Reader’s Links for February 20th, 2024

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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

33 Replies to “Reader’s Links for February 20th, 2024”

      • …….*\o/* Hungary *\o/*…….

        26 EU countries call for humanitarian pause in the Gaza war, Hungary doesn’t join the call

        All European Union (EU) countries except for Hungary on Monday joined a call for an “immediate humanitarian pause” in the Gaza war, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell <code{spit} said…

        The European Union has struggled for a united response on Israel’s military operation following the October 7 attack by Hamas, but Borrell <code{spit} said foreign ministers from 26 states had agreed a statement calling for “an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire”.

        The EU countries also reiterated their calls for Israel not to launch an assault on the Gaza city of Rafah.

        Hungary, which is a staunch supporter of Israel, has frequently refused to go along with EU statements seen as critical of the country.

        In a previous EU statement, it condemned Hamas for its use of civilians as human shields but also urged Israel to show “maximum restraint” to protect civilians from the war it is waging against Hamas.…

        https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/385492

        • Hungary’s days in the EU are probably numbered. Good, if it can manage on its own economically. Forces it to do business in other $hithole$.

          • He knows all the players as well as Bibi does.

            Not naive: Putin’s no knight on a white horse (without a shirt), but he does appreciate loyalty. He tried to appeal to the Kiev regime on Mr. Orban’s behalf, but he was similarly scorched.

            We shall see.

        • Eugene @EVKontorovich

          We live in a time of truth reversals. The Jews are said to be committing genocide; surrender to terrorism is peace; and Hungary’s government is said to be anti-Semitic.

          In fact, Israel has no better friend in Europe than Budapest. The faux liberalism of Western European capitals bleeds quickly into accommodation with Jew-killing movements.

          https://twitter.com/EVKontorovich/status/1759702818682810641
          ___________

          @ZvikaKlein·Feb 19

          Hungary twice blocks EU consensus statement against IDF Rafah offensive, at request of FM Israel_katz – exclusive

          @tovahlazaroff, @Jerusalem_Post

          https://jpost.com/international/article-787822

  3. Heckler’s veto cancels reggae concert; venues refuse star’s offer to provide replacement staff; do you need to read the article to guess the ethnicity and politics of the artist?

    https://www.koat.com/article/meow-wolf-concert-canceled-protest-concerns/46793600
    The event was expected to have both protesters and counter-protesters, which became a safety concern for employees. Several local pro-Palestinian activist groups credited themselves for pressuring Meow Wolf to cancel the event.

    The pro-Palestinian and union activists claim to have overwhelmed Meow Wolf with social media posts and phone calls.

  4. From battlefield to bargain bin: IDF soldiers flood online market with unused combat equipment

    Calcalist spoke with IDF soldiers who returned home with private combat equipment, which was not used, with an aggregate value of tens and hundreds of thousands of shekels. Some of them store this equipment in their home for future use, but the rest prefer to sell it for financial gain.…
    How much is being sold to the Enemy?

    But the big story here is not some reservist who wants to make a small fortune in times of war and recession. The multitude of these ads is mainly indicative of the bigger and sadder story – the story of an army that neglected its mission and failed to provide basic combat equipment to the reservists it sent to fight Hamas and Hezbollah.

    Procurement officers - officers up and down the line - consumed with politics, eager to make Israel a colony of the USA.

    The result is chaos – surpluses in one place, which are rolled into the private market, and shortages in another, which are evident in many ads of fighters who are still looking for equipment…

    The inflation of private combat equipment is a relatively new event, which began to gain momentum after the events of October 7 and the extensive reserve mobilization that began in their wake. Many fighters who were sent to the war in Gaza and the northern border found themselves with outdated, missing or irrelevant equipment. After realizing that the IDF was unable to keep up and provide them with an answer, they turned to donors or social networks for help…

    G [IDF reservist], explains that he did not coordinate the donation with any official in the IDF because he does not trust them…
    If I had talked to them, they would have wanted it for their own purposes…We saw with our own eyes soldiers from the logistics corps walking around with mountain boots taking the donations for themselves.…

    Who are the buyers?
    “It’s less soldiers, and more donors and associations that raised a lot of money from abroad…
    Can donors prevent private sales to the Enemy?

    Ultimately, this is a broken contract between the reservists and the system, which is why they don’t trust the system and everyone wants their equipment under their bed at home, in case they are called to war tomorrow.”

    https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/3hqv8n7qs
    _____________

    Israel to purchase tens of thousands of local assault rifles for IDF infantry brigade

    The director of procurement at the Ministry of Defense will soon publish a tender for the purchase of tens of thousands of Israeli-made assault rifles to be used by the various infantry brigades and standby units….
    [The largest tender] that the Ministry of Defense has held for the purchase of rifles made in Israel. This will be done in cooperation and coordination with the Planning Directorate and the Ground Forces of the IDF.…

    The same lice engaged in a Color Revolution, demonstrating tactics identical to those we've seen around the world.

