A TV presenter for the BBC in Northern Ireland featured a clip in which he chased down a man and accosted him for not wearing a mask. Meanwhile, Scotland has banned the sale of alcohol in pubs.
In other news, Black Lives Matter activists broke windows and committed other acts of vandalism on a residential street in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, JD, JM, 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. I 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.
Nearly 8 Times More Women Than Men Left U.S. Workforce in September
Data from September 2020 reveals a staggering disparity between the sexes when it comes to workforce participation: approximately 617,000 women dropped out of the workforce last month, compared to 78,000 men.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
13 People Charged With Plots Against MI Government, Including 6 Who Planned to Kidnap Gov. Whitmer
Thirteen people have been arrested for anti-government plots against the state of Michigan, according to information from the state’s attorney general and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Six of those people have been charged federally with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from her vacation home. U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge called the six men “violent extremists.”
A criminal complaint about the case unsealed in federal court Thursday alleges that the men worked on the plot for months and held rehearsals. The government was able to halt the plot thanks to the work of undercover agents and informants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
22% of Gun-Owning Households Have Added a Gun Since Anti-Police Protests Began
Over one-fifth of Americans who have a gun in their household have added one since the Black Lives Matter anti-police protests began in late May and feel safer because they’ve done so.
Forty-three percent (43%) of American adults say they or someone in their household owns a gun, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey.(To see survey question wording, click here.)
Of these Americans, 22% say they or someone in their household has purchased a gun since the violent anti-police protests began.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
American Poet Louise Glück Receives Nobel Prize in Literature
Louise Glück, a professor of English at Yale University, has received this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, the Nobel Committee announced Thursday.
Glück, 77, won “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal,” the committee said. In 1993, she won a Pulitzer Prize and received the National Book Award in 2014. President Barack Obama recognized her work with a 2015 National Humanities Medal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
It’s amazing how when ratings plunge and ad revenue starts to dry up, moral crusades go right back out the window…
Such is the case for the NBA, which has spent the better part of its shortened season on a political crusade on behalf of Black Lives Matter, leading to a sharp plunge in ratings that we have documented here on Zero Hedge.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared to confirm early this week that Black Lives Matter messaging will be pulled from the court and from players jerseys next year. According to The Blaze, Silver alluded to the messaging being removed despite the league being “completely committed to standing for social justice and racial equality.”
He said implementing the change is “something we’re gonna have to sit down with the players and discuss.”
He told Rachel Nichols of ESPN: “I would say, in terms of the messages you see on the court and our jerseys, this was an extraordinary moment in time when we began these discussions with the players and what we all lived through this summer. My sense is there’ll be somewhat a return to normalcy — that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor.”
[Comment: Unlikely irate viewers will ever return in the same numbers. NBA and NFL shot themselves in both feet.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Asking the Question That Nobody Dares to Ask Publicly
“I always trust my gut,” begins AmericanThinker.com’s Sally Zelikovsky, “litigators and trial attorneys tend to do that.”
When things don’t make sense or add up but you don’t have a smoking gun, you start nosing around with questioning and investigating to see if your hunch pans out.
Zelikovsky notes that, obviously, she doesn’t have any proof that the recent COVID-19 infections of POTUS and FLOTUS, several Republican senators, and people working on his campaign and in his administration, are truly random events or something planned, but it doesn’t pass the “random cluster of infections” smell test. Come on, admit it. You are all thinking it, too. I’m sure like me, you spent the weekend texting friends about your suspicions.
The virus appears to have targeted Republicans only and left Democrats unscathed.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Awful Kamala Harris Debate Performance Boosts Trump Reelection Chances
Kamala Harris put in a terrible performance at last night’s Vice Presidential debate, often appearing robotic and repeating memorised “facts” that blatantly contradicted things Joe Biden had said in last week’s debate.
Harris also appeared lost and confounded whenever Mike Pence interrupted her to point out such inconsistencies, as if she had been thrown off course from reading a script.
