With military tensions escalating between the US and Iran, it would be good to know that if we have to go to war with the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world, the country that held US diplomatic hostage for 444 days, whether we had everybody here in this country rooting for the good guys. (That's us.)
However, that seems not to be the case. We have a professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature teaching at Columbia University, who seems to be on the side of the mullahs. His name is Hamid Dabashi, and we have featured him before on these pages, usually for his incendiary anti-Semitic statements. Now he is running an article in Al Jazeera, which clearly takes the position that President Trump is the bad guy.
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/iran-attack-war-190626171305032.html
If you think Dabashi is the only academic in the US writing for the despicable news outlet based in the despicable country of Qatar, you would be mistaken. There are plenty of US-based academics ready to carry water for Iran and other hostile interests in the Middle East while blasting our own country (and Israel) with regularity.
Dabashi's article during such a delicate point makes me think back to the US-based German-American Bund, which carried water for the Hitlerian regime prior to our entry into World War II. We say that politics stops at the water's edge, but for academics, the show must go on.
By the way, Dabashi's article is also being re-posted, re-tweeted, etc. by others-with less critical comment. Local Islamist activist in Southern California, Shakeel Syed, has re-tweeted it (with no comment whatsoever).
https://twitter.com/ShakSpeak/status/1144837222564282368
Syed is past CEO of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California. He has a history of calling America and Israel "racist nations". But I digress. This article is about Dabashi, not one of his fans.
President Trump, despite his critics who think he is a war monger, has acted responsibly in the Iran issue. After one of our drones was shot down, he declined to respond militarily because it was estimated there would be innocent casualties. Yet, here we have Dabashi calling Trump a bully and a liar. In fact, reading this smear piece, it is hard to tell whether Dabashi is applying those words to Trump. the United States, or both. One would expect to hear those words coming out of some university in Iran, not Columbia. Or would one?
Sunday, June 30, 2019
"The Captain From Kiel"
Hat tip Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna
"The Italian Interior Minister, known as a loud-mouthed right-wing populist"
-German NDR TV
-PI News (Germany)
"Heigh ho, heigh ho
It's off to jail I go"
Carola Rackete, a German ship captain from Kiel who works for the German NGO, Sea Watch, has made headlines all over Europe by disobeying orders from the Italian Coast Guard and sailing her ship into Italian waters off the coast of Lampedusa, Sicily with 42 African migrants on board. She has now been arrested by Italian police, and the ship still sits off Lampedusa.
Not only is the ship operated by a German NGO, it is flying a Dutch flag. Yet, the German and Dutch governments refuse to take responsibility for the migrants.
As for the "Captain from Kiel" (not to be confused with the Captain and Tennille), she is finding widespread support not only from the EU, but from German media itself. Vlad Tepes has posted a German news report (NDR) that would make MSNBC proud (translation Miss Piggy).
https://d.tube/#!/v/vladtepesblog/QmayEeGKqMnpePVNn2KebAZ3SPBiXK9dhKzSWFH933syHk
This week, we also posted a televised statement by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who very capably explained why Italy should not be expected to be burdened with all these refugees coming across the Mediterranean. Together with Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna, we are translating another video of Salvini explaining his case to a TV moderator.
* Update: It can be Accessed here.
As for the Captain from Kiel, here's hoping Italy makes an example of her and gives her about 5 years to think about Italy's territorial integrity.
"The Italian Interior Minister, known as a loud-mouthed right-wing populist"
-German NDR TV
-PI News (Germany)
"Heigh ho, heigh ho
It's off to jail I go"
Carola Rackete, a German ship captain from Kiel who works for the German NGO, Sea Watch, has made headlines all over Europe by disobeying orders from the Italian Coast Guard and sailing her ship into Italian waters off the coast of Lampedusa, Sicily with 42 African migrants on board. She has now been arrested by Italian police, and the ship still sits off Lampedusa.
Not only is the ship operated by a German NGO, it is flying a Dutch flag. Yet, the German and Dutch governments refuse to take responsibility for the migrants.
As for the "Captain from Kiel" (not to be confused with the Captain and Tennille), she is finding widespread support not only from the EU, but from German media itself. Vlad Tepes has posted a German news report (NDR) that would make MSNBC proud (translation Miss Piggy).
https://d.tube/#!/v/vladtepesblog/QmayEeGKqMnpePVNn2KebAZ3SPBiXK9dhKzSWFH933syHk
This week, we also posted a televised statement by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who very capably explained why Italy should not be expected to be burdened with all these refugees coming across the Mediterranean. Together with Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna, we are translating another video of Salvini explaining his case to a TV moderator.
* Update: It can be Accessed here.
As for the Captain from Kiel, here's hoping Italy makes an example of her and gives her about 5 years to think about Italy's territorial integrity.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Hitler Learns Why He Has the Shakes (Climate Change)
This Hitler parody video by Yours Truly is inspired by the statement this week by the Green Party leader in Germany that Angela Merkel's shaking, observed twice in public this week, is all due to Climate Change. That leads us to the above video about a past German leader who problems with the shakes in his final days.
Angela Merkel and Climate Change
Hat tip PI News, Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna
This past week, Europe has been undergoing an extreme heat wave. These things happen from time to time, but now the Climate Change crowd is seizing on any fluctuation in temperatures to decry the coming end of mankind-unless we turn ourselves over to global governance and ban cars, airplanes (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), and even skyscrapers (Bill deBlasio).
Something else interesting occurred last week in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel has been seen in public on two occasions visibly shaking. Green Party chairwoman Annalena Baerbock had a ready explanation: Merkel, argues Baerbock, is falling victim to Climate Change.
https://vladtepesblog.com/2019/06/29/green-party-chairman-annalena-baerbock-diagnosis-merkel-trembles-caused-by-climate-changed-summer/
One recalls a previous time when Germany fell victim to madness. In the closing months of World War II, Hitler was seen with his left hand visibly shaking, so much so, he held it clasped behind his back while walking. As crazy as things were in those days, not even the craziest Nazi suggested that Hitler's malady was due to Climate Change. More likely, his health decline was more due to plunging the world into the worst war in history and watching virtually every major German city being bombed into ruin. Merkel, for her part, has also (in a different weay) brought Europe to a dangerous point in history. She is under a lot of criticism and a lot of pressure. But as soon as it gets hot in Europe, lunatics like the Greens are ready to pounce on Climate Change as the reason for Merkel's problems.
Maybe Ms Baerbock would like to throw her hat in the ring for the US Democrat presidential nomination. She could be here in time for the next debate.
This past week, Europe has been undergoing an extreme heat wave. These things happen from time to time, but now the Climate Change crowd is seizing on any fluctuation in temperatures to decry the coming end of mankind-unless we turn ourselves over to global governance and ban cars, airplanes (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), and even skyscrapers (Bill deBlasio).
Something else interesting occurred last week in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel has been seen in public on two occasions visibly shaking. Green Party chairwoman Annalena Baerbock had a ready explanation: Merkel, argues Baerbock, is falling victim to Climate Change.
https://vladtepesblog.com/2019/06/29/green-party-chairman-annalena-baerbock-diagnosis-merkel-trembles-caused-by-climate-changed-summer/
One recalls a previous time when Germany fell victim to madness. In the closing months of World War II, Hitler was seen with his left hand visibly shaking, so much so, he held it clasped behind his back while walking. As crazy as things were in those days, not even the craziest Nazi suggested that Hitler's malady was due to Climate Change. More likely, his health decline was more due to plunging the world into the worst war in history and watching virtually every major German city being bombed into ruin. Merkel, for her part, has also (in a different weay) brought Europe to a dangerous point in history. She is under a lot of criticism and a lot of pressure. But as soon as it gets hot in Europe, lunatics like the Greens are ready to pounce on Climate Change as the reason for Merkel's problems.
