Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/10/2016

During the Michigan primary, the Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders carried the Arab-American vote, outpolling Hillary Clinton 2-1. One of the secrets to Comrade Sanders’ success was his strategy of campaigning in Arabic in Dearborn and other predominantly Arab areas around Detroit.

In other news, the Hungarian government has declared a state of emergency because of the migration crisis, and ordered troops deployed along the border with Romania.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to AF, C. Cantoni, Dean, Insubria, JD, Nick, WRSA, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Financial Crisis
» Debtor Days Are Over as BIS Calls Time on World Credit Binge
» Desperate Draghi: Last-Ditch Bid to Save Eurozone as Interests Rates Slashed to Zero
» Draghi Uses Whole Arsenal, Cuts Rates, Ups QE
» Fears of Financial Apocalypse Amid Warning Over ‘Gathering Storm’ In Global Markets
» Final Nail in the Coffin: Greece Faces Financial Meltdown Again Amid Threat of End of Euro
» This is How Bad the Economy Really is: “Walmart Customers Are Too Broke to Shop”
 
USA
» At Least 5 Shot Dead, Including 4 Women, After ‘Ambush’ at Pittsburgh-Area Back-Yard Barbecue
» Cuba Has Great Healthcare and Education Says Sanders — and is Slammed by Clinton for Promoting a Government That Oppresses and ‘Disappears’ People
» Dinesh D’Souza’s Trailer for ‘Hillary’s America’ Is Simply Astonishing
» DOJ Has Discussed Whether to Pursue Civil Action Against Climate Change Deniers
» F-35: Trillion Dollar Warplane’s Radar Doesn’t Work
» FBI Quietly Changes Its Privacy Rules for Accessing NSA Data on Americans
» ‘Islam Hates Us’: Donald Trump Says Invasion of Iraq Was the ‘Worst Decision in US History’ And Turned the Arab Nation Into the ‘Harvard of Terrorism’
» Missing Clinton E-Mail Claims Saudis Financed Benghazi Attacks
» Oregon Officials Call Lavoy Finicum Death “Disturbing”
» O’Reilly Defends Trump From Hitler Slurs
» Political Fascism and Religious Fanaticism: The Worst Possible Marriage
» Sanders Outdid Clinton 2-1 Among Michigan Arab Americans
» Ted Nugent: “GOP Elite: Get Your Heads Out!”
» ‘The Ballad of Lavoy Finicum’
 
Canada
» Canada to Put a New Woman on Currency by 2018
 
Europe and the EU
» British Govt Encouraging Women to Give Birth to Disabled Babies to Harvest Their Organs
» EU Strikes Deal on Tunisian Olive Oil
» ISIS List Being Examined by British Secret Service
» Italy: Alleged Child-Molesting Priest Victims Ask Damages
» Italy: Ferrari Bond Placement Ends, 2.7 Bn Euros in Orders
» Italy: Detained Somali Imam ‘Planning Rome Attacks’
» Italy: Supreme Court Upholds Seizure of US MUOS Station at Niscemi
» Italy: Father Fined for Leaving Flower Tribute on Closed Ski Run
» ‘Let Them Leave!’ Annoyed French Politicians Starting to Back Brexit
» Swedish Police Say Video Shows Driver Crashed Viola Beach Car on Purpose
» UK: ‘Mum Has Only Asked Me 153 Times if I’M OK Today’: Cheeky and Inspiring Diary of 10-Year-Old Cancer Patient Attracts Thousands of Followers
» UK: Cambridge University Cancel ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ Theme Party
» UK: Cyclist QC Loses Private Case Against Driver After Jury Clears Him in Just 20 Minutes… But Taxpayers Will Pay His £22,000 Bill!
» UK: London is More Islamic Than Most Cities in Muslim Countries, Says Islamic Scholar
» UK: Polish ‘Killer’ Piotr Kupiec Arrested in Wiltshire is Ordered by Judge to be Freed
» UK: Preston 14-Year-Old Twin Sisters Known as ‘The Boom Girls’ Given Asbos
» UK: Teen Arrested in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire for ‘Arranging Terrorism Funds’
» Wales: Pictured: Horrific Injuries Suffered by Disabled Man Who is Still in a Coma Six Months After His Neighbour Attacked Him Because He Complained About His Barking Dog
 
North Africa
» Italy Wants Unity Govt in Libya, Pinotti Tells COPASIR
» Obama Blames UK and France for 2011 Failure in Libya
 
Middle East
» Details of 22,000 Jihadis Revealed in Huge Cache of Leaked ISIS HR Forms
» France: More French Girls Lured by IS Than Boys: Source
» Iran Missile Launch Violation of Nuclear Agreement
» Yazidi Girl Sets Herself on Fire to Stop ISIS Jihadists From Raping Her, Doctor Says
 
Far East
» North Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles and Says it Will Liquidate South Korean Assets
 
Latin America
» Corruption Probes Snare Top Politicians in Recession-Hit Brazil
 
Immigration
» Alfano Asks to Put Albania on EU Migrant Agenda
» Bulgarian Gangster Organises ‘Migrant Hunting Patrols’ Along Turkish Border
» EU Chiefs Beg Vladimir Putin to Solve Migrant Crisis as Eurocrats Admit They Face Ruin
» Half Italians Say Italy Shouldn’t Help Refugees
» Hungary Declares State of Emergency, Deploys Thousands of Troops to Border
» In Austria, Over Half of All ‘Asylum Seekers’ Commit Crimes
» Migrant Abducts Mother’s Four-Year-Old Son at Austrian Swimming Pool and Molests Her When She Goes to Find Him in Latest Terrifying Sex Attack
» Who is to Blame for the Rape Epidemic That is Sweeping Across Europe?
 

Debtor Days Are Over as BIS Calls Time on World Credit Binge

The world’s credit boom is beginning to show dangerous signs of unraveling, ushering in a period of fresh turmoil for the over-indebted global economy, the Bank of International Settlements has warned.

The globe’s top financial watchdog called time on the world’s debt binge, noting that debt issuance and cross border flows in emerging economies slowed for the first time since the aftermath of the global credit crunch at the end of last year.

With financial markets thrown into fresh paroxysms in 2016, oscillating between extremes of “hope and fear”, the over-leveraged world was finally approaching a day of reckoning, said Claudio Borio, the bank’s chief economist.

“We may not be seeing isolated bolts from the blue, but the signs of a gathering storm that has been building for a long time”, he said…

           — Hat tip: WRSA [Return to headlines]
 

Desperate Draghi: Last-Ditch Bid to Save Eurozone as Interests Rates Slashed to Zero

The Bank shocked markets by pulling out all the stops in an drastic bid to stop deflation — persistently falling prices — sinking the eurozone

At the same time, the ECB again revised down the continent’s economic growth and inflation targets for the next three years.

Monetary policymakers went even further than expected by cutting the lending rate to zero from 0.5 per cent, while deposit rates were also dropped to -0.4 per cent from -0.3 per cent — meaning banks essentially have to pay to keep their money with the ECB.

And the Quantitative Easing (QE) programme of creating more money in Europe has been raised to €80billion a month a higher than expected increase from the current €60bn a month.

The ECB said it would also start buying corporate debt and launch four new rounds of cheap loan packages, to be extended by banks to the real economy.