A prime example off this occurred when Harris claimed that Biden is not going to raise taxes, to which Pence pointed out that last week Biden himself promised to repeal Trump’s tax cuts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Campaign Says it Will Take Questions From Voters Rather Than Debate Trump
Joe Biden’s presidential campaign has announced it will take questions from voters rather than debate President Trump for the next event that was scheduled to take place on October 15.
Earlier today, the Commission on Presidential Debates revealed that it was shifting the second debate to a virtual only format due to Trump’s COVID diagnosis, prompting critics to argue this would help Biden because he is used to working out of his “basement”.
Trump immediately shot back, saying he would refuse to do a remote debate because “that’s not what debating is all about.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden: ‘If Trump Still Has COVID, We Shouldn’t Have a Debate’
Joe Biden suggested Wednesday that the next Presidential debate should be canceled if the President still has coronavirus.
“I think if he still has COVID, we shouldn’t have a debate,” Biden said during a campaign stop in Maryland.
“I think we’re gonna have to follow very strict guidelines. Too many people have been infected and it’s a very serious problem,” Biden claimed.
“And so I’ll be guided by the guidelines of the Cleveland Clinic, and what the docs say is the right thing to do — if and when he shows up for debate,” Biden added.
Biden made the comments despite Trump’s physician reporting that the President has “no symptoms” after being discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Supporter Jane Fonda Calls COVID-19 “God’s Gift to the Left”
Jane Fonda, a Biden supporter notorious for her pro-North Vietnamese activism during the Vietnam War, called coronavirus, “God’s gift to the left.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BLM Mob Smashes Windows on Wisconsin Residential Street
Black Lives Matter mobs were caught on tape vandalizing homes in Wisconsin by throwing rocks through windows on a residential street following the decision to not charge a black cop for fatally shooting a teen who was firing a gun.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CEO of Haliburton International Foods Charged With Engaging in Prostitution With 2 Teenage Girls
NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA) — The CEO of Haliburton International Foods in Ontario has been charged with engaging in prostitution with two teenage girls.
Ian Charles Schenkel, 59, of Newport Beach, was charged Tuesday with six felony counts of unlawful sex with a minor and two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution of a minor involving two girls, ages 15 and 16. A 22-year-old Huntington Beach woman, Amanda Emilia Perez, has also been charged with pimping and pandering for arranging to bring the underage girls to him for sex, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coinbase Sheds 60 Activist Employees After Refusing to Bring Politics Into the Company
The cryptocurrency platform Coinbase has now shed five percent of its employees over its policies preventing employees from bringing their activist agendas into the workplace.
Brian Armstrong, the company’s CEO, announced that 60 of the 1200 employees of his company had agreed to take an exit package after he directed his employees to separate politics from work.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Colin Kaepernick’s New Project Imagines a Utopia Without Police or Prison
Black Lives Matter activist Colin Kaepernick has introduced his latest project, which envisions a police-less and prison-less utopian society. The project, entitled “Abolition for the People,” utilizes the stories of 30 different “organizers, political prisoners, scholars, and advocates” with the intent of improving the lives of minority individuals.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cultural Marxism’s Origins: How the Disciples of an Obscure Italian Linguist Subverted America
You may have heard the terms “Cultural Marxism,” “Critical Theory” or “Frankfurt School” bandied about. And while you might have an intuitive approximation of what these terms mean for America in the 21st century, there’s a good chance that you don’t know much about the deep theory, where the ideology comes from and what it has planned for America — and the world.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
DC Antifa Ringleader Jason Charter Charged With Assaulting OANN’s Jack Posobiec
One of the most well-known members of the violent ‘antifa’ movement in Washington D.C., Jason Charter, was charged with assaulting One America News Network reporter Jack Posobiec earlier this year, adding to other criminal charges against Charter.
