Reader’s Links for December 17th, 2023

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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.

For those interested, please check out https://vladtepesblog.substack.com/ as an another avenue of expression.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

41 Replies to “Reader’s Links for December 17th, 2023”

  2. Multipolarity has its consequences. Shipping disruptions at Suez and Panama will disrupt world goods supplies and push up prices, feeding supply-side inflation. Biden isn’t sending a carrier group there to play pattycake.

    Therefore, look for more volatility in the markets next week. The U.S. must respond decisively to the Iranian proxy Houthis. Otherwise Iran will feel it can do more damage with impunity. Remember, increased amplitude and frequency of market swings is the new normal.

    This fellow makes a claim about Mossad at the end without providing proof. However given the moral decrepitude of the current administration I don’t doubt it for a second, and don’t blame Israel for protecting itself from every angle possible. I would do the same in a heart beat.

    https://youtu.be/pW9vqqB2yRo?si=8ZAQFKUke54CHP5x

    • I am with you, I don’t doubt that they have a very thick file on everyone in the leadership of the Dems, and of the RINOS.

    • Remember when a country was a country, was a country? When the unelected, World Economic Forum madmen did not get to tell politicians how to not protect and not defend their citizens.

      If you are sitting in your house tonight and some barbarian breaks in and kills your children, will your neighbour blame you?

      Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood, the Muslim Brotherhood is Hamas.

    • Inflation Forces Head Of Turkish Central Bank To Move Back In With Her Parents
      blueapples’s Photo
      by blueapples
      Saturday, Dec 16, 2023 – 22:24

      With inflation making the focus of the American electorate going into an election year, calls for the heads of central bankers reverberate from the nation’s political discourse now more than ever. While the central bankers of the Federal Reserve have rightfully been cast into a villainous light for their excessive avarice, the new head of Turkey’s central bank is far from the Palatine Hill her American counterparts look down on the masses from. Due to even more rampant inflation Governor of the Central Bank of Turkey Hafize Gaye Erkan has been forced to move back in with her parents.

      https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2023-12-16/inflation-forces-head-turkish-central-bank-move-back-her-parents

  8. The video published by the IDF spokesman in which the dog Aisha is seen identifying an explosive device and rescuing soldiers in the Gaza Strip, succeeds in causing a stir and outrage among Muslims on social media.

    The reason: the dog’s name “Aisha” is the same as the name of the Prophet Muhammad’s wife.

    I am always amazed at the double standard of these people. Raping women and burning babies are things they can live with but naming a Dog a certain name can really upset them.

    Amir Tsarfati – December 17, 2023
    https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/24739

  10. “Either go to the dark place, or stand up against those who take from us’ | Excess COVID deaths rise” GBNews – Neil Oliver – December 16, 2023

    • Defender Children’s Health Defense news and views is reporting a 300% increase in unspecified causes of death in Canada, sparking calls for an INVESTIGATION.

      Supposedly 83.7% of Canadians had at least one dose. 87% of Liberals supposedly were vaccinated.

      Justine’s government has added another 129 million dollars to the 400,000,000 to the MSM’s already over 1.6 billion, who are still pushing the vaccine nonsense.

      Justine allows migrants (illegals) to enter unvaccinated and is now contemplating bringing in and fast tracking Canadian citizenship to 300,000 to more likely 600,000. WHY

      I was one of the “fringe minority” Canadians who chose not to be coerced by our WEF supporting clown, minority Prime Minister. I was not allowed to go to a stadium, a theatre, a restaurant, ride a bus, a train or a plane. I have been called many names by a lot of friends and relatives, and I dealt with that. I shall never forget that I was not allowed to leave this once great country to see my unvaccinated grandchildren.

      This Covid virus is a political move —THE GREAT RESET
      Event 201 — Sponsored by Johns-Hopkins, World Economic Forum and the Gates Foundation, held on October 18, 2019, had various groups in attendance for the simulation on a supposed pandemic. Deagel attended and stated that Canada’s population would be DECREASED 26.1% by 2025. 2017- 35,620,000 2025- 26,315,760

      So in 2019 a group of eugenists got together and somehow knew a pandemic was coming in early 2020.

      What happened to people, when they turned against their own loved ones, friends……..by the so called press, the collaborators?

      Canada will never be the same, Pierre Trudeau started our decline and Justine, Freeland, Joly, Guillbeault, Carney and other WEF traitors to Canada will continue our spiral.

      And YOU will have to pick a side, and pray we will survive.

      • I am glad that you are the fringe minority ET. Next time the vaxers call you names, you can say something like this: Isn’t it a miracle that all those unvaccinated homeless people living in LA’s tent cities avoided the plague.

        The illegals were not vaccinated because Justine needs healthy replacements. Also the migrants have no history in Canada so it is year one for them.

  13. COMMUNISM: NY Attorney General Letitia James Admits Her Guilt in Denying Trump Due Process — Says Judge Found Donald Trump Guilty “Before This Trial Even Began” (VIDEO)
    by Jim H?ft Dec. 17, 2023 8:30 am432 Comments

    In her latest video, New York Attorney General Letitia James admitted her guilt in compromising former President Donald Trump’s right to due process. This comes after she claimed that Judge Arthur Engoron had found Trump guilty of “significant financial fraud” even before the current trial began.

    Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in ‘damages’ when there is no victim in this fraud case and she is also seeking to ban Trump and his sons from operating any businesses in New York. She accused Trump of inflating his assets and defrauding lenders and insurance companies.

    Last month, The Gateway Pundit reported that a Deutsche Bank executive who worked to approve at least one of Trump’s loans testified that it is “atypical, but not entirely unusual” to reduce a client’s asset values and still approve a loan.

    This type of lending is typical in high net-worth, high-profile clients like Donald Trump. Anyone with basic knowledge of banking, lending, portfolio and credit risk management knows this.

    “A Deutsche Bank AG executive gave testimony that could bolster Donald Trump’s defense in his civil fraud trial, telling a New York judge that prospective clients can get loans even after reporting a net worth far higher than the lender’s own calculations,” Bloomberg reported.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/ny-attorney-general-letitia-james-admits-latest-video/

    =====================================================================

    DEEP DIVE: Dishonorable Judge Beryl Howell EXPOSED IN DETAIL! Why the January 6th Judge That Presided Over Rudy Giuliani’s Trial MUST BE IMPEACHED “Trump-Hating Judge Shredded The Constitution”

    Judge Beryl Howell had the time of her life presiding over the trial of Rudy Giuliani.

    Sitting perched above Courtroom Number 26 of the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington D.C., the Trump-hating Obama appointee looked on last week as an unhinged, bias and corrupted jury ordered Giuliani pay $148 million dollars to former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shane Moss.

    If this ridiculous judgement is not the final proof needed for lawmakers to understand that a D.C. jury is beyond rehabilitation and a D.C. judge is NOT fit to reasonably judge Conservatives or Trump supporters, I do not know what is.

    (*Please read our deep dive into the unethical and unconstitutional actions of Beryl Howell regarding January 6th defendants by scrolling down in this article. SHE MUST BE IMPEACHED.)

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/deep-dive-dishonorable-judge-beryl-howell-exposed-detail/

  14. House Ways and Means Chairman: Joe Biden Was Using Air Force Two as Corporate Jet to Travel Country and Meet with Hunter Biden’s Business Associates (VIDEO)

    House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) joined Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures this morning.

    During their discussion Chairman Smith described how Joe Biden was using Air Force Two as his personal jet to meet with Hunter Biden’s business associates and enrich his family.

    Chairman Jason Smith: Well, just this week, Hunter Biden’s in his press conference says that Joe Biden was not financially involved. Well, let me tell you, the emails and documentation we’ve been getting from the IRS whistleblowers prove otherwise… We’ve seen this White House continue to block and stonewall subpoenas that we’ve had witnesses to come forward, documents that we’ve requested. And by having this official impeachment inquiry vote, we’re able to be able to use additional tools to get this information. There’s a lot of information that we need to get, Maria. There’s folks at the Department of Justice, the FBI, the IRS that needs to come forward, answer questions, but there’s also documents and tax records that we need to be looking at…

    Maria Bartiromo: …I know back in 2013 there was a memorandum of understanding that then Vice President Joe Biden signed allowing thousands of chinese companies to trade on us exchanges and not follow any accounting rules, not follow the SEC rules that all public companies have to follow. I wonder if he was paid for that. And I also wonder if when he first got into the Oval Office and canceled the China initiative, was he paid for that? You’ve identified other areas with regard to Ukraine, like the prosecutor being fired. Can you talk to us about policy changes? You know he was paid for.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/house-ways-means-chairman-joe-biden-was-using/

  15. Poll: Majority of Americans 18-24 Believe Israel Should ‘Be Ended and Given to Hamas’
    by Margaret Flavin Dec. 17, 2023 9:45 am368 Comments

    In the aftermath of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, the disturbing level of antisemitism among young Americans has been on full display.

    That stark reality is on full display in a new poll conducted by Harvard-Harris poll.

    The poll reveals that 51% of young Americans between 18 and 24 years old believe Israel should “be ended and given to Hamas.”

    This is what happens when you spend four years being indoctrinated by radical leftists on college campuses and get your political advice from TikTok.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/poll-majority-americans-18-24-believe-israel-should/

  16. Pro-Hamas Protesters Terrorize Children Waiting to Meet Santa at Toronto Mall; Chant “Jesus Was Palestinian” (Video)
    by Kristinn Taylor Dec. 17, 2023 8:15 am293 Comments

    A mob of pro-Hamas protesters terrorized children waiting to meet Santa Clause at a Toronto shopping mall on Friday, according to a viral video and reports. The protesters banged a drum and used a bullhorn to lead chants of the false claim “Jesus was a Palestinian.” A Toronto member of the Canadian parliament posted a statement condemning the protest.

    A video clip from a longer version went viral:

    “@areacode416ix pro #Hamas #Protests yesterday across 3 different malls in #Ontario (#BayshoreMall, #Yorkdale, & #Eaton Centre) – –
    We told you, it only starts with the #jews but never ends with just the Jews”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/pro-hama-protesters-terrorize-children-waiting-meet-santa/

  17. Poll: Majority of Americans 18-24 Believe Israel Should ‘Be Ended and Given to Hamas’
    by Margaret Flavin Dec. 17, 2023 9:45 am368 Comments

    In the aftermath of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, the disturbing level of antisemitism among young Americans has been on full display.

