Reader’s Links for August 11, 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

79 Replies to “Reader’s Links for August 11, 2020”

  1. https://youtu.be/0Oe5oNBRFoY

    Sometimes, now, all I hear is noise. It’s a single tone comprised of the cacophonous roar of lies, lies and more lies coming from every direction. It sounds like the electric low drone of a big transformer.

    “How is she?” I asked my buddy. I had dropped off a dog for him. She was a sweet little black lab who’d been abandoned. Another friend of mine had asked if I knew someone who might want this dog that had been dumped in his lap. I hooked them up.

    “She’s great,” said my friend. “She understands everything, ‘cept she pulls.” He stretched out an arm to make the motion of being pulled on the lead.

    “Get her a choke chain,” I said.

    “Can’t. They’re ‘inhumane’. Don’t sell ’em anymore.” He was repeating what the woman at the pet store had said to him.

    “You’re kidding, right?”

    “Nope.”

    “Well, that’s pretty much condemning plenty of high-drive dogs to death, isn’t it? All those service-type dogs the police rely on. The German Shepherds, Akitas.” My friend shrugged in acknowledgement. “They’re dogs, not children,” I said.

    “I know. Maybe I can get one on-line,” he said.

    At around forty-nine days of a German Shepherd’s life good breeders have a series of predictive tests they use to separate litters according to their reactions. Forty-nine days is when the dog is neurologically complete and has the brain of an adult dog. Police take the most independent pups. These dogs will work until they drop, if allowed. They think for themselves, but you have to watch them. Alphas are born, not made. Even then, however, the lowest-drive purebred Shepherd of a litter will often be the highest-driven dog in a general park population. If it is not taught who is boss from the start it can later turn on its master. He demands you show him you are bigger, smarter, tougher and meaner than he is. Otherwise you are an imposter to the role of master and your days are numbered. The dog that pulls is displaying some dominant traits. For the dangerous breeds such early warnings can end in a death sentence. If he’s not at your heel, he’s at your throat, as the saying goes. To outlaw the choke chain as a tool to teach submission is ludicrous and, to my mind, yet another feminized inversion of common sense. Stop it because it’s mean, goes the logic. Tell this, now, to the otherwise useful dogs that will be euthanized because they could not be properly trained.

    When I returned home from my friend’s place my wife was in the kitchen.

    “How was book club?” I asked.

    “Good. Everyone was there. We had some laughs. Only about half had actually read the book.”

    “Good. Glad you had fun.”

    “But then they started going on about Trump. About how he doesn’t intend to give up power if he loses the election. It’s so sad the way they think.”

    The low drone of the transformer instantly went volume-up inside my head. All of these women were highly-educated professionals, and all were thoroughly brainwashed by Dystopian msm and the education system. I was so happy to hear my wife’s last sentence. It had saved me so much breath. Why is it that “Karens” are the most eager to “man-up” these days? Now don’t get your girdles in a knot, some of you. The Karens I’m referring to are people who unhesitatingly and outspokenly want to enforce a false narrative based on scientism. You can have your own definition, but this is mine. If they’re not at your heel, they’re at your throat. Women, can’t live with ’em, can’t…. But the fact is this isn’t about only women. It’s about a manufactured androgyny. Our western world is full of beta males who’ve found a sad substitute for the dominance they could never find in a real world run by alpha males. Look at Justin Trudeau as the trophy creation of such a culture. The east has not yet been infected by this deconstructing virus that quietly transfers the testicles from men to women. Yet, like all transexuals, the operation is only cosmetic. Real men still don’t eat fucking quiche, don’t train easily, and ultimately will turn and, figuratively, kill the weaker betas who have deluded themselves into believing that the rectilinear rods of sharply-focused endearment are, in fact, glares that warn you the party is almost over.

    Just keep pushing, sweethearts.

    • Oh Johnny, I would have really enjoyed reading your story if when you got to the part about the stupid coward, Justine Trudeau, if you would have told us some woman at the gathering quoted Spencer Fernando “If Justine Trudeau wants a “Bold change” to “Remake” Canada, he should resign”.

      Suggested reading for the book club:
      Submission by Thomas Quiggin
      Letters to my Torturer by Houshang Asadi
      Milestones —Sayyid Qutb

        • Can’t they try a timeout for the puppy?
          A stern, “NO!” or “Shame, bad doggie!” ?
          Worked for me.
          (With shelties. And mynas, parakeets, parrots, and cockatiels.)

          • For the most part, yes, but the really high-drive dog sets itself apart. I’ve known incredibly intelligent dogs that were quite passive, but won’t keep digging for that avalanche victim, for example, without quitting because he’s tired or has lost interest. The high drives won’t give up.

  2. Nigerian singer sentenced to death for blasphemy in Kano state
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53726256
    A musician in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano has been sentenced to death by hanging for blaspheming against the Prophet Muhammad.

    An upper Sharia court in the Hausawa Filin Hockey area of the state said Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, 22, was guilty of committing blasphemy for a song he circulated via WhatsApp in March.

    Mr Sharif-Aminu did not deny the charges.

    Judge Khadi Aliyu Muhammad Kani said he could appeal against the verdict.

    States across Muslim-majority northern Nigeria use both secular law and Sharia law, which does not apply to non-Muslims.

    Only one of the death sentences passed by Nigeria’s Sharia courts has been carried out since they were reintroduced in 1999.

    The singer who is currently in detention, had gone into hiding after he composed the song.

    Protesters had burnt down his family home and gathered outside the headquarters of the Islamic police, known as the Hisbah, demanding action against him.
    Critics said the song was blasphemous as it praised an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood to the extent it elevated him above the Prophet Muhammad.
    The leader of the protesters that called for the musician’s arrest in March, Idris Ibrahim, told the BBC that the judgement will serve as a warning to others “contemplating toeing Yahaya’s path”.”When I heard about the judgment I was so happy because it showed our protest wasn’t in vain.

    “This [judgement] will serve as a deterrent to others who feel they could insult our religion or prophet and go scot-free,” he said.
    Few people had heard of him before his arrest in March.

    An Islamic gospel musician, he is not well-known in northern Nigeria and his songs were not popular outside his Tjjaniya sect, who have many such musicians within their ranks.
    Several sentences have been passed, including for women convicted of having extramarital sex – cases which have caused widespread condemnation.

    But only one has been carried out – a man convicted of killing a woman and her two children who was hanged in 2002.

    The last time a Nigerian Sharia court passed a death sentence was in 2016 when Abdulazeez Inyass, was sentenced to death for blaspheming against Islam during after a secret trial in Kano.

    He was alleged to have said that Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse, the Senegalese founder of the Tijaniya sect, which has a large following across West Africa, “was bigger than Prophet Muhammad”.