Maybe Ms Baerbock would like to throw her hat in the ring for the US Democrat presidential nomination. She could be here in time for the next debate.
Friday, June 28, 2019
San Francisco Imam Blames Zionists for "Murder" of Mohamad Morsi
Hat tip Memri and Vlad Tepes
It sure looks like the conspiracy theorists are on full throttle since the day Mohammad Morsi dropped dead in an Egyption courtroom last week. And for the radical Muslim conspiracy theorists, that means only one thing: The Jews killed Morsi. That was the theme by Khaled Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of San Francisco (Muslim Brotherhood-linked) in his Friday sermon (posted June 21, 2019).
It sure looks like the conspiracy theorists are on full throttle since the day Mohammad Morsi dropped dead in an Egyption courtroom last week. And for the radical Muslim conspiracy theorists, that means only one thing: The Jews killed Morsi. That was the theme by Khaled Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of San Francisco (Muslim Brotherhood-linked) in his Friday sermon (posted June 21, 2019).
Muslim American Society Protest June 2
Hat tip and Daily Wire Counter Islamist.org
On June 2, members of the Muslim American Society, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, held a protest outside the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles. The purpose was to defend three Muslim Brotherhood figures who face execution in Saudi Arabia. Counter Islamist.org posted two articles on the protest with photos of the protest leaders including Shakeel Syed and UCLA Professor Khaled Abou Fadl. The articles were sent to me by the writer, David Swindle, who has given me permission to cross-post them.
https://counterislamist.org/los-angeles-islamists-take-to-the-streets-in-support-of-terror-linked-clerics/
https://counterislamist.org/photo-essay-mas-greater-los-angeles-protests-in-support-of-terror-clerics/
Let me be clear: My position on Saudi Arabia and the Muslim American Society is-a pox on both their houses. The MAS protesters invoked the name of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was reportedly murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. I am not attempting to white wash that in any way. The MAS, however, is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I have attended a couple of their events, and I consider them an organization dedicated to Islamic supremacy.
Shakeel Syed is a local Southern California activist who rushes to defend any Muslim accused of any crime. In the so-called Irvine 11 case, where 11 members of the Muslim Student Union planned and disrupted a speech by Michael Oren, then-Israel ambassador to the US, at UC Irvine in 2010, Syed appeared at court with this mouth taped shut supposedly protesting the "silencing" of the disruptors (who were all convicted)..
Abul Fadl is a chronic complainer that Muslims in America are being picked on. He is frequently featured as a guest op-ed writer in the LA Times.
Again, I am not defending the Saudi regime in any way although what happens to the Muslim Brotherhood defendants is of little concern to me. My own distaste for the Saudi regime aside, I would never join in any protest organizard by the Muslim American Society.
On June 2, members of the Muslim American Society, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, held a protest outside the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles. The purpose was to defend three Muslim Brotherhood figures who face execution in Saudi Arabia. Counter Islamist.org posted two articles on the protest with photos of the protest leaders including Shakeel Syed and UCLA Professor Khaled Abou Fadl. The articles were sent to me by the writer, David Swindle, who has given me permission to cross-post them.
https://counterislamist.org/los-angeles-islamists-take-to-the-streets-in-support-of-terror-linked-clerics/
https://counterislamist.org/photo-essay-mas-greater-los-angeles-protests-in-support-of-terror-clerics/
Let me be clear: My position on Saudi Arabia and the Muslim American Society is-a pox on both their houses. The MAS protesters invoked the name of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was reportedly murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. I am not attempting to white wash that in any way. The MAS, however, is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I have attended a couple of their events, and I consider them an organization dedicated to Islamic supremacy.
Shakeel Syed is a local Southern California activist who rushes to defend any Muslim accused of any crime. In the so-called Irvine 11 case, where 11 members of the Muslim Student Union planned and disrupted a speech by Michael Oren, then-Israel ambassador to the US, at UC Irvine in 2010, Syed appeared at court with this mouth taped shut supposedly protesting the "silencing" of the disruptors (who were all convicted)..
Abul Fadl is a chronic complainer that Muslims in America are being picked on. He is frequently featured as a guest op-ed writer in the LA Times.
Again, I am not defending the Saudi regime in any way although what happens to the Muslim Brotherhood defendants is of little concern to me. My own distaste for the Saudi regime aside, I would never join in any protest organizard by the Muslim American Society.
4 Suspected ISIS Terrorists Nabbed in Nicaragua (Cont)
Hat tip Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna. Translation by Fousesquawk.
On June 25, Nicaraguan police captured four Arabs trying to cross into their country illegally from Costa Rica. They are believed to be linked to ISIS, and were believed to be making their way north to the US border..
As promised, here is a video of the press announcement by Nicaraguan police, with English sub-titles.
https://gatesofvienna.net/2019/06/isis-in-nicaragua/
Still think we don't need that wall?
On June 25, Nicaraguan police captured four Arabs trying to cross into their country illegally from Costa Rica. They are believed to be linked to ISIS, and were believed to be making their way north to the US border..
As promised, here is a video of the press announcement by Nicaraguan police, with English sub-titles.
https://gatesofvienna.net/2019/06/isis-in-nicaragua/
Still think we don't need that wall?
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Dutch Police Arrest the Wrong People in Eindhoven
Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes
Last week, Pegida held a protest in the city of Eindhoven (Netherlands). As a result, they had rocks and eggs thrown at them by counter-protesters. Guess who the cops arrested.
https://gatesofvienna.net/2019/06/edwin-wagensveld-arrested-in-eindhoven-for-having-bricks-thrown-at-him/
I guess the people were charged with assaulting the rocks and eggs.
Last week, Pegida held a protest in the city of Eindhoven (Netherlands). As a result, they had rocks and eggs thrown at them by counter-protesters. Guess who the cops arrested.
https://gatesofvienna.net/2019/06/edwin-wagensveld-arrested-in-eindhoven-for-having-bricks-thrown-at-him/
I guess the people were charged with assaulting the rocks and eggs.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Twitter Goes After Geert Wilders
Hat tip Vlad Tepes
Things are bad enough for Dutch politician Geert Wilders. The Islamists want to kill him for what he says and his own government is always putting him on trial for expressing his opinions about Islam and Muslim migration to his country. To add insult to injury even Twitter is going after him.
It may seem petty, but we cannot overestimate the growing power of social media to form public opinion. That Twitter, Facebook, Google and others are practicing this kind of censorship is scary.
Things are bad enough for Dutch politician Geert Wilders. The Islamists want to kill him for what he says and his own government is always putting him on trial for expressing his opinions about Islam and Muslim migration to his country. To add insult to injury even Twitter is going after him.
It may seem petty, but we cannot overestimate the growing power of social media to form public opinion. That Twitter, Facebook, Google and others are practicing this kind of censorship is scary.
The Sea Watch Saga (Cont)
Hat tip Vlad Tepes, Gates of Vienna. Translation by Fousesquawk.
For two weeks, another migrant saga is playing out off the Italian coast. The Sea Watch, a ship flying a Dutch flag and operated by a German NGO, has been sitting off the coast of Italy near Lampedusa, prohibited by the Italian government from off-loading some 40+ migrants who were picked up off the coast of Africa. An appeal was filed to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg asking them to order Italy (That's the way things work in the EU.) to offload the migrants. That appeal was denied by Strasbourg except in the case of people needing medical attention.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has stated that these migrants should be the responsibility of the Germans and Dutch rather than the Italians. Why should Italy have to accept wave after wave of people plucked out of the sea by ships and NGOs from other countries?
