Reader’s Links for February 19, 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

138 Replies to “Reader’s Links for February 19, 2021”

  1. Biden COVID adviser can’t explain why despite lockdowns, California’s virus numbers are the same as Florida’s
    Phil Shiver
    3-4 minutes

    White House senior adviser for COVID response Andy Slavitt had a hard time coming up with an answer this week when he was asked why California hasn’t fared better against the coronavirus than Florida, despite the Golden State’s lockdown policies.
    What happened?

    “I want to start with what we just saw,” MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle said at the outset of the Wednesday interview. “Contrast states like Florida and California. California [is] basically in a lockdown and their numbers aren’t that different from Florida.”

    New numbers coming out of both states have suggested, to the surprise of many public health experts, that states with harsh lockdown policies have not been more successful at combating the virus than states that adopted more open approaches

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-covid-adviser-stumped-california-florida?utm_source=theblaze-breaking&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210219Trending-CovidFlaCalif&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Breaking%20News

  2. Lying About Obama – Frontpagemag
    Bruce Bawer
    10-12 minutes

    A new biography uncovers the facts behind the fake news.

    Bruce Bawer is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

    Jack Cashill has written over a dozen books, including two about the mysterious 1996 explosion of TWA Flight 800, one about the Trayvon Martin case, and two – now three – about Barack Obama. His new book, Unmasking Obama: The Fight to Tell the True Story of a Failed Presidency, is a definitive account not only of Obama’s eight years in office but also of the transformation of most mainstream American political journalists, largely during the Obama era, from relatively objective reporters of the facts – emphasis on “relatively” – to dedicated partisans of the left, ready and eager at every turn to cover up unpleasant truths (however important) about Democrats and to promote outrageous lies (however destructive) about Republicans.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/02/lying-about-obama-bruce-bawer/

  3. White People Aren’t Human – Frontpagemag
    Daniel Greenfield
    9-11 minutes

    How anti-racism adopted the Nation of Islam’s racist theology.

    Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.

    The Nation of Islam may be the largest racist religion in America. It is certainly the most influential with Louis Farrakhan’s original Million Man March drawing some 400,000 racists and allies of the hate group, including a young Barack Obama, who would later be photographed as a senator with the black supremacist leader at a Congressional Black Caucus event.

    House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn, the third highest ranking Democrat, and the kingmaker who got Biden the Democrat nomination and the White House, had thanked Farrakhan for, “offering up a number of precepts that we ought to adhere to.”

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/02/white-people-arent-human-how-antiracism-adopted-daniel-greenfield/

  4. As Trump Predicted, Under Biden China Owns the United States – Frontpagemag
    Lloyd Billingsley
    5-7 minutes

    What that means for America’s patriotic movement.

    On February 11, Joe Biden announced sanctions on Burma for a recent coup in that nation, also known as Myanmar. “The military must relinquish power they’ve seized and demonstrate respect for the will of the people of Burma as expressed in their November 8 election,” Biden said. For the current occupant of the White House, first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, that was something of a departure.

    During a political career of nearly 50 years, it’s hard to find the Delaware Democrat urging China’s ruling Communist Party to respect the will of the people and hold free elections. As they made clear at Tiananmen square in 1989, the people of China want freedom, democracy, and human rights. The Communist regime deployed massive military force against the people, but for Joe Biden that proved no object to China’s admission to the World Trade Organization.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/02/trump-predicted-under-biden-china-owns-united-lloyd-billingsley/

  5. 82-year-old Vietnam vet beats armed intruder to death: ‘That guy picked the wrong house’
    Sarah Taylor
    3-4 minutes

    An 82-year-old Vietnam veteran defended himself, his wife, and his property after an armed intruder entered his home over the weekend, killing the intruder by bludgeoning him to death.
    What are the details?

    According to a report from Newsweek, 82-year-old Herbert Parrish and his wife, 79-year-old Lois Parrish, were inside their South Carolina home Sunday when they heard an unexpected knock on the door.

    When Lois opened the door, she saw a man — later identified as 61-year-old Harold Runnels — who said he was looking for his dog.