Charter has openly declared his support for antifa, the violent far-left movement that has been denounced as domestic terrorists by senior members of the Trump Administration. Charter’s Twitter profile recently declared “#IAmAntifa.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Deadline Runs Story That Vice President Pence Has Coronavirus, Then Deletes It
Hollywood News outlet Deadline apologized to readers on Thursday evening after accidentally running a draft of a story that claimed that Vice President Mike Pence had tested positive for coronavirus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DHS Report Claims White Supremacists Are Biggest Domestic Threat to United States
The US Department of Homeland Security has issued its first-ever Homeland Security Assessment report in which it states the primary terrorist threat inside the United States comes from domestic violent extremist groups.
DHS officials define domestic violent extremists as people operating within the US, without affiliation with foreign terrorist groups or foreign powers; homegrown violent extremists or people or persons of any citizenship who live in the United States who advocate, engage in, or prepare to engage in ideologically-motivated acts of violence or terror.
The report, prefaced by Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, states that “racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists, specifically white supremacist extremists, will remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the Homeland.” The report fails to name any specific white supremacist groups.
But the report is not without its qualified critics. The director and a senior analyst for Homeland Security & Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy, Kyle Shideler, raised red flags about the use of certain verbiage in the report and the lack of specificity in identifying said domestic violent extremist groups.
[Comment: “White supremacist” umbrella term has now become the deep state attack method to unjustly include conservatives, whites, Trump supporters and patriots. Typical communist tactic of demonizing enemies of the coming commie revolution.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Censors John Stossel Through “Fact-Checkers”
Pundit John Stossell has shown how comically inefficient the newly appointed “fact-checkers” are on the platform.
John Stossel uploaded a video about California’s fires. A few days after the video was uploaded, a warning was slapped against it saying: “Missing Context. Independent fact-checkers say this information could mislead people.”
Disgruntled that his video’s reach was now extremely limited, Stossel ended up digging deeper into Facebook’s fact checking processes. He then found that a group known as “Climate Feedback,” claiming that it separates facts from fiction when it comes to climate change, had actually slapped his video with the warning label.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook is Now Monitoring Spikes in “Hate Speech” In Near-Real Time
Facebook has revealed that its automated systems are so advanced that they can now correlate spikes in what it calls “hate speech” in near-real time across all 50 states in the US.
Facebook wrote that it monitors these spikes through its Crisis Assessment Dashboard (CAD). Once its CAD detects a spike, it alerts Facebook’s operational teams which review the content for “risk trends or potential violations” and then remove the content if it’s deemed to violate the rules
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Friday’s Rush Limbaugh Show Will Feature Virtual Rally Hosted by Trump
The Rush Limbaugh show announced Thursday that Friday’s show will include a virtual campaign rally hosted by President Trump.
The show played a prerecorded message about the rally by the conservative radio host, who is in treatment for advanced lung cancer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gallup Poll Shows Only 40% of Americans Think Biden Will Win Election; 56% Predict Trump Victory
A majority of Americans think President Donald Trump will be reelected in November, according to results of a recent survey by Gallup.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Governor of Puerto Rico Endorses President Trump for Reelection
Governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vazquez Garced, officially endorsed President Trumpfor reelection on Tuesday. Trump had recently unveiled a $13 billion aid package to help the island continue its rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gretchen Carlson: Second Debate to be “Virtual” So Moderator Can Mute Trump
Gretchen Carlson suggests that one of the reasons for the announcement that the next presidential debate will be virtual only is that the moderator will be able to mute President Trump.
Earlier this morning, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the second debate would be a town hall style event in which the candidates would “participate from separate remote locations.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harris Again Refuses to Say Whether She Supports Packing the Supreme Court
In Wednesday’s debate against Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) would not say whether she supports adding more seats to the U.S. Supreme Court if Democrats gain enough power in the November election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hollywood Leftists Spew Foul Insults at Pence and His Wife After Debate
The usual leftist Hollywood crowd directed a torrent of abuse at Vice President Mike Pence following a debate which he clearly won, primarily because Kamala Harris’ performance was so robotically awful.