Salvini's video can be accessed below at Vlad Tepes. I am having trouble posting it myself at the direct link (Bitchute).
https://vladtepesblog.com/2019/06/26/salvini-explains-how-the-sea-watch-is-more-about-hurting-italy-than-helping-africans/
For two weeks, another migrant saga is playing out off the Italian coast. The Sea Watch, a ship flying a Dutch flag and operated by a German NGO, has been sitting off the coast of Italy near Lampedusa, prohibited by the Italian government from off-loading some 40+ migrants who were picked up off the coast of Africa. An appeal was filed to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg asking them to order Italy (That's the way things work in the EU.) to offload the migrants. That appeal was denied by Strasbourg except in the case of people needing medical attention.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has stated that these migrants should be the responsibility of the Germans and Dutch rather than the Italians. Why should Italy have to accept wave after wave of people plucked out of the sea by ships and NGOs from other countries?
Salvini's video can be accessed below at Vlad Tepes. I am having trouble posting it myself at the direct link (Bitchute).
https://vladtepesblog.com/2019/06/26/salvini-explains-how-the-sea-watch-is-more-about-hurting-italy-than-helping-africans/
Ilhan Omar: "Did You Marry Your Brother?"
Hat tip The Rebel and Vlad Tepes
Here is a video of a reporter for the Canada-based The Rebel news outlet asking Ilhan Omar a bunch of questions she doesn't want to answer as she walks into the Capitol in Washington DC.
Here is a video of a reporter for the Canada-based The Rebel news outlet asking Ilhan Omar a bunch of questions she doesn't want to answer as she walks into the Capitol in Washington DC.
Nicaragua Captures 4 Suspected ISIS Members Entering Country
Hat tip Behind the News and Vlad Tepes
This is an important news story out of Nicaragua. As the Trump administration (not to mention so many of us) has been saying, Islamic terrorists are joining the flood of so-called refugees headed to our southern border. Yesterday, the Nicaraguan army captured four Arab men believed to be ISIS members as they crossed illegally into Nicaragua at an unauthorized border crossing with Costa Rica. The men were carrying transit documents issued by Costa Rica. They have been returned to Costa Rica and turned over to Costa Rican police.
https://btnews.online/nicaragua-police-arrest-4-isis-terrorists-on-their-way-to-mexico/
In concert with Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna, we are translating and sub-titling a Nicaraguan police press conference in which the four men are identified. Their documents indicate they are two Egyptians and two Iraqis. More to follow.
This is an important news story out of Nicaragua. As the Trump administration (not to mention so many of us) has been saying, Islamic terrorists are joining the flood of so-called refugees headed to our southern border. Yesterday, the Nicaraguan army captured four Arab men believed to be ISIS members as they crossed illegally into Nicaragua at an unauthorized border crossing with Costa Rica. The men were carrying transit documents issued by Costa Rica. They have been returned to Costa Rica and turned over to Costa Rican police.
https://btnews.online/nicaragua-police-arrest-4-isis-terrorists-on-their-way-to-mexico/
In concert with Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna, we are translating and sub-titling a Nicaraguan police press conference in which the four men are identified. Their documents indicate they are two Egyptians and two Iraqis. More to follow.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Moroccans Riot in Ceuta
Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes
Translation by Fousesquawk
The port of Ceuta is a Spanish enclave located on the North African continent (Morocco), from which illegal migrants cross from Morocco to Spain and hence into Europe. A few days ago, Spanish police had to deal with a riot by rival Moroccan gangs fighting for control of the port.
https://d.tube/v/vladtepesblog/QmNWSfX6pZroqAFn5SezSHy4STpQuwojKuaD7KyDn66ZGn
Translation by Fousesquawk
The port of Ceuta is a Spanish enclave located on the North African continent (Morocco), from which illegal migrants cross from Morocco to Spain and hence into Europe. A few days ago, Spanish police had to deal with a riot by rival Moroccan gangs fighting for control of the port.
https://d.tube/v/vladtepesblog/QmNWSfX6pZroqAFn5SezSHy4STpQuwojKuaD7KyDn66ZGn
Britain May Put Returning Jihadis at Front of Line for Housing, Jobs etc
The nation once known as Great Britain has sunk to its lowest level since Neville Chamberlain went flying off to Munich with his umbrella in 1938. Those who don't know what I am talking about have not learned the lessons of history since they don't even know their history.
Now it looks like the feckless Brits actually want to give priority to returning ISIS killers when it comes to jobs and housing. This is what Sweden does already, believe it or not.
Yes, for Sweden and Britain, re-integration is the word. It is a misnomer since these killers never integrated in the first place. Worse than being a misnomer, it is tragic stupidity, which will cost lives.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/873214/isis-extremists-council-homes-jobs-operation-constrain?fbclid=IwAR0JfWJPF-kcjP_CB2jpJkr_qk0zqgYE7SVgaUEQhXDDmGDnBrZyg8ad6CE
"Earlier this month, Max Hill QC, the UK's independent reviewer of terrorism laws, proposed trying to re-integrate "naive" teenagers who had travelled to Syria to fight for ISIS instead of prosecuting them."
One wonders how many innocent British civilians will die at the hands of these "naive teenagers".
It is time to abandon policies of appeasement and surrender to the Islamists. Right, Neville?
"Quite right, Old Chap."
* By the way, for those of you who have to Google Neville Chamberlain, be sure you add the words, Hitler and Munich to the search box. Otherwise, Google's algorithms will probably pop up a bunch of sites that tell you Chamberlain was a great leader. you know, kind of like Mayor Pete or Elizabeth Warren.
Now it looks like the feckless Brits actually want to give priority to returning ISIS killers when it comes to jobs and housing. This is what Sweden does already, believe it or not.
Yes, for Sweden and Britain, re-integration is the word. It is a misnomer since these killers never integrated in the first place. Worse than being a misnomer, it is tragic stupidity, which will cost lives.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/873214/isis-extremists-council-homes-jobs-operation-constrain?fbclid=IwAR0JfWJPF-kcjP_CB2jpJkr_qk0zqgYE7SVgaUEQhXDDmGDnBrZyg8ad6CE
"Earlier this month, Max Hill QC, the UK's independent reviewer of terrorism laws, proposed trying to re-integrate "naive" teenagers who had travelled to Syria to fight for ISIS instead of prosecuting them."
One wonders how many innocent British civilians will die at the hands of these "naive teenagers".
It is time to abandon policies of appeasement and surrender to the Islamists. Right, Neville?
"Quite right, Old Chap."
* By the way, for those of you who have to Google Neville Chamberlain, be sure you add the words, Hitler and Munich to the search box. Otherwise, Google's algorithms will probably pop up a bunch of sites that tell you Chamberlain was a great leader. you know, kind of like Mayor Pete or Elizabeth Warren.
Pete Buttigieg Is No Leader
If there were really any folks out there who thought that Mayor Pete (Buttigieg) could actually run this country, they learned a hard lesson this weekend when he demonstrated that he can't even run his own city-or a town hall for that matter.
Mayor Pete had to interrupt his presidential campaign to fly back to South Bend in the wake of a fatal police shooting of a black man by a white cop. On Sunday, he and his police chief held a town hall, supposedly moderated by a NAACP official. It turned into chaos, broadcast live by CNN.