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/vietnam-vet-beats-intruder-to-death?utm_source=theblaze-dailyAM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__AM%202021-02-19&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Daily%20AM

  6. 82-year-old Vietnam vet beats armed intruder to death: ‘That guy picked the wrong house’
    Sarah Taylor
    3-4 minutes

    An 82-year-old Vietnam veteran defended himself, his wife, and his property after an armed intruder entered his home over the weekend, killing the intruder by bludgeoning him to death.
    What are the details?

    According to a report from Newsweek, 82-year-old Herbert Parrish and his wife, 79-year-old Lois Parrish, were inside their South Carolina home Sunday when they heard an unexpected knock on the door.

    When Lois opened the door, she saw a man — later identified as 61-year-old Harold Runnels — who said he was looking for his dog.

    “I opened the door and he said he was looking for his little white chihuahua and wanted to know if I saw it,” she recalled. “I told him no, I hadn’t.”

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/vietnam-vet-beats-intruder-to-death?utm_source=theblaze-dailyAM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__AM%202021-02-19&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Daily%20AM

  7. State Dept Refuses to Explain Iran Envoy’s Talks with China
    Adam Kredo
    4-5 minutes

    The State Department is refusing to provide details or even confirm statements by the Chinese government indicating the U.S.-Iran envoy Robert Malley recently spoke to Communist Party officials about the Biden administration’s efforts to reenter the 2015 nuclear accord.

    Chinese vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu “had a phone conversation with U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley at the latter’s request, and the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the Iranian nuclear issue,” China’s foreign ministry announced late last week.

    https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/state-dept-refuses-to-explain-iran-envoys-talks-with-china/

  8. Retired Army general tapped by Nancy Pelosi to review Capitol siege flagged over attacks on Republicans
    Breck Dumas
    3-4 minutes

    Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré has been leading a review of security measures at the U.S. Capitol at the direction of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) following the Jan. 6 attack on the building by a mob of Trump supporters.

    But recent inflammatory comments made by the 74-year-old retired Army general against Republicans are raising questions about whether he was the right pick for the job.

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/retired-general-tapped-by-pelosi-to-review-capitol-siege-flagged-over-attacks-on-republicans?utm_source=theblaze-dailyPM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__PM%202021-02-18&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Daily%20PM

  9. 35 Capitol Police Officers Under Investigation, 6 Suspended Over Capitol Breach: Department
    By Jack Phillips
    February 19, 2021 Updated: February 19, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    At least 35 Capitol police officers are being investigated and six were suspended following the U.S. Capitol breach on Jan. 6, officials said on Thursday night.

    “Our Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating the actions of 35 police officers from that day. We currently have suspended six of those officers with pay. Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman has directed that any member of her department whose behavior is not in keeping with the Department’s Rules of Conduct will face appropriate discipline,” the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement to local news outlets.

    Officials did not elaborate on the nature of the investigation, although videos show police officers standing motionless as groups made their way into the Capitol building on Jan. 6. Some of those who entered the building claimed that officers allowed them inside.

    In January, two officers were suspended by the department, according to Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee. Ryan alleged that one of the officers took a selfie photo with one of the protesters.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/35-capitol-police-officers-under-investigation-6-suspended-over-capitol-riots-department_3703324.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-02-19-2

  10. Turkey Hires Law Firm to Lobby Biden Over F-35 Jets: Report
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/02/19/turkey-lobby-biden-f35-jets/

    “Turkey has hired an international law firm to help it win back its spot in the US-led F-35 fighter jet program, state media reported on Friday.

    The six-month contract with Arnold & Porter — worth a reported $750,000 (620,000 euros) — comes as Turkey seeks to find a solution with US President Joe Biden over its controversial Russian missile system purchase.

    The Washington-based law firm did not immediately comment…”

  11. IS Claims Killing of 4 Tunisia Soldiers, Beheading: SITE
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/02/19/is-claims-killing-4-tunisia-soldiers/

    “The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the February 3 killing of four soldiers in a rugged region of central Tunisia, SITE Intelligence Group reported.

    The US monitor of jihadist groups said late Thursday that the soldiers were killed in three blasts ignited by its fighters near Mount Mghila and that a “spy” was beheaded separately by IS.