    The sentence has not been carried out as a death penalty in Nigeria requires the sign-off of the state governor.

    Mr Inyass is still in detention.
    Blasphemy: Court sentences Kano singer to death
    https://dailytrust.com/blasphemy-court-sentences-kano-singer-to-death

  3. Al-Shabab militants in shoot-out in Somalia prison
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53733967
    At least 10 people have been killed in a shoot-out between jailed militant Islamists and security officers at a prison in Somalia, government spokesman Ismail Mukhtar has said.

    The al-Shabab militants had attempted to escape from the heavily guarded prison in the capital, Mogadishu.

    An investigation is under way into how the militants obtained weapons.

    Some reports suggested that an inmate managed to disarm a warden and then a group of them raided the armoury.
    The BBC’s Bella Sheegow in Mogadishu says Monday’s incident is highly embarrassing for the government as the prison, the second biggest in Somalia, is guarded by elite forces.

    The attack was repelled after reinforcements were called in.
    The most dangerous al-Shabab militants are kept in the prison, including those serving life sentences or awaiting execution after being sentenced to death.

    Inmates had also attempted to break out of the prison in 2017, and the government was under pressure to prevent further such incidents, our reporter adds.
    “We will not leave anything to chance. The government is investigating how this happened and who was responsible for what happened as well as who facilitated the inmates to get the weapons,” Acting Justice Minister Hassan Hussein Haji said.

    Mr Mukhtar said none of the prisoners had managed to escape.

    He said four militants were killed in the shoot-out.

    He did not give details on who the other six were, except to say that the prison guards had also suffered casualties.

    Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has been waging a brutal insurgency in Somalia for more than a decade.

    It has been pushed out of Mogadishu by government and African Union troops, but the group still carries out bombings and assassinations in the city.

  4. “THE GREAT RESET: Davos & the Plot to Cancel Trump”
    TheRemnantVideo – August 6, 2020

  5. CORONAVIRUS: Mouthwash use could prevent COVID-19 spread, scientists find.

    Using commercially available mouthwash could reduce the chance of spreading the deadly coronavirus, according to a study published Monday.

    Researchers from German University Ruhr-Universität Bochum, along with others, found that certain mouthwashes could potentially reduce high viral loads of COVID-19 in the mouth and throat by deactivating the virus.

    The researchers warned that the study did not mean that mouthwash was an effective treatment of COVID-19, but suggested mouthwash could have some potential medical uses.

    “Gargling with a mouthwash cannot inhibit the production of viruses in the cells,” said Toni Meister, the team lead in the study, in a statement.

    “But [mouthwash] could reduce the viral load in the short term where the greatest potential for infection comes from, namely in the oral cavity and throat – and this could be useful in certain situations, such as at the dentist or during the medical care of COVID-19 patients,” he added.

    The researchers used eight mouthwashes with different ingredients available in pharmacies and drugstores in Germany in a simulated environment for their study. While all of the mouthwashes in the study were effective in lowering the amount of coronavirus, three were so effective that the virus could no longer be detected.

    This finding in particular warrants further study, the scientists said, with the possibility of a clinical study to find how long the mouthwash effect on the coronavirus might last in real COVID-19 patients.

    (I think the three that were so effective contained alcohol, but they can’t say it.)

    https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/08/11/Coronavirus-Mouthwash-use-could-prevent-COVID-19-spread-scientists-find.html

    • A glass of wine a day keeps the Doctor away and for the guys beer and pickled eggs, eggs are loaded with vitamin d and nobody will come close to you.

  6. Dutch Police Bust Massive Crack Cocaine Lab, Arrest Suspects from Colombia, Turkey (breitbart, Aug 11, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/11/dutch-police-bust-massive-crack-cocaine-lab-arrest-suspects-colombia-turkey/

    “Dutch police have dismantled what they describe as the biggest cocaine laboratory ever discovered in the Netherlands — hidden at a former horse riding school — and arrested a total of 17 people from Colombia, Turkey and the Netherlands.

    Police said in a statement Tuesday that they discovered tens of thousands of litres of chemicals and 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of crack cocaine when they raided the riding school on Friday. They also found sleeping quarters for staff in the building in Nijeveen, 120 kilometres (75 miles) north-east of Amsterdam.

    André van Rijn, chief inspector at the police organization that dismantles such production facilities, said the lab was equipped to produce 150-200 kilograms (330-440 pounds) of cocaine a day, with a street value of 4.5-8 million euros.

    Police video showed equipment and supplies including plastic barrels and vats of chemicals and a row of five red cement mixers that were used to extract cocaine from products like clothing that are impregnated with the drug before being exported to the Netherlands.

    Police said that 13 of the suspects in custody are Colombians and one other suspect has dual Dutch and Colombian nationality. They are due to appear before an investigating magistrate on Wednesday and Thursday.”

  7. Farage: Boris Lacks ‘Political Will’ to Stop Migrant Boats, Govt Should Declare ‘National Emergency’ (breitbart, Aug 11, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/11/farage-boris-lacks-the-political-will-to-stop-boat-migrant-crisis-govt-should-declare-a-national-emergency/

    “Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson doesn’t have the “political will” to tackle the growing migrant boat crisis in the English Channel, as over 4,100 migrants have landed on British beaches since the start of the year.

    On Monday morning, Mr Farage said that he doesn’t think the Prime Minister will tackle the issue out of fear of backlash and accusations of racism.

    “I don’t think Boris Johnson and the Cabinet are prepared to do what it takes and to face the criticism that they’ll get,” the Brexiteer told Julia Hartley-Brewer on talkRadio.

    Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Farage said that statements from the government about trying to secure a deal with France to immediately return boat migrants “will remain hollow and meaningless until there is real political action,” adding: “it needs to come soon.”

    The Brexit leader said that the British government cannot wait until after the ongoing “transition” period with the EU at the end of 2020 to get control of the migrant crisis, saying that the “time has come already to declare an emergency.”

    “This would be far better than sending a few Royal Navy vessels into the Channel where, as things stand, they would simply join the Border Force and [Royal National Lifeboat Institution] in becoming a taxi service,” Farage explained.

    Mr Farage said that the only way to solve the issue will be to follow the lead of former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott, who under his Operation Sovereign Borders policy halted illegal boat migration from by immediately returning boat migrants to the country they came from or to third-party states to have their asylum claims processed, with legitimate refugees housed in countries other than Australia at Australia’s expense.

    “Like Abbott’s administration, Boris Johnson needs to make it clear that nobody who enters Britain illegally having arrived via France will qualify for refugee status. This is the only realistic solution,” Farage wrote.

    The arch-Brexiteer said that the British public are increasingly seeing the failure of Boris Johnson’s government to stem the tide as a “national humiliation”, noting that the driving force behind the 2016 EU referendum was a desire for the United Kingdom to “control its borders properly”.

