Gates of Vienna News Feed 4/17/2019

According to the latest reports, no renovation workers were present at the site when the Notre Dame cathedral caught fire. Nevertheless, French authorities are treating the disaster as an accident, rather than arson.

In other Notre Dame news, a Turkish newspaper celebrated the fire as divine intervention for France’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

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

Thanks to Diana West, JD, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

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

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

Financial Crisis
» It’s Only April, And U.S. Retailers Have Already Closed More Stores Than They Did All of Last Year
 
USA
» Again? Establishment Democrats Are Plotting to Sabotage Bernie Sanders Because They Are Scared Trump Would Beat Him
» Barr, Rosenstein to Hold 9:30am Press Conference as DOJ Releases Mueller Report
» CNN Ratings Fall to All-Year Low — Overtaken by Hallmark Channel!
» How to Detox Aluminum From the Body
» Judith Clark, Radical Leftist and Getaway Driver in Deadly Brink’s Heist, Granted Parole
» Middlebury College Cancels Conservative Philosopher’s Lecture on Totalitarianism
» Pelosi on AOC’s Road to Congress: A ‘Glass of Water’ Could Win Those Democrat Districts
» Pete Buttigieg, The Democrats’ Latest Lightweight
» San Francisco: 118,352 Recorded Reports of Public Poop Since 2011
» ‘Shadowy’ Dark Money Network Behind Left-Wing Causes Exposed in New Report
» Sol Pais Dead: Massive Colorado Manhunt Over
» State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Refers to Jussie Smollett as ‘Washed Up Celeb Who Lied to Cops’ In Newly Revealed Text Message
» The Democrats’ Crowded Clown Car
» Three Questions to Ask Liberals
» Trump Calls Out ‘Dirty Cops’ At FBI Who Made 11 Payments to Christopher Steele
» Tucker: ‘in 20 Years, Every Fifth Grader Will Believe 9/11 Was Committed by White Supremacists’
» Woman at Center of $400k GoFundMe Scam Pleads Guilty
 
Canada
» Justin Trudeau Dealt Another Blow as Liberal Allies Are Swept Out of Power in Alberta Elections
» Muslim Politician in Canada Says Notre Dame Fire Was “Divine Intervention”
 
Europe and the EU
» “Finally”: Swedish Leftist Journo Rejoices Over Notre Dame Fire
» 850 Years, Two World Wars, But “Some People Did Something”
» After Riots, Denmark Obstructs Quran-Burning, Doubles Penalties in Ghettos
» Batten: EU Election Voters Have Choice Between ‘Freedom’ And ‘Submission’
» Brexit Party Leapfrogs Labour, Tories to No.1 Spot in Shock European Election Poll
» Charlie Hebdo Uses Notre Dame Fire to Slam Macron
» Elitist Architects Want Notre Dame Rebuilt to Reflect New Globalist France
» Far-Left Antifa Black Bloc Call for ‘Yellow and Black’ Overthrow of Macron
» French Journalist: Two Churches in France Are Vandalized Every Day and No One Gives a F***
» Grassroots Conservatives Plan Vote of No Confidence in Theresa May
» Lou Dobbs: It Was a ‘Political Decision’ To Rule Out Arson in Notre Dame Blaze
» Macron: Notre-Dame Will be Rebuilt as Fund Nears €1bn
» Notre Dame: What Happened?
» Notre Dame: Media Claim Prosecutors Have ‘Ruled Out Arson’ Before Start of Police Investigation
» Notre Dame Cathedral Fire: No Workmen on Site When Blaze Started
» Pictures: Eco-Activists Bring London to a Standstill, Majority of Britons Oppose Protests
» UK: Being Bullied in Secondary School Leads to Poorer Outcomes Later on in Life
» UK: Porn ‘Ban’ Forcing Adult Websites to Check That Users Are Aged Over 18 Comes Into Effect in July as UK Brings in First Law of Its Kind in the World
» UK: Posh Eco-Loon: No Holidays… Except for Me
 
Middle East
» Turkish Newspaper Celebrates Notre Dame Fire as Retribution for France’s Recognition of Armenian Genocide
 
Far East
» New Species of Mongolian Dinosaur Found in the Gobi Desert
 
Australia — Pacific
» Caught ‘Fibbing’, Website Edits and Refusing to Answer Questions: How the Wheels Have Suddenly Fallen Off Bill Shorten’s Campaign After a Series of Embarrassing Stumbles
» Exclusive: Life After ISIS for Sharrouf Kids: Mystery Benefactors Offer to Help Orphaned Children of Australian Terrorist With Free Houses, Schooling and Healthcare if They Escape Syria
» Israel Folau Will Challenge Breach Notice From Rugby Australia After Being Told His $4m Contract Would be Torn Up Over Homophobic Post
» One-Punch Killer Who Attacked a Heart Surgeon After Being Told Not to Smoke Outside a Hospital Smiles as He’s Jailed for 10 Years
» Pictured: Woman, 23, Accused of Bashing a Pensioner After Pulling Her From a Walking Frame by Her Hair and Throwing Her to the Ground — Because the ‘Elderly Victim Smiled at Her’
 
Latin America
» Former Peruvian President Dies in Hospital After Shooting Himself During Police Raid
 
Immigration
» Black Immigrant Wearing MAGA Hat Beaten in Maryland
» Salvini: Risk of Islamic Terrorist Infiltration From Libya ‘A Certainty’
» Swedish PM Threatens EU States That Oppose Mass Immigration With Sanctions
» Yuma Arizona Shuts Its Doors to Illegals: Declares State of Emergency
 
