Reader’s Links for January 22, 2021

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

92 Replies to “Reader’s Links for January 22, 2021”

  1. The Politics of the Pandemic – Frontpagemag
    Phil Orenstein
    6-8 minutes

    Crushing the backbone of America’s small businesses.

    248 years ago, the British Crown picked winners and losers in the colonial economy of America, creating an unjust monopoly over the tea trade. The Crown ruled that the British East India Company would have the advantage over the American colonial purveyors of tea.

    In March of 2020, the New York State Legislature abdicated its authority by granting Governor Cuomo unchecked emergency powers. King George III picked winners and losers in colonial America and discarded the rights of the people, and today King Cuomo, in crushing the backbone of small businesses across the state, has accomplished the same feat.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/01/politics-pandemic-phil-orenstein/

  2. Parler Decries ‘Reprehensible’ Attack on CEO’s Family, Wife After House Oversight’s FBI Demand
    By Jack Phillips
    January 22, 2021 Updated: January 22, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    Parler, a social media company favored by conservatives, has asserted that CEO John Matze’s family and wife have been smeared after the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the FBI requesting an investigation.

    “Over the past few weeks, Parler has been repeatedly mischaracterized and treated unjustly. But the recent personal attacks on our CEO John, his wife Alina, and their family are reprehensible,” the company wrote in a post on its website on Thursday.

    The Nevada-based firm added: “Alina, whose working-class family lived in the former Soviet Union, came to America to start her own multi-racial, interfaith family with John. To subject them to baseless accusations that their marriage is part of some twisted espionage scheme—all because she is an immigrant—is precisely the sort of ‘racism, nativism, fear, [and] demonization’ President Biden urged us to reject in his inaugural address.”

    House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter that the FBI should carry out a “robust investigation” into whether Parler played a role in the Capitol breach on Jan. 6.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/parler-house-oversight-letter-to-fbi-a-reprehensible-attack-on-ceos-family-wife_3667366.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-01-22-2

  3. Laptop repair shop owner at center of Hunter Biden scandal reveals everything

  4. Fox News Contributor Joe Concha: Ocasio-Cortez Wants To ‘Establish A Ministry Of Truth’ For The Media
    Shelby Talcott
    3 minutes

    Fox News contributor Joe Concha broke down Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Tuesday comments about wanting to “rein in our media environment” and expressed shock at how much of media ignored the statements.

    Ocasio-Cortez said that Congress is discussing “a commission” and declared that they will “have to figure out how we rein in our media environment” to prevent “disinformation and misinformation” during an Instagram stream Tuesday.

    Fox News’ Steve Doocy wondered “who would decide what media gets reined in” Thursday morning and Concha said that the likely options are various Democrats who “have some challenges when it comes to telling the truth.” (RELATED: ‘We Have A List’: Pundits And Democrats Plan To Hold Trump Supporters Accountable)

    https://dailycaller.com/2021/01/14/joe-concha-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-establish-ministry-of-truth-media/

  5. Media trust hits new low

    Trust in traditional media has declined to an all-time low, and many news professionals are determined to do something about it.

    Why it matters: Faith in society’s central institutions, especially in government and the media, is the glue that holds society together. That glue was visibly dissolving a decade ago, and has now, for many millions of Americans, disappeared entirely.

    By the numbers: For the first time ever, fewer than half of all Americans have trust in traditional media, according to data from Edelman’s annual trust barometer shared exclusively with Axios. Trust in social media has hit an all-time low of 27%.

    https://www.axios.com/media-trust-crisis-2bf0ec1c-00c0-4901-9069-e26b21c283a9.html

  6. Texas Gov Brings National Guard Troops Home After Soldiers Slept in Parking Garage

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered National Guard members from the Lone Star State to return home from Washington, D.C., after the U.S. Capitol Police ordered thousands of soldiers gathered in the city for Inauguration week to sleep in a parking garage.

    https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2021/january/texas-gov-brings-national-guard-troops-home-after-soldiers-slept-in-parking-garage

  7. Gov. Ron DeSantis Orders Return of Florida National Guard Troops: ‘They’re Not Nancy Pelosi’s Servants’

    2:36

    Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced early Friday morning that he ordered the return of Florida National Guardsmen from the nation’s capital following reports of troops being forced to evacuate the Capitol building grounds and wait in a parking garage after an alleged mask complaint from a Democrat congressman, emphasizing they are soldiers and “not Nancy Pelosi’s servants.”