    The new tender corresponds with a broader policy that seeks to reduce Israel’s dependence on the import of weapons and armaments and to ensure partial “production independence” for Israel.
    Better late than never. Unless you're already DEAD.

    https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/9sdy15m23

  6. Hezbollah dug a network of tunnels in Lebanon that is more dangerous than Hamas’

    [An investigative report claimed] Hezbollah has been digging hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels in Lebanon for over 30 years, some of them reaching depths of 40 meters to 80 meters, using North Korean technology.
    …
    An Israeli military source told Libération that the IDF, as well as military experts and strategists, oppose operating in Lebanese territory, as they may “encounter a well-prepared underground army, hence the ultimatum given by the Israelis to Hezbollah in January will likely be postponed to February.”
    Kinky. May as well be al Jazeera.

    The IDF addressed the worries of residents on the northern border concerning the threat of Hezbollah’s tunnels. At the end of December, IDF Northern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin said that IDF soldiers are “conducting extensive searches to locate terrorist infrastructure of all kinds, above and below ground. If a threat is found, we won’t keep it secret.”

    The report noted that the tunnels are more complex and dangerous than those in Gaza, and the explosion of some of the tunnels could cause earthquakes or landslides.

    https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkrjjq113t

  11. Trump trucker boycott: Chicago Ray tells New Yorkers to ‘stock up now’ as others join protest, refusing jobs and hitting back against Democrats who say they won’t make a difference

    A Trump-supporting trucker has advised New Yorkers to ‘stock up’ – as he warned that fierce plans to avoid driving semitrailers to the Big Apple are going ahead.

    In a video shared by the driver known as Chicago Ray, he suggested people living in the Big Apple ought to start stockpiling items because Republican-leaning truckers will be refusing to take loads to and from New York City.

    The cunning scheme was hatched in support of Donald Trump after the former president was fined $355 million in a civil fraud verdict in the city last week.

    Ray warned that there are ‘millions’ of ‘Tuckers for Trump’ – so the Republican hopeful, 77, must be ‘left alone’ or else there will be potential shortages in NYC.

    ‘I’m in Wisconsin and I’m hearing guys refusing loads….. this could take longer than a week…. my advice for New Yorkers is start stocking up… there’s millions of Truckers for Trump millions of us .. leave Trump TF alone,’ he posted in a message to X.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13102071/Trump-trucker-boycott-Chicago-Ray-tells-New-Yorkers-stock-join-protest-refusing-jobs-hitting-against-Democrats-say-wont-make-difference.html

  12. Judge Engoron Accused of Banging Secretary of Opposing Counsel in Previous Case
    by Jim Hoft Feb. 20, 2024 1:00 pm644 Comments

    On Friday, far left Judge Arthur Engoron fleeced $355 million from President Trump for taking out loans in New York State and paying them back on time and with interest. The charges were brought against Trump by crazed New York State Attorney General Letitia James. There were no victims in the so-called crime. The banks did their due diligence before they loaned Donald Trump the money and testified they would gladly do it again.

    Judge Engoron called this a crime and ruled that President Donald Trump owed the state $355 million. But that’s not all. As Volokh Conspiracy reported Engoron also put a Clinton-appointed judge in control of Trump business empire in New York State:

    Judge Engoron also appointed retired U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones to continue in her role as an “independent monitor” of the Trump business empire but expanded her authority to review financial disclosures before they are submitted to third parties. Judge Jones can hire an independent director of compliance, and she has the authority to compel Trump to sell some or even all of his businesses down the road. This is all punishment for Trump allegedly committing fraud by falsely in inflating and deflating the value of his real estate assets to pay lower state taxes and to receive more favorable loans from banks.

    This is the definition of tyranny. New York state just stole President Trump’s company from him because they don’t like his politics.

    Judge Arthur Engoron, a committed Democrat, has ruled repeatedly against Trump in the three years he’s been presiding over James’ lawsuit. According to the AP he’s forced Trump to sit for a deposition, held him in contempt and fined him $110,000.

    According to reports Judge Engoron has been married three times and has four children.

    But Arthur Engoron is no boy scout.

    Engoron was banging the secretary of opposing counsel during a previous case – a complete ethics violation.

    The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported this in 2002.

    Nathan Lewin, a defense attorney for the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, said the court’s Jan. 23 ruling against his client in several pre-trial decisions is “suspect” because of that relationship, of which he was not informed until late last month.