Culture Wars
» Frankenstein Designer Kids: What You Don’t Know About Gender-Transitioning
» Leftists Rush to Defense of YouTuber Who Cried Over Star Wars Trailer
» Lyft Passenger Blames “Structural Fatphobia” For Seatbelt Not Fitting
» MIT Librarian Slams White People for Writing Books
 

It’s Only April, And U.S. Retailers Have Already Closed More Stores Than They Did All of Last Year

If the U.S. economy is in good shape, why have retailers already shuttered more stores than they did in all of 2018? Not only that, we are also on pace to absolutely shatter the all-time record for store closures in a single year by more than 50 percent. Yes, Internet commerce is growing, but the Internet has been around for several decades now. It isn’t as if this threat just suddenly materialized. As Internet commerce continues to slowly expand, we would expect to see a steady drip of brick and mortar stores close, but instead what we are witnessing is an avalanche. If the U.S. economy really was “booming”, this wouldn’t be happening. But if the U.S. economy was heading into a recession, this is precisely what we would expect to see.

Last year, U.S. retailers closed 5,864 stores.

That was a rather depressing number, but here we are in April 2019 and we have already surpassed it. The following comes from CNN…

[…]

Once again, you can’t blame this on Internet commerce. Foot traffic was rising for quite a while, but now what we are seeing is perfectly consistent with an economic slowdown.

Sadly, this could be just the beginning. In fact, one expert quoted by CNBC expects total store closures in the U.S. to hit 12,000 by the end of 2019…

“I expect store closures to accelerate in 2019, hitting some 12,000 by year end,” Deborah Weinswig, founder and CEO of Coresight, said.

If that happens, we will shatter the old yearly record by about 4,000.

We are in the early innings of America’s “retail apocalypse”, and it is going to get much, much worse.

[Comment: As orchestrated by Federal Reserve. The plan is to foist all the blame of worldwide economic collapse on Trump and nationalist politicans around the western world. Globalist authoritarians will step in to “save the day”. Naturally this results in more centralization. The classic strategy — Create the Problem. Get the Reaction. Propose the Solution.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Again? Establishment Democrats Are Plotting to Sabotage Bernie Sanders Because They Are Scared Trump Would Beat Him

Bernie Sanders is on a roll, and this is absolutely terrifying many establishment Democrats. He has raised far more money that any of the other Democratic candidates, he just took the lead in a major national poll, and a Fox News town hall featuring Sanders was just watched by nearly 2.6 million viewers. You would think that the Democratic establishment would be thrilled to see such enthusiasm for one of their presidential candidates, but instead they are totally freaking out because they don’t want him to be the nominee. On Tuesday, the New York Times published an article entitled “‘Stop Sanders’ Democrats Are Agonizing Over His Momentum”, and in that article we are told that “his critics are chiefly motivated by a fear that nominating an avowed socialist would all but ensure Mr. Trump a second term”. And of course those critics are right. If Sanders is the nominee, that will give Trump the best chance of winning again in 2020. It would be a complete and total nightmare for the Democratic Party, and so in order to avoid that scenario some Democratic operatives are already plotting how to sabotage the Sanders campaign. Right now there are 17 Democrats running for president, and it looks like Joe Biden will jump into the race very soon.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Barr, Rosenstein to Hold 9:30am Press Conference as DOJ Releases Mueller Report

Update: The Justice Department has informed Congress that they will receive the report sometime around 11 or 12 on Thursday.

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

The Justice Department will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. Thursday to discuss the Mueller report.

According to Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs, both Attorney General William Barr and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein — who authorized and oversaw the majority of the investigation — will speak.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

CNN Ratings Fall to All-Year Low — Overtaken by Hallmark Channel!

CNN has hit an all-year ratings low, according to Nielsen Media Research, and the network is especially hurting during prime time hours when it seems more Americans would rather watch Hallmark movies.

The network, which experienced a ratings boost thanks to Russiagate, is now shedding viewers after the Mueller probe fizzled away without the bombshell revelations the network’s viewers likely anticipated.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

How to Detox Aluminum From the Body

Aluminum is the earth’s most abundant metal. In its natural state, it is not harmful. Because it is so abundant, it is used in many of our everyday products. As aluminum is altered and overused, it builds up in our body tissues and organs, leading to aluminum toxicity. This can lead to many troublesome conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, liver and skin diseases, gastrointestinal trouble, heartburn, learning disorders and disabilities, and fatigue.

1.   Add apple pectin to your daily routine. Apple pectin binds with metals in the body and prevents them from absorbing into the tissues, and excretes them out of the system. You can get apple pectin straight from a fresh, raw apple, or buy it in powder or tablet form where supplements are sold.
2.   Have some lemon juice. Squeezing half of a fresh lemon in a cup of warm water twice a day is one of the best ways to help your body detoxify from metals such as aluminum. The citric acid in the lemon juice helps move the metals out of the cells and tissues and back into the system where it can then be eliminated.
 

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Judith Clark, Radical Leftist and Getaway Driver in Deadly Brink’s Heist, Granted Parole

Former Weather Underground radical Judith Clark will soon be a free woman.

The New York State Parole Board on Wednesday granted early release to Clark, who drove the getaway car in the infamous Oct. 20, 1981, Brink’s robbery in Rockland County in which two state cops and a security guard were killed.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Middlebury College Cancels Conservative Philosopher’s Lecture on Totalitarianism

Middlebury College has canceled a campus speech by conservative Polish Catholic philosopher Ryszard Legutko in response to planned protests by liberal activists.