The rate cuts come despite fears lower over the pressure it puts on banks’ profitability, with some of Europe’s top finance firms already suffering a crisis of investor confidence in recent weeks.

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

Draghi Uses Whole Arsenal, Cuts Rates, Ups QE

Milan bourse jumps 4% then falls 0.5% on lower growth forecast

(ANSA) — Rome, March 10 — European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on Thursday used the whole arsenal at his disposal, cutting interest rates to new lows in a surprise move and expanding the ECB’s quantitative easing (QE) programme of massive bond-buying to bolster the eurozone’s economy.

In an initial response the Milan bourse soared as financial markets first celebrated the bold new moves by the central banker, only to close down on disappointment at lowered growth and inflation forecasts.

The Milan bourse’s blue-chip FTSE-MIB index jumped 4% but then fell back to show a 0.50% loss at the close, while there were bigger losses across Europe.

London closed 1.78% down, Frankfurt 2.31% off and Paris 1.70% down. Dipping into his arsenal, Draghi cut the ECB’s main refinancing rate to a historic low of 0% while boosting the QE programme with another of his patented ‘bazookas’ to launch the so-called QE3.

The ECB also cut its deposit facility rate from -0.30% to -0,40%.

The rate on marginal loans dropped to 0.25%.

The new package of six monetary stimulus measures aims “to further ease financial conditions, stimulate credit, and strengthen” the recovery, Draghi said.

The ECB approved a new package of four Targeted Longer-Term Refinancing Operations (TLTROs) to banks at the new lowered rate for deposits of -0.40%.

In the new package of four TLTROs, Draghi said, the more banks lend the lower the rate will be, starting from the zero of the main refinancing rate.

Asked if the ECB’s new package of four TLTRO loans was aimed at helping Italian banks, Draghi said that “when we discuss these issues we do so not with a single country in mind, but the whole eurozone”.

The ECB raised the purchase limit of each individual bond issue in its QE programme from 35% to 50%, he added.

The ECB expects rates to remain at their current record lows “for a long time, well beyond the time frame of the (QE) purchases” being made, Draghi said in a clear message — expected by markets — on the forward guidance of interest rates.

The measures adopted by the ECB were approved by an “overwhelming majority” that dispels doubts on central banks’ capacity to act, and of the ECB in particular, Draghi said.

The eurozone would have “disastrous” deflation today if a German ‘nein’ had prevailed, Draghi said.

“Imagine if we had done nothing, if we had crossed our arms saying ‘nein zu allen’, no to anything,” he said. “Today we’d find ourselves with what would be disastrous deflation”. Also on Thursday, the ECB cut eurozone inflation forecasts, from 1% to 0.1% this year and from 1.6% to 1.3% in 2017.

Inflation is expected to reach 1.6% in 2018, Draghi said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Fears of Financial Apocalypse Amid Warning Over ‘Gathering Storm’ In Global Markets

Havoc has been exacerbated over concern central banks have run out of options to fight economic malaise, said the organisation — thought of as the central bank of central banks.

Claudio Borio, head of BIS’ monetary and economic department, said: “Against the backdrop of a long-term, crisis-exacerbated decline in productivity growth, the stock of global debt has continued to rise and the room for policy manoeuvre has continued to narrow — a set of factors that might be termed the ‘ugly three’.”

Mr Borio said high debt levels link the market worries that have been responsible for turmoil this year, including the slowdown in emerging markets, weak oil prices and global productivity, as well as concerns over the health of large banks.

He added: “Put differently, we may not be seeing isolated bolts from the blue, but the signs of a gathering storm that has been building for a long time.”

At the same time, with rates already very low central institutions such as the Bank of England (BoE) have fewer options for fighting economic concerns — and markets have lost faith, stressed Mr Borio.

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

Final Nail in the Coffin: Greece Faces Financial Meltdown Again Amid Threat of End of Euro

Greek leaders have failed to make enough progress on reforms aimed at bringing down their monstrous debt after multi-billion pound bailouts last summer.

And now begging Athens chiefs have reached stalemate in negotiations with creditors to decide how to claw back financial stability.

The three main lenders — the eurozone, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — all have different ideas on how much the country should lower spending as part of the bailout programme agreed last August.

Germany is taking a hard-line and refusing to give Greece more time to reach budget goals agreed with international lenders as part of August’s bailout programme, despite the country struggling to deal with the migrant crisis.

The IMF is thought to be in favour of debt-relief, which is Greece is also desperate to secure in order to help it back to economic growth.

If an agreement is not found, Greece could find itself once again on the brink of bankruptcy, which would mean out of the euro and a return to the drachma.

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

This is How Bad the Economy Really is: “Walmart Customers Are Too Broke to Shop”

You may find that the below report is, as President Obama might suggest, once again “peddling fiction.”

But for the average American, we can assure you that the economic recession is a very real situation.

Walmart, which made its billions serving low to middle income Americans, is struggling and it’s because their core customer base is too broke to shop. As Michael Snyder recently pointed out, they are just one of many domestic retailers laying off workers amid falling store sales. But they are certainly the biggest and baddest of the retailers out there. If they are having problems it should be a big red warning sign that despite mainstream cheerleaders telling us not to panic because the economy is still in good shape, we are in for some rough times ahead — in fact, the rough times are a reality right here and now.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

At Least 5 Shot Dead, Including 4 Women, After ‘Ambush’ at Pittsburgh-Area Back-Yard Barbecue

At least five people were killed and three injured when a back-yard barbecue was attacked in a Pittsburgh suburb Wednesday night. Two of those injured are in critical condition.

The mass shooting occurred just before 11 p.m. when a flurry of gunshots rang out over a quiet neighborhood of Wilkinsburg, Pa.

At least two gunmen fired from different angles at the party before fleeing on foot, according to Allegheny County Police.

No one has been arrested.

Local television station WPXI described the mass shooting as an “ambush.”

“They were all fleeing toward the back door of the residence when the second gunman fired from the side of the yard, and they all seemed to get caught on the back porch,” said Allegheny County Police Lt. Andrew Schurman.

Four people died on the back porch, Schurman said. The fifth died at a hospital…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Cuba Has Great Healthcare and Education Says Sanders — and is Slammed by Clinton for Promoting a Government That Oppresses and ‘Disappears’ People

Even though both Democratic candidates are for the United States opening up ties with Cuba, Hillary Clinton got in a swat to Bernie Sanders when he sounded complimentary of some aspects of the Castro regime.

On tonight’s Miami debate stage, Sanders pointed out that, ‘Cuba is, of course, an authoritarian un-democratic country.’

‘But, on the other hand, it would be wrong not to state that in Cuba they’ve made some good advances in healthcare — they are sending doctors all over the world — they have made some progress in education.’

Clinton used a prior interview given by Sanders to aim her attack, saying that the Vermont senator had once praised the ‘revolution of values’ in the Communist country, which got citizens working for the public good.