    The defense ministry announced the losses the same day, saying the soldiers in “a military unit tasked with carrying out a combing operation of Mount Mghila looking for terrorist elements were killed by a mine” explosion.

    Mount Mghila, near the border with Algeria, is adjacent to Mount Chaambi, which is considered a hideout for jihadists.

    Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said the incident “will not stop us from pursuing our efforts to fight and defeat terrorism.”

    IS also said in its Al-Naba digital newspaper that jihadists executed a spy for the army on December 20 near Mount Selloum in the Kasserine region, also central Tunisia.

    Authorities said at the time that the victim was a 20-year-old man named Oqba al-Dhibi, identified on local radio as a shepherd tending his flock when he was attacked.

    Tunisia has seen a surge in radical Islam since veteran president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in the country’s 2011 revolution.

    Dozens of members of the security forces have since been killed in jihadist attacks.

    The army has been battling militants in the Kasserine area since 2012.

    Tunisia’s central mountains are also a hideout for a local branch of jihadist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).”

  12. US Seeks Fallback Saudi Bases in Case of Iran Tensions
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/02/19/us-seeks-fallback-saudi-bases/

    “The US military is looking for fallback bases in Saudi Arabia to prevent its troops deployed there from becoming obvious targets in the event of tensions with Iran, a senior US military official said Thursday.

    “We are not looking for new bases. I want to be clear on that,” said General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Army Central Command (Centcom), during a tour of the Middle East.

    “What we would like to do, without shutting down these (current) bases …. is to have the ability to go to other bases to operate in a period of heightened risk,” he explained. “These are things that any prudent military planner would want to do to increase their flexibility, to make it more difficult for the adversary to target them.”

    The Wall Street Journal reported on plans for ports and air bases in the kingdom’s western desert, which the US military would seek to develop as positions to be used if war were to break out with Iran.

    At the year’s end, the US military deployed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to the region and had two B-52 bombers overfly the area.

    The show of force was intended to deter Tehran from carrying out any attack on US forces on the first anniversary of the assassination by the United States of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

    President Joe Biden‘s administration said Thursday it was ready to meet with Iranian officials under EU auspices to jumpstart diplomacy, and reversed Trump’s widely derided contention that the United Nations had imposed new sanctions on Iran.

    Even close US allies had dismissed the argument and the United Nations said that no such additional sanctions had come into force.”

  13. French Reports: Franco-Iranian, German Citizens Arrested in Iran
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2814976/french-reports-franco-iranian-german-citizens-arrested-iran

    “A person with dual French and Iranian citizenship and a German national were arrested in Iran more than two weeks ago, French daily newspaper Le Figaro reported on Friday.

    Without citing its sources, the newspaper said the two individuals were arrested and detained before Feb. 4 as leverage in anticipation of the sentencing of Iranian diplomat Assadolah Assadi in Belgium that day.

    The diplomat was sentenced to 20 years in prison for planning to bomb an Iranian opposition rally in France in 2018, Reuters reported.

    Le Figaro said the Franco-Iranian was arrested in the desert flying a drone.

    France’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither German nor Iranian officials were immediately reachable.

    The arrests, if confirmed, would come at a sensitive time. The United States on Thursday signaled it was ready to talk with Iran about how both nations could return to a 2015 agreement that aimed to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

    In a joint statement, the United States, France, Britain and Germany also called on Iran to release all their arbitrarily detained nationals.

    Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals in recent years, mostly on espionage charges.

    Rights activists have accused Iran of arresting dual nationals to try to win concessions from other countries. Tehran denies it holds people for political reasons and has accused many of the foreigners in its jails of espionage.”

  14. Egypt opens up to oil, gas bids for 24 exploration blocks
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210219-egypt-opens-up-to-oil-gas-bids-for-24-exploration-blocks/

    “Egypt is launching a global round of bids for oil and gas exploration and production across 24 blocks, the Petroleum Ministry announced yesterday.

    In the official statement, the ministry said that the blocks were located in nine areas in the Mediterranean Sea, 12 in the Western Desert and three in the Gulf of Suez.

    “The bid aims at attracting foreign investment as part of the state-run Petroleum Sector Development and Modernization Project,” the statement read.

