Reader’s Links for March 4, 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

105 Replies to “Reader’s Links for March 4, 2021”

  1. Judge Orders New Election After 78 Percent of Mail-In Ballots Found Invalid, Notary Arrested
    By Jack Phillips
    March 4, 2021 Updated: March 4, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    A Mississippi judge ordered a new runoff election for a local election in Aberdeen after more than three-quarters of absentee ballots cast in the June Democratic runoff election were found to be invalid, while a notary involved in the election was arrested.

    Judge Jeff Weill, in a 64-page order, said that there is evidence of fraud and criminal activity in how absentee ballots were handled, how they were counted, and actions from individuals at polling places during the runoff election held in Aberdeen, Mississippi. As a result, a new runoff election for the Ward 1 alderman seat is necessary, reported WCBI.

    The judge ruled that 66 of 84 absentee ballots that were cast in the election, or around 78 percent, should have never been counted, according to WCBI. Nicholas Holliday was declared the winner of the alderman seat by 37 votes, while challenger Robert Devaull contested the results in court.

    “The court is of the opinion there is probable cause that several individuals involved in the disturbances during election day at the polling precinct ‘willfully and corruptly violated’ one or more of the above criminal statutes,” according to the judge.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/judge-orders-new-election-after-78-percent-mail-in-ballots-found-invalid-notary-arrested-for-voter-fraud_3720930.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-03-04-2

  2. FBI Dividing Pro-Trump Ralliers Involved in Capitol Breach Into 3 Different Groups: Wray
    By Jack Phillips
    March 4, 2021 Updated: March 4, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency is dividing pro-Trump ralliers and those who engaged in rioting during the Capitol breach into three different groups, while suggesting that the majority of protesters on Jan. 6 were peaceful.

    Wray, in a Senate hearing this week, suggested that most of the rally-goers on Jan. 6 were peaceful.

    “The first group—the largest group, the group that we need to spend the least time talking about—is peaceful, maybe rowdy, protesters, but who weren’t violating the law,” he told lawmakers.

    The second group consists of individuals who might have come to the rally to peacefully protest but got caught up in the events of the day.

    “A second group that is people who may have come intending to just be part of a peaceful protest, but either got swept up in—in the motive, or emotion, or whatever, engaged in kind of low-level criminal behavior,” Wray

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/fbi-dividing-pro-trump-ralliers-involved-in-capitol-breach-into-3-different-groups-wray_3720745.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-03-04-2

  3. Arabs Warn Biden: We Do Not Want Another Obama
    Khaled Abu Toameh
    10-13 minutes

    Prominent Arab political analysts and commentators are dumbfounded that the Biden administration has chosen to appease Iran and Islamists instead of working with Washington’s traditional and long-time allies in the Arab world. Pictured: Then Vice President Joe Biden (left) speaks with then Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal (center) at the Riyadh airbase in Saudi Arabia on October 27, 2011. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

    Prominent Arab political analysts and commentators are dumbfounded that the Biden administration has chosen to appease Iran and Islamists instead of working with Washington’s traditional and long-time allies in the Arab world.

    In a series of articles published after the release of the US intelligence report on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, many Arab analysts and columnists have warned that the Biden administration was harming US interests in the Middle East.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17138/arabs-biden-obama

  4. The International Criminal Court Violates Its Statute
    Lawrence A. Franklin
    6-8 minutes

    At present, the International Criminal Court renders itself irrelevant by adjudicating “national jurisdictions” perfectly capable of doing so, while refusing to adjudicate or indict the world’s worst violators of human rights. Pictured: The ICC in session, in The Hague, on July 8, 2019. (Photo by Eva Plevier/AFP via Getty Images)

    The International Criminal Court (ICC), by straying far from its original purpose, has perjured itself. The ICC was established in 1998 to bring justice to victims of systematic atrocity in countries unable to do so. In its own words, “The core mandate of the ICC is to act as a court of last resort with the capacity to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes when national jurisdictions for any reason are unable or unwilling to do so.”