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

Dinesh D’Souza’s Trailer for ‘Hillary’s America’ Is Simply Astonishing

Dinesh D’Souza is a man who has paid a heavy price for his political activism, yet it has not slowed him down in the slightest. And now, as America stands at risk of seeing Hillary Clinton assume the power of the presidency, D’Souza is back to remind us not only of what motivates Hillary to seek power, but what has motivated the Democratic Party throughout its entire history.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

DOJ Has Discussed Whether to Pursue Civil Action Against Climate Change Deniers

(CNSNews.com) — Attorney General Loretta Lynch acknowledged Wednesday that there have been discussions within the Department of Justice about possibly pursuing civil action against so-called climate change deniers.

“This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action on,” Lynch said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Justice Department operations.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) raised the issue, drawing a comparison between possible civil action against climate change deniers and civil action that the Clinton administration pursued against the tobacco industry for claiming that the science behind the dangers of tobacco was unsettled.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

F-35: Trillion Dollar Warplane’s Radar Doesn’t Work

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of austerity, it was the age of a trillion dollar warplanethat no one could make work.

The financial sink hole known as the F-35 continues to fail the most basic flight and sensor tests. The warplane, estimated to have a total cost around $1.5 trillion, has already come up short in simulated dogfights with the F-16. Yes, the new and improved model is worse than a plane introduced in 1978.

The F-35 also has a limited fuel supply which means it will not be able to stay in an area to protect ground troops. Not that that would matter anyway as the plane’s Gatling guns still don’t work. Also, there are concerns as to whether the F-35 can even be traditionally fueled because the plane has a problem with accepting hotter fuel. The air force’s current solution is to repaint fuel trucks to accept less sunlight in hopes of keeping the temperature down. Seriously.

Now, The Guardian is reporting the plane’s radar does not operate effectively and often requires the pilots to “turn it off and on again.” Might that be important for a fighter jet?

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

FBI Quietly Changes Its Privacy Rules for Accessing NSA Data on Americans

Exclusive: Classified revisions accepted by secret Fisa court affect NSA data involving Americans’ international emails, texts and phone calls

The FBI has quietly revised its privacy rules for searching data involving Americans’ international communications that was collected by the National Security Agency, US officials have confirmed to the Guardian.

The classified revisions were accepted by the secret US court that governs surveillance, during its annual recertification of the agencies’ broad surveillance powers. The new rules affect a set of powers colloquially known as Section 702, the portion of the law that authorizes the NSA’s sweeping “Prism” program to collect internet data. Section 702 falls under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), and is a provision set to expire later this year.

A government civil liberties watchdog, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Group (PCLOB), alluded to the change in its recent overview of ongoing surveillance practices.

The watchdog confirmed in a 2014 report that the FBI is allowed direct access to the NSA’s massive collections of international emails, texts and phone calls — which often include Americans on one end of the conversation. The activists also expressed concern that the FBI’s “minimization” rules, for removing or limiting sensitive data that could identify Americans, did not reflect the bureau’s easy access to the NSA’s collected international communications.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

‘Islam Hates Us’: Donald Trump Says Invasion of Iraq Was the ‘Worst Decision in US History’ And Turned the Arab Nation Into the ‘Harvard of Terrorism’

Republican front runner Donald Trump continued his attack on Muslims claiming ‘Islam hates us’ and ‘there is ‘a tremendous amount of hatred there,’ during an interview aired on CNN on Wednesday.

While not going as far as to say all 1.6 billion Muslims despise America, the front-runner to be Republican presidential candidate did not appear pained to separate radical Islamic terrorism and the entire faith.

Asked if he thought that the anger was coming from the religion itself, Trump, 68, threw the question back at interviewer Anderson Cooper and said that was for the media to work out themselves.

‘You’re gonna have to figure that out, OK?’; said Trump to Cooper. ‘We have to be very vigilant. We have to be very careful. And we can’t allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States.’

The billionaire businessman also claimed the invasion of Iraq was the ‘worst decision in the history of the United States’.

Indeed, he described Saddam Hussein as a great ‘terrorist hunter’ and suggested following the dictator’s execution, Iraq became the ‘Harvard of terrorism’.

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

Missing Clinton E-Mail Claims Saudis Financed Benghazi Attacks

Something that has gone unnoticed in all the talk about the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s e-mails is the content of the original leak that started the entire investigation to begin with. In March of 2013, a Romanian hacker calling himself Guccifer hacked into the AOL account of Sidney Blumenthal and leaked to Russia Today four e-mails containing intelligence on Libya that Blumenthal sent to Hillary Clinton.

For those who haven’t been following this story, Sidney Blumenthal is a long time friend and adviser of the Clinton family who in an unofficial capacity sent many “intelligence memos” to Hillary Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State. Originally displayed on RT.com in Comic Sans font on a pink background with the letter “G” clumsily drawn as a watermark, no one took these leaked e-mails particularly seriously when they came out in 2013. Now, however, we can cross reference this leak with the e-mails the State Department released to the public.

The first three e-mails in the Russia Today leak from Blumenthal to Clinton all appear word for word in the State Department release. The first e-mail Clinton asks to have printed and she also forwards it to her deputy chief of staff, Jake Sullivan. The second e-mail Clinton describes as “useful insight” and forwards it to Jake Sullivan asking him to circulate it. The third e-mail is also forwarded to Jake Sullivan. The fourth e-mail is missing from the State Department record completely.

This missing e-mail from February 16, 2013 only exists in the original leak and states that French and Libyan intelligence agencies had evidence that the In Amenas and Benghazi attacks were funded by “Sunni Islamists in Saudi Arabia.” This seems like a rather outlandish claim on the surface, and as such was only reported by conspiracy types and fringe media outlets. Now, however, we have proof that the other three e-mails in the leak were real correspondence from Blumenthal to Clinton that she not only read, but thought highly enough of to send around to others in the State Department. Guccifer speaks English as a second language and most of his writing consists of rambling conspiracies, it’s unlikely he would be able to craft such a convincing fake intelligence briefing. This means we have an e-mail from a trusted Clinton adviser that claims the Saudis funded the Benghazi attack, and not only was this not followed up on, but there is not any record of this e-mail ever existing except for the Russia Today leak.

Why is this e-mail missing? At first I assumed it must be due to some sort of cover up, but it’s much simpler than that. The e-mail in question was sent after February 1st, 2013, when John Kerry took over as Secretary of State, so it was not part of the time period being investigated. No one is trying to find a copy of this e-mail. Since Clinton wasn’t Secretary of State on February 16th, it wasn’t her job to follow up on it.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Oregon Officials Call Lavoy Finicum Death “Disturbing”

New video from the Oregonian, Oregon’s largest newspaper, provides a dual view of the murder of LaVoy Finicum by federal agents and Oregon State Police. At no point did Mr. Finicum, or the passengers in his vehicle, pose a threat to the law enforcement officials who gunned down Finicum, and shot up the vehicle full of innocent and defenseless passengers. In a statement on Tuesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown said, “Any loss of life is regrettable, and I appreciate that the independent investigation into the actions of Oregon State Police was completed swiftly and thoroughly. . . Additional questions the investigation raised about the actions of federal agents who were also involved are troubling and properly the subject of an ongoing investigation.”

Oregon’s lone Republican in the U.S. Congress, Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River), issued the following statement regarding the independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of LaVoy Finicum: “This independent investigation gives us some answers to what happened, but leaves me disturbed and bewildered by the role of the FBI agents who are now under federal investigation themselves. Meanwhile, I will continue working with local officials to get results on the Steens Mountain fencing issue, federal reimbursement for the local policing costs, and to stop the monument designation in Malheur County, among other resource-related issues.”