As for the shooting, it is still under investigation, and we just don't know the facts yet. However, the local prosecutor has issued a statement to the effect that police responded to a call reporting that a man was breaking into cars. Arriving at the scene, an officer observed the suspect either getting it into or out of a car. The man then allegedly came at the officer a with a raised knife when the officer fired. If that account is accurate, the shooting seems justified to to me. The officer's dash cam was not activated and there is no video of the incident
Yet, by his remarks, Buttigieg implied that the officer was guilty and/or had racist attitudes. Can you say, "Ferguson, Missouri"?
Forget the fact that a mayor can hardly be expected to run his city while running around the country running for president. Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles learned that lesson the hard way. While he was running off to Iowa, his city's homeless population was exploding leading to trash pileups and even outbreaks of typhus. And he thought he should be president.
I watched Buttigieg's pitiful sack cloth and ashes performance as he admitted his failure to (allegedly) keep racism out of his police force and preside over a city of racial harmony. I cannot imagine this guy leading our country. He cannot even run South Bend, Indiana.
Mayor Pete had to interrupt his presidential campaign to fly back to South Bend in the wake of a fatal police shooting of a black man by a white cop. On Sunday, he and his police chief held a town hall, supposedly moderated by a NAACP official. It turned into chaos, broadcast live by CNN.
As for the shooting, it is still under investigation, and we just don't know the facts yet. However, the local prosecutor has issued a statement to the effect that police responded to a call reporting that a man was breaking into cars. Arriving at the scene, an officer observed the suspect either getting it into or out of a car. The man then allegedly came at the officer a with a raised knife when the officer fired. If that account is accurate, the shooting seems justified to to me. The officer's dash cam was not activated and there is no video of the incident
Yet, by his remarks, Buttigieg implied that the officer was guilty and/or had racist attitudes. Can you say, "Ferguson, Missouri"?
Forget the fact that a mayor can hardly be expected to run his city while running around the country running for president. Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles learned that lesson the hard way. While he was running off to Iowa, his city's homeless population was exploding leading to trash pileups and even outbreaks of typhus. And he thought he should be president.
I watched Buttigieg's pitiful sack cloth and ashes performance as he admitted his failure to (allegedly) keep racism out of his police force and preside over a city of racial harmony. I cannot imagine this guy leading our country. He cannot even run South Bend, Indiana.
Monday, June 24, 2019
Italians Intercept Human Smugglers
Hat tip Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna for sub-titling. Translation by Fousesquawk.
The Italian Coast Guard is still hard at work trying to intercept the human smugglers in the Mediterranean. This week, a mother ship was intercepted off-loading 81 people while an NGO rescue ship lies off the coast of Sicily prohibited from off-loading those it had plucked out of the sea.
The Italian Coast Guard is still hard at work trying to intercept the human smugglers in the Mediterranean. This week, a mother ship was intercepted off-loading 81 people while an NGO rescue ship lies off the coast of Sicily prohibited from off-loading those it had plucked out of the sea.
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Angela Merkel Is Still "Schaffen"
Hat tip Vlad Tepes and Gates of Vienna. Translation by MIss Piggy.
"Wir schaffen das."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's favorite slogan is, "Wir schaffen das", which means, we can do this. She believes Germans are capable of anything, like importing about a million Muslim refugee/asylum-seekers/fortune hunters, mostly single young men, without disrupting German society. Meanwhile, violent crime is rampant, and people are being murdered and raped. There was the famous Christmas Market attack in Berlin in 2016 by a Tunisian-you guessed it- asylum-seeker which resulted in the deaths of 12 people. And all the while, Merkel goes about her merry way proclaiming, "Wir schaffen das."
Now in this just released video, Merkel is talking about how Germany is going to schaffen Africa.
While Merkel's words seem noble-Africa needs help and always has- I wonder just how she is going to do it other than pour in more money and aid. But note how she refers to aligning with and working with the governments of Africa according to what they need and want. The fact is that for generations, the US and Europe have poured aid and money into Africa, which has largely gone into the Swiss bank accounts of corrupt dictators. We have sent volunteers and experts to help build the infrastucture, all noble efforts. And as a result of all our aid and efforts, Africans today are.........fleeing by the millions. The countries are just as corrupt, civil wars crop up in one country after another, Islam is, of course, on the march, and people are starving and dying.
Just what does Merkel think she can schaffen? What is her solution-just pour more money into Africa and facilitate all those Africans who want to come to Europe? That's basically what they are doing.
Merkel, in the short time she has left as chancellor, needs to pay attention to what is happening in her own country. Her immigration/asylum policy is a disaster, not only for Germany, but for Western Europe. Like the Peid Piper of Hameln, she has led her EU partners down a path to destruction.
"Wir schaffen das."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's favorite slogan is, "Wir schaffen das", which means, we can do this. She believes Germans are capable of anything, like importing about a million Muslim refugee/asylum-seekers/fortune hunters, mostly single young men, without disrupting German society. Meanwhile, violent crime is rampant, and people are being murdered and raped. There was the famous Christmas Market attack in Berlin in 2016 by a Tunisian-you guessed it- asylum-seeker which resulted in the deaths of 12 people. And all the while, Merkel goes about her merry way proclaiming, "Wir schaffen das."
Now in this just released video, Merkel is talking about how Germany is going to schaffen Africa.
While Merkel's words seem noble-Africa needs help and always has- I wonder just how she is going to do it other than pour in more money and aid. But note how she refers to aligning with and working with the governments of Africa according to what they need and want. The fact is that for generations, the US and Europe have poured aid and money into Africa, which has largely gone into the Swiss bank accounts of corrupt dictators. We have sent volunteers and experts to help build the infrastucture, all noble efforts. And as a result of all our aid and efforts, Africans today are.........fleeing by the millions. The countries are just as corrupt, civil wars crop up in one country after another, Islam is, of course, on the march, and people are starving and dying.
Just what does Merkel think she can schaffen? What is her solution-just pour more money into Africa and facilitate all those Africans who want to come to Europe? That's basically what they are doing.
Merkel, in the short time she has left as chancellor, needs to pay attention to what is happening in her own country. Her immigration/asylum policy is a disaster, not only for Germany, but for Western Europe. Like the Peid Piper of Hameln, she has led her EU partners down a path to destruction.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Professor of "Islamophobia" at Lutheran College Bashes Christianity
File this one under, Go Figure. Todd Green, a professor at Iowa's Luther College-a Lutheran private college, Dear Reader- is a supposed expert on "Islamophobia", a term conjured up by Islamists to silence critics of Islam and others who point out the daily atrocities being committed by the so-called "Religion of Peace" (which has been been going on for 1400 years).
I have seen and heard diatribes from those supposedly representing Christianity before. They point to all the "intolerance" in Christianity today, you know, things like opposing homosexuality, gay marriage, and abortion, while ignoring the horrors being carried out in the name of Islam; beheadings, honor killings, killing Christians and Jews, death to apostates and blasphemers, and all that.
So now comes Mr Green, who while teaching at a Lutheran institution, proceeds to defend Islam while bashing Christianity.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/06/todd-green-expert-on-islamophobia-claims-christianity-is-an-oppressive-political-system-bent-on-discrimination
I won't try to add much to Jihad Watch's own very effective critique. Suffice to say that comparing the mistakes and sins of so-called Christian leaders over the centuries to the deliberate, Allah-inspired violence and intolerance in Islam is a joke. Yes, there was the Inquisition, arguably the Vatican's worst crime. There were clerics who stood silent during slavery. There were the Crusades, whoever you think was right or wrong. Pedophile priests is a terrible problem.
Using Hitler, the Nazis, and the KKK as examples of Christian wrongdoing is shaky at best. Hitler's Nazi movement persecuted and murdered Jews, but supressed Catholics and Protestants. They did not commit their crimes in the name of God, but in the name of racial superiority. As for the KKK, it is true that some of their more educated members who could spell G-O-D invoked his name, but most were a bunch of thugs who were acting in the name of maintaining their twisted system of racial superiority over black people.