A professor of philosophy at Jagiellonian University and a member of the European Parliament, Legutko was scheduled to speak Wednesday at the Vermont college’s Alexander Hamilton Forum, delivering a lecture entitled “The Demon in Democracy: Totalitarian Temptations in Free Societies.” A member of the anti-Communist Polish resistance during the Cold War, Legutko warns that western democracy is also susceptible to creep towards totalitarianism.

But in the days leading up to the speech, some Middlebury students and professors wrote an open letter demanding the university rescind its sponsorship. The liberal activists took issue with Legutko’s pointed critiques of multiculturalism, feminism, and homosexuality, calling them “homophobic, racist, xenophobic, [and] misogynistic.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Pelosi on AOC’s Road to Congress: A ‘Glass of Water’ Could Win Those Democrat Districts

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said on Monday that while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is a “wonderful member of Congress,” a “glass of water” could win in her solidly Democrat district.

“When we won this election, it wasn’t in districts like mine or Alexandria’s,” Pelosi said at the London School of Economics, where she appeared during a visit to the U.K. “And she’s a wonderful member of Congress, I think all of our colleagues will attest.”

“But those are districts that are solidly Democratic,” Pelosi said, picking up a glass of water. “This glass of water would win with a D next to its name in those districts.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Pete Buttigieg, The Democrats’ Latest Lightweight

The latest lightweight to announce for the Democratic nomination for president is Peter Buttigieg (age 37), a two-term mayor of South Bend, IN. The media has gone gaga over Buttigieg, who refers to himself as “Mayor Pete,” in the same way it has with Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke. While both men have few accomplishments in life, Mayor Pete is the more genuine of the two.

O’Rourke is trying to assume the personage of a Mexican. This is as shallow as Rachel Dolezal, now named Nkechi Amare Diallo, pretending that she is black or Elizabeth Warren claiming that she is a Cherokee Indian. In all three cases, the intent was personal advancement the NAACP, politics or academia.

Not Buttigieg: he’s a genuine homosexual and openly proud about it… at least he is now. But that fact was kept under covers when Buttigieg first ran for mayor of South Bend in 2011. When he was up for re-election in 2015, only then did Buttigieg announce that he was of that unusual persuasion. Is Mayor Pete’s re-election proof that the voters of that small Midwestern city (population 102,000) approve of homosexuality, as Buttigieg and his media cheerleaders are now implying? The answer is ‘no.’ In his Home Alone: A Neighbor’s Thoughts on Pete Buttigieg.

E. Michael Jones notes that:

Homosexuality is still a ‘career death sentence’ in Indiana. That’s why Pete is running for the president of the United States. He couldn’t get elected as dog catcher in Kokomo. He could not have gotten elected as mayor of South Bend in 2011 if the electorate had known he was a homosexual. Pete would go on to claim that he was re-elected in 2015 with ‘80 percent of the vote,’ failing to tell us that his ‘mandate’ consisted of 80 percent of the 11 percent of the eligible voters who showed up at the polls, which translates to 9 percent of the electorate.

As Jones also points out, South Bend is a solidly Democratic. To win the primary there is to win the general election. In 2015, Buttigieg had no primary opponent. It was the Democratic machine that carried him back into the mayor’s office. And it is upon this slim reed that Mayor Pete aspires to gain the White House.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

San Francisco: 118,352 Recorded Reports of Public Poop Since 2011

A new study has discovered that each case of poop that has to be cleaned up on the streets of San Francisco costs the taxpayer $32 dollars, with 118,352 recorded reports of human feces since 2011.

Auditors at OpenTheBooks.com “plotted all reports of human waste since 2011 using latitude and longitude address coordinates of all cases closed by the San Francisco Department of Public Works,” writes Adam Andrzejewski.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

‘Shadowy’ Dark Money Network Behind Left-Wing Causes Exposed in New Report

An expansive network of “shadowy” dark money donors has grown to rival the influence of the conservative Koch network — pumping millions into left-wing causes ranging from health care to climate change to abortion — all while flying well under the radar of public scrutiny, according to an explosive new report obtained by Fox News.

The report, by conservative watchdog Capital Research Center, describes a band of nonprofits operating under the banner of Washington-based philanthropy company Arabella Advisors. Those “pop up groups” are housed in four Arabella-controlled “sister” nonprofits, according to the report: the New Venture Fund, Sixteen Thirty Fund, Hopewell Fund and Windward Fund.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Sol Pais Dead: Massive Colorado Manhunt Over

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) — The statewide manhunt for Sol Pais is over in Colorado. She is dead from possible self-inflicted wounds, according to a law enforcement source at a command post in Clear Creek County. The FBI tweeted “THERE IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Refers to Jussie Smollett as ‘Washed Up Celeb Who Lied to Cops’ In Newly Revealed Text Message

In a newly revealed text message obtained by The Chicago Tribune in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx calls Jussie Smollett a “washed up celeb who lied to cops.” This was written two weeks prior to her abrupt decision to drop all charges against him — and after she had recused herself from the case.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

The Democrats’ Crowded Clown Car

“Overwhelming” is the only word which properly describes the growing list of 2020 Presidential candidates vying to unseat Donald Trump. To date, there are the officially declared, the yet to declare, and a handful of teetering outliers. The outliers aren’t in the running per se, but in the event no Democrat is able to garner the party nomination, one of them might be persuaded to step up to the podium.

The Declared Candidates: Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Robert O’Rourke, Pete Buttigieg, Corey Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang, Julian Castro, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jay Inslee, Tulsi Gabbard, John Hickenlooper, John Delaney, Eric Swalwell, Tim Ryan, Wayne Messam, and Marianne Williamson.

So far, it’s a very crowded field of 18 people; some of whom have no national name recognition but are pandering for votes and shilling for campaign donations in unison. And therein lies the problem. While there is no clear frontrunner, there is a defined chasm of ideological differences: Socialism versus traditional Democrats. A far left sociopolitical demographic of the Democrat party has emerged and they are fierce. Furthermore, the once shared universal message for liberal voters has been set aside in favor of identity politics, giving rise to single-issue factions. And while the Democratic party’s preeminent goal is removing Donald Trump from the Oval Office, unification of liberals will remain elusive and perhaps, philosophically impossible. Centrist Democrats have fled in numbers which can’t be ignored and should one of the declared far-left candidates get the nomination for 2020, it will be challenging to lure moderate liberals back into the fold; especially in a time of economic prosperity and phenomenal job growth.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Three Questions to Ask Liberals

When people have no skin in the game, then the issue is “no skin off their back.” Cher, for example, was gung ho when it came to immigration, as she had no skin in the game. However, when she had some skin in the game, her position suddenly became more conservative.

This conversation is surprisingly typical. It arises so frequently that it has become one of the three questions I have learned to ask when dealing with liberals and liberal ideology.

I learned to ask this question while in graduate school for higher education administration, a discipline whose pedagogy is informed by social justice ideology. A professor of mine always advocated for “redistribution of wealth from big business.” I remember telling her how unstable business can be from month to month and year to year. Due to this instability, would it not make more sense to redistribute wealth from a more stable profession? The most stable profession I can think of is tenured professor. Tenured professors have guaranteed contracts for life. Not only that, but it was her idea in the first place, so one would think she would be in favor of implementing her own idea.

Believe it or not, she did not want to redistribute wealth from tenured professors. When the money was coming out of her pocket, she was much less enthusiastic.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Trump Calls Out ‘Dirty Cops’ At FBI Who Made 11 Payments to Christopher Steele

President Trump on Twitter Wednesday lashed out at corrupt officials at the FBI, Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC), for inflicting the fraudulent Steele dossier on the American people.

In his tweet, the president expressed shock that the Bureau in 2016 made eleven payments to British spy Christopher Steele, who was working for the Democratic opposition research firm Fusion GPS on behalf of the DNC and Clinton campaign.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Tucker: ‘in 20 Years, Every Fifth Grader Will Believe 9/11 Was Committed by White Supremacists’

Does anyone doubt this will be the case?

“Fox News host Tucker Carlson on his Monday night program said that in 20 years, every fifth grader in the U.S. will believe “9/11 was committed by white supremacists.”

Carlson’s remarks came in the context of what he described as “propaganda” from liberals lambasting President Trump for inciting violence.

“I swear in 20 years, every fifth grader will believe 9/11 was committed by white supremacists,” Carlson said on his show. “Totally true. You watch. You heard it here first. They’re the real threat, we need to fear and suppress them.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Woman at Center of $400k GoFundMe Scam Pleads Guilty

The New Jersey woman who helped conjure up a fake viral tale that led to $400,000 in GoFundMe contributions for a homeless man plead guilty on Monday for her part in the scam.

Katelyn McClure pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by deception as part of the agreement in New Jersey Superior Court.

McClure, who faces four years in prison, is required to help pay back the ill-gotten gains that were the result of a bogus story McClure made up with then-boyfriend Mark D’Amico and vagrant Johnny Bobbitt.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Justin Trudeau Dealt Another Blow as Liberal Allies Are Swept Out of Power in Alberta Elections

Just months from a parliamentary election that will decide if Justin Trudeau’s Liberals can remain in power, Canada’s embattled Prime Minister has lost one of his strongest remaining allies, as Alberta’s left-leaning provincial government has been swept out of office after just four years.

Jason Kenney, the fiery leader of the newly-created United Conservative Party (UCP) and a former rival of Trudeau’s in federal Parliament, turfed Rachel Notley’s New Democratic Party (NDP) from power, nearly tripling his party’s seat count, to an estimated 63 (out of 87) as of Wednesday morning.

At his election-night party in Calgary, Kenney drove in on his signature blue pickup truck and declared that “Alberta has delivered a message to Canada, and the rest of the world!”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Muslim Politician in Canada Says Notre Dame Fire Was “Divine Intervention”

Payback for France banning the Islamic veil

A Muslim politician in Canada wrote a Facebook post in which she said that the Notre Dame fire was “divine intervention” in response to France banning the Islamic veil.

Québec Solidaire member Eve Torres suggested that the tragedy was “a result of a divine intervention related to the prohibition of religious symbols in France,” according to LaPresse.ca.

France passed an act of parliament in 2010 which banned the wearing of face-covering headgear in public places, including the Muslim niqab and burka.

Torres said that the ban had provoked the “wrath” of Allah and “here is the result!”

She further added, “I would sleep firefighters at the basilica of Notre-Dame Street in Montreal,” suggesting that could be the next church to go up in flames.

The co-spokesperson of Quebec Solidaire, Manon Massé, said she was “very disturbed” by the comments and that they were in “very bad taste”.

Torres later apologized, claiming it was all just a “joke”.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

“Finally”: Swedish Leftist Journo Rejoices Over Notre Dame Fire

Swedish leftist journalist Alex Schulman reacted to the Notre Dame fire with the word “finally,” alongside a series of crying with laughter emojis.

Schulman writes for Expressen, a liberal daily newspaper in Sweden. Ironically, he previously wrote a piece mourning the loss of dignity and decency in how people treat each other.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

850 Years, Two World Wars, But “Some People Did Something”

Will we get an answer on how the Notre Dame fire was started?