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17126/international-criminal-court-violations

  5. BRAZIL – reuters – After record COVID-19 deaths, Bolsonaro tells Brazilians to stop ‘whining’

    After two straight days of record COVID-19 deaths in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday told Brazilians to stop “whining” and move on, in his latest remarks attacking distancing measures and downplaying the gravity of the pandemic.

    Brazil has the world’s second-highest death toll over the past year, after the United States. While the U.S. outbreak is ebbing, Brazil is facing its worst phase of the epidemic yet, pushing its hospital system to the brink of collapse.

    “Enough fussing and whining. How much longer will the crying go on?” Bolsonaro told a crowd at an event. “How much longer will you stay at home and close everything? No one can stand it anymore. We regret the deaths, again, but we need a solution.”

    Brazil’s surging second wave has triggered new restrictions in its capital, Brasilia, and its largest city, Sao Paulo. Tourist mecca Rio de Janeiro on Thursday announced a city-wide curfew and early closing time for restaurants.

    Particularly worrying to health authorities is the emergence of a new coronavirus variant from the Amazon region that appears more contagious and more able to reinfect those who previously had COVID-19.

    “We are experiencing the worst outlook for the pandemic since it started,” said Gonzalo Vecina Neto, a medical doctor and former head of Brazilian health regulator Anvisa.

    “Mutations are the result of the increased reproduction of the virus. The greater the number of viruses, the faster the transmission, the more mutations we have,” he said.

    State governors and doctors have complained that the federal government has mismanaged the coronavirus crisis, as Bolsonaro has downplayed its severity and opposed lockdowns. The government’s delay in acquiring and distributing vaccines means that less than 3.5% of the population have had at least one shot.

    Nevertheless, Bolsonaro’s popularity has been supported by 322 billion reais ($57.7 billion) in emergency aid payments to poorer Brazilians last year.

    The Senate voted on Thursday to renew the aid program at a smaller scale, handing out 250 reais per month for four months, at a cost of up to 44 billion reais. The proposal must still be approved by Brazil’s lower house of Congress.

    https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-brazil/after-record-covid-19-deaths-bolsonaro-tells-brazilians-to-stop-whining-idUSL3N2L23YM

  6. IDF completes underground wall as Israel readies for Hamas war

    The IDF has completed the construction of the underground concrete wall between Israel and the Gaza Strip, as part of the effort to prevent terrorists from crossing into Israel via cross-border offensive tunnels.

    The concrete wall is just one component in the 60 km.-long barrier, which also includes a fence above the ground, advanced sensors both above and underground, and uses cutting-edge technologies that are meant to tackle the tunnel threat and stop terrorist infiltrations.… [A]lmost 95% of the barrier has been completed and that it will be operational in the near future.

    Hamas is believed to have a complex underground tunnel system throughout the Gaza Strip that will be used to attack Israeli soldiers in a future ground battle inside the Strip. As a result, the IDF is preparing its soldiers for a combination of above-ground and below-ground warfare.

    The Engineering Corps’s elite Yahalom Unit and others are said to have learned from IDF experiences and are believed to master all the necessary skills to control the underground sphere.

    https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/idf-completes-underground-wall-as-israel-readies-for-hamas-war-660951
    [video at link]

  7. Arizona Won’t Enforce Biden’s Gun Control Laws: State Representative
    By Li Hai and Joshua Philipp
    March 3, 2021 Updated: March 3, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    Leo Biasiucci, the Republican whip in the Arizona House of Representatives, told The Epoch Times’ “Crossroads” that the State House just passed a bill not to comply with any federal gun-restricting measures, and the bill will hopefully pass in the State Senate and be signed into law by the governor.

    Biasiucci introduced a bill, HB 2111, which can be cited as the “Second Amendment Firearm Freedom Act.” The Arizona House of Representatives passed the bill on Feb 24 along party lines, 31–29.

    “We’re Second Amendment friendly. We love our law-abiding citizens, gun owners,” Biasiucci said. “So I have a bill HB 2111 … it’s very simple. It says if the federal government changes anything at the federal level, Arizona is not gonna play. We’re not going to use money. We’re not gonna use resources to comply—if they ban AR-15 and they try to come in and start arresting people. Not gonna happen in our state.”