Disturbed and bewildered? That’s it?…

It is clear that the U.S. Government meant to send a message: “Stand against the Obama administration, and you will be executed in cold blood.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

O’Reilly Defends Trump From Hitler Slurs

Fox News nighttime news star Bill O’Reilly came out swinging against certain detractors of the Donald Trump camp, saying those who slur the billionaire businessman as a racist, akin to Adolf Hitler, are acting like little Hitlers themselves.

O’Reilly first said Trump’s big draw with voters was that he’s stormed the political scene like an “avenger” for the everyday American, “promising to stop the madness and giving blunt voice to millions,” he said, during his recent broadcast, Mediaite reported.

[His popularity] has nothing to do with fascism, everything to do with furious dissent,“ O’Reilly said.

He went on, saying Trump’s campaign may not be completely pure, “charges of racism and fascism are easy smears,” Mediaite reported.

O’Reilly then said those who are attacking Trump with such rhetoric are actually engaging in Nazi-like manner themselves.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Political Fascism and Religious Fanaticism: The Worst Possible Marriage

John Loftus has written a fully documented exposé on the Bush-Nazi connection. “Loftus is a former U.S. Department of Justice Nazi War Crimes prosecutor, the President of the Florida Holocaust Museum and the highly respected author of numerous books on the CIA-Nazi connection including The Belarus Secret and The Secret War Against the Jews, both of which have extensive material on the Bush-Rockefeller-Nazi connection.”

On March 6 (four days ago), Professor Michel Chossudovsky referenced Loftus’ work (and others) by saying, “Evidence of the Bush family’s links to Nazism was available well before George Herbert Walker Bush (Senior) and George W. Bush entered politics. According to John Buchanan (New Hampshire Gazette, 10 October 2003):

“‘After 60 years of inattention and even denial by the U.S. media, newly-uncovered government documents in The National Archives and Library of Congress reveal that Prescott Bush, the grandfather of President George W. Bush, served as a business partner of and U.S. banking operative for the financial architect of the Nazi war machine from 1926 until 1942, when Congress took aggressive action against Bush and his “enemy national” partners.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Sanders Outdid Clinton 2-1 Among Michigan Arab Americans

Jewish Democratic presidential candidate campaigned in Arabic; some voters still wary of his feelings about Israel

WASHINGTON — Arab Americans in the Dearborn area voted 2 to 1 for Jewish candidate Bernie Sanders in the Michigan Democratic primary, according to an Arab-American newspaper.

“Arab Americans voted 2 to 1 for Sanders in almost every east Dearborn precinct,” the Dearborn-based Arab American News reported Wednesday, the day after Sanders upset Hillary Clinton. Polls had showed Clinton leading in the state, some by as much as 20 points.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Ted Nugent: “GOP Elite: Get Your Heads Out!”

I could start by slapping you Republican goofballs upside the head with the embarrassing reality that you haven’t done jack-diddly to eliminate the obscene government thievery of the death tax, the criminal education fiasco, the nonstop invasion of illegals through our non-borders, the mind-dazzling runaway Democrat tag-team spending orgy, the vulgar dismantling of our military and defense system, the absurdity of denying the best-trained combat warriors in the history of the world from carrying guns on military bases, the abject oath-violating infringements of our constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms across the country, the jackbooted thuggery of various government agencies abusing power and violating U.S. citizens’ civil rights, allowing rules of engagement for our military heroes that actually benefit our enemies, the horror of a VA that not only fails to provide adequate aid and treatment for our hero warriors but actually looks the other way when soulless bureaucrats cause their death, agreeing to Obama’s insane, wasteful, unaccountable budget that helps and benefits our enemies but does little to fortify America, the bizarre decision to release dangerous jihadists even when it is proven they return to combat and kill Americans, and assorted very Democratic modes of operation very unbecoming of traditional Republicans.

And I could go on, but instead let me drive it home as clear and simple as possible — those of you who want to derail Donald Trump’s presidential campaign are guilty of the most egregious self-inflicted disconnect America has ever seen.

Write this down: You’re not against Donald Trump; you’re against the will of the people, pure and simple.

Let me be clear: I do not endorse Donald Trump, but the very reason Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are so popular is because they laugh in the face of your absurd and offensive status quo good ol’ boy GOP establishment cr*p.

You talk and talk and talk about reigning back spending, but you do nothing.

You talk about standing up for Second Amendment rights, but you do little or nothing.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

‘The Ballad of Lavoy Finicum’

LaVoy Finicum was only one rancher, a citizen trying to eke out a living in a livelihood the government is making all but impossible with the smothering red tape of bureaucracy. And that’s why his death that came as he was standing knee-high in the Oregon snow is all the more unforgettably tragic.

After being shot down in cold blood-as he was clearly signaling to armed federal agents and Oregon state police that he posed no threat-his body was left to lay in the snow. The passengers traveling with him on the way to a meeting with Sheriff Palmer, left traumatized in shock in a vehicle authorities shot up like a scene out of a B-grade Hollywood movie, the authorities initially never even bothered to cover his body with a blanket.

In life LaVoy Finicum-like many ranchers-was plagued by the ongoing harassment of the agents of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). LaVoy Finicum got about as much respect in death as one of his own cattle.

In the practical media blackout that followed Finicum’s death, Canada Free Press (CFP) is grateful to Constitution Radio KMET 1490-AM radio host and TableTopNews publisher Douglas V. Gibbs, who today gives the rancher a well-deserved and long-coming eulogy.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Canada to Put a New Woman on Currency by 2018

No, Queen Elizabeth doesn’ t count. To mark International Women’ s Day, the Bank of Canada and the federal government announced that it will put a brand new woman on its currency by the year 2018. Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau said that Canadian women have been “unrepresented” on Canadian banknotes.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

British Govt Encouraging Women to Give Birth to Disabled Babies to Harvest Their Organs

British government officials are considering a new program to encourage women to consider giving birth to babies diagnosed with fatal illnesses, rather than have an abortion, so that the babies’ organs can be harvested after they die.

The Express reports that transplant surgeons proposed the new measure at a British National Health System conference because of a massive shortage of organs for transplant. The group of surgeons argued that sick children in the UK are dying because organ transplants are not available, according to the reports.

The Sunday Times describes how the proposal would work:…

[Comment: This is sickening and evil.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

EU Strikes Deal on Tunisian Olive Oil

EP agenda changed to schedule vote for Thursday

(ANSA) — Strasbourg, March 9 — The European Parliament is set to give its final approval to importing an extra 35,000 tonnes of Tunisian olive oil a year without duties. The measure was urgently put on the EP voting agenda for Thursday after the 28-strong Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union (COREPER) approved amendments to overcome a suspension of the measure last month. The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) said the acceleration of the measure was a “disgrace for the government” of Premier Matteo Renzi.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

ISIS List Being Examined by British Secret Service

UK Home Secretary May no comment but hails Europe collaboration

(ANSA) — London, March 10 — The British intelligence services are studying an archive of the personal date of 22,000 jihadists made available to Sky News by a “repentant” ISIS member.