    That stark reality is on full display in a new poll conducted by Harvard-Harris poll.

    The poll reveals that 51% of young Americans between 18 and 24 years old believe Israel should “be ended and given to Hamas.”

    This is what happens when you spend four years being indoctrinated by radical leftists on college campuses and get your political advice from TikTok.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/poll-majority-americans-18-24-believe-israel-should/

    =====================================================================

    Senator Visits Harvard, Witnesses Pro-Hamas Protesters Takeover Widener Library Just Days After President Gay Said Condemning Calls for Genocide of Jews Depended on the Context
    by Kristinn Taylor Dec. 17, 2023 7:45 am153 Comments

    Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a Harvard alum, visited his alma mater last week and was stunned to see a pro-Hamas protest completely take over the Reading Room venerable Widener Library–a place with a long tradition as a study hall for students. Sullivan wrote about his experience in the Wall Street Journal this weekend.

    The protest came just days after Harvard President Claudine Gay apologized for saying at a House hearing that calling for the genocide of Jews depended on the context as to whether it violated the school’s code of conduct.

    Dozens of students dressed like Hamas terrorists sat at tables with posters on the laptops reading, “No Normalcy During Genocide—Justice for Palestine.” A large banner was displayed at one end of the room, “Stop the Genocide in Gaza.” Large posters with the names of Palestinians allegedly killed in the Hamas-Israel war were placed on the floor between rows of table.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/senator-visits-harvard-witnesses-pro-hamas-protesters-takeover/

  18. Former NYT Editorial Page Editor James Bennet Pens Scathing Essay: The Times “Has Metastasized From Liberal Bias to Illiberal Bias”
    by Margaret Flavin Dec. 17, 2023 11:40 am23 Comments

    The former editorial page editor of The New York Times, James Bennet, wrote a scathing column criticizing the paper for a “shift away from its previous journalistic principles.”

    In the piece “When the New York Times lost its way,” written for the British-based The Economist, Bennet also shares details on his departure.

    He is critical of both Times’ publisher A.G. Sulzberger as well as former executive editor Dean Baquet. Bennet accuses both of sacrificing him when they came under some pressure rather than standing for the principles they claim to believe in.

    Bennet writes, “The Times’s problem has metastasised from liberal bias to illiberal bias, from an inclination to favour one side of the national debate to an impulse to shut debate down altogether. All the empathy and humility in the world will not mean much against the pressures of intolerance and tribalism without an invaluable quality that Sulzberger did not emphasise: courage.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/former-nyt-editorial-page-editor-james-bennet-pens/

  19. Former Adviser to Pope Jailed – Found Guilty in Vatican Corruption Scandal
    by Margaret Flavin Dec. 17, 2023 10:40 am45 Comments

    A former adviser to the Pope, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, has been convicted of financial crimes and sentenced to five and a half years in prison.

    Becciu, 75, is the most senior Catholic Church official ever to stand trial before a Vatican criminal court.

    The Gateway Pundit reported on the trial of ten defendants accused of embezzlement involving participation in an investment fund and the purchase of a building in London, which resulted in huge losses for the Catholic Church.

    According to Vatican News, the charges included money laundering, fraud, extortion, and abuse of office, extracting millions of dollars from the Vatican.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/former-adviser-pope-jailed-found-guilty-vatican-corruption/

  20. West Virginia Secretary of State and Gubernatorial Candidate Mac Warner Explains Why He Believes 2020 Election was “Stolen by CIA” (VIDEO)
    by Jim H?ft Dec. 17, 2023 12:40 pm43 Comments

    In a live broadcast on “Gateway: Beyond the Headlines” — the flagship show of Vigilant News Network (VNN) — West Virginia Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Mac Warner explained why he believed that the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen by the CIA.

    During a recent debate held by Metro News, Warner doubled down on his past allegations of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

    Mac Warner, a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Army and the current Secretary of State of West Virginia, made the bold statement that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) played a role in stealing the 2020 presidential election from Donald Trump.

    “The election was stolen, and it was stolen by the CIA,” he said.

    Warner referred to testimony by Mike Morrell, the former Deputy Director of the CIA, before Jim Jordan’s House Judiciary Committee. He highlighted Morrell’s testimony regarding a conversation with Antony Blinken, a Biden campaign senior adviser who later became Secretary of State.

    According to Warner, this conversation involved a report about Hunter Biden’s laptop and occurred just days before the release of an Oct. 19, 2020, statement from 51 former intelligence officials. The statement suggested that the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop was ‘influenced’ by a Russian disinformation campaign.

    “When Mike Morell testified under oath to Jim Jordan that, yes, he colluded with Antony Blinken to sell a lie to the American people two weeks before the election for the very purpose of throwing the presidential election. How does it not get stolen if the FBI covers it up and Mark Zuckerberg pays $400 million to put his thumb on the scale? That’s not fair,” Warner said.

    Warner, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump and an Army veteran, has been vocal on the campaign trail about his concerns regarding U.S intelligence agencies. He has stated that the CIA and the FBI pose greater worries for him than foreign adversaries such as Russia and Iran.

    Former CIA agent John Kiriakou offered a contradictory perspective on Hecker’s show, stating that the retired status of the CIA officers mentioned should preclude them from having operational influence at the agency—a point that Warner later challenged.