    “The courts won’t even mess with it, our law enforcement won’t mess around.”

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/arizona-wont-enforce-bidens-gun-control-laws-state-representative_3719356.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-03-03-4

  8. Why the Democrats Are No Longer Protecting Andrew Cuomo
    Lee Smith
    Lee Smith
    March 3, 2021 Updated: March 4, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    Commentary

    Now that a third woman has stepped forward to accuse New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, the man once thought to be presidential material is fighting for his political life. The sexual harassment allegations follow the New York State Attorney General’s report showing that the governor’s office under-reported COVID-19 deaths at New York nursing homes where infected COVID patients were sent, under Cuomo’s directions. With Democratic officials joining the growing chorus demanding that Cuomo leave the governor’s mansion, every day seems to bring more bad news.

    How did the 63-year-old politician’s star fade so fast? His briefings on his state’s handling of the coronavirus earned him an Emmy Award, and his book, “American Leadership,” about his epic management of the COVID crisis, hit the New York Times bestsellers’ list. It was just a few months ago that luxury retailers were advertising women’s underwear stamped with th

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/why-the-democrats-are-no-longer-protecting-andrew-cuomo_3717966.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-03-03-4

  9. Russia repatriates children of Daesh militants
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210304-russia-repatriates-children-of-daesh-militants/

    “The Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Anna Kuznetsova, has revealed that her country has repatriated 145 Russian children of former Daesh militants from Syria and Iraq since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Kuznetsova said that since early last year, her agency has made make six trips to take the children back to Russia in coordination with the Syrian and Iraqi authorities. Precautionary measures were taken at all times in light of the coronavirus.

    She explained that it is difficult to determine the number of children remaining in Syria and Iraq, but so far there are documents prepared to return another 105.

    Last November, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in north-east Syria handed over 30 Russian children of Daesh militants detained in Al-Hol Camp, south-east of Hasakah.”

  10. Anti-Muslim hatred at ‘epidemic’ proportions: UN expert
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210304-anti-muslim-hatred-at-epidemic-proportions-un-expert/

    “Some states have responded to horrific acts purportedly carried out in the name of Islam by adopting measures that disproportionately target Muslims, the leading UN expert on freedom of religion said today.

    In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, referred to widespread negative representations of Islam, fear of Muslims generally and security and counterterrorism policies.

    He said these have served to perpetuate, validate and normalise discrimination, hostility and violence towards Muslim individuals and communities.

    Islamophobia builds imaginary constructs around Muslims that are used to justify state-sponsored discrimination, hostility and violence against Muslims with stark consequences for the enjoyment of human rights including freedom of religion or belief

    said Shaheed.

    The UN expert said that following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001 and “other horrific acts of terrorism purportedly carried out in the name of Islam,” institutional suspicion of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim have escalated to “epidemic proportions”.

    “In such climates of exclusion, fear, and distrust, Muslims report that they often feel stigma, shame, and a sense that they are ‘suspect communities’ that are being forced to bear collective responsibility for the actions of a small minority,” he said, without naming specific countries.

    The report cites European surveys in 2018 and 2019 showing that 37 per cent of the population held unfavourable views of Muslims.

    In 2017, some 30 per cent of Americans surveyed viewed Muslims in a negative light.

    Shaheed said Islamophobic discrimination in both the public and private sphere often makes it difficult for Muslims to practice their religion.

    Disproportionate restrictions on Muslims’ ability to manifest their beliefs, the securitisation of religious communities, limits on access to citizenship, socioeconomic exclusion and pervasive stigmatisation of Muslim communities are among the pressing concerns noted in the report.

    In Muslim minority states, he added, Muslims are frequently targeted based on visible “Muslim” characteristics, such as their names, skin colour and clothing, including religious attire like headscarves.

    Shaheed also said Islamophobic discrimination and hostility could often show where “Muslim women may face a ‘triple penalty’ as women, minority ethnic and Muslim.”

