The Saudi government announced sixteen new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and two more deaths. So far almost four hundred people have been infected with MERS in Saudi Arabia, and of those, 111 have died.
In other news, the Royal Ontario Museum has decided to remove two whale carcasses that washed ashore on the coast of Newfoundland. The museum hopes to use the dead cetaceans for scientific studies.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, IW, JD, JP, Srdja Trifkovic, 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.
Banksters Pretend That Prosecuting Wall Street Crime Will Blow Up the Economy
The Department of Justice is “considering” initiating criminal charges against 2 banks.
In response, the normal cast of characters is saying — as they have for years — that prosecuting banks will cause a meltdown of the economy.
The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York recently mocked the silly claims of gloom and doom:
“Companies, especially financial institutions, will do almost anything to avoid a tough enforcement action and therefore have a natural and powerful incentive to make prosecutors believe that death or dire consequences await,” he said. “I have heard assertions made with great force and passion that if we take any criminal action, the skies will darken; the oceans will rise; nuclear winter will be upon us; and the world as we know it will end.”
As we’ve repeatedly noted, this is wholly untrue.
Indeed, prosecuting the individual Wall Street executives who knowingly committed criminal fraud won’t harm the economy. After all, the main driver of economic growth is a strong rule of law. And numerous Nobel prize winning economists have said that prosecuting Wall Street white collar is necessary for a prosperous economy.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Europe’s “Recovery” Leaves 25% of Spanish, Greek Workforce Unemployed
How can this be possible? Bond yields are at record lows and stock prices near record highs across Europe and even the ever-increasing debt-to-GDP characteristics of the perennially weak periphery are able to issue bonds willy-nilly as if nothing had ever happened. So how come 18.9 million people across Europe were unemployed in the euro area in March? Spain — actually trading at its cheapest cost of funding of all time (below 3%) — accounts for 6 million of those. As Bloomberg’s Niraj Shah notes, Greece and Spain have the highest jobless rates in Europe at 26.7% and 25.3%, respectively. That contrasts with 4.9% in Austria.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italy First Quarter State Borrowing Down 6.2 Billion Euros
Lower interest rates paid, higher VAT helps public accounts
(ANSA) — Rome, May 2 — Lower interest rates helped to reduce the Italian government’s borrowing costs in the first quarter of this year compared with Q1 in 2013, the economy ministry announced Friday.
During the first quarter of this year, borrowing amounted to approximately 41.8 billion euros, about 6.2 billion euros less than the amount in the same period of 2013.
The ministry said that State borrowing also fell during the month of April, when estimates show that about 10.1 billion was borrowed during the month, down from the 11.33 billion euros in the same month last year.
Overall public accounts were improved by lower interest rates paid out by the government as well as a small increase in value-added taxes paid.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Families ‘Tightening Belts as Food Prices Rise 3%’
Households ‘will have to cut 376 euros off food bill’
(ANSA) — Rome, May 2 — Italian households are tightening their belts after a “dramatic” rise in food costs between 2013 and 2014, two consumer associations said Friday.
“The minimum weekly food bill for a family of four is 124 euros, 3% higher than 2013, “ said Adusbef and Federconsumatori.
“Unless there is serious intervention aimed at raising families’ purchasing power, a typical household will be forced to make a drastic spending review this year, cutting its food outlay by around 376 euros,” they said.
Another consumer group, Codacons, said earlier this week that while Italy’s annual rate of inflation remains relatively low, a small but steady increase is taking an average of 201 euros each year from family budgets.
“This is worrying, especially considering that consumption continues to fall,” which together with lingering weakness in prices, demonstrates that the Italian economy remains weak, the group said.
Its statement came as national statistical agency Istat said that preliminary data showed Italy’s annual inflation rate increased to 0.6% in April from 0.4% in March, the first rise recorded in 10 months.
The country emerged from its longest postwar recession in the second half of last year but the recovery is fragile, as the agency reported that on a monthly measure, inflation was up just 0.2% this month over March.
Looking at a subset of the items included in the overall inflation measure, estimates showed that the prices of food, household goods and upkeep, as well as personal items actually decreased this month by 0.1% compared with March, and grew by 0.4% when measured on an annual basis.
That was a slower annual rise in that subset of goods compared with the 0.7% annualized gain reported in March, and the lowest level since August 2010.
The gradual rise in inflation is costing a retired couple an average of 173 euros per year, said Codacons, while a single pensioner is losing 111 euros each year due to rising prices.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
It’s an Illusion: Here Are the Real Unemployment Numbers
The drop in the unemployment rate from March’s 6.7 percent came as the agency’s survey of households showed the labor force shrank by more the 800,000 in April.
The participation rate, which indicates the share of working-age people in the labor force, decreased to 62.8 percent, matching the lowest level since March 1978, from 63.2 percent a month earlier.
Thus, while U.S. companies added some 288,000 jobs last month, three times as many people were dropped from the official unemployment statistics and are no longer counted in the labor pool.
At this rate we’re well on our way to achieving the Communist dream of 0% unemployment before the end of the President’s term.
Contrarian economist John Williams suggests the the government’s numbers are not even close. At his web site ShadowStats.com Williams calculates the rate of employment using the same methods that were used prior to 1994 when they were officially defined out of existence by bureaucrats looking to pad the numbers.
According to those numbers, we’re looking at an unemployment rate of over 23%.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The Number of Working Age Americans Without a Job Has Risen by 27 Million Since 2000
Did you know that there are nearly 102 million working age Americans that do not have a job right now?
And 20 percent of all families in the United States do not have a single member that is employed. So how in the world can the government claim that the unemployment rate has “dropped” to “6.3 percent”? Well, it all comes down to how you define who is “unemployed”. For example, last month the government moved another 988,000 Americans into the “not in the labor force” category. According to the government, at this moment there are 9.75 million Americans that are “unemployed” and there are 92.02 million Americans that are “not in the labor force” for a grand total of 101.77 million working age Americans that do not have a job. Back in April 2000, only 5.48 million Americans were unemployed and only 69.27 million Americans were “not in the labor force” for a grand total of 74.75 million Americans without a job. That means that the number of working age Americans without a job has risen by 27 million since the year 2000. Any way that you want to slice that, it is bad news.
Well, what about as a percentage of the population?
Has the percentage of working age Americans that have a job been increasing or decreasing?
As you can see from the chart posted below, the percentage of working age Americans with a job has been in a long-term downward trend.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Weak Household Income Slows Recovery Says Bank of Italy
Mortgages up 9.3% in first three months of 2014
(ANSA) — Rome, May 2 — Weak income growth is one risk impeding Italy’s recovery from recession, the Bank of Italy said Friday. The Italian economy is slowly recovering from a debilitating recession, but that recovery remains fragile, the central bank said in a report on financial stability.
Household income declined slightly last year, although conditions were better than 2012, the report said.
“In 2013 households suffered a smaller decline in disposable income than in 2012; there was a reduction in debt and a recovery in investment in financial assets,” the report said. “Low interest rates and measures to support borrowers helped to contain the vulnerability of indebted households”.
It noted that the country’s real estate market remains relatively weak but exports are gaining strength.
In the first three months of this year, the volume of mortgages was up by 9.3% compared to the same period in 2013, but still was well below the level of 2011, according to the report.
Quality was declining slightly.