    In response to Kiriakou’s comments and Hecker’s prompt, Warner suggested that the use of names like Clapper, Brennan, Hayden, and Panetta significantly influenced public perception given their associations with the intelligence community, regardless of their retirement status.

    Warner further questioned the response—or lack thereof—of active CIA and FBI operatives during the time, insinuating their complicity in what he described as suppressive actions by big tech companies.

    “When you use the names of Clapper, Brennan, Hayden, and Panetta, I mean, those are synonymous with the CIA and these 300 agencies. And so, if they want to quibble over something like that, that they were former—yes, they were former. Mike Morell was a former acting director of the CIA. But why did Tony Blinken, who was acting on the Joe Biden campaign, go to them? For the very reason that they had been in the CIA. He knew that this was going to be used as the credibility of the CIA was on the line.

    “And so, where I want to go with this is: why did the CIA, the active officers, remain so quiet about it? Why did the FBI remain quiet about it, basically covering it up? And why did those agencies go to big tech to silence, basically free speech in America, taking Trump off of Twitter, going to Zuckerberg with Facebook. And Zuckerberg has acknowledged that on the Joe Rogan show—that yes, the FBI came and tried to suppress the story.

    “So, they knew exactly what they were up to. They got away with it. And this is fundamentally putting American democracy at risk. And that’s why we need to speak out about it. And I am so glad Jim Jordan is doing the job that he’s doing there with the House Judiciary Committee and uncovering all of this.”

    During the interview, Warner elaborated on a variety of anomalies and instances of misconduct during the election process. He cited the acceptance of ballots past legal deadlines and the improper use of drop boxes, alluding to a poll indicating voter fraud and paid voting, which could undermine the integrity of the 2020 election.

    What we saw in six or seven of those swing states, we saw problems, and we saw where election officials stepped outside their authority. In the law, that’s called ‘ultravirus’—you’re acting without authority.

    And so, when you start accepting ballots three days after an election is over, when the state law says that ballots have to be in by election day, when you start using unsupervised dropboxes, accepting ballots without signatures, and those sorts of things… And I would like to mention just this recent Rasmussen poll that came out that said up to 20% of the people that voted by mail, in one way or another, either cheated or fraudulently cast those ballots, and some 10%, or whatever it was, were paid to cast a ballot. This was not the most secure election.

    In fact, I think we’re starting to unveil that there was a lot of problems with this election, and that’s why it’s important to talk about it. So many of them wanted to say, ‘Oh, it’s over and done. Let’s look to 2024.’ We need to get 2024 right. We can’t have this divided country challenge or question the outcome of an election again.

    And I think we’re right in doing so. I want to point out that it took us over two years to get to this point. Okay? It took a 2022 election for Republicans to take control of the House, to give Jim Jordan the authority to even start these investigations. And look what bombshell he uncovered. When Mike Morell says yes, Tony Blinken brought that idea to him.

    And I think we’re right in doing so. I want to point out that it took us over two years to get to this point. Okay? It took a 2022 election for Republicans to take control of the House, to give Jim Jordan the authority to even start these investigations. And look what bombshell he uncovered. When Mike Morell says yes, Tony Blinken brought that idea to him.

    Learn more about Mac Warner here.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/west-virginia-secretary-state-gubernatorial-candidate-mac-warner/

  21. Kash Patel: Republican Majority Rewarded FBI-DOJ for Breaking the Law – Approved FISA Process Through Next Election Cycle (VIDEO)
    by Jim Hoft Dec. 17, 2023 12:00 pm128 Comments

    Former Defense Department Chief of Staff Kash Patel joined Maria Bartiromo this morning along with Attorney Alan Dershowitz to discuss political hitman Jack Smith and his political maneuvers to take down Donald Trump.

    During their conversation Kash Patel reminded the FOX News audience that Republicans just voted to reauthorize the FISA Program through the 2024 election that was used to spy on President Trump by the FBI in 2016 and beyond.

    It is well known today that the FBI knowingly and willfully lied to the FISA Court to spy on the Trump Campaign in 2016 and later on his administration and even family members.

    Kash Patel: Yeah, it’s great to be with you, Maria. Look, the biggest concern I have going forward is the politicization and weaponization and creation of a two tier system of justice as a result. Back when Devin Nunes and I ran the Russia gate investigation and exposed the FISA corruption, we recommended a slew of fixes. So it never happened again. Unfortunately, Congress chose to allow 702 FISA to basically be reauthorized.

    What does that mean? What is 702? It’s fancy for foreign intelligence surveillance. It means me, as a former national security prosecutor and intelligence operative, would go overseas and manhunt terrorists. That’s what it’s for. But the FISA court, in April of 2022, publicized an opinion that said the FBI used it illegally 275,000 times domestically against Americans, 16 different occasions against those affiliated with, January 6, 19,000 times domestically against donors to a congressional campaign, and, wait for it, 24,000 separate times against Americans and groups in and around January 6.

    That FISA process has been turned on its head, redirected inwards. And anyone who says, oh, that’s just a Republican conspiracy speak, that’s the FISA court that rescinded Rod Rosenstein’s illegal surveillance of Donald Trump twice based on our investigation. And now they do it again, and they prove the FBI and DOJ have weaponized justice. And the Republican leadership in Congress allowed it to be reauthorized, essentially through the next election cycle…

    …What Chris Ray has now done is weaken American national security and redirected one of the most sensitive intelligence apparatuses against elections and those protesting their free speech right within America. And every time the FISA court asked the FBI, why did you allow your agents to do this? Their answer was, I could not recall. And they gave them a get out of jail free card.