    He went on to say that the hordes of mostly young male migrants crossing the English Channel is not just an issue of public opinion or the billions of taxpayer money spent housing and supporting them, but also a matter of national security.

    “Unless Johnson acts quickly, one of his chief legacies will be to have stored up a huge problem for the future of this country. Does he really want to be remembered for this?” Farage asked.

    For his part, Prime Minister Johnson said that his government will attempt to work with “our French friends” to stop the waves of migrants crossing the Channel.

    “We want to stop that, working with the French, make sure that they understand that this isn’t a good idea, this is a very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do,” Johnson said per The Guardian.

    “But then there’s a second thing we’ve got to do, and that is to look at the legal framework that we have that means that when people do get here, it is very, very difficult to then send them away again even though, blatantly, they’ve come here illegally,” Johnson said — although as a governing prime minister with a parliamentary majority in the dozens it is unclear why he has not yet changed that legal framework.”

  8. Slovenia Catches 43 Illegal Migrants Being Smuggled Across Europe in One Van (breitbart, Aug 10, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/10/slovenia-catches-43-illegal-migrants-being-smuggled-through-europe/

    “Police in Slovenia said Monday they stopped a van carrying 43 migrants who entered the country illegally.

    They detained a 39-year-old Bulgarian citizen who was driving the van, which had Bulgarian licence plates.

    The migrants said they came from Pakistan and Bangladesh. A patrol stopped the van on Sunday in the area of Sezana, near the border with Italy.

    Slovenia has reported a rise in illegal migration of people trying to reach Western Europe while fleeing violence or poverty in their home countries.

    The influx has picked up in the summer since the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures in the Balkans.

    Thousands of migrants remain stuck in the region while seeking to move toward Western Europe.”

  9. Turkey vows to press ahead with energy search amid tensions (abcnews, Aug 11, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/tension-high-turkey-greece-eastern-mediterranean-72300804

    “Turkey vowed Tuesday to press ahead with searching for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, saying it plans to issue new exploration licenses for the area despite an escalating dispute with Greece over drilling rights.

    Greece’s foreign minister, meanwhile, called for an emergency meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council “on the subject of the growing Turkish provocation and delinquency.”

    Tension has increased between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, both of which have warships shadowing a Turkish research vessel that was sent to carry out seismic research for energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean in an area Greece says is on its continental shelf.

    Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias called on Turkey “to immediately withdraw from the Greek continental shelf,” saying that “we make clear that Greece will defend its sovereignty and its sovereign rights.”

    Dendias said he had called for the EU’s foreign ministers to meet “at a time when there is a clear Turkish threat to peace and security in the eastern Mediterranean, Greece and Cyprus.”

    Earlier Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey planned to conduct search operations “on the western edges” of Turkey’s continental shelf. He said the work would be done on behalf of both Turkey and Turks in ethnically divided Cyprus, which also has objected to Ankara’s exploration activities.

    “We are fully determined to continue our seismic research and drilling efforts,” Cavusoglu said during a joint news conference with his visiting Azerbaijani counterpart. “We will defend to the end the rights of Turkey and of Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Cyprus, and we will make no concessions.”

    The Turkish government announced on Monday that its research vessel Oruc Reis and two support vessels would be operating in the Mediterranean Sea between Cyprus and Greece until Aug. 23. The vessel arrived in the area Monday morning, escorted by Turkish warships.

    Greece slammed the decision as an illegal act that infringed on its sovereign rights, saying the Turkish research vessel was inside an area covered by the Greek continental shelf. Greek warships were in the area monitoring the Oruc Reis, and the military was on alert, officials said.

    In Brussels, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said member states would consult about the Greek request for an extraordinary meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers.

    “We agree that the situation in the eastern Mediterranean is extremely worrying and needs to be solved in dialogue and not in a series and sequence of steps that are increasing the escalation and the tension,” Stano said.

    Omer Celik, the spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an’s ruling party, criticized Athens for calling on the EU.

    “As usual, Greece has called the European Union to a meeting to support its unfair, unlawful and aggressive policies,” Celik said on Twitter. “The European Union should not allow Greece to turn the whole of Europe into a ‘Greek theater,’” he said on Twitter.

    Greece and Turkey have traditionally had testy relations and have been at odds for decades over a wide variety of issues. The two have come to the brink of war three times since the mid-1970s, including once over drilling exploration rights in the Aegean Sea that separates the two countries. Recent discoveries of natural gas and drilling plans across the east Mediterranean have led to renewed tension.

    Cavusoglu said Turkey last month had agreed to halt its search efforts in the region “as a gesture” following the intercession of the EU and Germany but that Greece did not respond “in a positive way.”

    “No one can accuse Turkey of not displaying goodwill, but on the opposite side, there is a country with bad intentions. If they are to blame anyone, they must blame Greece,” Cavusoglu said.

    Ankara was angered by a deal Greece signed with Egypt on Thursday delineating their bilateral maritime boundaries and exclusive economic zones for rights to the exploitation of resources.

    Last year, Turkey signed a similar deal with the U.N.-backed Libyan government in Tripoli, sparking outrage in Greece, Egypt and Cyprus, which said the agreement infringed on their economic rights in the Mediterranean. The EU said the deal was a violation of international law that threatened regional stability.

    At the heart of the issue is how a country’s continental shelf is calculated and whether islands should be included in the calculation. Turkey argues they should not, a position that Greece says violates international law.”

  10. Nigeria singer sentenced to death in north for blasphemy (abcnews, Aug 11, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/nigeria-singer-sentenced-death-north-blasphemy-72303843

    “A young musician in northern Nigeria’s Kano state has been sentenced to death by hanging for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.

    An Upper Shariah Court found Yahaya Sharif, 22, guilty for circulating a song described as insulting Prophet Muhammad on WhatsApp in March. He has 30 days to appeal the judgment.

    Lawan Muhammad of Kano state’s religious police, Hisbah, told The Associated Press Tuesday he is satisfied with the judgment.

    “It was the kind of judgment we hoped for when we arrested him,” Muhammad said.

    Angry protesters burned down the singer’s family house after he circulated the song.

    Kano is one of about 12 states in Northern Nigeria where Shariah law is in place.

    Many people have been condemned to death under Shariah law since it was first introduced in Kano in 1999, but so far only one execution has been carried out. That was in 2002 when a man was put to death after being convicted of killing a woman and her two children. Many people convicted of theft have had their limbs amputated under the law.”

  11. Police say 19 inmates, guards killed in Somalia prison riot (abcnews, Aug 11, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/police-19-inmates-guards-killed-somalia-prison-riot-72303584

    “A Somali police officer says at least 19 people were killed during a riot in the central prison in Somalia’s capital on Monday evening.