At the end of 2013, there were nearly 319,900 mortgages of which 6.2% had “deteriorated” while in June 2013 there were 341,000 of which 5.8% had “deteriorated,” the Bank of Italy report said. The eurozone’s third-largest economy began pulling out of recession in the third-quarter of last year after enduring its worst recession since the Second World War, the bank said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
“Operation Choke Point” Raises Alarms
For the last several days, rumors have been circulating about the use of federal financial services regulators to harass and intimidate banks and financial service providers who maintain relationships with legal but so-called “high risk” merchants or businesses. These businesses are said to include, among others, payday lenders, escort services, producers of pornography, gaming interests, and purveyors of drug paraphernalia. By leaning on the banks, so the theory goes, the regulators will cause them to sever relationships with these businesses, thereby choking off their cash flow and forcing them out of the market. While the early phase of the operation has reportedly focused on payday lenders and pornography interests, eventual targets are said to include sellers of firearms and ammunition.
We have been aware of this story for some time. NRA News, for example, originally reported on it last January. Breitbart news also noted in January that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Chairman of the Economic Growth Subcommittee, sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding further information on the program. In a follow up story on NRA News in April, Andrew Langer from the Institute for Liberty reiterated the allegations and reported that the program is expanding. The House Committee on Financial Services additionally held a hearing on April 8 entitled, “Who’s in Your Wallet: Examining How Washington Red Tape Impairs Economic Freedom,” at which concerns over Operation Choke Point were expressed by both sides of the aisle.
In addition to these concerns, NRA is aware of episodes in which banks have severed their relationships with customers in the firearm industry, as well as the policies of various online services — such as Google Shopping, eBay, Craigslist, and PayPal — to refuse to host listings for, or process sales of, firearms or ammunition.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
A Congressional Scandal of Murder and Cover-Up
Investigative reporter and five-time Emmy Award winner Peter Lance has investigated government cover-ups in some of the biggest stories — 9/11, TWA 800 and the Oklahoma City bombing cases. His recent work has been probing the office of Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) for The Santa Barbara News-Press, in a case that reaches all the way up into the Office of General Counsel for the U.S. House.
Lance is facing obstacles in this case, like many others he’s covered, but is determined to reveal the complete truth, and demand justice for the family of a young woman whose death was caused by a congressional staffer employed by Capps…
In this case, Mallory Rae Dies, a 27-year-old University of California, Santa Barbara graduate, was struck and killed by one of Capps’ district representatives, Raymond Morua, after he had been drinking heavily. Morua fled the scene, after stopping his vehicle and looking down at the body, and finally crashed after an 80-mph chase.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Ag Census Points to Fewer U.S. Farms
The number of farms in the U.S. is shrinking, according to the latest Census of Agriculture, released Friday. The census is taken every five years and shows the changing landscape for farmers.
Since 2007, the U.S. lost 95,000 farms, or about 4 percent. There was a similar drop in the number of farmers. But the number of Latino farmers grew by 20 percent, according to the Census. There are also more African American farmers.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Bunkerville Residents Express Support for Cliven Bundy at Town Hall Meeting
Residents of Bunkerville, Nevada, gathered for a town hall meeting yesterday where many expressed strong support for embattled cattle rancher Cliven Bundy and the militia groups that rallied in his defense.
On Thursday, the Bunkerville community, along with several Bundy supporters from across the country, crammed into the Town Advisory Board Room and proceeded to condemn a host of issues regarding the BLM’s standoff, from the media’s skewed coverage of the events, to the county’s sheriff not acting to protect his citizens, to the strong arm military tactics of the Bureau of Land Management, who three weeks ago nearly engaged in an armed confrontation with supporters.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Carney on Benghazi: ‘This is a Conspiracy Theory Looking for a Conspiracy’
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is not having success convincing the White House press pool that the recent “smoking gun” email about Benghazi released by Judicial Watch on Tuesday had nothing to do with Benghazi. While answering the questions of Fox News’ Ed Henry during his Thursday press briefing Carney made his latest attempt to convince Americans that its time to move on and that there is nothing new in the Rhodes email, opining, “This is a conspiracy theory in search of a conspiracy.” He then tried to throw the State Department under the bus.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Carney’s Response to Benghazi Emails is Criminal
As the White House continues to spin the Benghazi scandal, it has become increasingly clear that this is an administration that is perfectly content with lying to the American people. The question Americans have to ask themselves is whether they have become an electorate that is content to listen.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney assumed the latter this week, claiming that new Benghazi documents linking the White House to the cover-up were not actually about Benghazi at all — “it was explicitly not about Benghazi”, Carney said, going so far as to suggest that discussing the cover-up makes for a “conspiracy theory”. In the face of the new evidence, Carney’s words are nothing short of shameless…
It is important not to forget the context surrounding the origin of the cover up. For a scandal that surfaced two months before the 2012 Presidential elections, it took two years to obtain the documents connecting the White House to the scandal — an abhorrent timeline for the self-described “transparent administration” and one that, with the newly uncovered documents, is more than enough to confirm the White House’s involvement in a cover-up just weeks before a presidential election.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Chris Hayes Shocked and Dismayed People Said Sterling Was a Democrat
MSNBC tonight, Chris Hayes was both shocked and dismayed to realize that people tried to figure out what party Donald Sterling was a member of or voted for…
He was so distraught because, as you are no doubt aware, this is a brand new thing that no one has ever done before in other circumstances or for any reason. Not. Ever.
It certainly didn’t happen when census-taker Bill Sparkman was found hanged and the media and liberals online immediately tried to blame the tea party or Fox News. Nor did it happen when Joe Stack flew a plane into an IRS building in Texas and anti-tax Tea Party rhetoric was immediately pegged. It didn’t happen when Amy Bishop shot colleagues at a University and the tea party was blamed. Or when Mayor Bloomberg blamed a Times Square bombon people opposed to Obamacare. Or when James Lee attacked the Discovery Channel headquarters and global warming denial was blamed. Or when Jared Loughner shot Gabby Giffords and every right wing radio host, publication, group, and Sarah Palin campaign flyer was blamed. It didn’t happen any of those times.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Dumb and Dumber: This Sheriff and the People Who Vote for Him
What happens when our “servants” in government are more concerned about keeping us in line than in doing their job? What happens when they think of themselves as unaccountable masters over us their slaves — with “complete power over you, your life, your family, your loved ones, your rights, your freedom, your future”? Believe it or not, that’s a direct quote from a Sheriff’s campaign flyer.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
In 1866, Congress passed the Mining Act (Revised Statute 2477) providing the right of way for construction of roads over federal “public lands.” For a century this gave protection to county roads, many of which are literally lifelines for small towns and rural communities. But following passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act and the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and USFS began restricting and closing roads, even those that had been grandfathered in for protected legal status owing to their legacy under the 1866 Mining Act.
But in 1996, U.S. District Judge Lloyd D. George decided against Commissioner Carver and Nye County, ruling that the federal government “owns and has the power and authority to manage and administer the unappropriated public lands and National Forest System lands within Nye County, Nev.” Dick Carver died in 2003. Wayne Hage died in 2006. But Judge Lloyd George is still on the bench as a senior judge, and it was he who signed the permanent injunction against Cliven Bundy that initiated the recent standoff with the BLM. And, of course, the BLM, USFS, National Park Service (NPS), and the other federal agencies that dominate the Western public lands are still alive and kicking — more than ever. In fact, even though these agencies already “own” vast swaths of territory covering hundreds of millions of acres, virtually all of them have been on huge acquisition drives to acquire still more land. The map below graphically portrays the enormous fedgov footprint in the Western states.