But you have to wonder what the administrators at Luther College, a Christian institution, are thinking when they hire a professor who bashes Christianity in order to defend Islam. As for Mr Todd, if he wants to protect innocent Muslims from suspicion and discrimination, that is all well and good. Lying about the very nature of Islam in a college setting is unpardonable.
I have seen and heard diatribes from those supposedly representing Christianity before. They point to all the "intolerance" in Christianity today, you know, things like opposing homosexuality, gay marriage, and abortion, while ignoring the horrors being carried out in the name of Islam; beheadings, honor killings, killing Christians and Jews, death to apostates and blasphemers, and all that.
So now comes Mr Green, who while teaching at a Lutheran institution, proceeds to defend Islam while bashing Christianity.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/06/todd-green-expert-on-islamophobia-claims-christianity-is-an-oppressive-political-system-bent-on-discrimination
I won't try to add much to Jihad Watch's own very effective critique. Suffice to say that comparing the mistakes and sins of so-called Christian leaders over the centuries to the deliberate, Allah-inspired violence and intolerance in Islam is a joke. Yes, there was the Inquisition, arguably the Vatican's worst crime. There were clerics who stood silent during slavery. There were the Crusades, whoever you think was right or wrong. Pedophile priests is a terrible problem.
Using Hitler, the Nazis, and the KKK as examples of Christian wrongdoing is shaky at best. Hitler's Nazi movement persecuted and murdered Jews, but supressed Catholics and Protestants. They did not commit their crimes in the name of God, but in the name of racial superiority. As for the KKK, it is true that some of their more educated members who could spell G-O-D invoked his name, but most were a bunch of thugs who were acting in the name of maintaining their twisted system of racial superiority over black people.
But you have to wonder what the administrators at Luther College, a Christian institution, are thinking when they hire a professor who bashes Christianity in order to defend Islam. As for Mr Todd, if he wants to protect innocent Muslims from suspicion and discrimination, that is all well and good. Lying about the very nature of Islam in a college setting is unpardonable.
Friday, June 21, 2019
Juan Cole and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
If you think there is nobody more off the mark than NY Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, better known to us writers as AOC because it's so much easier to write it, you need look no further than Ann Arbor, Michigan. It may be a long way from New York or Washington, but at the University of Michigan, you can find that lid that fits the pot that is AOC. His name is Juan Richard Cole, and he is teaching our kids there. That's a scarier thought than having AOC in Congress.
This week, AOC made the claim that the US is running concentration camps on our southern border. That invoked justified howls of outrage since concentration camps are traditionally places where the authorities and guards routinely beat, starve and torture prisoners (before killing them).
Yet, here comes comedian Juan Cole defending AOC's remarks with a posting on his preposterously-named blog, "Informed Comment" (see link under the Fiction Section of this site.)
https://www.juancole.com/2019/06/running-concentration-refugees.html
Let's get serious for a moment after reading Cole's piece. One can argue about the definition of a concentration camp. There have been and still are such places in many dictatorial nations. One could argue about the proper designation of the internment camps where Japanese and Japanese-Americans were held during World War II. I have never condoned that internment, and have always condemned it. However, though the conditions were not ideal (in isolated parts of the West), there was no systematic mistreatment of the internees. There were no beatings, no torture, no starvation, no killings. Nor do these things happen in our detention facilities for illegal migrants.
As for what is happening with the illegal migrants coming across our border, it is not a good situation and our government and ICE acknowledge it. However, it is not a condition we created. We are overwhelmed with huge numbers of people including children crossing into the country illegally. Furthermore, the holding sites did not begin with the Trump administration. The Obama administration was doing it too, a fact conveniently overlooked by AOC and JRC.
Many Jews are upset with AOC for comparing our illegal migrant detention centers to concentration camps because to Jews, that automatically brings up images of places like Auschwitz. Ocasio-Cortez correctly points out that there was a distinction between the actual death camps like Auschwitz and concentration camps (like Dachau). The latter were established in Germany when Hitler took power for the purpose of holding political prisoners. These were places like Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen (all of which I have visited) and many others spread out around the country. At these places, prisoners were badly mistreated and murdered. When liberated, thousands of corpses were discovered by the Allies. Bergen-Belsen was where Anne Frank died during a typhus epidemic in the closing days and weeks of the war. The actual designated death camps, set up for the express purpose of killing Jews, were in occupied Poland. There were six, Auschwitz-Birkenau (which I have visited), Treblinka, Chelmno, Belzec, Majdanek, and Sobibor, where the process was systematic murder by gassing.
Ocasio-Cortez has stated that she recognizes the differences between concentration camps and the Nazi death camps, however, she herself brought up the term, "Never again" ("which means something"). Indeed. That itself brought it all back to comparing what we are doing on our southern border with what the Nazis did to the Jews. It is a statement based on pure ignoarance.
Not to be overlooked is Cole throwing out a 2008 indictment against Dick Cheney by a Texas grand jury in 2008 for allegedly being involved in a conspiracy to cover up mistreatment of prisoners.
"Among the most vocal critics of AOC’s diction is Liz Cheney. The Cheneys may still own shares in private prison companies; her father Dick was indicted in 2008 for blocking investigations into prisoner mistreatment in those concentration camps."
Actually, it wasn't Cole who threw it out. It was a Texas judge who threw it out two weeks later. The judge also castigated the prosecutor for trying to bring such a frivolous prosecution in the first place. Cole neglected to tell us that, perhaps thinking we would assume the trial is still pending eleven years later. I imagine many of Cole's "informed" readers made just that inference. And see how Cole himself uses the term "concentration camps" in that sentence. Real concentration camps are places people are thrown and kept without charges, not prisons (state, federal or private) housing those who have been convicted of crimes and sentenced.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an ignorant, 29-year-old barmaid who suddenly found herself in Congress thanks to some pretty dumb voters in her district. She could be forgiven for that ignorance. Juan Cole, on the other hand, is not 29 years old. He is a professor He should know better. By defending the hapless Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, he invites ridicule.
Crackpots in Academia
Jeff Halper
Among the army of university professors in the US who spend most of their careers trying to destroy the Jewish state of Israel, there are more than a few certified crackpots. Surprisingly, many of them are Jews, so deep into left wing ideology that they don't even care what happens to the 7 million or so Jews living in Israel. They are going to support the bloodthirsty Palestinians come hell or high water. After all, it's part of being a lefty.
In the below Algemeiner article, Moshe Phillips reports on a couple of characters teaching in New York and North Carolina who have joined the anti-Israel bandwagon. One of them is PhD candidate named Kyle Stanton at State University of New York at Albany, who did a raving review on a book written by crackpot anthropology professor Jeff Halper.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/06/17/another-anti-israel-academic-coming-to-campus-near-you/
Leaving Mr Trachtenberg aside, I would advise Mr Stanton to proceed with caution on Halper. Why? Because Halper is a crackpot. He is of Jewish background, born in the US, emigrated to Israel where he became a citizen and teaches anthropology. He repays his adopted country by speaking against it around the world. Why is he a crackpot? If you ever have the chance to go hear him speak, do so because he is better than a stand up comedian.
I saw him speak twice in one day at UC Irvine in 2011. He was dragged onto campus by Professor Chuck O'Connell to speak to his class. Below is my posting on the evening event at the time. Pay attention to the part when he talks about spectral dust, a weapon supposedly invented in Israel that,when programmed with a target's DNA and released into the atmosphere, will supposedly locate and kill the target.