    “Last night, I ordered our Adjutant General to bring Florida National Guard soldiers home from the National Capital Region,” the Republican governor announced:

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/01/22/gov-desantis-orders-return-florida-national-guard-troops-theyre-not-nancy-pelosis-servants/

  8. Florida bank says it has closed Trump’s accounts | TheHill
    Joseph Choi
    3 minutes

    A Florida bank announced Thursday that it has closed down former President TrumpDonald TrumpIran’s leader vows ‘revenge,’ posting an image resembling Trump Former Sanders spokesperson: Biden ‘backing away’ from ‘populist offerings’ Justice Dept. to probe sudden departure of US attorney in Atlanta after Trump criticism MORE’s account, joining a growing list of entities that have cut ties with the former president following the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

    In his financial disclosures, Trump had stated he had two money-market accounts with Banks United, The Washington Post reports. The accounts held somewhere between $5.1 million and $25.2 million.

    https://thehill.com/policy/finance/banking-financial-institutions/535282-florida-bank-says-it-has-closed-trumps-accounts

  9. French Troops Kill Over 20 Jihadists in Burkina Faso
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/01/22/france-kills-20-jihadists-burkina-faso/

    “More than 20 jihadists have been killed by French troops this month in Burkina Faso near the border with troubled Mali, the French military said Thursday.

    One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina Faso is struggling with a ruthless insurgency by armed Islamists who swept in from neighboring Mali in 2015.

    Almost 1,100 people have died and more than a million people have fled their homes.

    French Tigre helicopters on Saturday “neutralized” a “suspicious convoy of 30 motorcycles” on Burkinabe territory near the Mali town of Boulikessi in which some 10 jihadists were killed, said Colonel Frederic Barbry, spokesman for the French defense staff.

    The same day, a French drone struck a four-wheel drive vehicle heading for Mali, he said.

    On Sunday, French helicopters fired on a convoy of 40 motorbikes “allowing us to stop the convoy and neutralize more than 10 armed terrorists and destroy about 10 motorbikes,” Barbry added.

    France has deployed troops in the region to fight jihadists.”

  10. Missing Catholic Priest Found Dead in Burkina Faso
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/01/22/burkina-faso-missing-priest-dead/

    “A priest missing since Tuesday in Burkina Faso’s jihadist-plagued southwest has been found dead, security and local sources said Thursday.

    “The priest’s lifeless body was found in the Toumousseni Forest” in the Cascades region bordering Ivory Coast and Mali, a security source said.

    A local politician confirmed that the priest, Abbot Rodrigue Sanon from the Notre Dame de Soubaganyedougou parish, had been found dead.

    While the priest’s disappearance and death remain unexplained, Burkina Faso’s southeast harbors jihadists and bandits — much like parts of neighboring states in the Sahel region.

    Sanon had left his parish on Tuesday heading for the regional capital Banfora, but “never arrived,” bishop Lucas Kalfa Sanou said Wednesday in a statement.

    His car was found empty on the main road and security forces launched a search operation.

    “Everything looks like a kidnapping by armed terrorist groups,” a security source in the capital Ouagadougou told AFP, using Sahel governments’ preferred terminology for jihadists.

    “They must have executed their hostage to slip by the military cordon,” the source added.

    Since 2015, jihadist groups — some affiliated to al-Qaeda and others to the Islamic State militant group — have launched increasing numbers of attacks in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world.

    Over that period, 1,100 people have been killed and more than one million have fled.

    Last August, the grand imam of the northern town of Djibo was found dead three days after gunmen stopped the car he was traveling in and kidnapped him.

    In March 2019, a priest in Djibo was kidnapped, and in February 2018, a Catholic missionary, Cesar Fernandez, was murdered in the center of the country.”

  11. Top Iran Leader Posts Trump-Like Golfer Image, Vows Revenge
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2757431/top-iran-leader-posts-trump-golfer-image-vows-revenge

    “The Twitter account of Iran’s Supreme Leader on Friday carried the image of a golfer resembling former President Donald Trump apparently being targeted by a drone, vowing revenge over the killing of a top Iranian general in a US drone attack.