Anti-terrorist experts called the files a “gold mine” of information that could be used as evidence in trials of jihadists once they return to the UK.

In Brussels, British Home Secretary Theresa May declined to comment directly on the reports of the list but recalled the importance of cooperation inside Europe against the terrorist threat.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Alleged Child-Molesting Priest Victims Ask Damages

Father Mauro Inzoli on trial for sexually assaulting minors

(ANSA) — Cremona, March 9 — Two of five alleged child sexual abuse victims on Wednesday requested damages in a trial against 66-year-old Father Mauro Inzoli, who stands accused of several counts of sexual assault on minors.

Inzoli headed up the Cremona chapter of conservative lay Catholic movement Communion and Liberation (CL) for 30 years. He founded the Food Bank charity and is also known as Father Mercedes thanks to a passion for luxury cars.

The prelate is accused of abusing his authority to sexually assault underage boys, both in his office where he led spiritual exercises and in hotels in summer resorts during CL-organized youth holidays.

The hearing was adjourned to May 11.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Ferrari Bond Placement Ends, 2.7 Bn Euros in Orders

Yield 140 basis points

(ANSA) — Milan, March 9 — The placement of Ferrari bonds was closed on Wednesday, sources at the Milan bourse said. The issue amounts to 500 million euros and garnered orders worth some 2.7 billion euros. The bond offers a yield of 140 basis points compared to the midswap reference rate. The glamour sportscar maker was recently quoted on the Milan stock market after being spun off from its parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), of which Marchionne is CEO.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Detained Somali Imam ‘Planning Rome Attacks’

22-year-old asylum seeker held in Molise

(ANSA) — Rome, March 9 — Italian police on Wednesday detained a 22-year-old Somali imam and asylum seeker suspected of planning an attack on Rome.

The man was taken into custody at the migrant reception centre he was living in, near the capital of the southern region of Molise, Campobasso.

The imam, who was not named, was recorded saying, according to court documents, “let’s start from Italy, let’s go to Rome and start with the station”.

“The war is still continuing, Charlie Hebdo was just the beginning of what is happening now,” the imam went on.

He added: “there’s a simpler road, that of equipping oneself and blowing oneself up, that’s the simplest way”.

The imam reportedly told fellow residents of the reception centre that they had to organise a “market” for jihad and God had ordered them to kill, police said according to transcripts of his preaching.

“This month the jihad market is being organised, and the Prophet prepares soldiers this month against idolaters and fights against the enemies of God,” he reportedly said. “So profit from this month, rush to be the first. God ordered you to kill his enemies and wage jihad in his name, preach religion and the sharia and punish the sinner”. Having taken on the role of spiritual guide, police said, at the end of the ritual teaching he prayed for ISIS and fighters who kill themselves for the cause.

Prosecutors in Campobasso stressed he had been detained on strong suspicions that he was planning a terrorist attack in Rome. “We have precise technical evidence about the possibility that he was organising an attack in Rome,” said Campobasso Chief Prosecutor Armando D’Alterio. The imam was detained at a migrant reception centre at Campomarino, near Campobasso. Investigators suspect he was planning to flee the centre and probably head for Rome on Wednesday.

The imam preached in favour of ISIS, al-Qaeda and al-Shabab, urging the other migrants in the reception centre to take violent action to carry out jihad, police said.

D’Alterio, the Campobasso chief prosecutor, called it an “intense and vehement proselytism” against the West.

Some worshippers walked out of his prayer sessions because they were alarmed at the content of his preaching, police said.

Just over two months of intense investigation, backed by phone tapping, hidden cameras and bugs, enabled the Campobasso section of the DIGOS security police to grasp the real scope of the imam’s words as well as his intentions, police said.

The imam reportedly praised the November 13 Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people as well as martyrdom, urging his fellow residents to join the jihad and follow him first to Rome and then to Syria, police said.

With a hidden camera, police filmed the man while he watched a great deal of videos showing terrorist attacks, police said.

This material was seized to help police with their inquiries.

Political reactions to the case were mixed.

Rightwing populist Northern League leader Matteo Salvini pounced on the case to say: “(Premier Matteo) Renzi is an accomplice!” because of Italy’s policy on migrants.

“If I were in his place, blanket checks and mass expulsions. Italians are at risk because of Renzi and (Italian President Sergio) Mattarella”. Giorgia Meloni of the rightwing Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) party said “the policy of doors open to all, without any controls and pretending there is no problem linked to Muslim immigration, is a criminal policy that puts all Italians in danger”.

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano replied: “Zero risk does not exist but the Campobasso arrest shows that the system of prevention is working.

“We must not get distracted and our sincere thanks goes to the police for their work”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Supreme Court Upholds Seizure of US MUOS Station at Niscemi

Site impounded to protect environment and health, judges say

(ANSA) — Rome, March 10 — The seizure of a planned satellite communications ground station at a US Navy facility near the Sicilian town of Niscemi was ordered to protect the environment and health of residents, the supreme Court of Cassation said in a written verdict upholding the measure Thursday. The seizure of the planned Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), which would have entailed placing some 46 telecommunications antennas, was ordered in April 2015 after a Palermo regional administrative court (TAR) upheld an appeal by locals against its construction.

The order was subsequently confirmed by a Catania tribunal the same month.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Father Fined for Leaving Flower Tribute on Closed Ski Run

Son Andrea, 9, died in crash five years ago

(ANSA) — Cortina, March 10 — A father has been fined for entering a closed ski-run in order to leave flowers at the spot where his son died five years ago, local media reported Thursday.

Mauro Rossato, an engineer from Mestre, was fined in winter 2015 after being spotted side-stepping up the Canalino del Canalone della Tofana ski-run which has been closed since nine-year-old Andrea lost his life after skiing into a tree.

He reportedly explained that he had not in fact skied down the run, but accessed it from a nearby open run, then passing through a forest to emerge 20 m downhill from the point he wanted to reach.

However, his explanation was to no avail.

Rossato appealed against the fine but his appeal was rejected.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

‘Let Them Leave!’ Annoyed French Politicians Starting to Back Brexit

Even one of Mr Hollande’s own Socialist Party MPs, Karine Berger, has described her irritation at David Cameron’s attempts to renegotiate Britain’s EU relationship.

She told the EurActiv website: “The discussion has evolved. The debate showed that the UK was asking for rewards for not respecting the common rules.

“Under these conditions, I do not think that a Brexit would harm the EU.”

Her comments echo those of exasperated French MEP Philipe Juvin, who told the website: “If they want to leave the EU, let them leave!”

The Republican politician sees the prospect of Brexit as an “opportunity” to establish a “hard core” of EU member states bound to further integration.

Similarly Dominique Riquet, a Radical Party MEP, recently told a local French newspaper: “I hope the English leave!”

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

Swedish Police Say Video Shows Driver Crashed Viola Beach Car on Purpose

The driver of the car which sent British indie band Viola Beach to their deaths when it plunged 80ft into a canal south of Stockholm earlier this month ‘acted deliberately’, Swedish police say.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: ‘Mum Has Only Asked Me 153 Times if I’M OK Today’: Cheeky and Inspiring Diary of 10-Year-Old Cancer Patient Attracts Thousands of Followers

Felix Brown, of Bournemouth, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia six weeks ago and immediately began writing a candid blog about his daily highs and lows.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Cambridge University Cancel ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ Theme Party

Organisers from the Junior Parlour Committee (JPC) feared that the theme could lead to ‘cultural appropriation’ if people wear clothes from an ethnic group they don’t belong to at the BOP event.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Cyclist QC Loses Private Case Against Driver After Jury Clears Him in Just 20 Minutes… But Taxpayers Will Pay His £22,000 Bill!

A cyclist who brought the first private prosecution for dangerous driving will have his £22,000 legal costs paid by the taxpayer despite losing his case.

Martin Porter QC, who calls himself the ‘Cycling Silk’, claimed he was almost knocked off his bike by a speeding sports car driven by Aslan Kayardi.

When police refused to act for lack of evidence, the barrister brought his own criminal prosecution, claiming his life had been endangered.

But a jury took just 20 minutes to clear Mr Kayardi yesterday. Isleworth Crown Court in west London heard Mr Porter represents cyclists in civil cases and may have been using the trial for publicity.

The judge accepted a request from Mr Porter’s legal team that their costs should come out of the public purse because the case had been brought to the court ‘properly’.

Other cyclists may now try to bring private prosecutions against motorists, without financial risk.

Mr Kayardi, who is a driving instructor, said he was astonished by the decision.

‘The police decided there wasn’t a case to answer, but he just wanted to get the publicity,’ he said after the hearing.

‘It’s been over a year this has been going on and both physically and mentally it has drained me a lot because I was left thinking I was a criminal.

‘I was constantly receiving letters and I’ve lost a lot of sleep. I’ve had to see doctors.’

Mr Porter told jurors he felt alarmed when Mr Kayardi passed him at ‘arm’s length’ during rush-hour traffic on the A315 in west London in February last year.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: London is More Islamic Than Most Cities in Muslim Countries, Says Islamic Scholar

Pakistan-born Maulana Syed Ali Raza Rizvi said freedom of worship and the cultural mix in London did more to promote Islamic values than Muslim political leaders elsewhere in the world.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Polish ‘Killer’ Piotr Kupiec Arrested in Wiltshire is Ordered by Judge to be Freed

Piotr Kupiec, 28, who had been living in Devizes, Wiltshire, was the subject of an international manhunt and was wanted by Polish authorities over the death of a man following a football match.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Preston 14-Year-Old Twin Sisters Known as ‘The Boom Girls’ Given Asbos

Morgan and Ellie Cairns, 14, roamed the streets of the Callon estate, Preston, spitting at residents, hurling racial abuse and vandalising properties with members of their gang, the ‘Boom Girls’.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Teen Arrested in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire for ‘Arranging Terrorism Funds’

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, this morning on suspicion of arranging funds or property for the purposes of terrorism.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Wales: Pictured: Horrific Injuries Suffered by Disabled Man Who is Still in a Coma Six Months After His Neighbour Attacked Him Because He Complained About His Barking Dog

[WARNING: Disturbing Content.]

The 34-year-old had confronted Burrell about his pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier when he was attacked, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

These are the horrific injuries of a disabled man who was attacked by his neighbour because he complained about his dog’s barking.

Matthew Sheehan is in a coma after being beaten Raymond Burrell six months ago near their homes in Adamsdown, Cardiff.

The 34-year-old had confronted Burrell about his pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier when he was attacked, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Mr Sheehan, who requires a walking stick, remains in a coma and suffered bruising to the brain alongside multiple facial injuries.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Italy Wants Unity Govt in Libya, Pinotti Tells COPASIR

No Italian special forces in Libya, defence minister says

(ANSA) — Rome, March 9 — Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti told a parliamentary intelligence oversight committee COPASIR hearing on Wednesday that Italy is committed to seeking a political agreement for a unity government that is representative of the entire country of Libya. As well, she said no Italian special forces are currently on the ground in the North African country.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Obama Blames UK and France for 2011 Failure in Libya

Had hoped for greater burden-sharing

(ANSA) — Washington, March 10 — US president Barack Obama on Thursday criticized British Prime Minister David Cameron and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy for the 2011 operation in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

He included UK and France among US allies that “freeride”. The White House chief spoke about the North African country’s “chaos” and acknowledged that his support for NATO intervention was a “mistake”, in part due to his conviction that the UK and France would have taken on a greater share of the burden in the period following the dictator’s ouster.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Details of 22,000 Jihadis Revealed in Huge Cache of Leaked ISIS HR Forms

The treasure trove of data for Western security services battling the terror group contains the names, nationalities, addresses, telephone numbers and family contacts of recruits.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

France: More French Girls Lured by IS Than Boys: Source

In France, more teenage girls than boys are drawn to joining Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria, a high-ranking anti-terrorist official told AFP this week.

“Among minors, females are over-represented to a proportion of 55 percent” of those interested in making the journey, or who have already done so, the French source said on condition of anonymity.

Like young girls across Europe who dream of reaching Syria — and often leave their unsuspecting families shocked when they do run away — these girls are not just dreaming of becoming meek so-called “jihadi brides”.

While marriage to a jihadist fighter is their likely fate, the girls are as attracted by violence as their male counterparts, said sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar, who has interviewed many radicalised French teenagers of both sexes…

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Iran Missile Launch Violation of Nuclear Agreement

Iran violates nuclear deal with missile launch; Missiles launched to “be able to hit our enemy the Zionist regime”

[Obama’s legacy won’t take too long to manifest itself. He’ll be able to watch the world end at ‘the 19th hole’.]

           — Hat tip: Nick [Return to headlines]
 

Yazidi Girl Sets Herself on Fire to Stop ISIS Jihadists From Raping Her, Doctor Says

A Yazidi girl held captive by the Islamic State terrorist organization set herself on fire, severely burning 80 percent of her body, in a desperate attempt to stop jihadists from raping her, a German doctor has said.

           — Hat tip: Nick [Return to headlines]
 

North Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles and Says it Will Liquidate South Korean Assets

The moves were a direct response to unilateral sanctions announced by South Korea on Tuesday to punish the North for its January nuclear test and last month’s long-range rocket launch.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Corruption Probes Snare Top Politicians in Recession-Hit Brazil

In the throes of an economic recession, Brazilians are also facing a political crisis, with President Dilma Rousseff and other prominent leaders fending off allegations that threaten to upend the government.

Prosecutors in the state of Sao Paulo on Thursday have asked for former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva to be charged with money laundering, accusing the former left-wing president of concealing ownership of a luxury seaside apartment in the city of Guaruja.

The allegations against Lula — a towering political figure in Latin America’s largest country — came only days after he was named in a separate federal probe into a massive corruption scheme involving Brazil’s state-owned oil giant Petrobras…

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Alfano Asks to Put Albania on EU Migrant Agenda

‘Can be strategic partner’

(ANSA) — Brussels, March 10 — Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Thursday he had asked his EU counterparts to put Albania on the European agenda as a possible strategic partner to stop migrants coming across the Balkans. “I asked that the issue of Albania not be only an Italian issue. We can’t only deal with it on our own, bilaterally with Albania,” he said after the EU meeting, which was largely devoted to the migrants crisis. “Albania can be a strategic partner of Europe in addressing the Balkans question”. With the so-called Balkan route shut because of border closures, migrants and refugees are expected to turn southwestwards and try and get across the Adriatic to Italy via Albania.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Bulgarian Gangster Organises ‘Migrant Hunting Patrols’ Along Turkish Border

Dinko Valev, 29, and his unit of vigilantes use armoured personnel carriers, off-road bikes and horses to track down illegal migrants around his home in the city of Yambol in south-eastern Bulgaria.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

EU Chiefs Beg Vladimir Putin to Solve Migrant Crisis as Eurocrats Admit They Face Ruin

EUROCRATS are seeking a desperate deal with Vladimir Putin as they make a bid to stop Russia sending the migrant crisis into meltdown.

The move comes as the number of refugees entering the bloc through Russia has risen sharply during the past year.

Officials in Moscow have been warned that the country’s relentless bombing of Syria is forcing refugees to pile into Europe.

Under-fire EU chiefs vowed to make a desperate plea to Putin at a behind closed doors meeting in Brussels last month.

Migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned fellow bureaucrats of the “growing migratory pressure” brought about by Russia.

Minutes of the urgent meeting revealed Mr Avramopoulous “referred to the growing migratory pressure faced by Finland on its border with Russia”.

It added: “[He] supported the idea of establishing a dialogue on migration with the Russian Federation as soon as possible, before the EU was confronted by a new influx of migrants on its Eastern border.”

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

Half Italians Say Italy Shouldn’t Help Refugees

Eurobarometro survey, 50% don’t feel European citizens

(ANSA) — Rome, March 10 — In a year immigration has become the principal challenge facing the EU, followed by terrorism, which has surpassed in less than a year the problems linked to the economic crisis, a poll confirmed Thursday.

In all 69 % of Italians favour the EU dealing with the migrant crisis through a common policy, but nearly a half (46%) believe that Italy shouldn’t help refugees and 49% also view with suspicion foreign citizens who move into Italy.

This is the picture snapped by Eurobarometro, the European poll on citizens’ opinions carried out in November 2015 (after the climax in the summer of the migrants’ crisis on the Balkan route but before the Paris attacks) that was presented today by the European Commission in Rome.

Some 50% of Italians, in addition, don’t feel themselves European citizens and 63% are convinced that Italy’s interests are not taken into consideration in Brussels.

Europeans as a whole acknowledge that the EU has made achievements with 49% saying the most important is free movement of labour, the possibility to travel study or work anywhere in the EU — an advantage that Italians say is second most important (36%) after the primacy of the euro (41%).

European Commission Representation in Italy director Emilio Dalmonte says the fact that half of Italians feel they don’t have to help migrants is a figure that “maes one reflect”.

“The images that arrive from Idomeni are no different to those of the homeless 70 years ago in our country,” he said, underlining that the figures are comparable to those in eastern Europe where people traditionally are more skeptical toward refugees, such as Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

According to Mario Morcellini, lecturer at the La Sapienza university in Rome, the media are largely to blame “and especially talk shows responsible for anti-politics and the worsening” of public opinion aggravating Italians’ perceptions on immigration well beyond the real entity of the phenomenon.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Hungary Declares State of Emergency, Deploys Thousands of Troops to Border

Hungarian Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér announced in Budapest on Wednesday that Hungary is officially in a “state of emergency” because of the migrant crisis and has called up thousands of troops to the border with Romania.

Announcing the deployment of troops, the minister said: “we don’t know exactly what reactions those refugees and illegal migrants will have, [those] who are already inside the neighbouring countries. Therefore the government has decided that to prepare for this situation Hungary will strengthen protection of its borders, and we declare a crisis situation due to migration for the entire country.”

New fears of migrants passing through both Romania and Bulgaria to get to Hungary triggered the move, with the unpredictability of the migrant crisis and the migrant flow being a huge cause for concern for the Hungarian government, reports Kronen Zeitung.

The Hungarians are also worried about the growing number of migrants who are stuck in Greece along the border with Macedonia and Bulgaria. There are concerns the tens of thousands now stuck along the Balkans may attempt to force their way through borders, as has been observed in Greece.

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

In Austria, Over Half of All ‘Asylum Seekers’ Commit Crimes

A new report on migrant crime reveals that for every 100 people who attempt to claim asylum in Austria an average of 55 criminal offences are committed, with some communities significantly more represented in statistics than others.

The Austrian agency of Federal statistics report shows that during the period of 2004 to 2014 almost every other migrant had committed some kind of criminal offence after coming to the country and seeking asylum.

The majority of the crimes were perpetrated by Algerians, who have been held as responsible for many of the high profile migrant crimes like the mass sexual assaults on New Year’s Eve in Germany.

Algerians commit a staggering 155 crimes per 100 asylum seekers, with Georgians close behind at 151 per 100, and Nigerians at 129 per 100, reports Kronen Zeitung. Syrians are presently reasonably low on the list at only around 8 offence per 100 applicants, but the Federal statistics agency says that because the study only covers up to 2014 it doesn’t account for the mass influx of Syrians experienced during 2015.

The report also notes 80 per cent of the criminals were young men.

While the overall proportion of all crime in Austria committed by what the report identifies as “asylum seekers” was reasonably low — around five per cent — during the period of the study they only actually made up less than half a per cent of Austria’s total population.

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

Migrant Abducts Mother’s Four-Year-Old Son at Austrian Swimming Pool and Molests Her When She Goes to Find Him in Latest Terrifying Sex Attack

A migrant abducted a four-year-old boy at an Austrian swimming pool just so he could molest his mother when she came to look for him in the latest terrifying sex attack.

The man, who barely spoke German had attempted to chat to the 37-year-old woman who was at the pool in the town of Klagenfurt with her young son.

When she rejected his advances, the asylum seeker went into the children’s play pool, where her son was and grabbed the boy.

           — Hat tip: Nick [Return to headlines]
 

Who is to Blame for the Rape Epidemic That is Sweeping Across Europe?

Millions of women in Europe are now deathly afraid to walk outside their own homes at night, and with each passing day more news reports of absolutely horrific rapes and sexual assaults come pouring in from all over the continent.

So who is to blame for this epidemic of rape? I think that the answer might surprise you, because a very famous politician in the United States is at least partially responsible. But first, let’s examine why women all over Europe are living in such fear right now. I have written previously about this rape epidemic, but since that time it has gotten even worse. At this point, this plague is even affecting small towns in the far northern portions of the continent. For example, just consider what is happening in a small town in northern Sweden known as Ostersund…

[…]

Most of the immigrants that are flooding into Europe are coming from areas that have been ravaged by war. In particular, more immigrants are flooding into Europe from Syria than anywhere else.

If we go back five years ago, Syria was actually a very peaceful place. In the early portions of 2011, the Arab Spring was raging, and leaders all over the Middle East were being deposed. At that time, a decision was made by officials in the Obama administration that it would be an ideal opportunity to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria as well.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and their Sunni allies in the region were quite eager to get rid of Assad. Syria is part of “the Shiite crescent” that stretches across the Middle East, but 74 percent of all Syrians are actually Sunni. So the idea was to create a “popular uprising” that would overthrow Assad, and Syria would then be transformed into a full-fledged Sunni nation and the balance of power in the Middle East would be fundamentally altered.

This effort was spearheaded by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

9 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/10/2016

  1. Hillary Clinton campaigning for presidency? Did people forget Benghazi? How strange western democracy is?

    In the past it was very easy to blame Germany Wilhelm, Hitler, . . . for the unending wars in Europe, the deranged Continent.

    Today armies are deploying not because of Hitlers and Wilhelms, but because of Brussels, Blairs, Camerons, Hollandes, Sarkozies, . . . eccentric characters and strange illogical decisions.

    Did you know that France is a villain in it own right: France helped Amin al-Husseini to escape from prison after WW2. Do you believe that?

    Is Europe itching for bloody wars again?

    Mr Viktor Orbán, Miloš Zeman, Netanyahu, Péter Szijjártó (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, have you heard his logical solid ideas, pleasure to listen to him ), Geert Wilders, Ayan Hirsi Ali, and similar ones. These should be our leaders. These can help us gain victory preemptively, proactively, by seeing into the future and doing the right things and taking the right decisions against the deadly enemy , without actually fighting that enemy.

    • The Benghazi incident was suppressed by our media leading up to our 2012 election, and even now, a lot of people don’t understand how significant Hilary’s betrayal of that consulate and those individuals really was. The only prominent media figure who was pounding the administration about it was Andrew Breitbart, who died of a heart attack that spring.

      Hillary Clinton has long been held up by the Democrats as our presumptive “first female president,” and indeed, she was favored to get the 2008 Democrat presidential nomination. She and her philandering husband are considered by the Boomer Left to be on par with royalty. They’ve been trying to force her down our throats practically since she rode out of the White House with truckfuls of appropriated furniture and house goods back in 2001. This year is just the first opportunity they’ve had to nominate her again. I was six when her husband got elected for the first time…why the love fest for the Clintons, I’ve never understood.

      Sadly, it seems that her record of attacking her husband’s sexual assault victims and flip-flopping on issues for political reasons are the more important issue in the minds of Democrat voters. IMO, she’s committed treason, with the email server scandal, but that doesn’t seem to matter to a lot of people.

      • “Why the love fest for the Clintons, I’ve never understood” either.

        He’s an unprincipled philanderer and “fix it” man for the unsavory dictators and global would-be empire-builders of the world; she’s his equally unethical partner in the activities of the Clinton Foundation and–it appears–while she was Sec. of State.

        I’m maybe one-third through Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich, wherein the details of shady contracts involving uranium mining and Kazakhstan “leaders,” and other nefarious dealings whose money seemed to pass through the Clinton Foundation to Bill and Hillary to enrich them, are set forth.

        Astonishing. THIS is the best the Democrats (and, frankly, Republicans as well) can do? Of course, I’ve been stunned for many years at the low quality of our Presidential candidates, but this low quality is the direct result of full-time fund-raising, microscopic examination of private life, etc. Most publicly-minded men and women would rather get on with the mission than raise money, and they sure don’t want their kids / relatives / whoever put under the microscope.

        The Citizens United decision has made the low quality of all candidates drop even faster than before 2010, when the decision came down…. Hard to believe, but there we are. *sigh*

        I think a lot of the Bernie Sanders votes are simply because he’s NOT HILLARY.

  2. Murad, I agree with you. Don’t know where you are but here in America, some of us know that [H]illary Clinton should be in jail and in a just world, she would be there right now. Instead she is running for president and I fear that there are too many stupid voters who will actually put her in the white house when she should be in the “big house” ie, prison. And then in my spare time, I wonder who or what is behind her. . .

    • I live in BC, that’s why I / we are interested in American policies/ elections. . . because they affect us all and indeed the whole world. Some say that American Constitution is unique: designed to protect the rights and freedoms of everyone by putting in place certain mechanisms: ( We the) People elect their own Representative. They will legislate laws and supervise the Executive Branch (Obama and Hillary); If any of the executive branch neglects his/her duty or violates the spirit of the laws, they would be prosecuted, according to the laws, unbiased, just manner, putting the interest of the country above all others whether individual or Party.

      It was supposed that the guilty would be prosecuted not for revenge’s sake but to straighten their manners and keep everyone honest. And it was supposed that if a judge might sentence a law violator (H) to 10 years in prison, and after 10 years are over nothing should prevent that judge and (H), for example to be friends, because the judge in office acts in his/ capacity as judge not an individual with bias and caprice. And H should never hold a grudge against that judge. This is what was expected to be the outcome of the USA Constitution.

      Unfortunately, human nature is evil and stays evil in spite of education, religion, prophets, philosophy lessons, enlightenment, and the so-called the Age of Reason.

      Is the Congress labelled do-little? That horrible Obama Cairo speech, Iran Nuclear Deal imposed by Iran on the west, Benghazi murders. . . uncontrolled borders and debt, and other very serious issues that no one dare discuss in a campaign, and solve, etc and the congress does nothing at all. They get their salaries, and a young intern, and get re-elected, and they are satisfied. . . and the nation goes to invaders and dogs.
      And the media, goodness . . . there is no media in the west. Western media blindly supports all government policies, wrong or right. No sense of right or wrong in the west: supporting invaders in every field and surrendering to them the country is right, and condemning anyone who condemns those eccentric, insane unconscionable policies.

      Absence of right and wrong in western policies will plunge the world into a hell of nuclear inferno.

      We have knowledge but not Blessed Knowledge. We have haughtiness but not humbleness. The more knowledge there is the more ignorant we become. We know some difficult things in chemistry and physics but we are ignorant about some social and life axioms. We can make it very easy for us to conveniently keep plastics of pepsi and water in the fridge but we don’t know how to prevent mountains of plastics building in our oceans and poisoning or sea foods. Not to mention poisoning our soil (foods), and the air we breathe.

      Just think: we abort our offspring and import invaders. Isn’t that sheer stupidity?

      Someone said that humans are stupid by nature.

      • Well said. I have a lawyer friend who’s the soul of courtesy and kindness but he’s wedded to the delusional thinking. He’s actually fair-minded but he believes that it is “the right” that has been the source of tyranny. He has not feared tyranny from the left, he says.

        I thought of debating this point with him but knew there was no fact I could lay before him that would change his mind. In fact, I am sure that he is perfectly aware of the record of the Soviets, the Chinese communists, the Khmer Rouge, and Castro. It’s that he refuses to draw any conclusions from that record.

        Willful blindness just is not a satisfactory way to describe this. I dimly suspect that there is a buried issue of dependency and abandonment of responsibility. The left promises to remove the threat of economic privation, to insulate supporters from risk and the necessity to be responsible for oneself. That siren song is perhaps so powerful that it is not possible for the supporter to accept there is — or was — any danger on the left.

        Beats me.

  3. The government of Russia is trying to populate its Far East. This would be a golden opportunity to move some or all Afrikaner farmers there and save them from the ongoing genocide. It might click nobody’s mind. Please give the idea some publicity in GoV. Afrikaner farmers are very eager to assimilate in a society like Russia. They don’t mind to go to the Russian Far East.

    • America intends to import 500 000 000 invaders over the nest 10 years. They might be accepted if they change their names to Muhammad, and also change their skin and behaviour. If they are meek, forgiving and turn the other cheek then they will be refused. Just notice Syrian and Iraqi Christians? Any ? None.

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