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/jeff-halper-at-uc-irvine-cont.html
Yes, Dear Readers, Jeff Halper is a certified crackpot. I suspect young Mr Stanton-soon to be Dr Stanton- will be saddled with this book review for the rest of his career.
Le'Veon and the Naked Bandits
Le'Veon "Ding Dong" Bell
"Calling all cars! Be on the lookout for two naked females wearing NY Jets helmets."
Being a Steeler fan I am not a member of Le'Veon Bell 's fan club since he stiffed his former team with two drug suspensions while subsequently sitting out part of the 2017 season and the entire 2018 season. He is now a member of the New York Jets, and I say good riddance.
He's a jerk.
So I wasn't inclined to send him a condolence card after he got robbed of half a million to a million dollars worth of jewelry and other goodies in his Florida digs.
Now it gets downright funny as it turns out this, ,,,uh..., was no break in.
https://sports.yahoo.com/le-veon-bell-couldnt-tell-police-what-robbery-suspects-were-wearing-because-they-were-naked-152025579.html
The moral of the story is if you're going to bring two hookers over to your pad to spend the night, don't go out the next morning and leave them there alone. Bad things happen, but that appearently never occurred to Ding Dong Bell.
"Heh heh. It happens."
Law Professor Turned Congresswoman Supports Impeachment Inquiry Against Trump (Katie Porter-D-CA)
This article first appeared in New English Review.
Katie Porter (D-CA) represents California's 45th District in Congress She is my representative since I live in her district. Prior to becoming a congresswoman in the 2018 midterm elections, she was a law professor at UC Irvine Law School, which under its previous dean, Erwin Chemerinsky, was little more than a training ground for liberal activists, so much so that they had a chapter of the National Lawyers Guild affiliated with their school. (The NLG was founded in the 1930s as a legal arm of the Communist Party USA.) More recently, the UCI NLG affiliate has acted as "legal observers" for the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at UCI when it disrupts Jewish, pro-Israel events on campus as occurred in May 2016 and May 2017. In the latter instance, I was a personal witness.
Porter's specialty in law is bankruptcy.
In addition, Porter was one of several Orange County Democrats who ousted Republican incumbents in close elections. In Porter's case, she was declared the winner several days after the polls closed and after all the "harvested votes" were counted, which pulled her ahead of Mimi Walters. There have been several allegations made about the nature of those harvested votes, but since I have no substantiation, I will leave it there.
This week, Porter has announced that she will support an impeachment inquiry against President Trump based on Robert Mueller's report on his two-year investigation. Porter takes the position that there are instances where Trump committed obstruction of justice, but that Mueller would not or could not bring charges against a sitting president. Here is her announcement video on Twitter:
First of all, we have conflicting statements as to whether Mueller declined to charge Trump on obstruction because he is a sitting president. Mueller himself has not helped clear up the confusion.
More importantly, however, Mueller's two-year-investigation ended with no charges and no findings. According to Mueller's report, there was no evidence of collusion (the underlying allegation) and no conclusion as to the question of obstruction.
Attorney General William Barr is taking heat from Democrats because he accepted the report and made the final official call. No charges. When an investigating agency (in this case, Mueller's team) brings the DOJ (attorney general) such a report, there is only one proper conclusion: Prosecution declined. No ethical prosecutor in the United States of America decides to go forward with prosecution after receiving such a report. I know this from my own career in federal law enforcement (DEA). If you want a prosecutor to accept a case for prosecution, you bring a case with enough evidence to convict in court. Mueller did not.
As a lawyer (albeit a civil lawyer), and as a law school professor, Porter should know this. But then again, she comes to us from a liberal, activist law school (UC Irvine). So after a two-year investigation by the special counsel, Porter's conclusion, like so many other Democrats, is that impeachment is warranted. That is further evidence to me that this entire impeachment question is political. All of Porter's words about justice, the Constitution, and doing what is right as opposed to what is politicaly expedient are absurd. Her base onviously wants her to support impeachment, so she supports impeachment.
If Porter really thinks there is a sound legal basis for impeaching Trump, she needs to go back to law school. And I don't mean as a professor.
Katie Porter (D-CA) represents California's 45th District in Congress She is my representative since I live in her district. Prior to becoming a congresswoman in the 2018 midterm elections, she was a law professor at UC Irvine Law School, which under its previous dean, Erwin Chemerinsky, was little more than a training ground for liberal activists, so much so that they had a chapter of the National Lawyers Guild affiliated with their school. (The NLG was founded in the 1930s as a legal arm of the Communist Party USA.) More recently, the UCI NLG affiliate has acted as "legal observers" for the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at UCI when it disrupts Jewish, pro-Israel events on campus as occurred in May 2016 and May 2017. In the latter instance, I was a personal witness.
Porter's specialty in law is bankruptcy.
In addition, Porter was one of several Orange County Democrats who ousted Republican incumbents in close elections. In Porter's case, she was declared the winner several days after the polls closed and after all the "harvested votes" were counted, which pulled her ahead of Mimi Walters. There have been several allegations made about the nature of those harvested votes, but since I have no substantiation, I will leave it there.
This week, Porter has announced that she will support an impeachment inquiry against President Trump based on Robert Mueller's report on his two-year investigation. Porter takes the position that there are instances where Trump committed obstruction of justice, but that Mueller would not or could not bring charges against a sitting president. Here is her announcement video on Twitter:
First of all, we have conflicting statements as to whether Mueller declined to charge Trump on obstruction because he is a sitting president. Mueller himself has not helped clear up the confusion.
More importantly, however, Mueller's two-year-investigation ended with no charges and no findings. According to Mueller's report, there was no evidence of collusion (the underlying allegation) and no conclusion as to the question of obstruction.
Attorney General William Barr is taking heat from Democrats because he accepted the report and made the final official call. No charges. When an investigating agency (in this case, Mueller's team) brings the DOJ (attorney general) such a report, there is only one proper conclusion: Prosecution declined. No ethical prosecutor in the United States of America decides to go forward with prosecution after receiving such a report. I know this from my own career in federal law enforcement (DEA). If you want a prosecutor to accept a case for prosecution, you bring a case with enough evidence to convict in court. Mueller did not.
As a lawyer (albeit a civil lawyer), and as a law school professor, Porter should know this. But then again, she comes to us from a liberal, activist law school (UC Irvine). So after a two-year investigation by the special counsel, Porter's conclusion, like so many other Democrats, is that impeachment is warranted. That is further evidence to me that this entire impeachment question is political. All of Porter's words about justice, the Constitution, and doing what is right as opposed to what is politicaly expedient are absurd. Her base onviously wants her to support impeachment, so she supports impeachment.
If Porter really thinks there is a sound legal basis for impeaching Trump, she needs to go back to law school. And I don't mean as a professor.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Another Syrian Refugee "Success Story"
Hat tip Vlad Tepes
Pittsburgh
WASHINGTON (KDKA) — "A Pittsburgh resident was arrested on terrorism charges after he allegedly was planning to attack a church on the North Side.
It may very well be that we have defeated ISIS on the battlegrounds of the Middle East. The problem is that many who we didn't kill or capture have made their way to the West either posing as refugees or simply returning to the Western country they had been residing in before going off to Syria or Iraq. In Europe, Australia and North America, they are walking among us thanks to our own generosity and stupidity. It's not that I have no compassion for genuine refugees. God knows that the Christians in the Middle East are besieged and qualify more than anyone for refugee status.
It is time for our governments to stop putting the lives of their own citizens in danger with this insane refugee policy. If we cannot adequately vet who these people are, we have no business letting them in.
