Reader’s Links for November 30, 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

89 Replies to “Reader’s Links for November 30, 2020”

  1. Turkey Extradites Belgian-Moroccan Jihadist Fouad Akrich to Belgium
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/11/327504/turkey-extradites-belgian-moroccan-jihadist-fouad-akrich-to-belgium/

    “Authorities transferred Belgian-Moroccan former jihadist fighter Fouad Akrich from Turkey to prison in Belgium on Tuesday, November 24, according to Brussels Times.

    Fouad Akrich left Belgium for Syria in 2012. He was active along with other five Moroccan jihadists in the Sharia4Belgium organization. Belgium sentenced the six to a five-year prison sentence in 2015 in absentia for belonging to the terrorist group.

    Turkey managed to apprehend Fouad Akrich on December 24, 2019, along with his Dutch wife and their three children, according to De Morgan. His family remains in a center awaiting transfer to the Netherlands.

    Belgium stripped Fouad Akrich and the five other Moroccan-born convicts, brothers Ali and Said El Morabit, Ilyass Boughalab, Bilal Elhamdaoui, and Azdine Tahiri, of their Belgian nationality, the country’s Official Gazette announced earlier in 2020.

    Akrich’s lawyer stated that he “had opposed this conviction and as there is no final criminal decision, the revocation of his nationality was suspended.”

    The lawyer said that he was able to meet with his client on November 26. “He has been questioned and his appeal file can begin in early 2021,” he added.

    The judiciary has prosecuted Sharia4Belgium for recruiting militants to send to terrorist groups. In 2015 Belgium sentenced the leader of Sharia4Belgium, Fouad Belkacem, to 12 years in prison for sending jihadists to Syria.

    Sentences for all 44 other members, including the six mentioned above, ranged between three and 15 years. Authorities apprehended seven members of the group, while the rest were thought to still be in Syria, with suspicions that some may be dead.”

  2. Pakistan, China ink pact to enhance defence cooperation
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2274130/pakistan-china-ink-pact-to-enhance-defence-cooperation

    “Pakistan and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for enhancing defence cooperation between the two armies, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday.

    The development comes during a meeting of Minister of National Defence China General Wei Fenghe with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

    The visiting dignitary also acknowledged and appreciated the Pakistan Army’s sincere efforts for regional peace and provision of secure environment for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, according to the military’s media wing.

    Matters of mutual interest, regional security and enhanced bilateral defence collaboration were also discussed during the meeting, it added.

    The army chief thanked the national defence minister for China’s unwavering support to Pakistan on all key issues at regional and international forums. He said that Pakistan Army greatly values “our time-tested and brotherly relations with China”…”

  3. Taliban-Afghan government agreement marred by document’s wording
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2274161/taliban-afghan-government-agreement-marred-by-documents-wording

    “A breakthrough on an initial agreement reached between Taliban and government negotiators has been held up at the last minute after the insurgent group balked at the document’s preamble because it mentioned the Afghan government by name.

    Teams representing the Taliban and the Afghan government have been negotiating in the Qatari capital since September to reach a consensus on the modalities of peace talks, moving forward to help end decades of war in Afghanistan.

    “The negotiating teams have so far agreed on all 21 articles that provide guiding principles for the negotiations,” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said in a statement on Monday. “At this time, they continue to debate the preamble, in which some issues need further clarification”.

    Government and diplomatic sources told Reuters that when it came to signing the document in November, which was to include references to the “Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” – the official name of the Afghan government, – the Taliban backed off.

    The Taliban refuse to refer to the Afghan negotiating team as representatives of the Afghan government, as they contest the legitimacy of Ghani’s election.

    “(The government and Taliban) prepared to sign the agreement,” a diplomat in Kabul familiar with process told Reuters, adding that the chief Afghan government negotiator was to sign the agreement as “chief negotiator for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan”.

    “The Taliban refused to accept that,” the diplomat said.

    The Taliban did not immediately respond to request for comment on the specific incident but had earlier told Reuters that their stance was to negotiate with Afghans broadly and would not recognise them as negotiators representing the government…”

  4. Arizona Lawmakers Call for Resolution to Hold Back Electoral College Votes
    By Bowen Xiao
    November 30, 2020 Updated: November 30, 2020
    Print

    At a public hearing in Arizona with select members of the state legislature and members of President Donald Trump’s legal team, lawmakers called for their colleagues to support an upcoming resolution that would delay the release of the state’s Electoral College votes.