Even a quick glance easily reveals there is a striking difference between the federal government’s claim to physical real estate in the states of the East and the Midwest versus those of the West.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Scarborough Rightfully Explodes on MSNBC Co-Host Over Disgusting Attitude on Benghazi (Video)
Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” ripped into liberal pundit Donny Deutsch over the emails showing the Obama White House manipulated the narrative in response to the attack in Benghazi.
Deutsch was cautioning the GOP not to use the issue in the 2016 presidential election, saying it was “fools gold,” when Scarborough snapped.
“What about the cover up from the White House,” Scarborough exclaimed. “I got everybody here apologizing for the White House. What about a cover-up here, Donny?”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
NRA Video: Is Gun Confiscation Next in Connecticut?
Rumors have run rampant that a new Connecticut law demanding registration of a wide range of guns and firearms components is just a prelude to gun confiscation.
And viewers of a new National Rifle Association video on the dispute probably will not find themselves reassured.
For although it contains a statement from state police officials that the gun registration program — which created a looming crisis because an estimated 350,000 people refused to register — will not be followed by confiscation, critics don’t believe it.
“I can see a riot happening here. It’s not going to be a pretty picture,” said security company owner Alaina Matheny in the new video.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Complains That TPP Critics Are ‘Conspiracy Theorists’ Who ‘Lack Knowledge’ About Negotiations
It’s become fairly clear that the TPP agreement is in trouble these days (for a variety of reasons). And it appears that President Obama is losing his cool concerning the agreement and its critics. In a press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, President Obama lashed out at TPP critics, calling them “conspiracy theorists” whose criticism “reflects lack of knowledge of what is going on in the negotiations.” Oh really?
Um. You know why those complaining may “lack knowledge of what is going on in the negotiations”? Perhaps it’s because the USTR — a part of the Obama White House — has insisted that the entire negotiations take place in complete secrecy with no transparency at all. If President Obama doesn’t want conspiracy theories about the agreement, and wishes that its critics were more informed about the negotiations, he can change that today by instructing the USTR to release its negotiating positions and promise to make all future negotiating positions public.
But he won’t do that. Why? Because the USTR has admitted that if the public knew what was going on with the TPP, it wouldn’t support the agreement. And so the negotiations continue in secret. And President Obama gets frustrated about a lack of knowledge and conspiracy theories? Really?
[Comment: Rather, it is precisely BECAUSE people are starting to realize what TPP is that it has become unpopular.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Administration Launches Plan to Make an “Internet ID” A Reality
A few years back, the White House had a brilliant idea: Why not create a single, secure online ID that Americans could use to verify their identity across multiple websites, starting with local government services. The New York Times described it at the time as a “driver’s license for the internet.”
Sound convenient? It is. Sound scary? It is.
The vision is to use a system that works similarly to how we conduct the most sensitive forms of online transactions, like applying for a mortgage. It will utilize two-step authentication, say, some combination of an encrypted chip in your phone, a biometric ID, and question about the name of your first cat.
But instead of going through a different combination of steps for each agency website, the same process and ID token would work across all government services: from food stamps and welfare to registering for a fishing license.
The original proposal was quick to point out that this isn’t a federally mandated national ID. But if successful, it could pave the way for an interoperable authentication protocol that works for any website, from your Facebook account to your health insurance company.
To start, there’s the privacy issue. Unsurprisingly, the Electronic Frontier Foundation immediately pointed out the red flags, arguing that the right to anonymous speech in the digital realm is protected under the First Amendment. It called the program “radical,” “concerning,” and pointed out that the plan “makes scant mention of the unprecedented threat such a scheme would pose to privacy and free speech online.”
And the keepers of the identity credentials wouldn’t be the government itself, but a third party organization. When the program was introduced in 2011, banks, technology companies or cellphone service providers were suggested for the role, so theoretically Google or Verizon could have access to a comprehensive profile of who you are that’s shared with every site you visit, as mandated by the government.
Then there’s the problem of putting all your security eggs in one vulnerable basket. If a hacker gets their hands on your cyber ID, they have the keys to everything.
[Comment: Stalin would have drooled with envy. Roundup and/or punishment of dissidents would become much easier with such a system.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Pentagon Admits “No Solution” For Replacing Russian Rockets Used to Launch U.S. Satellites
While the US is quick to demand the rest of the world turn its economic back on Russia — especially the Europeans, it appears they are discovering — just as Putin warned, the world is considerably more inter-dependent than they thought. Following Chuck Hagel’s orders to review the Air Force reliance on Russian rocket engines used to launch US military satellites, Bloomberg reports the Pentagon admits it “has no great solution” to reduce its dependence on the Russian-made engine…
As Putin warned — apparently correctly…
“The US is certainly one of the world’s leaders. At some point it seemed that it was the only leader and a uni-polar system was in place. Today it appears that is not the case. Everything in the world is interdependent and once you try to punish someone, in the end you will cut off your nose to spite your face,” he said.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Protection of Private Property
Federalist Paper #10 is probably the most popular of all the Papers, with good reasons. But when it is read without understanding its role in explaining the U.S. Constitution to the people who were going to vote to ratify the Constitution, it becomes just another opinion column by a political pundit. We know that The Federalist Papers were the first and most important “interpretation” of the U.S. Constitution. When Federalist Paper #10 discusses “property rights”, we learn how important they were to the people as the United States was created.
“Property rights originate from the people. But men’s abilities are diverse, creating an insurmountable obstacle to equality of acquisitions. Protection of these abilities is government’s primary function. Because government protects different and unequal abilities to acquire property, the people end up owning properties of varying value and kind. This diversity of property ownership divides society into groups with different interests and concerns.” # 10 [6]*
Government’s “primary function” is protection of the people’s unequal acquisition of property. Primary function! That is strong language. “Primary” — the most important, first in importance.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Right to Farm Being Stripped From Americans
Michigan to criminalize small family farms with chickens, goats, honey bees and more
(NaturalNews) In the latest stunning assault on Americans’ right to grow their own food, the freedom-crushing state of Michigan has ruled that local governments (cities, towns, counties) can now ban any animal they wish from small residential farms. The move opens the door to the mass criminalization of backyard farms and small, residential farming operations where people might keep a few goats or honey bees for food security.
According to Michigan Public Radio (1), the ruling could ban all chickens, goats, honey bees and other animals from farms which have another residential house less than 250 feet away.
Off The Grid News(2) goes on to report:
Some homesteaders in Michigan could find themselves in a complete regulatory limbo because of the Commission’s action. Blogger, writer and organic farmer Michelle Regalado Deatrick does not know if she’ll be able to keep her livestock, because about half of her 80-acre farm may not be zoned for farm animals.
“We’re building up a mixed production farm, planning to farm during retirement, and we have a permit in hand for a livestock facility,” Deatrick said, “…Now we’re having to reconsider our business plans and may sell the farm and buy a farm in a more rural area with definite [Right To Farm] protection, or move to another state that’s more welcoming and protective of small farm rights.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Rob Schneider Tells Chris Stigall: We Are Sliding Very Fast Towards Fascism
Chris Stigall spoke with comedian Rob Schneider on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT about the struggle comedians face in today’s current political environment.