    Abdiqani Mohamed Qalaf, spokesman for the police force in charge of prisons, told reporters the dead included 15 inmates and four guards. He said the situation is back to normal, but he gave no details.

    Gen. Mahad Abdirahman, commander of the custodial corps, told reporters that the violence started when an inmate grabbed an officer’s gun and went on a shooting spree.

    In the chaos, other inmates, including some sentenced on terrorism charges, recovered guns from fallen guards.

    The prison holds some members of the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab.

    It was the first such riot at the prison in recent memory.”

  12. FULL Bodycam Footage of George Floyd Arrest

    The Hennepin County judge Peter Cahill overseeing the George Floyd case has made the body worn cameras from ex-officers Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng available.

    The video, taken from the body worn cameras shows Kueng and Lane responding to a convenience store on May 25 on a report that Floyd had allegedly used a fake $20 bill.

    Their former colleagues, Tou Thao and Derek Chauvin, later showed up to assist.

    The footage follows Lane and Kueng as they apprehend Floyd and two acquaintances.

    Lane holds Floyd at gunpoint and handcuffs him, and the officers briefly question the visibly panicked man before attempting to get him into their patrol SUV.

    After struggling to get him into the police squad, Floyd is eventually held down by officers on the ground.

    Floyd is heard calling to his mother, repeatedly saying he can’t breathe and that everything hurts.

    After a few minutes, Senior officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao arrive and help wrestle him to the ground.

    Chauvin then places his knee on Floyd’s neck, where it stays for over nine minutes.

    Lane and Kueng hold down Floyd’s back and knees as Thao keeps increasingly agitated bystanders at bay.

    Chauvin gets up after paramedics arrive and load Floyd into an ambulance.

    Lane accompanies them and administers CPR as they take Floyd to an out-of-the-way street corner, while Kueng goes back into Cup Foods interviewing an employee about the alleged counterfeit $20 bill and collecting evidence.

  13. Iraq: Sinkhole where IS dumped victims” bodies discovered near Tal Afar

    Iraqi authorities have reportedly found a sinkhole where the so-called Islamic State allegedly executed and dumped the bodies of several victims near the city of Tal Afar, as shown in footage from Monday.

    The hole, reportedly known as Alu Antar well, is 50 metres (164 feet) wide, 90 metres (295 feet) deep and located some 5 km (3 miles) north of Tal Afar, which in turn lies some 63 km (39 miles) west of Mosul.

  14. MEMRI – Pro-Iranian Sunni Mufti of Iraq: Sunnis Are Ready to Fight U.S. Forces; Erdogan Will Provide Weapons

    Sunni Mufti of Iraq Sheikh Mahdi Al-Sumaidaie said in an August 8, 2020 interview on Asia TV (Iraq) that he is ready to lead the “resistance” in their fight against U.S. forces if the Iraqi government and parliament fail to expel them.

    Al-Sumaidaie, who was appointed to his position by the pro-Iranian Al-Maliki government and whose authority is not recognized by all the Sunnis, explained that he had been the first imam to declare Jihad against American forces in 2003.

    Sheikh Al-Sumaidaie said that many Sunnis and most Shiites, including Muqtada Al-Sadr, would support him, and that he would acquire weapons from countries such as Turkey.

    He elaborated that providing weapons for the Iraqi resistance to fight against the Americans would help Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan win over the Iraqi people and restore Iraq’s honor and dignity.

  15. Justine Trudeau, the feminist, the PM who says he is committed to increasing the role of women in society, visited a gender-segregated mosque in Ottawa. The female members of parliament had to enter by a side door and sit in the segregated area.
    The Imam of the mosque is part of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (Muslim Brotherhood hoods) according to its website.
    In 2016 a review noted “It is not the presence of extremist literature in the mosque libraries that is worrisome. The problem is there is nothing but extremist literature in the mosque”.

    Justine speaking at the mosque said. “ as I look at this beautiful room —sisters upstairs—everyone here, the diversity we have just within the mosque, within the Islamic community, within the Muslim community in Canada”.

    Dr. Iqbal Al-Nadvi, Chairperson of the Canadian Council of Imams and Amir ( president) of the Islamic Circle of North America advocates:
    Women are inferior to men.
    Wife beating is permissible
    Owning slave girls should be permissible.
    A Muslim’s wife must obey her husband when he calls her to bed.
    Sex slaves are permissible in certain circumstances.
    Pregnant adulteress to be stoned after giving birth.
    Western civilization is the enemy and Islam is totally incompatible with democracy.

    Jaffri Mosque, Thornhill, Ontario, Imam Sayyid Muhhamed Rizvi:
    Sex with 9 year old girls is acceptable, if it occurs within muta (temporary) or da’im ( permanent) marriage. Permanent marriage is preferred, BUT sex with girls within the temporary marriage is permissible. The muta is performed by an Imam for a fee.

    Come on man, this is Canada, having sex with a minor, a child, is NOT allowed, he should be arrested and if someone arranges such a vile act, he should be arrested for pimping.

    Arrests and deportations should be the order of the day, not crying about Islamophobia.

  16. SPAIN – A shocking advertisement on COVID-19 in the Canaries

    A family celebration that ends in intensive care. The public health of the Canary Islands wanted to strike hard in its latest COVID-19 prevention advertisement.

    In the images, several members of the same family can be seen getting together for the Patriarch’s birthday.

    Barrier gestures are not respected: hugs, hugs, sharing the same drink, anything that is not recommended to be done in these times of a pandemic.

    As Grandpa opens his birthday presents, we discover that in the last one he receives a ventilator.

    The line, “a simple family reunion can put you in a coma for 40 days or even kill you,” then appears on the screen as the man lies in hospital.

    The ad quickly went viral as several countries in Europe, including Spain, saw an increase in cases of infections and outbreaks of the new coronavirus.

    https://geeky.news/a-shocking-advertisement-on-covid-19-in-the-canaries/

    • …and I would write a commercial showing destitute casualties of economic disintegration jumping off buildings, increased alcoholism, political power grabs, unbridled privilege by self-serving political elites, all catalyzed by a man-made chimera timed to destroy Donald Trump’s election prospects prior to the comintern’s execution of its January 2021 Agenda 21/30 scheme.

      All in a minute.

  17. Mr Bean Defends Free Speech: Rowan Atkinson Denounces Scottish Hate Crime Bill (breitbart, Aug 11, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/11/mr-bean-defends-free-speech-rowan-atkinson-signs-letter-against-scottish-hate-crime-bill/

    “Famed British comedian and star of Blackadder and Mr Bean Rowan Atkinson has signed an open letter decrying Scotland’s new Hate Crime and Public Order Bill, warning the law will infringe upon freedom of speech.

    An open letter from Humanist Society Scotland — singed by artists, authors, journalists, and free speech campaigners, including Rowan Atkinson — warned that the left-separatist Scottish National Party (SNP) bill could stifle free expression.