    Arizona state Rep. Mark Finchem told reporters during the Nov. 30 hearing that they hope to have a resolution “within the next 24 to 48 hours.” The state holds 11 Electoral College votes.

    “We are clawing our Electoral College votes back, we will not release them,” Finchem said. “That’s what I’m calling on our colleagues in both the House and Senate to do—exercise our plenary authority under the U.S. Constitution.

    “There is a legal brief out there that says we are not tethered to state statute when it comes to this one question.”

    According to Finchem, the move would be easy to make and would be legally binding.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/arizona-lawmakers-call-for-resolution-to-hold-back-electoral-college-votes_3599250.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2020-11-30-5

  5. President Erdo?an hails Palestinian cause
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/president-erdogan-hails-palestinian-cause-160446

    “Turkey is doing all it can to raise the Palestinian cause at all platforms to end “occupation, oppression and genocide policies”, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said on Nov. 29.

    Erdo?an’s message was read out at the opening ceremony of a new building for the League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds in Istanbul on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People.

    “The League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds has become the voice of the just cause of our Palestinian brothers and sisters globally through its efforts, meetings and conferences,” he said.

    He noted that Jerusalem is not just an issue that is close to the hearts of Muslims in Palestine, but also 1.8 billion Muslims around the world.

    “On the basis of U.N. resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, we will continue our struggle with determination until an independent, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is established on the basis of 1967 borders,” Erdo?an added.

    Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa ?entop speaking at the event said the Palestinian cause is dear not only to Palestinians, Arabs or the Islamic world but to anyone with a conscience, regardless of race, religion or political views.

    Parliamentarians for Al-Quds is an internationally independent group, which was established in 2015. It aims to activate the role of parliamentarians in supporting Palestinian human rights according to international laws.

    The body works together with lawmakers from various world parliaments for consultation, coordination and cooperation on the issues of Palestine.

    Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem, have been under illegal Israeli occupation since 1967.

    “Pursuing the Palestinian cause, in essence, means bringing post-WWII world order into question. We are in a period in which Muslims, and all other oppressed nations will grow stronger and fight on to gain their rights,” ?entop said.

    He said the Al-Quds parliament, which consists of over 1,500 active or former parliamentarians from 73 countries, is the right platform to defend and promote the Palestinian cause.”

  6. Turkey nabs 5 Daesh/ISIS terror suspects
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-nabs-5-daesh-isis-terror-suspects/2060789

    “Police in Turkey arrested five Iraqi nationals over their suspected links to Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization, a security source said on Monday.?

    This came after prosecutors in the northwestern Sakarya province issued arrest warrants for the suspects. They were suspected of operating in conflict zones, according to an investigation into Daesh/ISIS’s actions and activities.

    In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist group.

    The country has since been attacked by the extremist organization multiple times. At least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed attacks have killed 315 people and injured hundreds more.

    In response, Turkey launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to head off further attacks.”

  7. Man arrested on terror charges near Cosenza
    https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2020/11/27/man-arrested-on-terror-charges-near-cosenza_0d357ced-3c6f-4a57-a4ec-5928c95de276.html

    “An Italian man resident in the province of Cosenza was arrested Friday on suspicion of self-training and activities with terrorist ends, including international ones, judicial sources said.

    Police allegedly found on his computer instruction manuals on how to build bombs, tutorials on how to carry out terrorist operations, instructions on self training to carry out terror attacks.

    They also allegedly found videos of gruesome ISIS executions, official magazines from the media a gencies of ISIS, al-Qaeda and other terror groups, as well as documents in Arabic which the suspect himself had written.

    The man also communicated with jihadi groups on the Web, police said.
    The suspect had learned to speak Arabic and sported a long and thick beard, police said.

    The man was said to be 30 years old and from the town of Luzzi.
    Police said he was a ‘lone wolf’.”

  8. Centralizing Europe and abolishing the veto are on the EU’s agenda, says EU parliament President Sassoli
    https://rmx.news/article/article/centralizing-europe-and-abolishing-the-veto-are-on-eu-s-agenda-says-eu-parliament-president-sassoli

    “President of the European Parliament David Sassoli has presented the vision of the EU leaders concerning the future course of the Union, which foresees further centralization, abolition of the veto right, a central European treasury, and permanent redistribution of debts.