Schneider struck on ominous tone when discussing the path he sees the country on.
“Democracies don’t end well. We are sliding very fast towards fascism. It’s an ugly kind of thing. There’s this kind of mob mentality that we have to be careful of,” he said.
He believes comedians are pressured toward one side of the political spectrum.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Science, Free Speech, And the Courts
The public, after decades of global warming advocacy, now called “climate change”, has begun to conclude that claims of a massive warming trend were dubious and that real climate change is the natural response of the planet to forces well beyond any impact of the human race.
The fact is that the Earth has been in a cooling cycle for some 17 years based on lower rates of solar radiation as the Sun undergoes one of its natural cycles, a reduction in the number of sunspots or magnetic storms on its surface.
The May 5th edition of the National Review devotes its cover story to “The Case Against Michael Mann: The Hockey Stick and Free Speech” by Charles C.W. Cooke because the creator of the “hockey stick” graph purporting a massive warming is suing the magazine, commentator Mark Steyn, along with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Rand Simberg.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Reports First Case of MERS
The United States has reported its first case of a new virus found in the Middle East, in a traveler from the region, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Unintended Consequences of Renewable Energy?
Democrat Begich of Alaska said, “I am frankly appalled at the continued foot-dragging by this administration on the Keystone project.” The delay “means we’ll miss another construction season, and another opportunity to create thousands of jobs across the country.” Who needs jobs when we have generous welfare and unemployment, and the economy is rolling at a 0.1% growth and the Fed says the recovery is back on track?
Meanwhile most environmental groups are giddy that renewable energy will protect precious Mother Earth and are busy designing a Sustainable Future based on wind and solar energy. There are few universities left that do not offer either a bachelor’s or master of science degree in Sustainable Design, engineering, architecture, or Sustainability everything.
Not all environmentalists are happy. The “smarter fuel future” turned out not so wise after all — “the renewable fuel standard is broken.” The ethanol mandates, the hope and glory for “a cleaner, greener, smarter fuel future,” devolved into a nightmare of 5 million acres of “pristine lands” set aside for conservation (“more than Everglades, Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks combined”) becoming “super-sized cornfields, making hunger and poverty worse, and putting your engine at risk.” The corn produced into biofuels in 2011 could have fed 570 million people. The proposed 15% ethanol mixture would definitely damage most engines.
The much touted renewables of wind and solar have turned out to be money pits of bankrupt solar companies, expensive and much dirtier energy, millions of chopped and fried birds, including our country’s national symbol, the bald eagle. For the sake of environmentalist pipe dreams on a large scale, the government has now given permits to kill bald eagles in the industrial process of providing solar and wind energy.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Why the White House is Desperate to Bury Benghazi
Amidst new revelations concerning emails that show the Obama administration conspired to create a phony narrative around the Benghazi attacks, the true purpose behind the cover-up is being obfuscated — the fact that an annex near the U.S. embassy was being used by the CIA to transfer surface to air missiles to terrorists in Syria.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today issued a subpoena for Secretary of State John Kerry to testify before the committee on May 21 about Benghazi following the release of emails by Judicial Watch which show that the White House crafted a deceptive policy to falsely frame the attack as a spontaneous protest sparked by a YouTube video in order to protect Barack Obama’s image.
Lost in the haze of claims and counter claims is the real reason why the White House is desperate to prevent the attack from coming under any further scrutiny — because it would likely reveal an arms smuggling scandal that could rival Iran-Contra.
In May last year, Senator Rand Paul was one of the first to speculate that the truth behind Benghazi was linked to an illicit arms smuggling program that saw weapons being trafficked to terrorists in Syria as part of the United States’ proxy war against the Assad regime.
[…]
The real truth behind Benghazi is likely to reveal that the Obama administration knowingly and deliberately provided surface to air missiles and other weapons to the most bloodthirsty Al-Qaeda jihadists in Syria who are now busy crucifying Christians while promising to bring their reign of terror to the west.
If a proper investigation into the Benghazi attacks uncovered concrete evidence of this arms smuggling scandal, Obama would face impeachment and many members of his administration would be facing long stretches in prison.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Whale Carcasses to be Removed by Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto is set to remove one or both of the carcasses of blue whales that washed up in western Newfoundland, Fisheries and Oceans Canada officials announced Thursday.
ROM scientists will travel to Rocky Harbour and Trout River on the northwest coast of Newfoundland soon to preserve the whales’ skeletons and collect tissue samples from the massive marine mammals.
While the whales’ ice-locked death was unfortunate — an estimated five per cent of the endangered species population was lost in the event, according to the ROM — it also marks an opportunity for the scientific community.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium Bans Anti-Semitic Conference
(AGI) Brussels, May 4 — The Belgian authorities have banned an anti-semitic conference due to take place on Sunday afternoon.
The French comedian Dieudonne was amongst those invited to take part. The mayor of Anderlecht said both the conference and the expected protest demonstrations had been banned on safety grounds. The organisers of the so-called European Dissidents’ Congress — a bookshop and a group calling itself ‘Wake Up Belgium’ — have decided to go ahead with the event, despite not publicising its location to prevent it being banned, and asked all those wishing to attend to remain calm and good-humoured.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Europe’s Cybersecurity Policy Settings Under Attack
Even as Europe powered up its most ambitious ever cybersecurity exercise this month, doubts were being raised over whether the continent’s patchwork of online police was right for the job.
The exercise, called Cyber Europe 2014, is the largest and most complex ever enacted, involving 200 organisations and 400 cybersecurity professionals from both the European Union and beyond.
Yet some critics argued that herding together normally secretive national security agencies and demanding that they spend the rest of 2014 sharing information amounted to wishful thinking.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
The leader of the National Association of Head Teachers voiced ‘serious concerns’ over the schools — thought to be in the at-risk areas. The alleged plot is being investigated by Ofsted, police and the Government.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Singer Pelu’ Insists 80 Euro Bonus is an Election Gimmick
(AGI) Rome, May 2 — Songwirter singer Piero Pelu’ has rieterated his opinion expressed on Thursday evening on stage at a May 1 event when he attacked Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, sparking a controversy in the world of Italian politics. “I speak as a free citizen not linked to political parties and movements. I have, however, had enough to do with ‘Italian politics’ to understand that the 80 euros bonus to be added to workers wages is a great electoral gimmick. They are all clever and generous only when elections are looming,” said Pelu’ in a statement posted on Facebook.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Arrested ‘Secessionist’ Lega Nord Members Freed
(AGI) Pontida, May 4 — ‘Secessionist’ members of Italy’s right-wing Lega Nord, arrested during a rally at Pontida on Saturday, have been freed. Party Secretary Matteo Salvini challenged the authorities on Sunday to “Arrest us all, if you think we are dangerous, arrest us all for wanting freedom”, and invited some of those arrested as part of the Brescia prosecution inquiry to mount the podium.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Grillo: ‘I’m Sure M5S Will Win European Elections’
(AGI) Rome, May 4 — The founder of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), Beppe Grillo, said he is certain that the group will beat other Italian parties in the European elections. “I’m sure we’ll win these elections for the simple fact that our 73 candidates are upstanding citizens, all of them with a blank criminal record”, he told SkyTG24. “I’m not the leader of the Movement, I’m the one who makes sure the rules are followed. So that after two terms in office you go home and stop cultivating your little ‘garden’“, he said, referring to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. If M5S wins the European elections, Grillo promised: “We will get out there and we want Napolitano to step down. He’s got to go. And then we’ll go to the elections with the Porcellum [the derogatory nickname for Italy’s current electoral law, ed.] as modified by the Constitutional Court”.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Sinn Fein Trying to Blackmail Police: Northern Ireland’s First Minister
(Reuters) — Northern Ireland’s first minister Peter Robinson on Sunday accused Sinn Fein, his partner in government, of a “thuggish attempt to blackmail” police through its criticism of the arrest of its party leader Gerry Adams.