    The post carried the text of remarks by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in December, in which he said “Revenge is certain,” renewing a vow of vengeance ahead of the first anniversary of the killing of top military commander General Qassem Soleimani in the attack in Iraq.

    “Those who ordered the murder of General Soleimani as well as those who carried this out should be punished. This revenge will certainly happen at the right time,” Khamenei tweeted on December 16, without naming Trump, who had ordered the strike.

    Earlier this month, Twitter removed a tweet by Khamenei in which he said US and British-made vaccines were unreliable and may be intended to “contaminate other nations.”

    The platform said the tweet violated its rules against misinformation…”

    Twitter Suspends ‘Fake’ Account that Carried Link to Iran Supreme Leader’s Website
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2758646/twitter-suspends-%E2%80%98fake%E2%80%99-account-carried-link-iran-supreme-leader%E2%80%99s-website

    “Twitter said on Friday it had suspended what it said was a fake account that carried a link to the website of Iran’s Supreme Leader on Friday, hours after it carried the image of a golfer resembling former US President Donald Trump apparently being targeted by a drone.

    The post, on a Persian-language account carrying a link to Ali Khamenei’s website, had carried the text of remarks by him in December in which he said “Revenge is certain” – referring to the killing of top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, in a US drone attack.

    A Twitter spokeswoman said the @khamenei_site account was suspended for violating the company’s platform manipulation and spam policy, specifically the creation of fake accounts. Asked if the @khamenei_site account was fake, she said it was.

    The golfer image tweet was retweeted by Khamenei’s main Persian-language account, although it appeared to have been deleted later. The text and graphic of the tweet was also carried by Khamenei’s official website and widely quoted by Iranian media.

    Khamenei’s account and his main Twitter account in English, which did not carry the golfer image tweet, were still operational.”

  12. UAE Confirms it Inked $23 Billion Deal to Buy F-35 Jets, Drones from US
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2758656/uae-confirms-it-inked-23-billion-deal-buy-f-35-jets-drones-us

    “The United Arab Emirates confirmed that it signed agreements with the United States on former President Donald Trump’s last full day in office to purchase up to 50 F-35 jets, 18 armed drones and other defense equipment in a deal worth $23 billion.

    The UAE embassy in Washington said in a statement on its website that the letters of agreement had been finalized on Tuesday confirming terms of purchase, including costs, technical specifications and anticipated delivery schedules.

    Reuters first reported the news on Wednesday…”

  13. Article of Impeachment to Be Delivered to Senate on Monday: Pelosi
    By Jack Phillips
    January 22, 2021 Updated: January 22, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that the House’s article of impeachment against President Donald Trump will be delivered to the Senate on Monday, in what some constitutional law experts have said is an impossible task.

    “I have spoken to Speaker Pelosi who informed me that the article will be delivered to the Senate on Monday,” Schumer said on the Senate floor on Friday, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

    Hours later, Pelosi confirmed that the article will indeed be transferred on Jan. 25.

    “Our Constitution and our country are well served by the extraordinary leadership of Lead Manager Jamie Raskin, and Representatives Diana DeGette, David Cicilline, Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, Stacey Plaskett, Madeleine Dean, and Joe Neguse,” she said in a statement, referencing her impeachment managers. “We are respectful of the Senate’s constitutional power over the trial and always attentive to the fairness of the process, noting that the former president will have had the same amount of time to prepare for trial as our Managers.”

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/articles-of-impeachment-to-be-delivered-to-senate-on-monday-schumer_3667486.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-01-22-3

  14. UN expert condemns Egypt’s detention of journalists, human rights defenders
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/un-expert-egypt-detention-journalists-human-rights-defenders

    “A UN rights expert condemned Egypt for targeting journalists, human rights defenders and their families, and called on authorities to stop silencing dissent and shrinking civic space in the country.

    Mary Lawlor, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, said in a statement on Friday that she was “extremely concerned by the seemingly unrelenting efforts of the Egyptian authorities to silence dissent… despite repeated calls from UN mechanisms and the international community”.

    “These individuals should never have been targeted for their human rights activities in the first place, and so I repeat calls for the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all detained human rights defenders, journalists, civil society actors and their family members.”