    And the Republican majority, I know this is harsh, rewarded them for breaking the law and allowing this election interference to continue through 2024, mainly against Donald Trump.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/kash-patel-republican-majority-rewarded-fbi-doj-breaking/

  22. (Richard: This is suppose to be a legit headline make up your own mind, I am hoping it is true but who knows.)

    GERMANY: Gay Pedophile Activists Call For Lesbians To Be Removed From Berlin LGBT Museum Over Opposition To Pedophilia

    A politically connected pro-pedophile activist group in Germany is demanding lesbians be removed from an exhibit at Berlin’s Gay Museum due to their historical opposition to pederasty. Krumme-13 is protesting the Museum, claiming that lesbians “submitted in every way to the anti-pedophile zeitgeist of the heterosexual mainstream.”

    The Gay Museum was opened in 1985 and was the first of its kind to be solely dedicated to gay history. In November, the Museum launched an exhibit attempting to critically examine the widespread acceptance of pedophiles in the gay men’s rights movement in the 1980s and 1990 titled “Reappraisal: Sexual violence against children and young people in the spirit of emancipation.”
    A pamphlet displayed in the museum announcing a parade featuring “gays, lesbians, and pederasts.”

    The exhibition is comprised of two main rooms, with one being dedicated to testimonies from victims of child sexual abuse, and the second focusing on historical examples of gay rights publications vocalizing support for pedophilia. Among the displays is a document calling for “solidarity” with the pro-pedophile community advocating against their “exclusion” from the gay rights campaign.

    According to one sign within the exhibit, the belief that children — specifically boys — were not harmed by sexual relations with adult men “was supported by the gay movement.” The exhibit reveals that pedophiles found ample support within the community by appealing to “shared experiences of discrimination and persecution.”

    read more:

    https://reduxx.info/germany-gay-pedophile-activists-call-for-lesbians-to-be-removed-from-berlin-lgbt-museum-over-opposition-to-pedophilia/

  24. Witnesses Tell Congress the 2nd Amendment Doesn’t Victimize Women, it Empowers Them
    By
    Larry Keane –
    December 16, 2023 31

    Congress heard directly from women on the need to empower women by protecting Second Amendment rights in a hearing at the U.S. House of Representatives. The hearing gave voice to women, including domestic violence survivors, of how gun control measures often make it more burdensome for women to protect themselves, even as gun control proponents continue to tell these same women that the government and police will protect them.

    The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance hosted the hearing titled, “Second Amendment Rights Empower Women’s Rights” to inform lawmakers of how gun control puts barriers in the way, or in some cases, robs women of the inherent right to self-defense. Witnesses told lawmakers of their survival stories from horrific spousal abuse. These women also explained that learning to become a responsible firearm owner not only provides them the means to protect themselves and their children while empowering them to determine their futures without fear.

    “Female firearm ownership continues to grow in the United States,” said committee Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). “Women are turning to themselves to be their own first responders.” He added that gun ownership among Black women is especially on the rise – by 87 percent according to NSSF 2021 data. “I commend these strong women, and all strong women, for stepping up to protect themselves and their families.”

    Chairman Biggs noted that this increase is occurring while crime rates are still elevated and soft-on-crime policies, combined with prosecutors unwilling to apply the full strength of the law against criminals, is compelling many women to consider exercising their right to lawful firearm ownership.

    “They fail to realize how more gun control only harms and impacts the vulnerable populations they claim they want to protect,” Chairman Biggs added.

    The witnesses explained how life circumstances drove them to take ownership of their rights to keep and bear firearms to protect themselves and their loved ones. Some of their paths to firearm ownership began through awful abuse and threats to their lives. They shared that they were determined to never allow that experience to control them and now teach others, especially fellow women, how to lawfully and responsibly own firearms.
    Geneva Solomon – Survivor, Trainer, Community Voice

    Geneva Solomon brought her story of domestic abuse survival and empowerment through exercising Second Amendment rights to the committee hearing. She also added a much-needed perspective of how important Second Amendment rights are to the African American community and how misguided gun laws, like those in California where she owns and operates Redstone Firearms – the first Black-owned brick-and-mortar firearm retailer in the state – raise roadblocks to exercising Second Amendment rights.

    “My journey from victim to survivor to advocate has led me to this moment today,” explained Solomon, who is an NSSF member and also a member of the National African American Gun Association (NAAGA). “As a Black woman, this is not a matter of imagination. It was my lived experience.”

    Solomon said her path to healing and protecting herself and her family made her realize, “I had to become my own first responder.”

    She researched and educated herself on responsible firearm ownership. She explained that firearm ownership gave her more than the physical means by which she could protect herself and her family but also “a profound sense of empowerment.”

    She said training others to lawfully and responsibly own firearms has exposed her to others with similar and more disturbing stories than her own. She and her husband saw a gap in education for the Black community on gun ownership.

    “This initiative has empowered thousands, if not tens of thousands, across California emphasizing that no one is coming to save you,” Solomon explained. “The reality is there’s a thirst for knowledge and empowerment and it’s happening in California big time.”