Northern Ireland police on Friday extended Adams’ detention, giving detectives until 1900 GMT on Sunday to question him about a 1972 murder, raising the stakes in a case that has rocked the British province.
Nationalist Sinn Fein, which shares power with Robinson’s protestant Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), has said the arrest is a deliberate attempt by “dark forces” in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to undermine the peace process.
Deputy first minister Martin McGuinness stopped short of saying Sinn Fein would withdraw its support for the PSNI, a move that would spark a major crisis. But he said it would see if the Adams situation was resolved in a satisfactory manner.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Holds French Terror Suspect in Custody
A Spanish court on Saturday remanded in custody a French-Algerian man suspected of fighting for terror groups linked to Al-Qaeda in Syria before he is extradited to France.
Spanish officers with the help of French police seized Abdelmalek Tanem, 24, in the southern city of Almeria on Wednesday.
Spain’s interior ministry said he is suspected of carrying out “terrorist activities” in Syria with two jihadist factions: the Islamic State of Iraq andthe Levant (ISIL), and the Al-Nusra Front.
Tanem is thought to have served as a “combatant” as well as a “facilitator”on the Syria-Turkey border, where he helped other Europeans travel to join the group, according to the ministry.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Stockholm Airport Evacuated After Bomb Threat
STOCKHOLM, May 4 (Xinhua) — Terminal two of Stockholm’s Arlanda airport was cordoned off on Sunday morning after bomb threat, local media reported. According the online daily Local, police were forced to close the terminal after a passenger claimed to be carrying a bomb in his bag around 11:14 a.m. local time…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Britain has one of the highest death rates for infants and young children in western Europe, researchers revealed last night.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: City Fights New Trojan Horse Islamic Schools Plot
An attempted takeover of Muslim-majority state schools in Bradford by a group linked to the “Trojan Horse” plotters is being opposed by teachers in the city
Teachers in Bradford are fighting to prevent a takeover of Muslim-majority state schools by a group closely linked to the alleged “Trojan Horse” plotters in Birmingham.
Two successful head teachers in the Yorkshire city have left their jobs and a third has been subject to “constant” criticism by governors trying to “drive her out”, staff at the schools concerned said.
One of the departed heads said she had been the victim of an “attempted coup” by “dementors [evil characters]” and people “working against me, overtly and covertly”.
The entire governing body at another Bradford secondary school has been sacked by the local council as it attempts to tackle the problem.
Senior Department for Education sources said that coordinated attempts to undermine secular heads had occurred or were suspected in at least five places across the UK — Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester, and the London boroughs of Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets…
| — Hat tip: IW | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Faisal Khan Filmed Talking About ‘Changing Headteachers’ In Bradford
In video footage, the man accused of being at the centre of the Bradford plot, Faisal Khan, says it took “number of years” to “change the headteacher” at schools in the city
In video footage, the man accused of being at the centre of the Bradford plot, Faisal Khan, describes how he and his colleagues have worked for a “number of years” to “change the headteacher” at schools in the city, adding: “We have to do that for every single school… we have to be there, on governing bodies, because that’s what it’s all about…It’s time we took these schools back.”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Islamic Design Explored at Harris Museum Lecture
The Harris Museum in Preston welcomed an international artist earlier this week to prepare for a series of Islamic design workshops in communities across Lancashire. Eric Broug, Owner of Broug Atellers Ltd, a specialist educational company of Islamic geometric design, visited the gallery to present an example of his work and outline the skills that he will teach during his exclusive seminars…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Most People Believe UKIP Contains Racists, Poll Finds
Party leads EU election polls despite 27% believing it has racist views and 35% saying it draws racist supporters and candidates
The UK Independence party has a three-point lead for this month’s European election — but most people think the party contains racists, according to an opinion poll. Nigel Farage’s party is on 29%, ahead of Labour on 26%, the Conservatives on 23% and Liberal Democrats on 10%…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
UKIP ‘To Highlight Black Local Election Candidates’
UKIP’s Nigel Farage has vowed to launch a fight back against claims he is leading a racist party.
He said he planned to highlight the party’s black and ethnic minority candidates in its local election literature sent to all voters. The party has been forced to take action against a small number of candidates over racist comments…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Islamist-Backed Businessman Named Libya PM
Libya’s parliament swears in Ahmed Matiq as prime minister after disputed vote and walkouts
A businessman backed by Islamists has assumed one of the world’s least desired public offices after being elected Libya’s new prime minister amid worsening battles between security forces, militias, and extremists.
Ahmed Mitig, 42, who comes from Misurata, one of the centres of the uprising against Col Gaddafi three years ago, won 121 votes out of a maximum 200 in a final run-off in the country’s parliament, the General National Congress…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Baroness Ashton ‘To Wear Conservative Iranian Dress’ At Nuclear Talks
A top Iranian dress designer has made an outfit for Baroness Ashton that could spare the blushes of Iranian diplomats during crunch nuclear talks.
Three years ago Iranian state media doctored pictures of the EU’s foreign policy chief to show her with a much higher neckline than she actually had during negotiations in Turkey. Her attire then was modest by Western standards but clearly deemed too racy by Iran’s.
The new Iranian set of clothes, apparently a goodwill gift, will ensure the Baroness does not flash too much flesh during future meetings — if she decides to wear them.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Deadly MERS Outbreak Still ‘Incurable, ‘ Hits 30% Death Rate
About two years ago, around September of 2012, a highly resistant disease known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was discovered in Saudi Arabia. While the disease has been floating around mostly in Saudi Arabia since then, the disease has recently made headlines, with hundreds of outbreaks occurring. The worst part? Not a single treatment is known.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Military: 43 Militants Killed in Yemen Campaign
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Fighting and airstrikes in an al-Qaida stronghold in southern Yemen killed six suspected militants and four soldiers Sunday, the military said, part of an ongoing military campaign that killed another 37 fighters overnight…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Rebel Mortar Attacks Kill 16 in Syria
DAMASCUS, May 3 (Xinhua) — At least 16 people were killed and many others wounded on Saturday by fresh rebel mortar shelling in the northwestern province of Aleppo and the capital Damascus, the state news agency SANA reported…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Arabia Registered 2 Deaths, 16 New MERS Coronavirus Cases
RIYADH, May 3 (Xinhua) — The Saudi Health Ministry announced on Saturday two more deaths and 16 new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus cases, raising the number of infection to 396, including 111 deaths…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
‘Sex Jihad’ Fatwa Permits Incest in Syria
By Raymond Ibrahim
Last year, according to Arabic media accounts, “Saudi cleric Nasser al-’Umar issued a fatwa permitting mujahidin [jihadis] in Syria to have sex-jihad with their sisters [muharamhum] if no one else is available. The Saudi preacher also praised the mujahidin for their ongoing fight against, in his words, the machine of infidelity and oppression, that is, the Syrian and Iranian regimes.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Al-Qaeda Sets Conditions to Stop Battling ISIS
Syria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate on Sunday set its conditions to stop battling the rival Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, despite an order by the al-Qaeda chief to quit fighting. Al-Nusra Front and ISIS have in recent months fought intense, bloody battles against each other, particularly in eastern Syria on the border with Iraq…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
The MERS Virus: Been Down This Road Before?