    Engoron was banging the secretary of opposing counsel during a previous case – a complete ethics violation.

    The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported this in 2002.

    Nathan Lewin, a defense attorney for the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, said the court’s Jan. 23 ruling against his client in several pre-trial decisions is “suspect” because of that relationship, of which he was not informed until late last month.

    Lewin is defending the rabbis in an $11 defamation million suit filed by Helen Chayie Sieger of Borough Park, who claims their decision to allow her husband to remarry without requiring him to grant her a rabbinic divorce in effect labeled her an unfit spouse.

    Lewin said in court papers that the law secretary, Arthur Engoron, claims he only began dating the secretary of the opposing counsel, Christopher Sullivan, on May 10. But Lewin said Sullivan’s actions in the case may have been “influenced” by information he received from the woman, identified in the papers only as Sue.

    And Lewin noted that Engoron “was drafting [later] decisions and communicating” with the judge about this case during the time he was dating Sue.

    Schoenfeld, at the request of the defendants, recused himself from the case July 1 after revealing that he had recently learned of the relationship. He said Engoron’s conduct raised ethical questions that he would report to the appropriate authorities, Lewin noted in his papers. Lewin said actions taken in this case may be criminal in nature and asked the court to conduct a full investigation.

    This won’t make any headlines.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/judge-engoron-accused-banging-secretary-opposing-counsel-previous/

  13. The Missing Crossfire Hurricane Binder: President Trump Demanded its Contents Be Released – The FBI Wants It Hidden from the American Public and Will Do Anything to Prevent Its Release
    by Jim Hoft Feb. 20, 2024 8:00 am796 Comments

    President Trump declassified a binder on January 19th, 2021.

    The now infamous binder contains hundreds of pages about the Crossfire Hurricane scandal. It contains damaging information about the corrupt actors involved in our government. Two different DOJ Attorney General’s have defied President Trump’s direct lawful order to publish the binder in the Federal Register. It’s been over three years now, and the DOJ continues to defy the presidential order and every FOIA request to make it public. Can we now raid the homes of former acting AG Monty Wilkinson, and current AG Merrick Garland?

    You can still find the link to this memorandum of declassification here.

    The DOJ had already made redactions to protect sources and methods, and returned the binder back to the White House before Trump left office. But the corrupt FBI also wanted to hide names of those involved in the scandal. So, at the last minute, the DOJ demanded the binder comply with the 1974 Privacy Act. The Act requires any “agency” that releases records to also hide personal or identifiable name information. The DOJ knew this Act didn’t apply to the White House, it was a stall tactic. The courts decided this 22 years ago that the Privacy Act was based on FOIA requests, and the White House is not an agency.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/missing-crossfire-hurricane-binder-president-trump-demanded-its/

  14. Massive Brawl Breaks Out Migrant Shelter in NYC: Illegal Aliens Violently Attack NYPD Officers (VIDEO)
    by Cristina Laila Feb. 20, 2024 1:40 pm354 Comments

    A massive brawl broke out at Randall’s Island migrant shelter in New York City – AGAIN.

    Illegal aliens violently attacked NYPD officers when police responded to reports of a dispute.

    Video of the chaos showed illegals throwing objects at police officers and violently attacking them.

    One female officer was hit in the head with a backpack.

    One illegal migrant was removed from the shelter.

    The New York Post reported:

    One person was booted from the increasingly lawless Randall’s Island tent city after a dramatic caught-on-video confrontation between NYPD officers and migrants.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/massive-brawl-breaks-migrant-shelter-nyc-illegal-aliens/

  15. US ‘Tiered’ Response Transitions to Daily Strikes in the Middle East
    by John Mills Feb. 20, 2024 10:15 am105 Comments

    If the Biden Team stopped the flow of funds to Iran and used DI-EFIL effectively, the “Military” instrument of power wouldn’t be needed.

    Commentary

    Since the Jan. 28 drone attack on Tower 22 in Jordan and the Nov. 19, 2023 seizure of the M/V Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea, a routinized normalcy of air and missile strikes by mainly U.S. forces has developed. Normalcy and routine can’t be found in Clausewitzian principles or Sun Tzu’s writings.

    Normalcy and routine are the antithesis of “offense” and “momentum”—key elements of Clause-Tzuian tenets. “They hit us a bit, we hit them back a bit” isn’t a roadmap or strategy to a positive end state. There are multiple instruments of national power to leverage in the achievement of national objectives.