    She said efforts to satisfy this demand are hampered by gun control laws that California lawmakers say will make them safer yet fail to deliver on that promise. She explained criminals don’t heed the law, yet California’s gun control means those purchasing a firearm must wait 10 days to take delivery.

    “These rules disproportionately affect women, particularly Black women and will cost lives,” Solomon said. “Imagine having to wait 10 days, in fear of your life, wondering if your next moment will be your last.”
    Beth Alcazar – Mother, Teacher, Protector

    “First and foremost, I’m a mother and I have made a personal choice to live as a mom with a gun,” explained Beth Alcazar, an instructor with the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, author and magazine editor. “After all, I have three children who look to me as guide, coach, counselor and protector and my journey in and my dedication to firearms self-defense has all been motivated by them.”
    Courtesy Beth Alcazar

    Alcazar explained that firearm education is paramount but the education is more than mastering tasks and text. The self-defense lessons teach situational awareness, avoiding problematic scenarios, preparedness and how to live life “fiercely and safely every day.”

    “For many women, this self-defense awakening has resulted in a new source of certainty, security, responsibility and equality that we might not otherwise had,” Alcazar added. “They refuse to stand by idle and helpless. They refuse to become someone’s victim. They refuse to allow harm to come to those that they love. That’s why I view the attempt to limit or criminalize law-abiding as anti-productive or dangerous, potentially carrying grave consequences for the safety of our families and our communities.”

    Alcazar explained that violent criminals are a reality in communities across America. Her training changed her physically and emotionally, she said, preparing her with a mindset that she doesn’t have to wait on others to provide for her own protection.

    “I am my own protector,” Alcazar told the Members of Congress. “And I am my family’s first and immediate responder.”
    Shirley Watral – Survivor, Educator, Advocate

    Shirley Watral is the State Director for Florida, Women for Gun Rights and is a domestic violence survivor. She testified of how her husband kidnapped and attacked her, threatening her life when he wielded a gun. She attempted to defend herself with that same firearm, only it failed to fire. She explained she survived the abusive attack only to learn that a restraining order didn’t block harassment and abuse.
    Courtesy Shirley Watral

    “This is what started my journey to firearms ownership,” Watral explained. “I realized I could protect myself. I could be my own first responder. Stop telling them [women] they’re not capable of handling a firearm. Stop scaring them with skewed statistics that only demoralizes them.”

    Watral also noted the sharp increase of women purchasing firearms over the past several years. She said they’ve witnessed communities becoming less safe as crime rises, only to be betrayed by politicians that undermine and defund police while pushing gun control measures at the same time.

    “People want to be able to protect themselves and those they love,” Watral added. “The difference between a safe sense of security and real security, for me, is my firearm. The Second Amendment is vital to me. It made a difference in my life and how I live each day.”
    Congress Affirms Empowerment

    Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) explained that empowering women to exercise their Second Amendment rights isn’t a liberal or conservative issue. It is a public safety issue and one that is decidedly important to women. He said policies to disarm police embolden criminals and make America’s cities less safe. It has driven this issue to the forefront where women are making an active choice to refuse to be victims.

    “When public safety collapses, who bears the brunt of it?” Rep. Hunt asked. “It’s women and children. You see, the gun is the great equalizer against dangerous predators and oftentimes the last line of defense for women when it comes to protecting themselves and their children.”

    Rep. Hunt also noted the 87 percent increase of Black women becoming firearm owners, the fastest-growing group in America.

    Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) didn’t mince words in his defense of all Americans being able to exercise their Second Amendment rights. He blamed the Biden administration for unending attacks on Second Amendment rights that deny women the empowerment of their Second Amendment rights.
    Rep. Troy Nehls
    Shutterstock

    “It’s dangerous. It’s unconstitutional and it does nothing to address crime,” said the former 30-year sheriff. “Criminals will still have guns long after law-abiding citizens don’t.”

    Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) didn’t shy from her determined defense of Second Amendment rights.

    “I will always fight to protect the Constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners,” Rep. Lee said. “And women who are trained to know how to properly own and safely shoot a firearm are not just gaining a tactical skill. A woman with a firearm who’s trained and understands how to use it has a line of defense against a home invader, a dangerous partner or just any random act of violence. Women across the nation have the ability to defend themselves, their children and their families when we empower women in self-defense. We all benefit.”

    Chairman Biggs concluded by noting that prosecutors aren’t locking up criminals. Soft-on-crime policies are allowing criminals to roam the streets without consequence. He turned to Solomon to explain, once more, how the Second Amendment empowers women.

    “I always tell people, ‘Do you know how long 90 seconds is?’” Solomon explained. “And 90 seconds is being generous when we talk about law enforcement responding. And we hear about how domestic violence is the most dangerous call. So, in those 90 seconds, if you don’t have a firearm when you do no want to fight one or two attackers as a woman, that is a very long time. Empowering yourself to be able to live and empowering your child, is a God-given right.”

    https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/witnesses-tell-congress-the-2nd-amendment-doesnt-victimize-women-it-empowers-them/

  25. Europe is ‘Entering an Era of Wars’, Top Security Forum Warns

    The comfortable era of prosperity and the welfare state under the protective umbrella of American defence is ending and Europe needs to “switch to a war economy”, the director of a top European security forum warns.