Pittsburgh
WASHINGTON (KDKA) — "A Pittsburgh resident was arrested on terrorism charges after he allegedly was planning to attack a church on the North Side.
Mustafa Alowemer, a 21-year-old man that was admitted to the United States as a refugee from Syria, is facing one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and two counts of distributing information relating to an explosive, destructive device or weapon of mass destruction."
Once again, we have another example of why it is not a good idea to keep admitting Syrian refugees (who seem to be overwhelmingly young males) to the US, Canada and Europe. We have no idea who these people are, and time and time again, the younger males, let's say between 17-30, are part of the jihad. Rather than be grateful for being accepted and cared for, they plot to carry out terrorist attacks. Thank God, the FBI Joint Task Force in Pittsburgh stopped this guy before he carried out his plan.
It is time for our governments to stop putting the lives of their own citizens in danger with this insane refugee policy. If we cannot adequately vet who these people are, we have no business letting them in.
Hatem Bazian and a Petition for UN Investigation of Mohammed Morsi's "Murder"
Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's former president of Egypt, assumed room temperature this week when he dropped dead in a Egyptian courtroom. He had been in custody ever since his 2013 ouster by the current government. (These things happen in the Arab world, you know.)
That has led to the predictable outpouring of grief from Islamists in the US, people like Hussam Ayloush of CAIR (SoCal chapter), the MB's sister organization in our country. If you read Ayloush's tweet, Morsi was the Abe Lincoln of the Arab world (which has yet to produce an Abe Lincoln. Saddam Hussein is more the norm.)
Hatem Bazian, who works undercover at UC Berkeley posing as an educator, has gone a step further. He is hawking a petition to ask that great investigative body, the UN, to investigate Morsi's "murder".
I'm not making this up.
https://twitter.com/HatemBazian/status/1141264077383225344
The initiative was actually started by a group called The Freedom Initiative.
Let's be clear: Morsi was no champion of peace and democracy. While Egypt has never been a model of democracy, under Morsi, it was drifting toward what would have been another (losing) war against Israel as anti-Israel feeling was whipped up. Coptic Christians, whose situation before and after Morsi was never good, found themselves and their churches under increased attacks with the Brotherhood in power. The current leader, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, is no Abe Lincoln either, but he has at least kept Egypt from breaking its peace with Israel and has tried to rein in Islamic extremism. For the edification of Professor Bazian, those are positive things.
Morsi also acted as an autocrat, and, in contrast to El-Sisi, he was no friend of the US, the country that gave him his higher education and a job as a professor at an American university.
Though Morsi was elected in Egypt's first democratic election, he granted himself additional powers as he helped consolidate Islamist control of the Constituent Assembly. This led to increased public opposition to Morsi. His decree authorizing the military to "protect" national institutions and polling sites was viewed as a de facto form of martial law. That led to violence between Morsi's opponents and supporters with resultant loss of life. All the while, Christians came under increased attack as they were accused of working to undermine Morsi.
So was Morsi actually murdered by the Egyptian government? Well, I suppose in the Middle East, anything is possible, and no doubt six years in an Egyptian hoosegow will be damaging to anyone's health. But here's the deal:
I don't really care.
Now if President Trump were to slap Nancy Pelosi in Rikers Island (Why did I choose Rikers Island as an example?), and she were to drop dead while making a court appearance, I would care. We are supposed to be better than that, but contrary to what CNN would have us believe, Trump doesn't do those things.
Outside of Israel, there is no democracy in the Middle East, and I doubt there ever will be. If the UN wants to investigate why a 67-year-old man dropped dead in a courtroom after six years in an Egyptian jail, let them knock themselves out. But I will not be signing any petition.
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
6 Charged in Toronto Celebration Shooting
Yesterday, the city of Toronto held a celebration for the NBA champion Raptors. Unfortunately, the celebration was interrupted by a shooting. Four people are reported shot and 6 men are in custody. According to the below report, the incident arose out of a quarrel between two men.
https://globalnews.ca/news/5402328/6-men-charged-toronto-shooting-nba-finals-celebrations/
Correction: It appears there are two separate shooting incidents. The first happened in the early morning hours after the Raptors won game 6 in Oakland. That is the incident described above-not the shooting that occurred at the city's official celebration (below) which resulted in three arrests. A fourth suspect is being sought.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/police-seek-4th-person-in-shooting-near-raptors-rally-1.4471195
https://globalnews.ca/news/5402328/6-men-charged-toronto-shooting-nba-finals-celebrations/
Correction: It appears there are two separate shooting incidents. The first happened in the early morning hours after the Raptors won game 6 in Oakland. That is the incident described above-not the shooting that occurred at the city's official celebration (below) which resulted in three arrests. A fourth suspect is being sought.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/police-seek-4th-person-in-shooting-near-raptors-rally-1.4471195
Mohammed Morsi Drops Dead in Egyptian Courtroom
Mohammed Morsi
Ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi dropped dead yesterday in an Egyptian courtroom while making an appearance during his trial. He had been in custody since he was ousted in 2013.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48668941
Morsi, of course, was the designated Muslim Brotherhood leader, and no doubt organizations like CAIR are mourning his passing. The Brotherhood itself is calling it a "murder", a charge being repeated by CAIR's SoCal honcho, Hussam Ayloush, who tweeted out his own hagiographic eulogy, using the occasion to even take a cheap shot at the West and Israel..
While I don't cheer anyone's death, I cannot join the MB, CAIR, and their cohorts in the mourning. Morsi was a bad hombre who, unfortunately, darkened our own shores for several years with a career in academia. After receiving a PhD in science at the University of Southern California, he was an asst. professor of science at California State University at Northridge.
At least Egypt doesn't have to deal with Mohammed Morsi any longer.
The Hypocrisy of CNN
This article first appeared in New English Review.
Brian Stelter
The talking heads at CNN (and other media) are now taking comments by President Trump in that George Stephanopoulos interview that aired last week as further evidence that he is a traitor who must be removed from office and then tarred and feathered. Trump, in his typically awkward style, and when pressed by the former Clinton spokesman turned newsman, said that he would certainly accept information on a campaign opponent from a country like Norway (Norway!!), and then, under continued pressing from Little George, said, "Yes, we would look at it and maybe turn it over to the FBI if warranted after we read it....." (Obviously, I am paraphrasing.)
Of course, the sanctimonious media, led by CNN, completely ignores the fact that Trump's opponent, the hapless Hillary Clinton, actually used foreign sources to get information about Trump. The Clinton campaign and the DNC hired an outfit called Fusion GPS, which hired a Trump-hating former British intelligence agent named Christopher Steele, who had lots of Russian contacts who told him great stories about how Trump allegedly paid Russian hookers to pee on his bed in a Moscow hotel room formerly occupied by the Obamas. Of course, all this turned out to be unverifiable trash, but the corrupt suits at the top of the FBI used it as a basis to get a FISA warrant on a low-level Trump campaign aide named Carter Page. To make things even dicier, one of Fusion GPS' top employees, Nellie Ohr, was the wife of Bruce Ohr, a top DOJ official who was involved in the whole FBI FISA mess with Peter Strzok and the whole gang at the top floor of the FBI that was trying to derail Trump.
One wonders when the reporters will ask Hillary if she would accept negative information about an opposing candidate. Surely, she would answer "Of course, and I would give it to the FBI as well." (So they can use it to get a FISA warrant.)
All of which she, her campaign, and supporters did.