We are told the first MERS virus case has now arrived in the US. The CDC and the World Health Organization have a new potential pandemic to hype.
As I’ve documented in past articles, we’ve been down this road before. Swine Flu, West Nile, Bird Flu, SARS. All duds. All hyped to the sky…and then the case numbers are miniscule.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Yemen ‘Kills 37 Al-Qaeda Militants’ In South Offensive
Yemeni security forces have killed 37 suspected al-Qaeda militants in an offensive in the country’s south, the defence ministry says.
Troops attacked suspected militant hideouts in the town of Maifaa, in Shabwa province, the army said. Several soldiers have also been reported killed…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Dozens of FBI, CIA Agents in Kiev ‘Assisting Ukraine Security’
Numerous US agents are helping the coup-appointed government in Ukraine to “fight organized crime” in the south east of the country, the German newspaper Bild revealed.
According to the daily, the CIA and FBI are advising the government in Kiev on how to deal with the ‘fight against organized crime’ and stop the violence in the country’s restive eastern regions.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Is the Creation of the Eurasian Union Finally Here?
Just a few months ago, on the eve of the decisions resulting from the European Union’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the discussion about the Eastern Partnership issue, which concerns some of the countries of the former soviet bloc, became the centrepiece in a very tough diplomatic game.
Russia, which considers closer EU ties with its former privileged partners detrimental to its own interests, has intensified its campaign for the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
More Than 40 Killed in Fire, Clashes in Ukraine’s Odessa
More than 40 people were killed in Odessa on Friday, most caught in a building set on fire after pro-Russian activists and supporters of Ukrainian unity fought running battles across the southern port city.
In the worst violence in the Black Sea port since President Viktor Yanukovich was ousted in February, police said 38 people had choked to death on smoke or were killed when jumping out of windows after the trade union building was set on fire.
The opposing sides in a battle that is being repeated in other parts of Ukraine, especially in its east, have clashed before in Odessa, but the violence has never before resulted in deaths. Some residents say they fear some may now seek retribution.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
by Srdja Trifkovic
SPENDING THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF SPRING in snowy Moscow, especially after being in balmy Yalta and Sevastopol, is not my idea of fun. It is useful, however, when you write on foreign affairs and there’s a first-rate crisis under way between “Putin’s Russia” and the West. The overriding impression is that Moscow no longer perceives Washington and Brussels to be credible partners. The key moment came on February 22, when the E.U.-brokered deal—signed on February 21—to ease Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from power was swiftly turned into a regime-changing coup. Vladimir Putin felt he was being brazenly cheated. Having just persuaded Yanukovych to sign his de facto abdication—to agree to a major reduction in presidential powers and an early election—he was presented with what looked like yet another Western fait accompli.
Putin responded with the Crimean gambit. Reuniting the peninsula with Russia is not much of a prize, however, if the rest of Ukraine is consolidated under the rule of Victoria Nuland’s handpicked favorite (Arseniy Yatsenyuk) and Western Ukrainian hard-core nationalists (Svoboda, Right Sector). The Russian president seems to believe that no such consolidation is possible, which is why he has not sent Russian soldiers to Kharkov, Odessa, or Donetsk (although I understand that such a possibility was briefly considered in early March). He will support those regions’ demands for constitutional changes that would turn Ukraine into a federal state with limited central-government powers, however. His strategy for the months ahead is to let Ukraine’s new authorities make a mess of things.
| — Hat tip: Srdja Trifkovic | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Calls Coup Government in Kiev “Duly Elected”
Not a single member of the press challenges blatant deception
President Barack Obama made an embarrassing blunder earlier today during his press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel when he described the post-coup government of Kiev as “duly elected”.
While Obama himself along with other members of the administration have repeatedly complained about pro-Russian “propaganda” clouding the Ukraine crisis, the President’s characterization of a government that came to power as a direct result of a violent overthrow of the democratically elected Yanukovich administration as “duly elected,” when no democratic vote of any kind took place, is either a huge gaffe or a flagrant act of deception.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Police to Blame for Violence in Odessa, Says Ukraine PM
(AGI) London, May 4 — Ukraine’s premier, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, has blamed the police and forces of law and order for failing to prevent the violence in the southern city of Odessa, where more than 40 people died on Friday. He told the BBC: “I personally blame the security service and law enforcement office for doing nothing to stop this crackdown.” ..
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Russian Activists Attack Odessa Police Headquarters
(AGI) Odessa (Ukraine), May 4 — Nearly 3,000 pro-Russian activists attacked the police headquarters in the Black Sea port of Odessa. The protesters stormed the police headquarters after breaking the windows, calling for the release of other activists arrested during last Friday’s violent clashes in which 42 people died.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Ron Paul on Ukraine: ‘Why Are We Are Making Things Worse?’
It looks like the civil war in Ukraine is getting much worse. Western Ukraine right now is being urged on by its Western supporters, meaning its NATO supporters, the European Union, the United States, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Western Ukraine has moved to take back control of the cities in Eastern Ukraine that have been taken over by supporters of Russia.
Of course, it’s said in the major media that Russia has started all of this trouble, and so all this has to be done. The truth is, the coup of several weeks ago to overthrow the elected leader Viktor Yanokovych was stirred up by the same group: NATO, the European Union, the US, and the IMF.
Since this whole mess was started, we’ve been very much involved, spending more than $5 billion to control Ukraine. And this intervention continues. But the current fighting looks like a serious escalation that may get out of control, even though it’s in the interest on both sides, the West as well as Russia, not to escalate. There have been a lot of threats and intimidation on sanctions and economic penalties, which very well could get out of control.
Added recently has been a promise from the IMF of $17 billion to Ukraine under a specific condition: get rid of the control of these Eastern cities by Russian supporters. This is a condition that has been placed on them, so it’s not a surprise that seemingly all of a sudden we are seeing more aggressive activity by the Western Ukrainians to try to conquer these cities.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Troops on the Ground: U.S. And NATO Plan Psyops Teams in Ukraine
The United States is working closely with members of the NATO club in Eastern Europe to help the junta in Ukraine better manage its propaganda effort, U.S. News & World Report said on Thursday.
“We are starting some projects together with others, understanding the time factor is of the essence,” Janis Sarts, the state secretary of defense in Latvia, told the news magazine. Asked if the plan includes sending troops and trainers to Ukraine, Sarts said, “Yes. I think that would help.” He added the United States is currently involved in discussions.
The Pentagon, however, refused to comment on any possible mission “that would help Ukrainians to deal with the propaganda that is going on,” as Sarts characterized Russian reportage on the political and military crisis.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine: Does Putin Have a Strategy?