    The letter warned that the legislation as written “creates stirring up offences without any intent being examined; merely that the words, action, or artwork might do so. This offence could even be applied to being in possession of materials produced by someone else, where sharing the material could stir up hatred.”

    “The unintended consequences of this well-meaning bill risk stifling freedom of expression, and the ability to articulate or criticise religious and other beliefs,” the open letter warned.

    The letter was signed by a cross-party “diverse group of individuals and organisations”, who warned that the hate crime legislation could “frustrate rational debate and discussion”, which has a “fundamental role in society including in artistic endeavour.”

    “The right to critique ideas, philosophical, religious and other [sic] must be protected to allow an artistic and democratic society to flourish,” the letter concluded.

    Though notionally on the left of the political spectrum, Mr Atkinson has long been a proponent of freedom of speech, and even defended Boris Johnson for making a joke suggesting burka-wearing Muslim women resemble “letterboxes”.

    “As a lifelong beneficiary of the freedom to make jokes about religion, I do think that Boris Johnson’s joke about wearers of the burka resembling letterboxes is a pretty good one,” Atkinson wrote in 2018.

    “All jokes about religion cause offence, so it’s pointless apologising for them. You should really only apologise for a bad joke. On that basis, no apology is required,” the Blackadder star concluded.

    The comedian also campaigned against proposed laws under the Labour government of Tony Blair which sought to ban incitement to religious hatred. Atkinson warned that the laws would have threatened freedom of speech and that his opposition was about much more than just defending “some silly vicar jokes”.

    Scotland’s justice secretary, Humza Yousaf, denied accusations that the bill would curtail free speech, saying last month that “Free speech in itself is never an unfettered right.”

    “We don’t accept that people can go on speaking tours, saying that women should be raped and children should be kidnapped – we just don’t accept that freedom of speech is completely unfettered,” Yousaf said.

    “What this does is create a protection for, particularly, minority groups and vulnerable groups in our society, against being targeted for hatred and being targets for hatred,” he claimed.

    A Scottish government spokesperson claimed: “The Bill does not seek to stifle criticism or rigorous debate in any way, people can express controversial, challenging or offensive views as long as this is not done in a threatening or abusive way that is intended or likely to stir up hatred.”

    “The law should protect vulnerable groups and minorities and this Bill – which follows an independent, judge-led review and is backed by a number of organisations – will increase confidence in policing to those communities affected by hate crime,” the spokesman claimed.

    However, lawyers in Scotland have warned that the bill may have “unintended consequences” and there could be a “large number of prosecutions”.

    The Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Roddy Dunlop QC, warned that the loose language of the bill could even criminalise comedians who make “A Scotsman, Irishman, and Englishman go to a pub” jokes.

    The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill will be voted on by Scottish MSPs later this year.”

    • the left has no sense of humor

      https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/09/va-republican-says-his-joke-wasnt-anti-semitic-because-he-heard-it-church/310933/

      (not well told
      https://www.ttti.org/the-pope-and-the-rabbi/)

      the joke
      much better
      https://greateraltoonajewishfederation.org/life/humor.html
      The Pope & The Rabbi

      Every time a new Pope is elected, there are many rituals in accordance with tradition, but, there is one tradition that very few people know about.

      Shortly after a new Pope is enthroned, the Chief Rabbi of Rome seeks an audience. He is shown into the Pope’s presence, whereupon he presents the Pope with a silver tray bearing a velvet cushion. On top of the cushion is an ancient, shriveled envelope. The Pope symbolically stretches out his arm in a gesture of rejection. The Chief Rabbi then retires, taking the envelope with him and does not return until the next Pope is elected.

      A new Pope’s reign was shortly followed by a new Chief Rabbi. He was intrigued by this ritual and that its origins were unknown to him. He instructed the best scholars of the Vatican to research it, but they came up with nothing.

      When the time came and the Chief Rabbi was shown into his presence, they faithfully enacted the ritual rejection but, as the Chief Rabbi turned to leave, the Pope called him back.

      “My brother,” the Pope whispered, “I must confess that we Catholics are ignorant of the meaning of this ritual enacted for centuries between us and you, the representative of the Jewish people. I have to ask you, what is it all about?”

      The Chief Rabbi shrugged and replied: “We have no more idea than you do. The origin of the ceremony is lost in the traditions of ancient history.”

      The Pope said: “Let us retire to my private chambers and enjoy a glass of kosher wine together; then with your agreement, we shall open the envelope and discover the secret at last.” The Chief Rabbi agreed.

      Fortified in their resolve by the wine, they gingerly pried open the curling parchment envelope and with trembling fingers, the Chief Rabbi reached inside and extracted a folded sheet of similarly ancient paper.

      As the Pope peered over his shoulder, he slowly opened it. They both gasped with shock —

      It was a bill for the Last Supper — from “Moishe the Caterer.”

      • I don’t have the stomach to read WaPoo straight up. The comments would put me off my chow for a week.
        I can take curated snippets of The Atlantic, but not much more.
        The Jeru Post is so anti-Bibi, I’m becoming more selective there. Stuff that’s linked by rrreliable, rrright-wing sites or by columnists I know.

  18. Migrants ‘Revolt’ Aboard Italian Coronavirus Quarantine Ship (breitbart, Aug 11, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/11/migrants-revolt-aboard-italian-coronavirus-quarantine-ship/

    “Tensions are rising aboard the Italian ship Azzurra used to quarantine migrants for cases of coronavirus, as reports of protests and small revolts on the vessel have emerged.

    The situation on the ship has become much more tense in recent days as more migrants have arrived, many testing positive for the Wuhan virus.

    The ship took over from the Moby Zaza ferry as a quarantine vessel earlier this month. 350 migrants were transferred to the vessel from Lampedusa, 12 of which have tested positive for the virus, Il Giornale reports.

    As the vessel was sailing from Lampedusa to Trapani, where it will remain off the coast of Sicily, a group of Tunisian migrants protested and held a small revolt, allegedly suspicious they were being taken back to a port in Tunisia.

    According to Il Giornale, the incident is just the latest of a number of small revolts that took place aboard the Moby Zaza as it was being used to quarantine migrants.

    The migrants aboard the Azzurra are said to be mostly from Tunisia, with a small number of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. While most are adult males, there are also some families aboard and ten unaccompanied youths.

    The quarantine of the migrants aboard the vessels, which began in May, is estimated to be costing around 4,000 euros per migrant per month.

    The programme has been criticised by members of Matteo Salvini’s League (Lega) party, such as Alessandro Pagano, who decried the costs as many Italians were struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    Despite the pandemic and the various lockdown measures put in place by the Italian government, the country has seen a surge in new migrant arrivals in the last several weeks, to the point that many areas, such as Lampedusa, are completely full.”

