ayash, Kivan Qadiri, Badeehallah Sanai and Wael al-Ariqi.

    They were transferred from Houthi intelligence holding facilities to the airport in Sanaa where the UN, through the office of special envoy Martin Griffiths, and its agencies ran the negotiations for their release.

    The Baha’i International Community group welcomed the releases and called for their assets to be returned, for all charges against Baha’is in Yemen to be dropped and for Baha’is to live in Yemen without persecution. The released have been granted asylum in a European country.”

  25. Suspected Boko Haram Militants Kill 16 in Cameroon
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2425721/suspected-boko-haram-militants-kill-16-cameroon

    “Suspected militants from Boko Haram killed at least 16 people and wounded seven early on Sunday in a grenade attack on a camp for displaced people in northern Cameroon, a local official said.

    The assailants threw a grenade into a group of sleeping people inside the camp in the village of Nguetchewe, district mayor Medjeweh Boukar told Reuters. The camp is home to around 800 people, he said.

    The village is located close to the Nigerian border.

    Boukar was informed by residents that 16 had died. A security official earlier said 15 had died. The wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, they said.

    “The attackers arrived with a woman who carried the grenade into the camp,” Boukar said, adding that women and children were among the dead.

    Over the past month there have been twenty incursions and attacks by suspected militants, Boukar said.

    In June last year, around 300 suspected Boko Haram militants swarmed onto an island on Lake Chad in Cameroon’s far north and killed 24 people, including 16 Cameroonian soldiers stationed at military outposts.”

  26. Iran: The West must cease financing and harbouring terrorists
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200802-iran-the-west-must-cease-financing-and-harbouring-terrorists/

    “Iran’s foreign minister blamed the US and Europe for funding and protecting terrorists Saturday following the arrest of the leader of a US-based anti-government group.

    “The west must cease financing and harboring [sic] terrorists. From their safe havens in US and Europe, they promote hatred, agitate & organize murder & mayhem, and shamelessly claim responsibility for the murder of innocent Iranian civilians,” Javad Zarif said on Twitter.

    “Smokescreens can’t obscure this hypocrisy,” he added…”

  27. Dozens of Saudi soldiers killed in clashes along Yemen border
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200802-dozens-of-saudi-soldiers-killed-in-clashes-along-yemen-border/

    “Saudi forces suffered dozens of casualties amid clashes in the country’s southwest, according to news reports on Sunday by an outlet aligned with Yemeni Houthi rebels.

    Clashes broke out with Houthi forces in the city of Najran, the Ansarullah news website reported. Saudi authorities have yet to comment.

    Middle East Monitor has been unable to verify the reports independently.

    Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa. The crisis escalated when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

    The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government from the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.

    Tens of thousands of Yemenis are since believed to have been killed in the conflict, while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

    The Houthis, who control most large urban centres, say they are fighting a corrupt system.”

  28. Suicide car bomb, gunmen attack prison in east Afghanistan
    https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/8/2/suicide-car-bomb-gunmen-attack-prison-in-east-afghanistan

    “A suicide car bomb and multiple gunmen attacked a prison in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, Afghan officials said, killing at least one person and injuring 20 others.

    The gunbattle between Afghan security forces and insurgents in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, was still ongoing Sunday evening, and casualties were likely to rise, according to Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor.

    Ajmal Omer, a provincial council member, and Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, also confirmed the attack.

    No one immediately claimed responsibility, but both the Taliban and the local Islamic State group’s affiliate are active in eastern Afghanistan. The IS affiliate is headquartered in Nangarhar province.

    The Taliban’s political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told The Associated Press, “We have a cease fire and are not involved in any of these attacks anywhere in the country,” but said he was not aware of the details of the Jalalabad attack.

    The Taliban declared a three-day cease-fire starting Friday for the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

    The Taliban had also denied involvement in a suicide bombing in the eastern Logar province late Thursday, which killed at least nine people and wounded at least 40, authorities said…”

  29. Morocco’s Royal Navy Rescues 183 Migrants in Mediterranean, Atlantic
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/08/313801/moroccos-royal-navy-rescues-183-migrants-in-mediterranean-atlantic/

    “Morocco’s Royal Navy rescued 183 would-be migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean between Friday and Saturday.

    A military source told Morocco’s state media on Saturday, August 1 that the migrants were “in difficulty aboard makeshift boats in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.”

    Morocco’ Royal Navy provided the migrants with the necessary first aid on board a coast guard patrol vessel. The coast guard transported the migrants to several Moroccan ports, where they were handed over to local authorities.

    Morocco’s Royal Navy also rescued 93 people attempting irregular migration on June 17 and 18.

    The rescued migrants, who were from sub-Saharan African countries, included 15 women and several minors.

    Morocco serves both as a transit and a destination country for migrants…”

  30. Police Investigate Death of Sub-Saharan Migrant in Morocco’s Tangier
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/08/313804/police-investigate-death-of-sub-saharan-migrant-in-moroccos-tangier/

    “Police in Morocco’s northern Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region have opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the death of a sub-Saharan migrant in Tangier.

    Morocco’s state media reported that police intervened after they were alerted of a fire in Tangier’s Donabo park on Friday, July 31.