    Lawlor specifically pointed to the detention of blogger Mohamed Ibrahim Radwan, who was charged by the Egyptian government of being a member of a terrorist organisation and “misuse of social media” for his coverage of human rights…”

  15. Egypt cabinet approves harsher FGM penalty of up to 20 years
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210122-egypt-cabinet-approves-harsher-fgm-penalty-of-up-to-20-years/

    “Egypt’s cabinet has toughened a law banning female genital mutilation (FGM) by raising the maximum penalty to 20 years in prison, Reuters reported.

    Despite the 2008 ban, nearly 90 per cent of Egyptian females aged between 15 and 49 have undergone FGM, according to a 2016 survey by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

    Under the changes, which come as part of efforts to stamp out the ancient practice, even those requesting FGM would face jail time.

    FGM is a prevalent practice among both Muslims and Christians in at least 27 African countries and parts of Asia and the Middle East.

    Girls can bleed to death or die from infections as a result of FGM, which can also cause fatal childbirth complications later.”

  16. Wilders’ Party Wants Dutch Ministry of ‘Remigration, De-Islamification’
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/01/332929/wilders-party-wants-dutch-ministry-of-remigration-de-islamification/

    “Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam party is proposing to turn the Netherlands into an overtly nationalistic country in its program for the 2021 elections, first published on January 9. Wilders’ Partij voor de Vrijheid’s (PVV) political manifesto envisions a radically different country, where migrants submit to a local “dominant and leading ” culture, with the threat of deportation looming over all non-native Dutch citizens.

    The PVV’s party program expands on Wilders’ inflammatory rhetoric and paints the Netherlands as a country where native Dutch people and Dutch culture are under threat. The party describes activist movements such as Black Lives Matter as “dangerous” and “radical.”

    To realize its extremist vision of the country, the PVV argues for a “ministry of Immigration, Remigration and De-Islamification” that would enact its ethno-nationalistic policies.

    Alternative reality
    The document turns the concept of discrimination on its head, claiming that it is Dutch people facing discrimination in the labor market and that Dutch history is “being erased.”

    The new party manifesto for 2021-2025 takes inspiration from rhetoric among US ethno-nationalists, decrying the removal of statues of historic figures engaged in the Dutch slave trade. Wilders’ party considers efforts to remove the use of blackface in annual Saint Nicholas festivities an “attack on Dutch culture.” The party argues that the Dutch secular state should revert to “Judeo-Christian values.”

    The party program paints a picture of native Dutch people under threat of politically correct elite parties and efforts to promote a multicultural society.

    Wilders’ party proposes a number of radical initiatives to turn the Netherlands into a flag-waving ethno-nationalist state. Their envisioned country would be a place where migrants and their children become second class citizens expected to submit and adapt to the “dominant” culture.

    Radical proposals
    Wilders’ party, in its new election manifesto, takes particular aim at people who hold a passport of another nation. All Dutch-Moroccans have the right to hold a Moroccan passport which, according to the PVV’s vision, means they are at permanent threat of deportation if they commit crimes for which native Dutch people face standard prosecution.

    Wilders’ party proposed a change in the Dutch constitution that would establish a “Judeo-Christian” culture as the “dominant and leading culture” in the country. It aims to infuse its nationalistic vision into education by mandating a curriculum that promotes “western freedoms,” while the party would expect every school to fly the Dutch flag every morning.

    The PVV states that the government should no longer provide communication in Arabic and Turkish, in order to “protect the Dutch language.” The party makes no references to the government communication in French or English that is commonly available.

    Taking a page out of US right-wing talking points it paints a picture of a “war on Christmas” and promises to protect Christian holidays. The manifesto further pledges to remove any government subsidies to organizations that promote multi-culturalism and aims to end “positive discrimination and diversity policies.”

    Wilders’ party aims to muzzle Dutch public broadcasting which it describes as a “vehicle for multiculturalism.”

    Islamophobic policies
    The PVV’s party manifesto doubles down on Wilders’ trademark xenophobia and Islamophobia. It declares that “Islam is not a religion, it is a totalitarian ideology.” Anyone carrying a second passport, like all Dutch-Moroccans do, would lose their right to vote in the dystopian country the PVV proposes.