  19. 12-Year-Old Girl Lured to Swedish Asylum Home and Raped (breitbart, Aug 11, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/11/12-year-old-girl-lured-to-swedish-asylum-home-and-raped/

    “A young man has been arrested in the municipality of Österåker after allegedly luring a 12-year-old girl and her friend to an asylum home and raping her.

    The incident took place last Thursday after the young girl and her friend met with several men at a local shopping centre and were invited to the refugee accommodation, according to sources close to the case.

    After arriving at the home, the 12-year-old was allegedly raped by a 19-year-old man at the home, who is said to have been arrested on Friday night on suspicion of child rape, newspaper Aftonbladet reports.

    Maria Granat Hamberg, the lawyer for alleged rapist, refused to comment on the case, and the asylum home itself was cordoned off for investigation over the weekend.

    The case comes just days after an Afghan migrant was acquitted of a prior child rape conviction by a Swedish appeals court that ruled he did not know the true age of the underage girl he had been accused of victimising

    The court ruling not only freed the migrant but also saved him from deportation as well.

    Sweden has had major issues with deporting criminal migrants in recent years and the trend looks to continue as reports show that deportations have become even more expensive due to the Wuhan virus pandemic.

    From April to June of 2019 Sweden deported just 1,300 people, but during the same period in 2020 the number has fallen to a mere 372.

    Magnus Brusbäck, head of national transport units at the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, commented on the problem, saying: “We have an organisation that is designed to run about 5,000 deportations in a year and it has been drastically reduced. But we still have the staff and personnel costs, administration and planning all around.”

    The number of migrants sought by authorities for deportation is also falling due to many migrants simply re-applying for asylum status after being rejected.

    “Perhaps many cases have been time-barred. A decision usually applies for four years, and after the migrant influx it has been four years, and a lot of people who have had a negative decision have stayed [hidden] and been wanted but have now been able to seek asylum again,” Magnus Drahosch of the Swedish Border Police said.”

  20. SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA – What is happening in Melbourne ‘would be comical if it wasn’t so terrifying’

  21. (Richard: Note how the Indians are promoting Japan as an ally, this is interesting because all of the nations in that region remember Japan in WWII and are afraid of them.)

    Dear Xi! Japan doesn’t take misadventures kindly

    • It’s good.
      Unlike So. Korea’s Moon, Abe’s no patsy. I suspect he’s been quietly updating preparedness without disturbing lingering pacifists with that old advise and consent thing. The Zaibatsu are with him, that’s enough.

  22. China and Iran Alliance, Road to New Axis Powers? – Zooming In with Simone Gao I China Angle

  23. We only hear about family gatherings that result in illness, not ones that don’t. I wonder if people with particular shared genetic profiles (like blood type A, as has already been indicated) are more vulnerable to sharing illness, as well, Gd forbid.

  24. Seth Frantzman:
    Were suspicious tunnels near Beirut Port discovered after blast?
    The Lebanese Armed Forces have denied the existence of tunnels.

    …Yet Sky News did show a ceiling of a subterranean chamber and noted that people had hope that loved ones might have survived the blast in the tunnels. The Sky News report, which was posted online on Sunday, said the people excavating the site and searching for survivors “know there is a labyrinth of subterranean chambers here; they have discovered the opening of one of them.”

    This comment appears to indicate that the search-and-rescue teams and officials know about these chambers.

    Are these “tunnels,” or is there another explanation for these underground rooms? There may be a more prosaic explanation for underground rooms or other aspects of the urban environment having underground infrastructure, such as tunnels for electrical, water and sewage facilities.…

    Nevertheless, the quick denial by Lebanon that these areas exist and the video of the subterranean chamber or “tunnel” seems to illustrate that Lebanon is still afraid to fully investigate the area for fear of finding the suspicious activities that those critical of Hezbollah allege were taking place here.

    Hezbollah is known to have expertise in building tunnels and underground bunkers.
    https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/were-suspicious-tunnels-discovered-near-beirut-port-after-explosion-638131

  25. Beijing Has Big Plans in the Middle East
    https://www.newsweek.com/beijing-has-big-plans-middle-east-opinion-1523884

    PTrump’s “transactional” approach to foreign policy plays well to the homefront, but it has costs. It reinforces the perceived fragility of American policy, hostage to 4-8 election cycles. Decision-makers in China, India, and the Mideast are always watching.

    China understands a key mindset of Mideastern peoples: they follow the Strong Horse. And they’re not impressed with Deals or Deal-makers; “Memoranda of Understanding” aren’t worth spit.

  26. stray thought–Democrats don’t care if they lose the election. It’s a great way to raise money. Joe Biden is the ideal losing candidate–can blame the loss in him, not the party; his career has been long enough that he won’t mind losing or winning and resigning. If the Democrats were going for a win, they would have picked Ms Duckworth.

    • An election loss is a real good reason for more rioting and violence, pay attention to how they are laying the ground work to question the election results. The Dems don’t want to win the election they want to become the only legal political party in the US so the party leaders can decide who gets to “Reign” in the US.

      • We need Congress.
        I’m horrified by the recent demonrat wins in House primaries.
        • Loss of Eliot Engel to an outright jew-hater is shocking. • Pelosi – cheering on the felonious jihadis -deserves a lightning bolt and a swift trip to hell

  27. “Trump adviser Jenna Ellis fires back at criticism for calling transgender state official a ‘guy'”
    By Alex Nitzberg – August 11, 2020
    https://justthenews.com/nation/culture/jenna-ellis-fires-back-she-faces-criticism-calling-transgender-pa-health-secretary

    “Pennsylvania Health Secretary Moved Mother Out of Nursing Home During Pandemic” By Hannah Bleau – May 13, 2020

    Excerpt: his 95-year-old mother

    Pennsylvania’s Health Secretary Rachel Levine moved his 95-year-old mother from a nursing home during the coronavirus pandemic despite his department’s guidance instructing nursing homes to readmit “stable” patients who contracted the coronavirus — a move critics say led to the stark reality of most virus deaths in the state stemming from those facilities.
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/05/13/pennsylvania-health-secretary-moved-mother-out-of-nursing-home-during-pandemic/

    • “Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best announces retirement”
      KING 5 – Streamed live 3 hours ago

  28. Millitants in Central Mali Set Jail Ablaze in Attack Killing Two
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/08/11/mali-prison-escape/

    “Militants in volatile central Mali killed a prison officer and a gendarme late Monday night, officials said, in a raid that saw a jail set ablaze and five inmates escape.

    The overnight attack occurred in the village of Kimparana, in the Segou region of central Mali, which has witnessed a surge in violence linked to a Jihadist insurgency.