Following the Notre Dame Cathedral inferno, MSM is stopping top officials from suggesting the fire could have been an intentional attack despite admitting they still don’t know what started it.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

After Riots, Denmark Obstructs Quran-Burning, Doubles Penalties in Ghettos

At least 23 people were arrested following unrest which swept the immigrant-heavy district of Nørrebro after an anti-immigrant rally that featured what was perceived as a desecration of the Quran. This triggered a debate on the limitations of policing and freedom of speech.

After parts of the Danish capital turned into a battlefield, Copenhagen Police have banned right-wing demonstrations as a “threat to public safety” and established temporary double punishment zones, the Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper reported.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Batten: EU Election Voters Have Choice Between ‘Freedom’ And ‘Submission’

UKIP leader Gerard Batten has said Europeans will have a choice between voting to give up more control to the EU and voting to “return democratic powers to the nation state.”

“These elections will divide people into two distinct groups,” Mr Batten said in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Brexit Party Leapfrogs Labour, Tories to No.1 Spot in Shock European Election Poll

The Brexit Party, which only officially launched last weekend has already surged past the two main legacy parties in a new poll and is now rated as the lead party in voting intentions for the May European Union elections.

The new poll by major UK pollsters YouGov shows Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party surging by 12 points in a week, from 15 per cent to 27 per cent as of yesterday, the most recent figures available.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Charlie Hebdo Uses Notre Dame Fire to Slam Macron

Satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo is set to stir controversy once more after depicting French President Emmanuel Macron mixed with Notre Dame cathedral on fire on its latest cover.

The cover image shows the French leader’s face with his hair styled as the facade of the iconic cathedral while on fire for its latest issue with the caption “Reforms” and Macron stating, “I will start with the bones,” Il Giornale reports.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Elitist Architects Want Notre Dame Rebuilt to Reflect New Globalist France

“Its burning feels like an act of liberation”

Elitist architects reacted to the fire which tore through Notre Dame by arguing that the rebuilding should not reflect “white European France.”

In a Rolling Stone article entitled How Should France Rebuild Notre Dame?, the cathedral is denigrated as “a deep-seated symbol of resentment, a monument to a deeply flawed institution and an idealized Christian European France that arguably never existed in the first place.”

“The building was so overburdened with meaning that its burning feels like an act of liberation,” said Patricio del Real, an architecture historian at Harvard University.

To describe a horrendous fire that almost completely destroyed the historic cathedral had firefighters not rescued it just in time as “an act of liberation” is completely callous.

The writer of the Rolling Stone piece agues that the rebuilding of Notre Dame should not reflect “a non-secular, white European France,” but should instead be “a reflection of the France of today, a France that is currently in the making.”

This view is echoed by Cesare Birignani, assistant professor at the Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York, who says that the previous restoration of the cathedral, which sought to keep it as true to its origins as possible, represented “an idealized version of French history that arguably never existed in the first place.”

What are they going to do, put a crescent moon on top of it? How about surrounding it with minarets? Will that be politically correct enough?

[Comment: Act of liberation? Jackass. Globalist architecture is uglifying city landscapes all over the world. Notre Dame should be rebuilt exactly as it was.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Far-Left Antifa Black Bloc Call for ‘Yellow and Black’ Overthrow of Macron

Members of the far-left extremist Antifa black bloc have called on Yellow Vests to join them on May 1st in an attempt to overthrow the Macron government.

Far-left anarchist groups have made the calls to overthrow the French government on social media in recent weeks, including a Facebook event in which the anarchists reference police violence towards Yellow Vest protestors, Le Figaro reports.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

French Journalist: Two Churches in France Are Vandalized Every Day and No One Gives a F***

French journalist Maxime Lepante warns that France’s history is “in the process of burning down” as a result of two churches being vandalized every day and that political and religious leaders don’t “give a f*ck.”

Lepante highlighted recently released statistics that show there were 1062 anti-Christian acts in 2018, compared to just 100 anti-Muslim acts. Throughout 2018, no less than 875 churches in France were targeted.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Grassroots Conservatives Plan Vote of No Confidence in Theresa May

Grassroots Conservative Party chairmen are reportedly just a few weeks away from triggering a no confidence vote in Prime Minister Theresa May over her failure to deliver Brexit.

If 65 Constituency Association Chairmen sign the petition to the national convention, which represents the party’s grassroots, it would force an Extraordinary General Meeting where members could pass a vote ousting the prime minister.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Lou Dobbs: It Was a ‘Political Decision’ To Rule Out Arson in Notre Dame Blaze

“A political decision rather than one based on careful investigation of the facts.”

Veteran broadcaster Lou Dobbs noted Tuesday that the decision to dismiss any notion that the Notre Dame fire could have been a deliberate act was based on politics, rather than any investigation of the facts.

“One thing authorities are ruling out, however, within just a matter of hours, arson,” Dobbs stated.

“That was a decision made within hours. It sounds like a different kind of decision,” Dobbs added.

“Perhaps a political decision rather than one based on careful investigation of the facts.” he further told viewers.

Dobbs cited the enormous amount of attacks on Catholic churches in France last year alone as a reason why it is entirely valid for anyone to wonder if the Notre Dame fire was set deliberately.

“Perhaps overlooked since yesterday is 875 Catholic churches in France were vandalized in 2018 — 875! In a single week last month, 12 churches were vandalized, including a fire deliberately set at a church also located in Paris.” Dobbs urged.

“This is context, this is not speculation, this is the situation right now in France and the recent history of what has happened to Catholic churches throughout the nation.” he added.

“Ignored too often by some covering the tragedy, some who have ruled out ‘speculation’ about the cause of the Notre Dame fire as they speculate — taking it as gospel that arson was not the cause.” Dobbs noted.

[Commet: Lou Dobb’s honesty is why his show was cancelled on CNN.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Macron: Notre-Dame Will be Rebuilt as Fund Nears €1bn

President Emmanuel Macron has pledged that the Notre-Dame cathedral will be rebuilt within the next five years, as thousands have gathered to pay their respects, and the rebuilding fund nears €1 billion.

Mr Macron appeared on television last night (Tuesday April 16) to pledge that the stricken cathedral, which was severely damaged by a serious fire on Monday night, would be rebuilt quickly, to be “even more beautiful” than before.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Notre Dame: What Happened?

by Diana West

Even as fires raged and consumed Notre Dame uncontrollably before the crying eyes of the world, the narrative was being carefully constructed in its newsrooms. Had to be an accident, most likely. Just one of those things, probably. Renovation work was going on, dontcha know. There must have been a spark in the attic and, whoosh, Notre Dame was aflame.

Maybe that is exactly what happened! However, there was something doubly nightmarish about watching not one, but two Fox anchors (Shephard Smith, Neil Cavuto) prevent guests from discussing a spate of recent attacks, including arson, on Catholic churches in France lest some logical discussion of the possibility that we were looking at an epic attack of anti-Catholic or anti-Christian arson might ensue — and you know where that goes. Given what we have all been through as veterans of the jihad, lo, these nearly 18 years, it is the pathetic height of absurdity to try to stop a rational being from wondering whether there is an Islamic connection to the burning of Notre Dame — amid all of the other possibilities, including criminal negligence on an epic scale. Maybe Pierre the Electricien went off duty after a hard day’s work renovating Notre Dame today, lit a Gauloise Brune, and tossed his match into some 17th century Gazettes de France heaped on the 13th century floorboards in the medieval attic — and the rest is tragedy. But maybe not.

The MSM can bring the conflagration “live” into our lives, burning a new scene of the last days of the West into our consciousness, but they won’t let us process it outside of their politically planted poles of “thought.” Inside their televised “safe space,” analysis is politically correct, sharia compliant, and led not by any sort of enquiring minds, but by functionaries following the playbook they were handed down from the front office.

This blinkered, choked approach is what makes a person despair of finding the truth. Certainly, these “journalists” are not going to be the ones to search for it. This is why if they tell us again and again that it was all just an accident, they may be correct, but they will not be believeable.

Two items that caught my eye today, which I post for the record since I can’t trust the MSM to take proper care of them…

           — Hat tip: Diana West [Return to headlines]
 

Notre Dame: Media Claim Prosecutors Have ‘Ruled Out Arson’ Before Start of Police Investigation

If Muslims or leftists started this fire — and I’m not saying they did — revealing that to the public could kickstart a revolution

Dozens of media outlets are claiming Paris prosecutors’ office has “ruled out arson” less than 24 hours after the Notre Dame Cathedral fire was extinguished, though that doesn’t appear to actually be the case.

From AP:

The Paris prosecutors’ office says investigators are treating the blaze that destroyed part of Notre Dame as an accident for now.

The prosecutors’ office said late Monday they have ruled out arson in Monday’s fire, including possible terror-related motives for starting the blaze.

Prosecutors say Paris police will conduct an investigation into “involuntary destruction caused by fire.” TIME Magazine, under the headline “Prosecutors Rule Out Arson at Paris’ Famous Notre Dame Cathedral as Firefighters Extinguish Blaze,” had this line as their source:

“There is no indication that this was a deliberate act,” Paris prosecutor Rémi Heitz told a press conference Tuesday morning, adding that investigators considered an accident the most likely cause.

That’s not the same as “ruling it out.”

To be clear, I doubt they’d even tell the public if this was revealed to be arson, but claiming the police have already definitively ruled it out appears to be flat out false. ===========

https://www.infowars.com/sweden-demands-sanctions-on-hungary-nations-refusing-third-world-migration/

Sweden Demands Sanctions on Hungary, Nations Refusing Third World Migration

“It cannot be that responsibility is shared by one or two or three countries. We have to help each other.”

EU nations which refuse to open their doors to third world migration should have to “pay a price”, the Swedish Prime Minister has said.

In an interview with local media at the weekend, Stefan Löfven said he wants to see sanctions on countries unwilling to take part in a migrant quota system, claiming it was ‘not sustainable” that Hungary refuses to house, feed, and clothe a Brussels-dictated share of illegal immigrants who reach Europe.

“It cannot be that responsibility is shared by one or two or three countries. We have to help each other,” he told the establishment newspaper Dagens Nyheter, stating that the EU must impose a common migration policy on the bloc’s member states.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Notre Dame Cathedral Fire: No Workmen on Site When Blaze Started

While the extent of the damage is yet to be fully assessed, the other lingering question regarding the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is how it started in the first place.

Recently, the Cathedral has been undergoing renovations on its centuries-old rooftop, and the police are still investigating the exact cause. Since the fire was set just days after the sentencing in a 2016 Islamic terrorist plot to attack Notre Dame, the French authorities have a responsibility to definitively prove that it was an accident.

Reportedly, there were no workmen on the site when the fire started, but the police are still treating the fire as an accident and not arson.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Pictures: Eco-Activists Bring London to a Standstill, Majority of Britons Oppose Protests

A survey by YouGov has found that 52 per cent of Britons oppose the recent actions of climate change protestors as London faces its third day of disruption by Extinction Rebellion.

This is compared to 36 per cent of Britons who back their actions. Opposition is found across all age groups of those polled, apart from those aged 18-24 who tend to support them (47 per cent to 41 per cent).

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Being Bullied in Secondary School Leads to Poorer Outcomes Later on in Life

Being bullied in secondary school leads to poorer outcomes later in life for victims of the abuse, with them also more likely to be unemployed, according to research.

Being bullied increases the probability of being unemployed at age 25 by about 35 per cent; and for those in work, it reduces income by about 2 per cent, new research has found.

Persistent or violent bullying were found to have had the worst consequences.

Being bullied is still often wrongly considered as a ‘normal rite of passage’, but as the new research shows, it can have detrimental implications into adult life.

The research considers the importance of bullying as a major risk factor for poor physical and mental health and reduced adaptation to adult roles.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Porn ‘Ban’ Forcing Adult Websites to Check That Users Are Aged Over 18 Comes Into Effect in July as UK Brings in First Law of Its Kind in the World

Sweeping news laws banning anyone aged under 18 from viewing pornography are to come into effect within months, the Government has announced.

Age restrictions on viewing adult videos and images, the first in the world, will come into effect on July 15, Digital Minister Margot James said.

Companies running porn websites will have to check the age of users or risk ‘having payment services withdrawn or being blocked for UK users’.

The move, which applied to sites whose content is more than a third pornographic, has been designed to cut the number of children who are freely able to access extreme material on the internet.

But it has been criticised by freedom campaigners and others who fear that making people give personal details to websites leaves them open to fraud and blackmail.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Posh Eco-Loon: No Holidays… Except for Me

Guido’s favourite posh eco-loon, Robin Boardman-Pattison, took pains to tell Adam Boulton this morning that people should not take foreign holidays. But his Instagram tells a different story, showing luxurious foreign holidays awash with palm trees, ski slopes, and historic landmarks. Posh Boardman-Pattison even boasted of being a guest at Buckingham Palace…

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Turkish Newspaper Celebrates Notre Dame Fire as Retribution for France’s Recognition of Armenian Genocide

A Turkish newspaper linked to the Erdogan regime celebrated the Notre Dame fire as revenge for France’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

“The famous cathedral of France up in flames. The curse of Turkey is fulfilled,” read the headline.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

New Species of Mongolian Dinosaur Found in the Gobi Desert

In the southern Gobi Desert in Mongolia, paleontologists recently unearthed a perfectly preserved complete dinosaur skeleton belonging to a new species closely related to hadrosaurs.

The discovery is helping to fill in some evolutionary gaps when it comes to Mongolian dinosaurs during the Cretaceous Period.

Hadrosaurs are duck-billed herbivores that were widespread during the Late Cretaceous Period, and little is known about how the family Hadrisauridae evolved.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Caught ‘Fibbing’, Website Edits and Refusing to Answer Questions: How the Wheels Have Suddenly Fallen Off Bill Shorten’s Campaign After a Series of Embarrassing Stumbles

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, whose Labor Party is ahead in the polls, has had a horror 24 hours on the campaign trail.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Exclusive: Life After ISIS for Sharrouf Kids: Mystery Benefactors Offer to Help Orphaned Children of Australian Terrorist With Free Houses, Schooling and Healthcare if They Escape Syria

Mystery benefactors have offered the children of terrorist Khaled Sharrouf free accommodation, medicine and schooling once they break free from their refugee camp hellhole.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Israel Folau Will Challenge Breach Notice From Rugby Australia After Being Told His $4m Contract Would be Torn Up Over Homophobic Post

Wallabies star Israel Folau has requested a code of conduct hearing over his breach notice from Rugby Australia as his multi-million dollar contract hangs in the balance.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

One-Punch Killer Who Attacked a Heart Surgeon After Being Told Not to Smoke Outside a Hospital Smiles as He’s Jailed for 10 Years

Joseph Esmaili, 24, was found guilty of manslaughter last year and on Wednesday ordered to spend up to 10 years and six months in prison for punching Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, 41.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Pictured: Woman, 23, Accused of Bashing a Pensioner After Pulling Her From a Walking Frame by Her Hair and Throwing Her to the Ground — Because the ‘Elderly Victim Smiled at Her’

Cori Glencross, 23, will appear at Geelong Magistrates’ Court in Victoria on Wednesday charged with affray, unlawful assault and assault by kicking.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Former Peruvian President Dies in Hospital After Shooting Himself During Police Raid

Update: Local media has reported that former Peruvian President Alan Garcia has died after undergoing emergency surgery at a hospital in Lima, following a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

He shot himself just as police raided his Lima home amid corruption allegations in Latin America’s largest graft probe.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Black Immigrant Wearing MAGA Hat Beaten in Maryland

A black immigrant from West Africa was beaten up Saturday by two black men in Germantown, Maryland, because the victim was wearing a red Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” hat, police say.

The victim, Atsu Nable, is a legal immigrant from Togo and he supports President Donald Trump. But the two alleged attackers were apparently incensed by the victim’s Trump hat.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Salvini: Risk of Islamic Terrorist Infiltration From Libya ‘A Certainty’

Italy’s ports will remain closed, said Interior Minister Matteo Salvini Wednesday, especially with the increased risk of Islamic terrorism coming out of Libya.

General Khalifa Haftar’s recent offensive on Tripoli has upped the risk of a terrorist presence on migrant boats bound for Italy, Salvini said, which adds one more reason to keep ports closed.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Swedish PM Threatens EU States That Oppose Mass Immigration With Sanctions

Sweden embraced immigration and is undergoing a rapid change in the demographics of its population — and now Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has threatened to sanction others who don’t share the same attitude.