    The news agency said that a group of sub-Saharan migrants “were spotted, one of whom was unconscious,” at the park.

    The source specified that the unconscious individual had been transferred to the Mohammed V regional hospital, where the doctor on duty confirmed his death.

    Police have opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident and the causes of the individual’s death.

    The 13 migrants who were with the unconscious individual tried to flee, but Tangier police arrested them.

    The migrants remain in custody while police investigate the incident.”

  31. Over 100 YPG/PKK terrorists ‘neutralized’ in July
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/over-100-ypg-pkk-terrorists-neutralized-in-july-157066

    “Turkish security forces neutralized a total of 106 YPG/PKK terrorists in Turkey and abroad in July, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency.

    Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

    Counter-terrorism operations between July 1 and July 31 were jointly carried out by the National Intelligence Organization (M?T), Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), gendarmerie, and police in eastern and southeastern Turkey, and abroad.

    As a part of the action against PKK, and its youth structuring, 62 of 155 suspects taken into custody were formally arrested.

    Four security forces personnel, meanwhile, embraced martyrdom, and two were wounded in YPG/PKK terrorist attacks.

    In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian branch.

    Top terrorists arrested

    Meanwhile, at least nine PKK terror suspects, who martyred Gendarmerie commander Maj. Arslan Kulaks?z in 2015, were arrested on July 27, the fifth anniversary of the martyrdom.

    Gendarmerie forces conducted simultaneous operations in eastern Mu? and northwestern Bal?kesir provinces, and rounded up the suspects.

    The efforts to catch the remaining suspects, who joined the YPG/PKK terrorist group in Syria, are continuing.

    Meanwhile, a PKK terrorist “neutralized” in a domestic anti-terror operation on July 3 was in the list of Turkey’s most wanted terrorists.

    Ferhat Ate? was on the gray category in the list divided into five color-coded classes with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and gray.

    Ates, codenamed Sefkan Mardin, had a bounty of 500,000 Turkish liras
    (roughly $73,000).

    Operations in eastern and southeastern Turkey

    Turkey’s Interior Ministry also launched anti-terror operations in in the country’s eastern and southeastern regions.

    Y?ld??rm-1 Cudi was initiated in the southeastern province of ??rnak on July 14, Y?ld??rm-2 Cilo in the southeastern Hakkari province on July 20, Y?ld??rm-3 Mt. A?r? in the eastern Agri, I?d?r and Kars provinces on July 27, and Y?ld??rm-4 in eastern Tunceli province on July 29.”

  32. George Soros pours record $50 million into 2020 US presidential elections to take down Donald Trump
    https://rmx.news/article/article/george-soros-pours-record-50-million-into-2020-us-presidential-elections-to-take-down-donald-trump

    “Billionaire financier George Soros has spent more than €42.2 million ($50 million) on Democrats’ election campaign for 2020 so far, which is a record amount, the Washington Free Beacon reported. It is about €25.3 million more ($30 million) then he spent in 2016 and there are still three more months to go, so it is fair to assume that the total amount will be even higher.

    Federal Election Commission figures show that a “Democracy“ PAC, which was created by George Soros back in 2019, distributed almost €14.3 million in the last quarter alone.

    That also means that Soros has given €40,5 million ($48 million) to leftist groups, which is even more than Amazon, Facebook, Boeing, and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, have all given during this cycle of elections.

    But besides that, Soros also officially gave €3.3 million ($4 million) directly to Democratic campaigns and committees outside of the PAC. The sum he is willing to give to defeat President Donald Trump has been thus more than doubled this time around.

    “While Democrats across the country sanctimoniously rail against the influence of dark money in politics, their party’s largest donors are bankrolling a massive web of liberal organizations to get them elected,” one GOP operative told the Washington Free Beacon. “George Soros’s unprecedented spending further highlights just how dependent Democrats are on contributions from billionaires, despite their hypocritical rhetoric.”

    Hundreds of thousands from the direct finances go to the DNC-led Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund, the Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund, and the Biden Victory Fund, according to the figures.

    Soros is all in for Joe Biden
    Soros has been open about his disdain for Trump in the past, calling him a “dictator”, a slander he has directed at other leaders he disagrees with, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Now, Soros is actively supporting Joe Biden’s aspirations for president with millions of dollars.

    By diverting the money through the PAC and groups within the Open Society Foundation, Soros’s name is harder to nail down, especially in comparison to previous years when he made direct donations under his own name. However, if anyone takes a closer look at where all the Democratic money is flowing from, they will see that Soros is funding a huge part of the whole operation.

    The New York Times published an interview with Open Society Foundations President Patrick Gaspard earlier this month. He announced that the organization intends to “double down” on funding black-led justice organizations.

    A press release then specified that the largest share of this support would be through a set of five-year grants to Black-led justice organizations that helped to create and the momentum towards racial equality.

    Soros has also been active in combating conservatives in Central Europe, with a particular focus on Hungary’s Orbán, with Soros ramping up his efforts against the country during the coronavirus crisis.

    Soros has already been active in US politics for years, including with efforts this year to give every illegal migrant $1,200 in coronavirus stimulus money.”

  33. Residents in ‘Closed Off’ Communities in Dalian Are Running out of Food | CCP Virus | COVID-19