    Gunmen targeted a prison and gendarmerie in the village late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, the district prosecutor Dramane Diarra told AFP, killing one gendarme and prison guard…”

  29. Sudan Says 13 Killed in Ethnic Clashes in Port Sudan
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/08/11/ethnic-clashes-port-sudan/

    “Sudan said Tuesday 13 people were killed and 42 injured in days of clashes between rival ethnic groups in its Red Sea port, state media reported.

    Violence broke out in the eastern city of Port Sudan on Sunday evening, the SUNA news agency said, quoting medics who had treated the wounded.

    Police sent in reinforcements and have imposed a night-time curfew, the statement added.

    Fighting began when protestors from the Nuba people, demonstrating against a new governor, entered a district of the Beni Amer group.

    There is long-standing hostility between the groups. The Nuba originate from the South Kordofan region, an area that suffered from the decades of civil war. The Beni Amer people come from eastern Sudan.”

  30. This woman pre-checked the ‘Democrat’ box on 300 mailed ballots. Why haven’t you heard of her?

    As the tug of war over the safety of mail-in ballots continues to drag on, a secondary campaign is being waged by the so-called elite media. It is a campaign of silence. Which is to say that news items that fit their narrative that mail-in voting is tamper-proof are given space while out-and-out examples of voter fraud end up on the cutting room floor.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/08/11/this-woman-pre-checked-the-democrat-box-on-300-mailed-ballots-why-havent-you-heard-of-her/

  31. Source Denies Rumor of Iran-US Talks
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/08/11/2325635/source-denies-rumor-of-iran-us-talks

    “An informed source in Iran denied rumors that the Islamic Republic and the US have started a series of negotiations with the help of a mediator.

    Speaking to Tasnim on Tuesday, the source dismissed reports of secret talks between Tehran and Washington, adding, “Despite what has been claimed these days, Iran is not involved in any secret negotiations with the US behind the scene, nor are there any ongoing talks with the mediation of Germany, the UK or any other country. Thus, such claims are basically false.”

    Asked why certain foreign media have spread such rumors, the source said the US government’s policy of maximum pressure on Iran has ended in failure, as Washington itself admits that it has failed to achieve the objectives against Tehran.

    The resignation of US special representative for Iran Brian Hook was a result of his failure to pursue the policy of maximum pressure on Iran, and such a defeat is awaiting his successor too, the source noted.

    As a result, the Americans are willing to hide their defeats behind rumors and false news about secret negotiations and contacts with Iran, the source added.

    Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected the idea of direct negotiations with the US, stressing that Washington must first resume honoring its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and lift the sanctions on Tehran.

    Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has ruled out the notion that ‘settlement of Iran’s problems hinges on rapprochement with the US.’

    Negotiation with the US will by no means solve Iran’s woes as Washington’s main objective is to hinder Iran’s progress, American officials are liar and deceitful, and, moreover, the US itself is plagued with crises, Imam Khamenei said in 2016.”

  32. Iran Denies Reports of Partial Sanctions Removal
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/08/11/2325612/iran-denies-reports-of-partial-sanctions-removal

    “Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied reports that part of the foreign sanctions against the country are going to be lifted temporarily.

    Asked by reporters on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Seyed Abbas Mousavi rejected the media reports citing an anonymous source about the temporary removal of part of the so-called non-targeted sanctions on Tehran.

    Such comments are unreal fabricated reports whose purpose is not clear, he said.

    “It is not unlikely that the failure of the US’ policy of sanctions would be a source of quarrel between Europe and the US, but what relates to the Islamic Republic of Iran is that the US’ unilateral sanctions are illegal and cruel, and according to the JCPOA and the (UNSC) Resolution 2231, the US must remove and nullify all of the sanctions it has re-imposed after its withdrawal from the JCPOA,” Mousavi added.

    In remarks in June, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran would be prepared for talks with Washington as soon as the US returns to the JCPOA, complies with the UN regulations, apologizes to Iranians, and makes up for the damages it has caused to Iran.”

  33. Iran Arrests 5 Iranians for Spying for Foreign Powers
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2441956/iran-arrests-5-iranians-spying-foreign-powers

    “Iranian authorities have arrested five Iranians on charges of spying for Israel, Britain and Germany, convicting and handing down prison sentences on at least two of them, the judiciary said on Tuesday.

    “In recent months, five Iranians who were spying for foreign intelligence services have been arrested,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said in a virtual news conference.

    Shahram Shirkhani spied for British intelligence services and tried to recruit some Iranian officials for Britain’s MI6 agency, Esmali said.

    Shirkhani had passed on classified information about Iran’s Central Bank and Defense Ministry contracts, he said. He has been convicted and received a prison sentence.

    Masoud Mosaheb, who was secretary-general of the Iran-Austria friendship association, also has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for spying for Israel’s Mossad and the German intelligence services, the spokesman said.

    He gave no details on the other three detainees.”

  34. Turkish Drone Kills 2 Iraqi Officers in Kurdish Region, Says Army
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2442511/turkish-drone-kills-2-iraqi-officers-kurdish-region-says-army

    “Two high-ranking Iraqi officers were killed Tuesday in what the army said was a “blatant Turkish drone attack” in the autonomous Kurdish region, where Ankara has for weeks been raiding militant positions.

    The strike killed two border guard battalion commanders and the driver of their vehicle, the army said in a statement.

    It is the first time members of the regular Iraqi forces have been killed since Turkey launched a cross-border ground and air operation in mid-June against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels in the mountainous terrain of northern Iraq.

    Iraq has already summoned the Turkish envoy in Baghdad twice in protest at Ankara’s operations on its soil.

    Ihsan Chalabi, the mayor of Sidakan in the north of Arbil province, told AFP that the drone had targeted “Iraqi border guard commanders while they were in meetings with PKK fighters”.

    Witnesses had reported clashes earlier in the day between PKK and Iraqi forces, and local sources said the drone strike targeted an emergency meeting called to try to calm the tensions.

    At least five civilians have been killed since the start of the Turkish campaign in June…”

  35. GCC Condemns Turkish Threats against UAE
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2442526/gcc-condemns-turkish-threats-against-uae

    “Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Dr. Nayef al-Hajraf condemned on Tuesday the threats some Turkish officials have made against the United Arab Emirates.

    Meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Erdogan Kok, he stressed that the UAE’s security is an integral part of the Gulf.

    He underlined the GCC’s commitment to preserving Arab national security, expressing his rejection of foreign meddling in Arab internal affairs.

    Hajraf stressed the GCC’s keenness on the security and stability of the region and developing relations with neighboring countries in order to achieve mutual interests on the bases of respecting the sovereignty of nations.”