    Wilders’ party further calls for stopping the “spread of Islamic ideology” by promising to close all Islamic schools and mosques and banning the Quran nationwide. The proposals directly contradict the Dutch constitutional right of freedom of religion and expression. They would also be impossible to enact even if a majority of Dutch people voted for Geert Wilders’ Islamophobic party.

    It argues for a “restrictive immigration policy” and a closure of all centers for refugees. The party aims to institute a “Muslim ban” that would single out Muslim migrants and block entry to the country. The PVV aims to criminalize undocumented immigrants and cancel all asylum applications for Syrian refugees.

    The proposed policies directly target refugees and anyone with dual nationality. Wilders’ party is proposing to deport anyone carrying a second passport if they commit any undefined crime.

    Geert Wilders’ PVV appears to be using a skewed view of today’s world in order to push for draconian and often unconstitutional policies. With the PVV now in second place in national polls, this year is likely to be a make-or-break moment for Wilders’ extremist vision of the Netherlands.

    Despite the failure of the country’s largest right-wing party to contain COVID-19, it seems many Dutch voters continue to blame not those in power for the country’s issues. Instead, the least powerful and most vulnerable communities are receiving blame for the country’s problems, in a trend that is eerily similar to Europe in the decades prior to World War II.”

  17. Turkish jets ‘neutralize’ 7 PKK terrorists in N.Iraq
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkish-jets-neutralize-7-pkk-terrorists-in-niraq/2119578

    “Turkish fighter jets “neutralized” seven PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on Friday.

    In a statement, the ministry said four terrorists were neutralized in the Gara region with airstrikes carried out in coordination with Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization.

    Later, the ministry announced that Turkish security forces “neutralized” three more PKK terrorists in Hakurk, northern Iraq.

    The terrorists, identified through reconnaissance and surveillance activities, were neutralized in an air operation, the ministry said on Twitter.

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

    In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.”

  18. Swiss favour ‘burqa ban’, poll shows
    https://www.thelocal.ch/20210122/swiss-favour-burqa-ban-poll-show

    “A clear majority of Switzerland’s voters favour introducing a nationwide prohibition agains wearing face-covering garments in public spaces, known as a “burqa ban”, a poll showed Friday.

    According to the Tamedia poll of 15,000 eligible voters, a full 63 percent of those questioned said they would vote yes or were considering voting yes in an upcoming popular vote on the ban, the Tages Anzeiger daily reported.

    The Swiss are set to vote on whether they want to ban face coverings in public on March 7, when they will also vote on a range of other issues as part of the country’s famous direct democratic system.

    The text does not mention Muslim veils explicitly, stating only that “no one shall cover their face in public, nor in areas accessible to the public or in areas where services are ordinarily accessible to all.”

    But the proposed ban, which has been opposed by the Swiss government, is widely seen as targeting burqas and other face-covering Muslim veils…”

  19. Arson attack against 800-year-old Swedish church
    https://rmx.news/article/article/arson-attack-against-800-year-old-swedish-church

    “Unidentified individuals threw Molotov cocktails at an 800-year-old church in northern Stockholm in a neighborhood mostly inhabited by migrants. Police have classified the attack as an intentional arson, but no suspects have yet been identified, Hungarian news television HírTV reports.

    The local parish priest of the church said that this is a strong and symbolic act against the church.

    “It’s only thanks to luck that the 12th-century Christian church behind me didn’t burn down on Wednesday,” HírTV’s reported said.

    Three Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Spånga Church in the north-western conurbation of Stockholm, one hitting the front gate and one each hitting two windows. Luckily, the gasoline bottles didn’t explode, so the firefighters who arrived did not have to intervene. Only one window was broken.

    The pastor of the congregation, parish Priest Jerker Alsterlund, did not want to stand in front of the camera, but he told HírTV that no threats had been made to the church in recent times, and no message had been received. However, the priest added that “this crime has a very strong, symbolic message”.

    The priest didn’t want to speculate on who or who might be behind the plot. However, he did stay that there is a strong Muslim community in the settlement. The church is near Stockholm’s infamous no-go zone, Rinkeby. Two years ago, explosives were thrown at another Christian church not far from the same location. The perpetrator or perpetrators of that attack have yet to be found.

    In 2019, Europe faced a record-high number of attacks on Christians and Christian sites of worship. In a massive arson in France of the Nantes Cathedral, a migrant from Rwanda confessed to the attack.”