Stefan Löfven says he’s ready to impose sanctions on EU countries that oppose the reception of refugees, such as Hungary.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Yuma Arizona Shuts Its Doors to Illegals: Declares State of Emergency

Authored by Jennie Taer via SaraCarter.com

Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls proclaimed a local emergency at approximately 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 16, due to an overwhelming release of migrants into the Yuma community. Nearly 1,300 migrant family members have been released by U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) to the local shelter system in the last three weeks.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Frankenstein Designer Kids: What You Don’t Know About Gender-Transitioning

The medical community is now hard-wired for gender-transitioning of children as young as 5 years old with drugs, hormones and surgeries that have lifelong physical and psychological consequences and health risks. Because the Technocrat mind believes humans are mere animals, it has no ethical problem with experiments on children. ? TN Editor

Puberty-blocking drugs, mastectomies, vaginal surgery and fake penises — all with zero chance of reversal — these are just some of the radical experimental methods being used on children. The madness must stop.

Imagine that you are the parent of a five-year-old boy who innocently informs you one day that he is a girl. Of course, the natural reaction would be to laugh, not phone up the nearest gender transitioning clinic. You have no idea how your little boy came to believe such a thing; possibly it was through something he heard at the daycare center, or maybe a program he saw on television. In any case, he insists that he ‘identifies’ as a female.

Eventually, possibly at the encouragement of your local school, you pay a visit to a physician. You hope this medical professional will be able to provide you and your child with some sound counseling to clear up his confusion. Prepare yourself to be disappointed. Your doctor will be forced, according to state and medical dictate, to follow the professional guidelines known as ‘affirmative care.’ It sounds nice and harmless, doesn’t it? In fact, the program could be best described as nothing short of diabolical.

Following the ‘affirmative care’ approach, the doctor is required to follow the child’s lead, not vice-versa, as many people believe the doctor-patient relationship in this particular case would best work. In other words, if the child tells the doctor that he believes he is a girl, the doctor must comply with that ‘reality’ no matter what biology tells him or her to be the case. But this is just the beginning of the madness.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Leftists Rush to Defense of YouTuber Who Cried Over Star Wars Trailer

Leftists are rushing to the defense of Eric Butts, the YouTuber who was made fun of for crying over the new Star Wars trailer.

Butts became the butt of several jokes after he wept throughout the trailer and posted it to his YouTube channel.

“Star Wars and super hero movie obsession culture has revealed a whole new population of undateable men. Might be worse than men who wear cargo shorts,” wrote conservative commentator Ashley StClair.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Lyft Passenger Blames “Structural Fatphobia” For Seatbelt Not Fitting

This one explains itself.

Imagine being so delusional that you’re so obese a seatbelt doesn’t fit you, yet you still find some way to blame “society”.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

MIT Librarian Slams White People for Writing Books

I wonder, are Chinese libraries being filled with Chinese books by Chinese authors evidence of racist hate and “Chinese supremacism”?

White people are oppressing PoCs because they write a lot of books which “physically” take up too much “space” in our nation’s libraries and “promote and proliferate whiteness with their very existence,” according to academic librarian Sofia Leung of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Library Journal shared this article from Leung to their more than 200,000 Twitter followers on Tuesday:

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

14 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 4/17/2019

  1. I have a gut feeling that the fire in Notre Dame was deliberate, and was put by the globalists to mortally wound the France that was. They are so brazen as to call since now for the cathedral to be rebuilt in the image of what they have in store for us, and is happening every day in front of our eyes: white genocide.

    • I also would not be surprised at such an outcome.

      I fear the use of large private donations to rebuild.
      If there is any muslim connected money invloved, there may be demands to alter the cathedral to remove some of its Christianity and replace it with islamic symbols.

      A new Tower of Babel?

  2. Also I have a bad presage. WW3 can very well explode in the next 10 years. No superpower in history let peacefully go when challenged.

    Because Albania was part of the Warsaw Treaty until 1969, NATO had a plan. Should WW3 explode, on day 1 Albania would have been turned to dust by nuclear bombs, then business would have continued with the Soviet Union. This plan was dropped in 2009, when Albania entered NATO. I fear that the plan was never dropped, they just replaced Albania with Serbia. Knowing how much flexibility and fantasy our ruling hierarchs have, this must be the case.

  3. Can’t remember where I saw it, but there’s a video of someone walking on a high gallery in the cathedral round about the time of the fire.

  4. Turkey is a big problem, getting bigger.

    The only saving grace is they have in place a governmental system that will fail.

  5. Alberta, Canada election:

    I watched the Alberta election from the province next door enjoying every minute as the United Conservatives toppled the socialist government led by the very strange Rachel Notley. For American reference imagine if Hillary Clinton had been the governor of Montana. I drank a few beers brewed in Alberta branded “Big Rock” celebrating the win as it unfolded and the next morning my head felt like a big rock – but it was worth it!

    With this latest provincial election, there are now 5 out of 10 provinces in Canada that lean right: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick. Two other provinces – Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island – have their elections later in the year before the big federal election in October. No predictions how those two provinces turn out (the Liberals might win..) but Trudeau’s way down in the national polls.

    2019 will be an interesting year for Canada. And then there’s 2020 in the USA !

    • Some of Canada’s best and most moral politicians came from, and continue to come from, the Prairies. The spirit of independence and conservatism is still strong there.

      The Left has every reason to fear the patriotism and power of the country folk they denigrate.

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