Srdja Trifkovic
The events in Odessa and the Donetsk region over the past three days mark a new stage in the Ukrainian drama. The authorities in Kiev are ready to use indiscriminate force, their Western mentors are supporting them while continuing to blame Russia for the rampant violence, the insurgents in the east appear to be on the defensive, and Vladimir Putin, somewhat unexpectedly, seems uncertain of what to do next.
The strategy of the interim regime in Kiev, evidently acting on the advice from Washington, is to abandon nonviolent counterinsurgency (which in any event has never been tried) and to provoke an outright Russian military intervention. >From the viewpoint of the interventionist duopoly in Washington and its protége’s in Kiev this would yield multiple benefits.
The entry of even a limited Russian contingent into Ukraine would immediately lead to the imposition of serious Western sanctions — the comprehensive package of punitive measures favored by the Obama Administration — which the reluctant “Old Europe” would no longer be able to resist. The misgivings expressed by the German giants (BASF, Siemens, Volkswagen, Adidas, Deutsche Bank etc), among others, would be set aside in the name of Western unity “in the face of naked Russian aggression.”
It would give a belated boost to NATO, lead to the establishment of permanent U.S. bases along its eastern flank, and result in the deliveries of lethal weaponry to the interim government. It would thus reestablish Washington’s hegemony in Europe to a degree unseen since the Cuban Missile Crisis, while entangling Russia in a potential quagmire with no clear exit strategy and, for good measure, reducing Brussels to the position of a mere rubber-stamper.
| — Hat tip: Srdja Trifkovic | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Crisis: The Battle for Slavyansk
The unelected regime currently occupying Kiev, Ukraine, has once again attempted to crush multiplying uprisings across the nation’s eastern and southern regions, after earlier setbacks. In the eastern city of Slavyansk, home to roughly 116,000 Ukrainians, the regime has unleashed helicopter gunships, armored vehicles, and special forces deployed by helicopter in a city-wide assault that has left many dead, and many more wounded.
The city’s defenders have downed several helicopters and have been clashing with regime forces throughout the day. By the time of publishing, it appears that regime forces are still mired in the outskirts of the city, unable to advance inward — due to both armed defenders, and human chains of unarmed civilians.
Elsewhere across Ukraine, the regime’s Neo-Nazi supporters have once again taken to the streets, assaulting anti-regime protesters and attempting to dislodge protesters from government buildings they have recently taken. Claims across the Western media and within the regime in Kiev itself that seizing government buildings is equivalent to “terrorism” ring hollow — as the regime itself came to power through just such tactics.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Washington Intends Russia’s Demise
With Obama’s incompetent White House and State Department having botched Washington’s takeover of Ukraine, Washington has been at work shifting the blame to Russia. According to Washington and its presstitute media, the protests are orchestrated by the Russian government and have no sincere basis. If Russia sends in military units to protect the Russian citizens in the former Russian territories, the act will be used by Washington to confirm Washington’s propaganda of a Russian invasion (as in the case of Georgia), and Russia will be further demonized.
The Russian government is in a predicament. Moscow does not want financial responsibility for these territories but cannot stand aside and permit Russians to be put down by force. The Russian government has attempted to keep Ukraine intact, relying on the forthcoming elections in Ukraine to bring to office more realistic leaders than the stooges installed by Washington.
However, Washington does not want an election that might replace its stooges and return to cooperating with Russia to resolve the situation. There is a good chance that Washington will tell its stooges in Kiev to declare that the crisis brought to Ukraine by Russia prevents an election. Washington’s NATO puppet states would back up this claim.
It is almost certain that despite the Russian government’s hopes, the Russian government is faced with the continuation of both the crisis and the Washington puppet government in Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
3 Killed, 6 Injured in Afghan Blasts
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, May 4 (Xinhua) — Three people were killed and six others wounded in two blasts in Afghanistan on Sunday, authorities said.
In one attack, a civilian was killed, and three civilians and a soldier were wounded when a sticky bomb attached to an army jeep was detonated in northern Kunduz city, capital of Kunduz province…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
An adverse WTO ruling will do little to upset the dominance China enjoys in this critical sector.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
3 Dead, Dozens Wounded in Twin Kenyan Bus Bombings
Three people have been killed and at least 60 wounded in twin bus bombings on a busy highway in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The National Disaster Operations Center said of those wounded Sunday, at least 20 are in critical condition…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
America Will Do ‘Everything Possible’ To Help Rescue Nigerian Schoolgirls
John Kerry called the mass kidnapping “an unconscionable crime”, while the Nigerian president met through the night with security chiefs ahead of an expected rescue operation
America will do “everything possible” to help Nigeria rescue hundreds of kidnapped schoolgirls still missing three weeks after they were seized by a militant Islamist group, its top diplomat has said.
John Kerry, Secretary of State, said the kidnapping of 276 girls from their school dormitories by Boko Haram fighters was “an unconscionable crime”…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Britain in Talks to Help Rescue Nigerian Schoolgirls
The UK Government says it is talking with Nigerian security forces over how to back rescue attempts, and is ready to give “practical assistance”
Britain is in talks with Nigerian security forces to help rescue hundreds of kidnapped schoolgirls still missing three weeks after they were seized by a militant Islamist group, the Government said.
London said it stood ready to give “practical assistance” as Nigerian troops were reported to be massing around a forest where at least 223 teenage girls are thought to be held after a night raid on their dormitories…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
Kenya: Nairobi Blasts Kill 2, Injure 27
(AGI) Nairobi, May 4 — Explosions on two buses in Nairobi have injured 27 people, six of whom are in a serious condition, reported police sources, while The Daily Nation reported that at least two people have died. The vehicles were travelling along a crowded highway, north of the capital city, in the Kasarani district. On Saturday, two explosions in Mombasa killed three people.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria: How Borno Governor Caused Kidnap of Chibok Schoolgirls — Waec
The kidnap of over 250 schoolgirls in Chibok may not have occurred if the Borno State Government had heeded the advice of an examination body, fresh facts have emerged.
Aware of the poor security situation in Borno and worried about the safety of students, the West African Examination Council, WAEC, declined to conduct its Senior School Certificate Examination in unsafe parts of Borno, including Chibok. But that was until the state governor, Kashim Shettima, assured of adequate security measures, an official has said…
| — Hat tip: JP | [Return to headlines] |
We Have Seen the Enemy — And He is One of Them
by Servando Gonzalez
A few days ago I finished reading a book that has been in my reading list for more than a year: Brian Latell’s, Castro’s Secrets: The CIA and Cuba’s Intelligence Machine (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). Latell is a retired CIA intelligence officer and currently a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies at the University of Miami…
In his analysis of the Bay of Pigs invasion, Latell just parrots the old disinformation story that the only one to blame for the disaster was President Kennedy. He fails to mention, though, that behind every single “mistake” that caused the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion was a member of the nefarious Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) “advising” Kennedy to do so. They were the ones who manipulated Kennedy to make the fateful decisions that contributed to the disaster…
It is also true that Kennedy ordered the cancellation of the rest of the planned air strikes previous to the invasion. As a result, some of Castro’s fighter planes were left untouched. These were the planes that shot down the invaders’ planes and sank their ships, thus guaranteeing that the Bay of Pigs invasion failed. But Kennedy cancelled the air strikes only after McGeorge Bundy (CFR), Dean Rusk (CFR), and Adlai Stevenson (CFR), persuaded him to do so.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that since its very creation the CIA has been an organization controlled by the Council on Foreign Relations, and that most CIA directors and chiefs of covert operations have been CFR members, the CFR is never mentioned in Latell’s book…
Referring to the many alleged assassination attempts on Castro, author Ronald Kessler stated, “The ineptitude of the operations was astonishing.”[5] I would add that it was astonishing to the point of being incredible. Actually, some members of the anti-Castro exile community in Florida have mentioned several times that their attempts to assassinate Castro failed because the CIA and the FBI either obstructed their activities or alerted Castro.