    He noted: “Harmful stereotypes and tropes about Muslims and Islam are chronically reinforced by mainstream media, powerful politicians, influencers of popular culture and in academic discourse.”

    The report emphasised that critiques of Islam should never be conflated with Islamophobia, adding that international human rights law protects individuals, not religions.

    “The criticism of Islam’s ideas, leaders, symbols, or practices is not Islamophobic per se; unless it is accompanied by hatred or bias towards Muslims in general,” Shaheed said.

    “I strongly encourage states to take all necessary measures to combat direct and indirect forms of discrimination against Muslims and prohibit any advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to violence,” the UN expert added.”

  11. BCIJ: Jihadists In Sahel Represent Morocco’s Biggest Threat
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/03/336529/bcij-jihadists-in-sahel-represent-moroccos-biggest-threat/

    “Jihadist groups based in the Sahel region represent Morocco’s biggest military threat, according to Cherkaoui Haboub, Moroccan head of the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ).

    “The terrorist threat persists as long as there are groups that recruit and train their followers online including Islamic State in the Greater Sahara,” Haboub said in an interview with Reuters.

    The head of the counterterrorism agency noted that Morocco has experienced only one major terrorist attack in the past decade, the killing of two Scandinavian tourists in 2018. Despite that, the North African country’s location “makes it a target for the Sahel groups,” he explained.

    Haboub stressed that since the BCIJ was set up, they have successfully dismantled numerous militant cells and arrested more than a thousand suspected jihadists.

    Not just working domestically, the BCIJ has shown itself to be a reliable partner on an international level. In an interview on January 24, the BCIJ chief said that Rabat’s security services usually provide crucial intelligence to their American counterparts.

    “Morocco provided the US with information regarding the Khalden training camp, one of Osama bin Laden’s main military training camps in Afghanistan,” Habboub said. “The information allowed the bombing of the camp.”

    According to data available to BCIJ, the numbers show a continued militant risk in Morocco, especially following the rise of the Islamic State (IS), also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, in Syria and Iraq. The rise of IS caused a surge of jihadist activity across Africa, even as the group’s strongholds across the Middle East fell.

    IS, along with other terror organizations, have intensified their activity in the Sahel region, taking advantage of hard to enforce borders and already-established trafficking networks, Habboub said.

    The Moroccan government is also concerned that its nationals who joined the IS in the Middle East might have returned home, and relocated to the Sahel, the head of BCIJ said.

    Of the 1,645 Moroccans that have joined jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, 745 died in suicide attacks or in battle, Habboub noted. Majority of those fought for IS. Of the survivors, 270 have returned to Morocco and 137 were prosecuted, noted the head of BCIJ, adding that 288 women and 391 minors also traveled to the Middle East, joining their main income provider.

    Despite the concerns, Morocco has done well following the surge of terrorism across northern Africa and the Sahel region. According to the 2020 Global Terrorism Index, Morocco is the fourth safest country in the Middle East and North Africa and the 36th safest globally, in terms of risk of terrorist attacks.

    Despite being the 36th safest country from terrorism in the world, the index classified Morocco as an “at-risk country” based on research from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

    Morocco’s leading role in fighting terrorism is made evident by the North African country’s efforts to aid others in the field. Morocco has provided intelligence that helped arrest jihadists, or avert terror attacks in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka, and recently the United States, Habboub said.

    “Our success hinges on continued intelligence sharing with our partners,” he concluded.

    The Sahel region lies between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south, it includes different parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, reaching as far east as Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.

    The United Nations’ Secretary-General’s report describes the security conditions in the Sahara-Sahel region as “extremely volatile.”

    “The growing linkages between terrorism, organized crime, and intercommunal violence cannot be overemphasized,” Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) said.

    “Terrorists continue to exploit latent ethnic animosities and the absence of the State in peripheral areas to advance their agenda.””

  12. President Biden’s accuser speaks out

    Tara Reade on the media ignoring her story and sweeping it under the rug, President Joe Biden’s behavior towards her, the decades of pain this has caused and more – via Newsmax TV’s ‘Greg Kelly Reports.’