    The plans presented by Sassoli runs counter to those governments seeking more sovereignty in the EU but just how far does Sassoli want to go in reshaping Europe?

    In an interview published on his website, Sassoli further said that it would be necessary to reform the founding treaties to change the EU’s entire government.

    “First of all, to eliminate the veto right of individual governments, an anachronistic tool since nowadays, rapid decisions are needed, even for the benefit of citizens and governments themselves. We need new transfers of competencies, or rather of powers, from the nation-states to the Union,” envisions the European Parliament president.

    Sassoli’s proposals, which essentially would amount to a United States of Europe, represents a clear threat to countries like Poland, Hungary, and many other nations throughout the EU.

    Currently, Hungary and Poland are using their veto to block an effort by the European Parliament and the European Council from tying EU funds to rule-of-law issues. Both Hungary and Poland fear that if the EU is successful in its efforts, it would enable the Union to effectively control national governments through the use of sanctions. For conservative governments, the liberal majority in institutions such as the European Parliament would be open to pursue an open borders immigration policies, further introduce liberal values in education and society, and enforce multiculturalism in those countries which have resisted it up until now.

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki have signaled that they will refuse to drop their veto of the seven-year EU budget and the coronavirus recovery fund unless a shared agreement can be reached.

    “We have decided to align our positions on these issues. Neither Poland nor Hungary will accept any proposals that is deemed unacceptable by the other,” the declaration reads.

    Pooling EU member state debts
    Sassoli also says that the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) needs to be reformed.

    “It is necessary to make the common debt issues permanent and to create a Treasury at [the] European level,” Sassoli believes.

    His proposals, which he considers essential to get out of the coronavirus crisis, are the following: debt cancellation by governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, permanent Eurobonds, a new ESM managed directly by the European institutions, and reform of the treaties to eliminate the veto right in all areas of the Union policy.

    “There are despair and misery, social cracks are starting to open: what has been decided so far is of extreme importance and will define Europe in the coming years. But now we must start a major reform to give more authority and more sovereignty to the Union,” says Sassoli.

    According to him, Paolo Gentiloni, EU commissioner for the economy, is right when he argues that it is useless to think of reactivating the Stability Pact before 2023.

    “We cannot afford an abrupt return of those rules before the countries have recovered the growth lost during the coronavirus pandemic. We would destroy the beginning of the recovery process,” argues Sassoli.

    “We need all member states to engage in coordinated tax reforms at the European level to develop redistributive policies. Many are struggling with poverty, but others have benefited from the crisis. The contribution of the privileged is important to reduce inequalities,” stated the EP President in the interview.

    In her recent interview with the Le Monde daily, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said that “European Union leaders should consider whether the €750 billion Recovery Fund could become a permanent instrument.”

    Lagarde also expressed hope that “there will also be a debate on a common budgeting tool for the eurozone.”

    In this context, Sassoli stated that “it is necessary to make the common debt issues permanent and to create a Treasury at the European level. We have had great success with SURE (Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency) bonds, and we will have great success with Recovery bonds. It is a model that should be the ultimate one. With European bonds, we could engage the ECB in financing the ecological transformation, which is also a recovery tool. That is a crucial issue that could consolidate the Union.”

    According to recent reports, the European Commission has distributed €14 billion from SURE to nine Member States.

    “Recently, they told me the same thing about a financial transaction tax, which will come into effect in 2026 at the latest. Europe is the answer to our problems. Today, for example, the Union has a portfolio of six vaccines for at least 200 million doses each. They were bought by the Commission on behalf of Parliament at a low price because if you buy these quantities, you are strong in the market. No European state could do it alone. That shows the need for a healthy Union. The same goes for bonds, migrants, and many other areas,” Sassoli concluded.

    Asked if the proposals do not seem unrealistic to him, he replied that he does not think so.”

  9. Bureaucratic red tape delayed the COVID-19 vaccine until after the election
    By Hans Bader November 30, 2020

    Bureaucratic requirements — not science — explain why it took until after the election for a COVID-19 vaccine to become available. The vaccines themselves were designed months ago. Indeed, Moderna designed its vaccine in January, when many Americans were unaware of the coronavirus. “The entire process took two days,” reports the New York Times. By late February, Moderna had “shipped out its first vaccine batches” to the National Institutes of Health, reports Business Insider:

  10. Barnes and Baris on Election 2020 Anomalies: What Are the Odds?
    People’s Pundit Daily – Streamed live 10 hours ago