    The United States is drifting away from Europe as a new generation of voters and politicians focus on the Asia Pacific region rather than over the Atlantic, and European states need to start urgent work to prepare for a future era of increased conflict without American firepower to fall back on, Professor Katarzyna Pisarska of the Warsaw Security Forum has told a top German newspaper.

    The political scientist painted a bleak picture of the future for Die Welt, noting that fundamental changes in American society — like demographic change, for instance — is going to make holding Washington’s attention in the future more difficult. She told the paper: “For many younger Americans, including a generation of politicians, Europe is little more than an open-air museum. You feel and are actually closer to Asia and the Pacific region. China is the biggest geopolitical threat for them.

    “…The USA is changing, demographically. There has been hardly any immigration from Europe for many decades, but from Asia and of course Latin America. This also changes the priorities of politics.”

    It will take time for Europe to orientate itself away from the old world of “this lifestyle, the focus on the welfare state, on prosperity under the American protective umbrella”, which Prof. Pisarska believes “is over”. And these changes will take more than a change in rhetoric, she told Welt, noting that while European leaders in nations like France and Germany talk a big game on defence, the actual capability simply isn’t there. She said:

    When do preparations for this scenario need to begin? They should have started yesterday… We can, like Emmanuel Macron, speak of “European autonomy”. But what does that mean? Can France station 10,000 soldiers in Poland tomorrow? Can Germany effectively defend NATO’s eastern flank? Credible deterrence is needed. We currently only have that with the Americans.

    While American attention and money flowed for Ukraine, the U.S. soon moved on when a new war erupted with the Hamas terror attacks on Israel, and when such a time that war with China comes in the Pacific, it will become even more difficult for Europe to make the case for American defence. One way for that would be Europe showing it is willing to help America with its own priorities around the world, Pisarska suggested, but Germany’s own dependence on China is so great, for instance, that it seems unlikely.

    In all, the academic said, Europe is “entering an era of wars”, and the lack of political will in Europe to adequately prepare for that and “switch to a war economy” will “cost us dearly.”

    The Warsaw Security Forum which Prof. Pisarska leads has become something of a venue for such clarion calls, as previously reported. In October the British government used the Forum to sound the alarm on the dire state of ammunition production in Europe, which is being totally consumed by the Ukraine war and leaving national stockpiles looking “a little thin”.

    UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said the West had pivoted away from having a large arms-producing industrial base with considerable reserves during the Cold War to a slimmer holding in the modern world, and while this suited the predictable cycle of military deployments and consumption of munitions, it has been totally unequal to meeting the demands of the Ukraine war. He said this system “does not work when you need to be ready for a fight tomorrow and crucially your capacity to fight that fight tomorrow is part of the deterrence.”

    “We don’t actually have a lot of [industry] anymore”, Heappey observed, saying: “that leads to some really interesting questions about where is near to the UK with defendable sea and air lines of communication where we can have an offshore manufacturing base which is more resilient and more reachable for the UK than where we manufacture now.”

    Admiral Rob Bauer, the chairman of NATO’s Military Committee also spoke at the forum and made similar remarks, telling his military peers that: “we need the industry to ramp up the production at a much higher tempo. We need large volumes.

    “The just-in-time, just-enough economy that we built together in our liberal economies for 30 years is fine for a lot of things, but not for the armed forces when there is a war ongoing.”

    Poland — understandably perhaps, given it is on NATO’s eastern flank and among the most exposed nations, should such warnings come true — is the most hawkish of the alliance’s members when it comes to Russian expansionism. As reported earlier this month the chief of Poland’s security bureau Jacek Siewiera warned NATO assumptions about the amount of time it has to rebuild to be able to rebuff claimed future aggression by Russia into Europe are seriously optimistic.

    Rather than German estimates of Europe having ten years to prepare, the Polish security expert said NATO actually has three years, by which point it has to be strong enough in Europe to show it is able to repel an attack, consequently deterring one from happening at all.

    Germany, for instance, would almost certainly fail to make such a deadline. German academic Sönke Neitzel has previously said Germany’s army is at least 15 years away from being combat-ready. If Russia attempted to attack NATO now, the lives of alliance soldiers would be forfeit as Europe has no hope of winning the “first battle”. Neitzel compared it to battles in European history where unprepared states were “washed away”.

    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/12/17/europe-is-entering-an-era-of-wars-top-security-forum-warns/

    • Through out all of recorded history the norm has been war, humans fighting over some resource, the nuclear bomb caused a pause in this norm but as the world becomes use to them the wanna be Dictators are weakening and destroying the nations that polarized the world and prevented war. We are once again returning to the time when small national and semi regional wars dominate the world, reality is forcing the Marxist dream of a one world socialist government and economy is shown to be the pipe dream it has always been. The era of massive tolerance and victim worship is over, we are returning to the norm when Masculinity is something to be proud of not feared and vilified.

  26. Woke U.S. Military Faces 2024 with Smallest Size and Lowest Qualification Levels in 80 Years — Pentagon Issue “National Call of Service” to Younger Generations
    by Jim H?ft Dec. 17, 2023 2:20 pm128 Comments

    Reports emerging from the Pentagon suggest that the United States military is entering the year 2024 with its smallest size and lowest qualification levels in nearly eight decades. This development raises significant concerns about national security and military readiness in an era of evolving global threats.