    When an administration has no clearly stated objectives and declines to use the full spectrum of diplomatic, informational, military, economic, financial, intelligence, and law enforcement (DIMEFIL) instruments of national power, a morass of endless conflict develops with no rudder or purpose.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/us-tiered-response-transitions-daily-strikes-middle-east/

  16. Private Equity Fund Manager Announces He “Will NOT Waste Time” Researching New Business Opportunities in New York After Engoron Ruling
    by Jim Hoft Feb. 20, 2024 9:45 am502 Comments

    On Friday, far left Judge Arthur Engoron fleeced $355 million from President Trump for taking out loans in New York State and paying them back on time and with interest. The charges were brought against Trump by crazed New York State Attorney General Letitia James. There were no victims in the so-called crime. The banks did their due diligence before they loaned Donald Trump the money and testified they would gladly do it again.

    Judge Engoron called this a crime and ruled that President Donald Trump owed the state $355 million. But that’s not all. As Volokh Conspiracy reported Engoron also put a Clinton-appointed judge in control of Trump business empire in New York State:

    Judge Engoron also appointed retired U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones to continue in her role as an “independent monitor” of the Trump business empire but expanded her authority to review financial disclosures before they are submitted to third parties. Judge Jones can hire an independent director of compliance, and she has the authority to compel Trump to sell some or even all of his businesses down the road. This is all punishment for Trump allegedly committing fraud by falsely in inflating and deflating the value of his real estate assets to pay lower state taxes and to receive more favorable loans from banks.

    This is the definition of tyranny. New York state just stole President Trump’s company from him.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/private-equity-fund-manager-announces-he-will-not/

    • “Volokh” sounded familiar.
      Wiki:
      Volokh was born in the Soviet Union to a Jewish family residing in Kyiv, Ukraine.[7][8] He emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of seven.[9]

      Volokh exhibited extraordinary mathematical abilities from an early age. At the age of 9, he was attending university-level mathematics and calculus courses after he was found studying differential equations on his own.[10][11] When only 10 years 1 month old, he earned a 780 out of a possible 800 on the math portion of what is now called the SAT-I.[12]
      …
      Volokh’s article about “The Commonplace Second Amendment“,[26] was cited by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion in the landmark Second Amendment case of District of Columbia v. Heller,[27] and he has been quoted in the media on gun laws.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Volokh
      _________
      Everything You Wanted To Know About The Volokh Conspiracy:

      Eugene Volokh runs the most important legal blog in the country. Here’s his take on gay wedding cakes, free speech, and President Trump’s judicial appointments.

      “Intellectual honesty isn’t just refraining from lying,” says UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh in the newest Reason Podcast. “It’s mentioning the arguments against you and explaining why you think that they’re mistaken, as opposed to just omitting them, hoping that the audience isn’t going to catch on.”

      Volokh is the founder of The Volokh Conspiracy, “one of the most widely read legal blogs in the United States” [which] “has more influence in the field—and more direct impact—than most law reviews.”

      https://reason.com/podcast/2017/12/13/volokh-podcast/
      …….
      2014:
      The Volokh Conspiracy Is Out To Get You
      Run by a Soviet Jewish legal scholar, the blog took on the ACA and is now hosted by the ‘Washington Post’
      He left the MB WaPo.

      Last week, when the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether religiously owned corporations like Hobby Lobby should be exempt from providing contraception coverage to their employees, the government’s reply brief cited dozens of cases and statutes—and one blog with a weird name, The Volokh Conspiracy.

      https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/the-volokh-conspiracy

  18. Geoengineering Ramps Up With Large-Scale Government Projects Across the Globe.

    Large-scale geoengineering — deliberate interventions to alter the earth’s climate — will be taking place in the near future. What was once the province of science fiction will soon become part of the official strategies to fight climate change.

    Many geoengineering techniques were considered “taboo” until recently by scientists, who feared devastating unintended consequences. These include “dumping chemicals in the ocean” and “injecting reflective particles in the sky.” However, growing alarm at the “climate crisis” is causing scientists, with private and government support, to conduct pilot experiments worldwide.

    The Wall Street Journal reports: “The shift reflects growing concern that efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions aren’t moving fast enough to prevent the destructive effects of heat waves, storms and floods made worse by climate change. According to scientists and business leaders involved in the projects, geoengineering isn’t a substitute for reducing emissions. Rather, it is a way to slow climate warming… while buying time to switch to a carbon-free economy.”
    IT’S HAPPENING.

    read more at

    https://thenationalpulse.com/analysis-post/geoengineering-ramps-up-with-large-scale-government-projects-across-the-globe/

  22. How China’s Influence Shapes Israel’s Future
    Melissa Chen | Visegrad24 Podcast

    Our guest today: Melissa Chen is a Singaporean journalist and activist. She is a contributing editor for Spectator USA and co-founder of Ideas Beyond Borders.