But this gets better. Now CNN's Brian Stelter, the funny looking guy who has a show called-get this-"Reliable Sources", openly raised the question with one of his "panels" as to whether the networks wanted to see Trump impeached for the sake of ratings. Instead of a simple, "No!!", they all proceeded to dance around the obvious truthful answer, which would be, "Yes!! (Beware the hypothetical question.) Maybe Stelter should have "reliable source" Christopher Steele as a panelist on his show, "Reliable Sources". Surely that would boost his miserable ratings.
What is truly amazing about this entire "Russian collusion" mess is that for two years, the liberal media has obsessed about something that never happened (as certified by the Mueller Report) while ignoring the real scandal behind how this story was cooked up at the highest levels of the FBI and the Clinton campaign itself. That is the subject of the soon-to-be-released DOJ-IG report and is the subject of an on-going internal investigation by the DOJ under Attorney General William Barr-himself the target of the wrath of the media and Democratic party simply because he is doing his job in a straightforward and ethical manner, something that was badly missing under the Obama administration.
But even if you hate Trump, wouldn't you get tired of watching CNN or MSNBC all day and night long droning on about what a miserable guy he is? Every time you see Chris Cuomo, he's standing in front of some chart or other visual aid railing on about Trump. He's a one-trick pony. It's not news anymore. Forget the wars, forget the natural disasters. It's all about Trump. No wonder their ratings are sinking. Rather than a serious news organization, they have become little more than fodder for YouTube parodies.
Brian Stelter
The talking heads at CNN (and other media) are now taking comments by President Trump in that George Stephanopoulos interview that aired last week as further evidence that he is a traitor who must be removed from office and then tarred and feathered. Trump, in his typically awkward style, and when pressed by the former Clinton spokesman turned newsman, said that he would certainly accept information on a campaign opponent from a country like Norway (Norway!!), and then, under continued pressing from Little George, said, "Yes, we would look at it and maybe turn it over to the FBI if warranted after we read it....." (Obviously, I am paraphrasing.)
Of course, the sanctimonious media, led by CNN, completely ignores the fact that Trump's opponent, the hapless Hillary Clinton, actually used foreign sources to get information about Trump. The Clinton campaign and the DNC hired an outfit called Fusion GPS, which hired a Trump-hating former British intelligence agent named Christopher Steele, who had lots of Russian contacts who told him great stories about how Trump allegedly paid Russian hookers to pee on his bed in a Moscow hotel room formerly occupied by the Obamas. Of course, all this turned out to be unverifiable trash, but the corrupt suits at the top of the FBI used it as a basis to get a FISA warrant on a low-level Trump campaign aide named Carter Page. To make things even dicier, one of Fusion GPS' top employees, Nellie Ohr, was the wife of Bruce Ohr, a top DOJ official who was involved in the whole FBI FISA mess with Peter Strzok and the whole gang at the top floor of the FBI that was trying to derail Trump.
One wonders when the reporters will ask Hillary if she would accept negative information about an opposing candidate. Surely, she would answer "Of course, and I would give it to the FBI as well." (So they can use it to get a FISA warrant.)
All of which she, her campaign, and supporters did.
But this gets better. Now CNN's Brian Stelter, the funny looking guy who has a show called-get this-"Reliable Sources", openly raised the question with one of his "panels" as to whether the networks wanted to see Trump impeached for the sake of ratings. Instead of a simple, "No!!", they all proceeded to dance around the obvious truthful answer, which would be, "Yes!! (Beware the hypothetical question.) Maybe Stelter should have "reliable source" Christopher Steele as a panelist on his show, "Reliable Sources". Surely that would boost his miserable ratings.
What is truly amazing about this entire "Russian collusion" mess is that for two years, the liberal media has obsessed about something that never happened (as certified by the Mueller Report) while ignoring the real scandal behind how this story was cooked up at the highest levels of the FBI and the Clinton campaign itself. That is the subject of the soon-to-be-released DOJ-IG report and is the subject of an on-going internal investigation by the DOJ under Attorney General William Barr-himself the target of the wrath of the media and Democratic party simply because he is doing his job in a straightforward and ethical manner, something that was badly missing under the Obama administration.
But even if you hate Trump, wouldn't you get tired of watching CNN or MSNBC all day and night long droning on about what a miserable guy he is? Every time you see Chris Cuomo, he's standing in front of some chart or other visual aid railing on about Trump. He's a one-trick pony. It's not news anymore. Forget the wars, forget the natural disasters. It's all about Trump. No wonder their ratings are sinking. Rather than a serious news organization, they have become little more than fodder for YouTube parodies.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Two Names on a Wall: Putting a Photo to a Name (Michael G Vinassa)
Michael Gene Vinassa (1946-1966) Distinguished Service Cross
Photo 1959 at age 13
For the past several years now, I have celebrated Memorial Day by writing about and re-posting information about two of my high school buddies who died in the Vietnam war, Michael Vinassa and Dorian Houser. Now I have an update on one of them, (Michael).
A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Janna Hoehn and Dana Kwist, two representatives of Wall of Faces, a project dedicated to locating and posting photos of each of the 58,000+ troops killed in Vietnam. This project is part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Faces Never Forgotten Program. The photos would be exhibited online.
For the overwhelming majority of these, photos are readily available, but for some, it has been harder. Such was especially the case with Mike. The good folks at Wall of Faces had read my online postings about Mike. and thus, reached out to me. Needless to say, while I didn't have any photos of Mike myself, I volunteered to help with my own contacts and former friends.
Just to give you an idea of how challenging the task was, Wall of Faces had gone through high school yearbooks, army post photos, newspaper articles, obits, all without success. I myself contacted Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills, where Mike is buried next to his mother. I spoke to two people there who were most helpful and cooperative, but Forest Lawn had no photos in their records. I reached out to those friends of ours who I still had contact with. I searched the websites of the three Army posts where Mike had trained before going to Vietnam. I enlisted the help of two retired DEA agents who are now private investigators, John Marcello and John Hudock of the Phoenix Investigative Group, one of whom (Marcello) is a Vietnam vet himself. They contributed their time pro bono and came up with some fascinating details about Mike's family. All the while, a team of about 5-6 Wall of Faces researchers were digging up details and leads and writing letters. We tried to track down Mike's fiancee and best friend, up to now without success.
Then, just last night, we hit paydirt.
One of our mutual high school friends, Kenny Easum, now living in Wisconsin, dug up a 60-year-old photo of Mike from his junior high school yearbook from 1959. There was Mike in the 7th grade, 13 years old. I passed the photo along, and needless to say, we were all ecstatic.
Here is a message I received this morning from Sue Rice of VVMF.
"To everyone involved with the finding of Michael Vinassa's photo,. I want to express my sincere appreciation. Michael has been an exceptional hard find. I will be taking his photo to our next annual 1-8 Jumping Mustang reunion in Anaheim. Our 34th annual reunion will be held from Sep 5-8, at the Sheraton Park Hotel, opening ceremony with flag raising at 9 am sharp.
1855 South Harbor Blvd,
Anaheim CA 92802
If anyone lives in the area, I would loved to meet you and introduce you to the Host, Mike Price.
Please pass this info on to anyone you choose.
I will await the posting of Michael's photo on the VVMF wall of faces."
Best Regards,
Honor and Courage
Sue Rice
VVMF
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Needless to say, I would be honored to attend the above reunion. Unfortunately, it will coincide with my own army reunion coming up in Wyoming. If there is any way I can stop by on the way to the airport, I will try my hardest.
Here is how Mike earned the Distinguished Service Cross, our nation's highest award for battlefield bravery after the Congressional Medal of Honor.
It has been an honor to assist Wall of Faces in this effort to make a final tribute to Mike's memory. My thanks go out to all who assisted in this effort. Most of all, I want to thank the Wall of Faces team for all they do.
-Together We Served.com