Until very recently those allegations were just rumors, because nobody had brought concrete proof of these suspicions. But on May 18, 2010, a true insider gave his support to the allegations. During an interview for Miami’s Channel 23, Félix Rodriguez, an ex-CIA operative who participated in many CIA covert operations, including the capture of Che Guevara in Bolivia, mentioned that the assassination attempts against Castro carried out by the CIA were designed to fail.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Jumps the Gun: We’re Going to Stop Deportations
On Saturday, Vice President Joe Biden may have prematurely announced the Obama administration’s plans to formally stop even more deportations.
Biden, who has said that he believes illegal immigrants are already American citizens, was advocating for amnesty for all of the country’s illegal immigrants at a South Florida college (Miami Dade) when someone in the audience reportedly shouted, “Stop deportations!”
According to the Associated Press, the vice president, who is a potential 2016 presidential candidate and has made no secret about wanting to court the Democrat party’s liberal base, replied, “We’ll do that, too, kid, but let me finish my speech.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Homeland Security May Avoid Deporting Tens of Thousands Here Illegally
Tens of thousands of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally but don’t have serious criminal records could be shielded from deportation under a policy change being weighed by Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
The change, if adopted following a review ordered by President Barack Obama, could limit removals of people who have little or no criminal record but have committed repeat immigration violations such as re-entering the country illegally after having been deported, or failing to comply with a deportation order.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Alien Arrested for Raping 3-Year-Old
[WARNING: * Disturbing Content *]
(CNS News) Luis Enrique Marin Noyola, a 20-year-old Hispanic man, was arrested by Winston-Salem police officers and charged with raping a 3-year-old, and a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer has been put in place in the case.
According to the Winston-Salem Police Department, Noyola entered an apartment on Bruce Street in Winston-Salem, N.C., early on Sunday morning, Mar. 9, and raped the 3-year-old and then fled the scene. After further investigation, police arrested Noyola on Mar. 11
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Immigration ‘Grand Bargain’ Coming…
House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) said Friday at Hollywood’s “Creativity Conference” in Washington that there is a “grand bargain” in the works on amnesty.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Common Core, The Catholic Church and Education in the USA!
With all of the discussion about Common Core, how many people have ventured to look into the future to see what the ultimate endgame of Common Core is? Contrary to the propaganda those in government, the puppeteer-controlled media, lobbyists and big business are feeding us, Common Core is an insidious attack upon the children/students of the United States. It is the fraudulent use of taxpayers’ money by an unconstitutional department against taxpayers, because, as citizens, we are all stakeholders in how well our children are educated. It is a government-mandated monopoly that makes student and related family members’ data a pinata for the monopolists to pluck at their whim. Common Core is the latest in a line of changes that have been alleged to be an improvement upon previous, purposely poor approaches to education.
Any thinking person can realize there must be a lot at stake when the U. S. Chamber of Commerce is spending $50 million to carpet bomb the puppeteer-controlled media with propaganda promoting Common Core, especially targeted towards the viewers of FOX News. Isn’t it time that people, especially parents and those atop Catholic education, quit being duped by those whose agenda is a lot of things, but education isn’t one of them? The Catholic Church is in a position to take the lead in eliminating Common Core from the educational landscape within the United States, so why isn’t it doing so?
When considering all of the partial truths and outright lies offered by all who are pushing Common Core, we need know the players pushing Common Core, and be able to visualize what the end goals of Common Core are, even if there is no current, empirical data to support these visualizations. We need to begin thinking akin to a profiler, not as patsies. Our passivity will lead to our children and grandchildren’s spiritual, moral, emotional and financial poverty.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
New American Civic Religion Rejects Christianity — What it Means
A recent event in Los Angeles, California, bizarrely illustrates the madhouse that unfettered application of Political Correctness has created in America. Morality has become a land of shifting sands and anyone can get slapped down like a miscreant at a moment’s notice. A local college sought a commencement speaker for their graduation ceremony.
The first person chosen was a homosexual male. Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black was invited to be Pasadena City College’s commencement speaker. But, before the speech date, sex pics surfaced of this man with a boyfriend, and leaked onto the Internet. Embarrassed, the school invited another speaker — Pasadena Public Health Director Eric Walsh. Yet, before Walsh could deliver, tapes of him next surfaced. He is also pastor of a local Christian denomination, where he condemned the local school district for pandering to gays, and he slammed evolution.
And so what did the school do? What any upstanding, modern, socially aware, educational institution would do in this situation — they re-invited the first man pictured performing homosexual acts. (The amateur gay porn star has yet to respond.) What is the message here? That being pictured doing reckless and obscene acts isn’t nearly as bad as being a “bigot.” Of course, being “bigoted” today means you simply agree with up to 70% of Americans that the Bible’s statements about morality are correct. But is it sane, fair, or even safe to sanction anyone who dares criticize gay rights, while giving sexual adventurers a permanent green light? Is all morality now defined in PC terms? If so, why? And do all who run afoul of PC standards deserve to be driven into the wilderness?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
By Professor Gordon Finley, Ph.D
It cannot have escaped anyone’s notice that on May Day (May 1, 2014), and within hours of one another, the nation and the media have been bombarded with more than a half dozen exquisitely choreographed and coordinated reports demanding action based on claims of skyrocketing sexual assaults occurring on campus and on the battlefield.
But are these claims plausible? I argue not.
Singly, or in combination, all of these claims suffer from one or more of the following five fatal flaws…
Forcible rape is ranked second only to murder as a serious crime. Yet, Obama and the Progressives want to remove the investigation and prosecution of sexual crimes from the venues of the police and the courts and rather transfer these responsibilities to unqualified but ideologically sympathetic administrative units in universities and the military where the conclusion is foregone. Under Obama and the Progressives, men are stripped of all due process and cross-examination rights that they normally would be guaranteed in a court of law. Truly innocent men have no way to prove their innocence.
Finally: Men — don’t drink and have sex. A core principle of the Obama Administration’s New World Order is this: If alcohol crosses anyone’s lips, the male automatically is guilty of sexual assault and the female automatically is an innocent victim. With the consumption of any amount of alcohol, consensual sex does not exist.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
They’ve Killed Off Marriage — And Our Hopes of a Happy Life
by Peter Hitchens
Marriage died last week after a long illness. There will still be weddings, of course. But they won’t mean anything any more. They’ll be like those certificates saying you are ‘Lord of the Manor’ which gullible Americans buy.
The whole point of marriage was that it was binding for life — ‘for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us do part’.
That is what made it such a fortress against other influences. The State couldn’t break into it. It was a small, private place where we were sovereign over our own lives.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |