Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/31/2014

The only American prisoner of war in Afghanistan, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, has been released and is on his way home. He was exchanged for five Taliban prisoners after lengthy negotiations brokered by Qatar.

In other news, the Italian Mafia is struggling during the continuing recession. Not only are protection racket revenues down, but the mobsters are having to expend more and more of their funds to support the families of Mafiosos who have been imprisoned.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, DS, Fjordman, Insubria, Jerry Gordon, JP, Papa Whiskey, 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.

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Vapour Trails of Jets

The news story about the hand grenade found in someone’s carry-on bag at LAX made me think about my last encounter with the Transportation Security Administration two weeks ago, when I went through the security screening at Orlando Airport on my way home from the March for Persecuted Christians.

I got in line, ready to take off my belt, my shoes, and my jacket and pass through the naked scanner. But when I got to the first TSA officer and presented my boarding pass and photo ID, I got a wonderful surprise: my ticket had been marked as “TSA Pre-Screened”. She pointed me to another — much shorter — line, where I was allowed to show my boarding pass and be waved through without having to show my junk to anyone. I avoided all the customary hassle, and had an extra twenty minutes to spend eating breakfast and drinking espresso before boarding the plane for Charlotte.

But why did the TSA grant me the privilege of pre-screening? No one could tell me — it said so on my boarding pass, so that was that: I was King for a Day.

Maybe it was like a lottery ticket — one in 10,000 passengers gets the extra-special TSA reward bonus! It will probably never happen again, but I certainly enjoyed it.

And what if I had packed a hand grenade in my hand luggage? Fortunately for everyone going to Charlotte that day, I decided to bring my Kindle instead…

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Whenever I go through airport security, it puts me in mind of the song “Life in the Air Age” by Bill Nelson of Be Bop Deluxe, from their 1976 album Sunburst Finish:

Life in the air age isn’t all the brochures say
Life in the air age, it’s too dangerous to stay
Life in the air age, airships crashing every day into the bay

Life in the air age, it’s all highways in the sky
Life in the air age, all the oceans have run dry
Life in the air age, it’s grim enough to make a robot cry

Yep, that about sums it up. Unless you qualify for TSA pre-screening, of course! Then life in the Air Age is a bowl of aeronautical cherries.

For a change of pace, here’s another air-themed song. This one is about the dawn of the Air Age, set during the Great War: “Fields of France” by Al Stewart, from his 1988 album Last Days of the Century. The deliberate anachronism in the penultimate line of this song is evidence of a master lyricist at his craft. I also recommend it for the music — it has an excellent flute part as counterpoint to the lyric:

Fields of France
by Al Stewart

His flying jacket still has her perfume
Memories of the night
Play across his mind
High above the fields of France

A single biplane in a clear blue sky
1917, no enemy was seen
High above the fields of France

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Solidarity With Persecuted Christians

As reported here extensively (see the list of links at the bottom of this post), a series of events about the persecution of Christians took place in Orlando, Florida two weeks ago. Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff was one of the featured participants at those events.

Andreas Unterberger is a popular Austrian opinion writer. Last Thursday Elisabeth wrote a guest column at Mr. Unterberger’s blog about her experiences in Orlando (I’m told the original is behind a paywall, so I have no URL for it). Many thanks to JLH for the translation:

Guest Column at Andreas Unterberger

The Scandal of the Persecution of Christians Penetrates International Consciousness

Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff
May 29, 2014

On May 17th, on the initiative of Lutheran pastor Bruce Lieske, a march took place, calling attention to the present-day persecution of Christians worldwide. The basic idea of this march is based on the annual presentation of the Platform for Persecuted Christians in Vienna.

To clarify the background of the Viennese event, I quote from my speech at the Lutheran Prince of Peace Church in Orlando.

“In Vienna in 2008, on the 60th anniversary of the signing of the ‘United Nations Charter of Human Rights,’ an awesome idea was born: Why not use the date of the signing — the 10th of December — to advocate for persecuted Christians in the world, to call attention to their lot, and to push for action to be taken against oppression, torment and discrimination.

“Even though fundamental human rights like freedom of religion, freedom of expression and freedom to assemble do apply for many Christians in the world, the right to own property and the rights of a householder do not. And even worse: Christians in numerous countries are tortured, raped and killed. About 200,000 of them are massacred every year because of their religion. And it is in Islamic countries where Christians suffer the most. The index of global persecution from the respected organization, Open Doors, shows that, out of the ten countries most aggressive in intimidating and persecuting Christians, nine of them are Islamic by government or predominant culture.

“So it was only too fitting to make a connection between the anniversary of the declaration of human rights and the worst form of its abuse. The idea in Vienna was to introduce the evil of persecution of Christians to the public consciousness, to give the victims a face, and to work together in solidarity. That was and remains important, because the phenomenon of Christian persecution is mostly either ignored or suppressed in the West.

“The Vienna idea to counter this voicelessness was to have a press conference with materials to hand out, personal contacts, a torchlight walk with megaphones from the Opera to Saint Stephen’s — the most beautiful and important cathedral in the land — and finally, celebration of an ecumenical divine service with a prestigious member of the clergy and participation by representatives of the most diverse Christian denominations — especially those from the areas which suffer the greatest persecution.

“From the beginning, the platform of ‘solidarity with persecuted Christians’ was advanced by a varied and growing number of organizations. On the initiative of the Wiener Akademikerbund, church-based institutions, aid organizations, associations in academic and civil life and dedicated individuals came together to set an example and mobilize support. The 24 organizations that cooperated on this platform also made sure through the year that the subject was not forgotten in their own fields of activity.

“So far, six days of action have been arranged, to increase perception of this sad subject in the media, to heighten the sense of solidarity in many citizens and to encourage concrete offers of help for the victims. The money collected during a day of action was donated to a project of the current honorary or star guest.”

On December 10, 2013, Pastor Lieske, too, was sitting in the fully packed Stephansdom. He was impressed by the moving torchlight march and the following ecumenical worship service. The desire took root in him to organize this march in his hometown of Orlando. For it was imperative that the growing abuse and killing of people because of their Christian belief also be publicized in the USA. Pastor Lieske started the program with a dedicated group, including practicing Jews and devout Christians. A march around a small lake in the middle of Orlando, followed by a prayer meeting with short speeches in the nearby church. As in Vienna, it was possible to get Syrian Orthodox Sister Hatune as the star guest. Several of the speakers and guests flew in from Europe and Canada to express their solidarity.

The early evening was shaped by a panel discussion, in which European guests reported on the situation of Christians in Europe. I spoke briefly on the term coined by historian Bat Ye’or — “dhimmitude” — which describes the subjection and oppression of non-Muslim populations in an Islamic state, and ever more frequently, in non-Muslim states as well — especially in Europe and the USA. An Egyptian Copt reported on his homeland and how the state deals with its religious minorities. Sister Hatune’s descriptions of her missionary work in Islamic countries were shocking and frightening. No one there had ever been so close to reality as they were with Sister Hatune’s report.

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E.U. Commission Shuts Down “Largest Petition in European History”

Why there will always be a European Union…

I’m sure you’re all sick unto death of reading about this controversy, but never let it be said we didn’t add our tuppence to the headlines in all the major MSM outlets. Those endless news cycles devoted to this latest incident of democratic totalitarianism as they wait for the Next Great Outrage. For the moment this horror will have to do, eh?

That brief editorial below, from — gasp! — The Conservative News Service, speaks volumes about the totalitarian EU. It knows surely that since the content of this petition is utterly beyond the pale of political correctness that the process is immaterial for all right-thinking citizens.

STOMP!

In other words the moral midgets behind the screen are safe. They have successfully manipulated the masses into a state of fervent belief regarding the righteous triumph of women’s “rights” over anything else.. oh, except perhaps anthropogenic global warming. Can you imagine the cranial eruptions if it ever turned out that women’s “rights” caused global warming change umm… cooling …oh, right: sunspots??

Whatever — it’s difficult to keep up with the latest spin theory regarding absolutes. But entertain yourself by imagining the mental dissonance resulting from a conflicted intersection of the two Biggies: women and climate. Who would decide which should win? The very idea would make heads ’splode. Ever so slightly used brain matter would decorate the walls before being scraped back into place.

Here you go:

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/30/2014

After weeks of controversy over administrative mismanagement and the neglect and deaths of patients in VA hospitals, Eric Shinseki resigned as secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department. Mr. Shinseki had promised to personally ensure that the department would be completely reformed, but his assurances were not enough to save his job.

In other news, thirty-two people were killed in separate terrorist attacks across Iraq.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Caroline Glick, Fjordman, Insubria, IW, Jerry Gordon, JP, Nick, Papa Whiskey, Takuan Seiyo, 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.

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Doggone!

Our British correspondent JP reports that the Dog Jihad has surfaced again in a culturally enriched part of London. But was it really the work of Muslims, or a false flag operation mounted by Islamophobes? I’ll give my own (amateur) opinion at the end of this post.

Dog Jihad in East London
by JP

Readers may remember a couple of dog stories earlier this year — and it is not surprising to find another one surface in London today. Perhaps a sign of the Islamic community’s increasing confidence in doing and saying more or less what it likes while a nervous political class reeling from recent elections wonders what to do about the whole sorry mess? Or is it, as the Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick questions, the work of agent provocateurs?

A difficult one to call and probably irrelevant, given the febrile atmosphere in the UK with a Muslim community and its leaders on the offensive on multiple fronts while at the same time claiming victim status as a result of what they perceive as witch-hunts whether in regard to Islamic school plots or dubious electoral practices in Tower Hamlets. Add to this a feeling among the wider community of fast-approaching toleration saturation with so little to show for it that probably now is as good a time as any to come to long overdue resipiscence.

See:

Excerpts from an article on the topic published in The Standard:

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Geert Wilders Goose-Steps Across Europe Again

From Politically Incorrect via Vlad Tepes, here is a video and an accompanying article about the latest TV snoid to refer to Geert Wilders as a “Nazi”, this one in Austria.

Many thanks to Carpe Diem for both translations, and to Vlad Tepes for subtitling the video:

The Politically Incorrect article:

Was it just a slip of the tongue, or was it an intentional defamation of Geert Wilders?

On May 22nd, presenter of Austria’s TV channel “Plus 4”, Norbert Oberhauser (picture), called Geert Wilders and other EU-sceptic politicians “National Socialists” or briefly “Nazis” on his show “Guten Abend Österreich” (Good evening Austria).

It is just unacceptable to defame the famous Dutch politician and leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV), Geert Wilders, as a National Socialist, since he is known as a great friend of Israel. If you disagree with Mr Norbert Oberhauser, you can contact Plus 4 TV:

PULS 4 TV GmbH & Co KG
Chief executive: Markus Breitenecker
(responsible for content)
Maria Jacobi Gasse 1
A-1030 Wien
phone: + 43/1/999 88 – 0
fax: + 43/1/999 88 – 8888
markus.breitenecker@puls4.com

Vlad added his two cents’ worth (Canadian):

I would like to add, that Geert Wilders falls politically into the category of classical liberal and would have been called a pinko commie’ by much of the US mainstream of the 1950s for his defense of gay rights and Jewish people. To call him a Nazi is the height of deception.

Video transcript:
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Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/29/2014

Retarded people are being increasingly exploited by Al Qaeda affiliates in Iraq. Terrorists coerce these unfortunates into carrying bombs, which are then detonated remotely in crowded places. At least seven such deadly attacks have been carried out in recent months.

In other news, former Field Marshal Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi won the Egyptian presidential election by a landslide.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Insubria, Jerry Gordon, JP, 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.

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“A Euphemism for Political Cowardice”

Miloš Zeman, the president of Czech Republic, gave the following speech last Monday at a reception to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day. Many thanks to Gemini for the translation from the official text posted at the Czech government’s website.

Speech by the president of the Czech Republic at the reception held to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day

May 26, 2014

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me thank you for the invitation to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day. There are dozens of days of independence being celebrated every year in the Czech Republic. Some I may attend, others I cannot. There is one I can never miss, however: it’s the Israeli Independence Day.