  36. Polling question that needs to be asked: Can you cast a vote for Joe Biden without holding your nose?
    By Howard Portnoy August 11, 2020

    Last August, when Joe Biden’s third and final bid for the presidency seemed destined to crash and burn, one rarely heard voice in the Biden camp offered this rationale for voting for him. “Your candidate might be better on, I don’t know, health care, than Joe is, but you’ve got to look at who’s going to win this election. And maybe you have to swallow a little bit and say, ‘OK, I personally like so and so better,’ but your bottom line has to be that we have to beat Trump.”

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/08/11/polling-question-that-needs-to-be-asked-can-you-cast-a-vote-for-joe-biden-without-holding-your-nose/

  37. Turkey establishes new army base in northern Syria
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200811-turkey-establishes-new-army-base-in-northern-syria/

    “The Turkish army has established a new base in the area of Jabal Al-Akrad near the northern city of Latakia in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed on Monday.

    According to Rai Al-Youm website, the new base is intended to undermine the Syrian army’s move towards the district around Latakia. The exact number of Turkish bases in northern Syria is not known.

    Turkish sources reported by Rai Al-Youm said that the army has set up a central military leadership for its forces serving in Syria centred on Antioch. The leadership is tasked with administering Syrian territory controlled by Turkey and protecting the Syrian people who have been under heavy attacks by regime forces. The news website believes that this step might be the first move in the annexation of the region by Turkey.

    The UAE-based newspaper claimed that Turkey did not respect the Turkish-Russian agreement related to the de-escalation of tension in the north of Syria signed in March this year. The government of the UAE is said to be working against Turkey on a number of different fronts.”

  38. Yemen official arrested in Egypt for possession of over $1m
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200811-yemen-official-arrested-in-egypt-for-possession-of-over-1m/

    “A high-ranking official in the internationally-recognised Yemeni government has been detained at Egypt’s Cairo International Airport, according to the Yemen Press Agency, allegedly in possession of over $1 million.

    Ali Al-Nuaimi, who is the director of Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik’s office, was arrested by Cairo airport authorities after the large sum of money was discovered in a bag. He had refused to have his bag inspected on the grounds that he was carrying a diplomatic passport. According to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a properly marked diplomatic bag has diplomatic immunity from search and seizure.

    Citing a former Yemeni Human Rights Minister, Hooria Mashhour, who served under President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s government, the news agency reported that Al-Nuami arrived in Egypt from Seiyun Airport in Yemen’s Hadhramaut.

    He was said to be on his way to hand over the funds to a realtor on behalf of the Yemeni prime minister in order to purchase two flats in Cairo worth $1.2 million each…”

  39. Kuwait Migration: Bill Prepares for Systemic Purge of Foreign Workers
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/08/315127/kuwait-migration-bill-prepares-for-systemic-purge-of-foreign-workers/

    “On August 11, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas published the full text of the “Foreign Residency Bill” that aims to purge thousands of foreign workers from Kuwait. National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim has submitted an additional proposal that was published on August 10. Speaker Al-Ghanim’s proposal had laid out a proposal to deport any “excess” workers before 2025.

    The ‘Foreign Residency Bill’
    The Kuwaiti cabinet has approved the new draft law, which aims to drastically curb the number of foreign workers in the country. The bill will soon be the focus of a debate in the National Assembly, after which it may become law.

    The bill targets foreign workers employed illegally in Kuwait, as well as “visa traders” that facilitate their entry into Kuwait. Heavy fines would face those caught facilitating the illegal entry of new foreign workers. Workers overstaying their visa or entering the country illegally would also face fines.

    “Visa traders” could receive prison sentences of up to three years. There would also be fines between $16,350 and $33,000 per foreign worker found breaching the potential new law. Repeat offenders and offenders employed in the public sector would see their punishment doubled.

    Increased surveillance
    Article one of the new bill defines more rigorous requirements for foreign passport holders, but exempts citizens of fellow GCC countries. The GCC exemption in the bill reveals a particular government focus to purge foreign workers from South Asia, who make up a significant section of expats in Kuwait.

    The bill further aims to ensure long-term foreign workers legally employed in Kuwait register locally-born children at the Interior Ministry and produce a passport for the child.

    Foreigners on short-term stays would experience closer monitoring as hotels and rental properties would need to share data on their tenants within 48 hours of arrival and departure.

    Private sector
    The bill appears to recognize that many native Kuwaitis directly employ foreign workers in their businesses or homes. Domestic workers would be eligible for residency, but would surrender that right from the moment they stop working for their current employer.

    The provisions could make it harder for domestic workers to switch employers. This could make them a potential target for abuse or exploitation as their employer could at any time get them deported.

    Kuwaiti women who aim to obtain a residence permit for a foreign husband and children would need to prove that both parents work in the private sector. Working for an NGO or public institution disqualifies potential applicants, and women who have become Kuwaiti through marriage cannot apply.

    Noticeably, the bill neglects to impose any provisions on Kuwaiti men who have married foreign women. Foreign wives or widows with Kuwaiti-born children would be eligible for residency.

    Deportations
    The new Foreign Residency Bill makes it significantly easier for Kuwait’s Interior Ministry to deport foreign workers. Losing employment, or being deemed “unnecessary” by the Interior Ministry, could be sufficient grounds for deportation. Those not advancing the country’s “public, security or moral interest” would become eligible for deportation.

    Any foreign person entering Kuwait would have their temporary stay limited to three months, after which they would need to leave the country if unable to apply for a one-year extension. The Interior Ministry would determine conditions for an extension as it sees fit.

    While the draft bill does not explicitly call for the deportations of thousands, it does provide the legislative abilities for government entities to purge whomever they deem not in the country’s interest. Those interests could easily evolve over time. This would mean any foreign worker in the country could eventually become a target for deportation as political priorities change.

    Speaker’s proposal
    Anti-immigration momentum in Kuwait is growing, with calls to purge foreign workers featuring in mainstream publications. The draft bill that followed a public proposal by National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim and four members of parliaments is much more direct in its desire to reduce the local expat population.

    The proposal aims to put a cap on foreign workers within six months and deport thousands of “surplus workers” within five years. The recruitment of foreign workers would be limited to numbers set by the government on a yearly basis.

    The speaker’s proposal recognizes that many foreign workers cannot afford to leave Kuwait, even if they would want to. If Kuwait accepted the proposal, it would establish a fund to pay for flights and unpaid wages if the worker’s employer has been found unwilling to pay in court. The fund would also pay relatives of foreign workers who die during their work in Kuwait.

    Foreign workers themselves would pay for the fund. The bill would mandate a “solidarity fee” when applying for new residency papers, a driver’s license, or car registration. Furthermore, the fee will add to the cost of flight tickets issued in Kuwait.

    The speaker’s proposal and Foreign Residency Bill have set tough new rules for Kuwait’s large population of foreign workers. Morocco World News will continue to follow and report on the issue as it makes its way through Kuwait’s legislative body.”