    According to Daily Mail, the total number of active-duty personnel has dropped to levels not seen since the early 1940s, a period before the U.S. entered World War II.

    The emerging challenges in military recruitment are becoming increasingly evident, as seen in this year’s significant shortfall of 41,000 personnel. This gap highlights the widening disconnect between the military establishment and the younger generations.

    Ashish Vazirani, the acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness at the Pentagon, acknowledges the tough recruitment climate, which has compelled the armed services to lower their target numbers for active personnel in recent times.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/woke-u-s-military-faces-2024-smallest-size/

    • Major wars start when the powerful nations refuse to live in the real world and reduce their military to token forces or use them as social experimentation labs we have been doing the latter and the entire world is going to pay the price for the major nations letting delusional idiots gain control of their nations.

  28. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/woke-u-s-military-faces-2024-smallest-size/

    Focus Features has released a new trailer for an upcoming “comedy” called “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” directed by Kobi Libii.

    The trailer features a scene where white people are described as “the most dangerous animal on the planet.”

    The film’s website shares, “The American Society of Magical Negroes is “a fresh, satirical comedy about a young man, Aren, who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier.”

    Bounding into Comics reports:

    The trailer introduces us to Smith’s character, who appears to be a new recruit of the American Society of Magical Negroes being trained by Grier’s character.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/upcoming-movie-american-society-magical-negroes-describes-white/

  29. Border Crisis: Border Patrol Officers Find $10 Million of Meth and Cocaine in Vats of Jalapeno Paste
    by David Greyson Dec. 17, 2023 3:20 pm80 Comments

    The border crisis continues.

    The millions of illegal aliens pouring across the border is bad enough, but there is also another major crisis that continues to plague our Nation: illegal drugs.

    A 28-year-old driver was arrested on Wednesday for transporting $10 million worth of meth and cocaine at the southern border in Otay Mesa, California.

    The drugs were hidden in vats of jalapeno paste on a tractor-trailer that, ironically, was legally crossing the border.

    Fox News reported:

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/12/border-crisis-border-patrol-find-10-million-meth/

  30. California Circles The Toilet Bowl
    Tyler Durden’s Photo
    by Tyler Durden
    Sunday, Dec 17, 2023 – 10:40 AM

    Authored by MN Gordon via EconomicPrism.com,

    “I go with the word ‘serious.’ A serious budget problem. I would stop short of calling it a crisis.”

    – Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek, on California’s $68 billion deficit

    What Was It Like?

    California, without question, is a great state to be from.

    We lived there for nearly 45 years. We made our California exodus in July 2022. No regrets.

    In fact, not living in California becomes a greater blessing with each passing day. Moreover, depending on the time lived there, and the decades encompassed, plenty of insight can be found in the answers to three simple questions.

    What was it like? What happened? What is it like now?

    The answer to the first question comes with warm reminiscence. A fond nostalgia for a California that long ago faded from existence.

    In the early 20th century, before the mania to splatter every square foot of the LA Basin’s surface with concrete took hold of the local spirits, the place was a magnet for eccentrics and madmen. On any average day, Howard Hughes, a total lunatic, would crash test his latest flying machine into Beverly Hills.

    Italian immigrant Simon Rodia, however, was the real archetypical California oddball. For reasons unknown, and between swigs of malt liquor, he worked nearly every day from 1921 to 1955 chicken wiring steel pipes and rods together, erecting numerous towering eyesores in his backyard in the Watts district of Los Angeles.

    Then, after 34 years of this madness, Rodia, on a whim, deeded the property to his neighbor and hopped a bus to the East Bay. No one in Watts ever heard from him again. But his monstrosities, known as the Watts Towers, are now a National Historic Landmark. Go figure?

    There was also Griffith J. Griffith, who amassed a fortune in the mining industry. That was before he shot his wife in the eye while staying in the presidential suite of Santa Monica’s Arcadia Hotel.

    To make good for his transgressions – and to commute his time in San Quentin to just two years – Griffith donated the land for Griffith Park to Los Angeles and funded the City’s observatory. Without Griffith’s private act of preservation, the city wouldn’t have any remaining land that’s not covered with concrete.
    What Happened?

    These were the sorts of wacky and wild characters that roamed about when state and local governments were small and feeble. When crime was low, and optimism was high. And the only direction the economy could go was up.

    This was back when the infrastructure shined. And Hollywood made descent movies. It was also the beginning of a long property boom…where, for the next 50-years, property values went up without interruption.

    Even the most harebrained business ventures were almost guaranteed to succeed. For example, you could buy an old mail service boat – like John Clearman did – tow it from the Long Beach Harbor up to a wide open corner lot on Huntington Drive in the San Gabriel Valley, plop it down, and get rich selling cheese toast and red cabbage salad out of it.

    This was before zoning codes, land use master plans, and city permits spoiled all the fun. Was the world a better place? It was certainly freer.

    Private eccentricity in California these days has been regulated away like the free-flowing carburetor. In its place, there’s now state-sponsored Transgender History Month – the nation’s first of its kind – and countless other acts of public madness. The cutting edge of public policy, guided by academic retards, slices through the land.

    Over several decades, state and local governm

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/california-circles-toilet-bowl