There are states with whom we share the same values, such as the political horizon of free elections or a free market economy. However, no one threatens these states with wiping them off the map. No one fires at their border towns; no one wishes that their citizens would leave their country. There is a term, political correctness. This term I consider to be a euphemism for political cowardice. Therefore, let me not be cowardly.

It is necessary to clearly name the enemy of human civilisation. It is international terrorism linked to religious fundamentalism and religious hatred. As we may have noticed after 11th of September, this fanaticism has not been focused on one state exclusively. Muslim fanatics recently kidnapped 200 young Christian girls in Nigeria. There was a hideous assassination in the flower of Europe in the heart of European Union in a Jewish museum in Brussels. I will not let myself being calmed down by the declaration that there are only tiny fringe groups behind it. On the contrary, I am convinced that this xenophobia, and let’s call it racism or anti-Semitism, emerges from the very essence of the ideology these groups subscribe to.

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/28/2014

A well-planned terrorist attack targeted the home of Tunisian Interior Minister Lofti Ben Jeddou, in the town of Kesserine in central Tunisia. The gunmen fought a pitched battle with security guards, killing four of them, but the minister was not at home at the time, and was unharmed. Meanwhile, in neighboring Libya the State Department strongly urged all American citizens to leave the country, due to pervasive violence and instability.

In other news, a report by the European Commission has determined that if Russia were to cut off the supply of natural gas through the Ukraine pipeline, all parts of Europe will be hit by gas shortages except Portugal, Spain, and parts of southern France.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Insubria, Jerry Gordon, JLH, JP, 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.

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Brussels Shooting Suspect Released

Last Saturday an unknown gunman was transported by an accomplice to the Jewish Museum in Brussels. He left the car, entered the building, and killed three people. The shooter and the driver of the vehicle were both able to escape the scene of the crime. Shortly afterwards a suspect was arrested, but was later released.

Yesterday another suspect was arrested in connection with a different case. Although he is believed to be a mujahid who traveled to Syria to fight in the jihad, he too has been released for lack of evidence.

Many thanks to SimonXML for translating this article from De Standaard. The translation was originally posted at Vlad Tepes:

Jewish Museum shooting suspect released

The man who was arrested on Tuesday after the shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels has been released again.

The man was arrested yesterday by the federal prosecutor in another terrorism case. In the case of the attack on the Jewish Museum, the investigators are keeping all avenues open and their inquiries will include checking whether any clues can be found in existing cases.

The man who was arrested yesterday is said to have been a fighter in Syria. During his interrogation, in addition to the offenses for which he was arrested, the attack at the Jewish Museum was also considered because there are certain similarities between his profile and that of the perpetrator.

According to the federal prosecutor, the man could not be linked to Saturday’s events.

In the Jewish Museum last Saturday three people were killed and one seriously injured in a shooting. According to the prosecutor this was a terrorist attack.

For an article in English covering the same topic, see the Cleveland Jewish News.

“Make Stupidity and Cowardice an Indictable Crime”

The following video shows a French politician complaining in Parliament about the Merah family, which spawned the mass murderer Mohamed Merah and is now reportedly sending jihadis to Syria — all at the expense of the French welfare system.

Many thanks to Oz-Rita for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Transcript:

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Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/27/2014

The Islamic terror group Boko Haram attacked a military barracks and an adjacent police station in the village of Buni Yadi in Yobe State in northeastern Nigeria, killing fourteen soldiers and eleven policemen. The terrorists also attacked homes, shops, and churches, killing at least ten civilians.

In other news, thirty-five people were killed in bomb attacks across Iraq, including seventeen who died when a suicide bomber detonated outside a Shia mosque in Baghdad.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Caroline Glick, Insubria, JP, 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.

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Valerie Price at the Roundtable Discussion in Orlando

On May 16 Burning Bush Ministries sponsored a roundtable discussion at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Orlando on the topic “Current Christian Persecution — A Global Problem”.

One of the featured speakers at the event was Valerie Price of ACT! For Canada. Many thanks to Henrik Ræder Clausen for recording this video, and to Vlad Tepes for editing and uploading it:

Previous posts about the Prayer March for Persecuted Christians, Orlando, May 2014:

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