    The ministry also announced the launch of a digital portal, dubbed “Egypt Upstream Gateway”, explaining that it was aiming to provide geological data for the petroleum industry exploration and production activities across the country.

    Egypt’s gas production has boomed since Italy’s Eni discovered the giant Zohr field off the country’s Mediterranean coast in 2015. Exploration tenders are usually offered by the state-run Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Egyptian Natural Gas (EGAS).”

  15. US pushes China over Uyghur Muslim rights with new trade bill
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210219-us-pushes-china-over-uyghur-muslim-rights-with-new-trade-bill/

    “The US House of Representatives reintroduced a bipartisan trade bill on Thursday that will ban imports from China’s Xinjiang region as long as they have not been certified to be produced without forced labour, Reuters has reported.

    The bill will authorise the US president to apply sanctions against anyone responsible for labour trafficking of minority Uyghurs or other Muslims in Xinjiang. The region is a leading producer of cotton and cotton products.

    “We have watched in horror as the Chinese government first created, and then expanded a system of extrajudicial mass internment camps targeting Uyghurs and Muslim minorities,” said Democrat Representative Jim McGovern when reintroducing the bill.

    Meanwhile, according to a report published by the Heritage Foundation, between 1.8 million and 3 million Uyghurs have been collectivised and interned in political re-education camps in China since 2018.

    The Uyghurs are a mostly Muslim Turkic minority living in Xinjiang in north-western China. There are around 11 million of them in the region.”

  16. Exclusive: IAEA found uranium traces at two sites Iran barred it from, sources say
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-iaea/exclusive-iaea-found-uranium-traces-at-two-sites-iran-barred-it-from-sources-say-idUSKBN2AJ269

    “The U.N. nuclear watchdog found uranium particles at two Iranian sites it inspected after months of stonewalling, diplomats say, and it is preparing to rebuke Tehran for failing to explain, possibly complicating U.S. efforts to revive nuclear diplomacy.

    The find and Iran’s response risk hurting efforts by the new U.S. administration to restore Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, which President Joe Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump abandoned.

    Although the sites where the material was found are believed to have been inactive for nearly two decades, opponents of the nuclear deal, such as Israel, say evidence of undeclared nuclear activities shows that Iran has not been acting in good faith.

    Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Kazem Gharibabadi, declined to comment, as did the IAEA itself.

    A senior Iranian official said: “We have nothing to hide. That is why we allowed the inspectors to visit those sites.”

    Iran has set a deadline of next week for Biden to lift sanctions reimposed by Trump, or it will halt snap IAEA inspections under the deal, which lifted sanctions in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme. Next week is also when the IAEA is expected to issue a quarterly report on Iran’s nuclear activities.

    Seven diplomats told Reuters the agency will use that opportunity to rebuke Iran for failing to explain to its satisfaction how the uranium particles wound up at two undeclared sites. The rebuke could come either in the quarterly report or in an additional report released the same day.

    OBLIGATION
    U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran had a secret, coordinated nuclear weapons programme that it halted in 2003, which Iran denies. The 2015 nuclear deal effectively drew a line under that past, but Iran is still required to explain evidence of undeclared past activities or material to the IAEA.

    The material was found during snap IAEA inspections that were carried out at the two sites in August and September of last year, after Iran barred access for seven months.

    The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that radioactive material was found in the samples taken by inspectors at the two sites, although the newspaper did not specify what the material was.

    Four diplomats who follow the agency’s work closely told Reuters the material found in those samples was uranium.

    Identifying the material as uranium creates a burden on Iran to explain it, as enriched uranium can be used in the core of a nuclear weapon. Iran is obliged to account for all uranium so the IAEA can verify it is not diverting any to a weapons programme.

    Two of the sources said the uranium found last year was not enriched. But nevertheless, its presence suggests undisclosed nuclear material or activities at the sites, which Iran would have had to declare.

    The IAEA’s full findings are a closely guarded secret within the agency and only a small number of countries have been informed of the specifics.

    Five diplomats said that after the IAEA confronted Iran with the findings it gave unsatisfactory answers. Two of them said Iran told the agency the traces were the result of contamination by radioactive equipment moved there from another site, but the IAEA checked and the particles at the sites did not match.

    One diplomat briefed on the exchanges but not the detailed findings said Iran had given “implausible answers”, describing Iran’s response as “typical delaying tactics”.

    The agency has said it suspects one of the sites hosted uranium conversion work, a step in processing the material before enrichment, and the other was used for explosive testing.

    The seven diplomats said they expect the agency to call Iran out for having failed to explain the traces found at the two sites, as well as over its continued failure to explain material found previously at another site in Tehran, Turqazabad.

    Diplomats said it remained unclear whether the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors, which meets the week after the quarterly report, would take action condemning Iran. Several said the focus was on efforts to salvage the 2015 deal by bringing Washington back into it.

    “Everyone is waiting on the Americans,” one diplomat said.”

  17. Two killed as violent clashes mar Sialkot by-poll
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2285043/two-killed-as-violent-clashes-mar-sialkot-by-poll

    “Despite tall claims of “foolproof” security measure ahead of by-election of Sialkot’s NA-75 constituency by the authorities, two people were killed while several others sustained injuries as clashes between two rival groups broke out on Friday, Express News reported.

    Besides NA-75, by-elections also took place today for PP-51 Gujranwala-I, NA-45 Kurram-I and PK-63 Nowshera seats that fell vacant due to the demise of the lawmakers.

    A polling station at Ranjhai stop in Daska’s village Gondka turned into a “battlefield” after shooting incidents during the clashes, injuring at least eight people out of which two succumbed to their wounds during treatment in a hospital.

    One of the deceased, Majid, belonged to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) while the other named Zeeshan was affiliated with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), according to Express News report.

    Police reached the spot and arrested the culprits. The Punjab IGP also took notice of the incident and sought a report of the incident from the Gujranwala RPO.

    Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also took notice of the incident saying those involved “will be arrested as soon as possible and punished strictly according to the law”.

    Taking to Twitter, he said he has directed the Punjab IGP for an inquiry over the matter. “Prompt action will be taken against the accused,” he added…”

  18. Germany: Court rules undocumented Roma family can receive higher social benefits
    https://rmx.news/article/article/germany-court-rules-immigrant-roma-family-without-a-passport-can-receive-higher-social-benefits

    “Immigrants from the Roma community in Germany are entitled to higher social benefits even if they cannot prove their identity or country of origin, the Lower Saxony-Bremen State Social Security Tribunal in Celle has ruled. According to the decision, published on Monday, the Hildesheim district must grant applicants higher benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act.

    Previously, a local social court had required the district to pay a six-member Roma family — allegedly from Kosovo — full social benefits and to give them access to the statutory health insurance system. Although the district filed an appeal against the decision, the most recent decision from the tribunal upheld the local court’s decision, according to Junge Freiheit.

    The family had not been able to prove their identity for years, and neither Kosovo nor Serbia and North Macedonia could confirm their citizenship. Therefore, since 2015, the district has refused to pay the usual social benefits to the plaintiffs because they had not presented any passports.

    The regional social court ruled that it had not been able to prove that the family refused to obtain the identity papers. The court also referred to a guideline issued by the UN Commissioner for Refugees to determine the international protection needs of people from Kosovo, according to which many Roma are not registered in the country.

    Germany pays an enormous amount of benefits to its growing migrant community. Jobless migrants cost the country at least €6 billion a year, and the government has announced that it plans to spend $64 billion on migrant benefits over the next four years.

    Last year, German Interior Minister for the state of Saaraland Klaus Bouillon, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said in an extensive interview with Die Welt that there is growing outrage that migrants receive better benefits than Germans .

    “There is great discontent among the population because everyone who arrives here immediately has many or even more rights along with rights to benefits and medical care than someone who has worked here for their entire life,” said Bouillon.”

      • The CCP statement about being “for the people” is classical marxist effluent.
        If you manage to reach rural China you can see the serfs slaving away and their poverty but they do not like yangguizi one bit.
        BillBili have been “buying” video rights for certain videos from Youtube as I posted the address of ” Die 3 Groschen-Oper” or “The Threepenny Opera” from 1931 previously. As Brecht was communist I guess this was why although the movie is a classic. Now the west sells its heritage to China