The leftist celebrities, who definitely do speak for the whole of America, took to Twitter to vent their outrage that their candidate was made to look a fool.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mailman in New Jersey Faces Charges After Throwing Away 99 Election Ballots
Nicholas Beauchene, a 26-year-old postman from New Jersey is facing up to five years in prison for intentionally throwing away 99 general election ballots, as well as hundreds of other pieces of mail.
According to federal officials, Beauchene poured 1,875 pieces of mail into dumpsters on October 2 and October 5. The 99 ballots were being sent to residents in Orange and West Orange, New Jersey.
The breakdown of the discarded pieces included:
- 873 pieces of standard class mail
- 627 pieces of first class mail
- 276 campaign flyers
- 99 ballots
Authorities made copies of each piece to use as evidence before placing all the discarded pieces back into the system to be delivered.
Beauchene faces charges of delay, secretion, obstruction, and detention of mail.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mask Mandates Are Getting Crazy
Shortly after California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted a meme on his Twitter page illustrating how you should wear a mask while eating, a similar meme attributed to Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak started spreading across Facebook.
Sisolak’s meme is different from Newsom’s in that it talks about how to smoke with a mask. In both examples, though, the rules call for lifting your mask off and on as you eat or smoke — exactly the opposite of what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instructs you to do once you have your mask on.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
NBA Commissioner to Ban BLM Messages From Jerseys, Courts
Black Lives Matter messages will likely not be displayed on the court or on players’ jerseys when the NBA returns to play next season, according to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
SEATTLE — Neighbors living along a portion of North Seattle’s Jackson Park Trail say they’ve been dealing with noxious smoke along with loud pounding and grinding noises overnight from a metal shop set up near their condo complex.
But this “metal shop” was apparently constructed with wood and tarps in the middle of a homeless encampment built along the trail. Ed Peterson pointed out the structure on the trail which is owned and maintained by the city of Seattle Parks Department.
The structure, built of wood and tarps, is secured by a locked door. But Peterson and his neighbors have been complaining for months about what they hear and smell coming out of this structure.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Orthodox Jews Build Bonfire of Facemasks in Protest Over NYC Localized Lockdown Order
In protest of a new lockdown imposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a group of Orthodox Jews in New York City built a bonfire of facemasks Tuesday night.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Thursday that she intends to discuss a constitutional measure to remove President Trump from office. Her announcement is in regards to Trump’s health as he recovers from COVID-19.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Portland DA Rejects Over 540 Riot-Related Cases in ‘Interest of Justice’
The Multnomah County District Attorney released data related to the Portland protests and riot arrests, revealing that most cases since George Floyd’s death were dropped and a majority of cases were rejected in the “interest of justice.”
The new “Mass Demonstration/Protest Case” is the most complete data to date made available to the public regarding the Black Lives Matter-Antifa riots and protests that have convulsed Portland since May. The overview documents filing status, dropped cases, the reasons cases weren’t pursued, nature of crimes and demographic information.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Student Senator Faces Impeachment Over Old Tweets
A conservative student serving in the student government of Loyola Marymount University as a Senator for diversity and inclusion could get impeached over old tweets. Should the impeachment become a success, it will become another example of how universities are stifling dissenting opinions.
Stephanie Martinez, Student Senator at LMU, became the subject of controversy after Agency MLU, a “progressive” news outlet, uncovered her old tweets.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tides Center Funnels $170 Million in Taxpayer Money to Left-Wing Groups
Nearly $170 million in government grants has passed through a liberal dark money behemoth that houses numerous left-wing groups, including the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, tax forms show.
The taxpayer-funded grants were disbursed to groups through the Tides Center, a San Francisco-based nonprofit incubator that wealthy liberal donors use to bankroll progressive causes. A number of radical left-wing groups have fallen under the auspices of the Tides Center, which acts as a “fiscal sponsor” to nonprofits by providing its 501(c)(3) tax and legal status. This arrangement lets the groups under its umbrella avoid registering with the IRS.
The grants went to liberal initiatives housed at the Tides Center over a 17-year span between 2001 and 2018 and have steadily increased over time, according to a review of the center’s tax data.
“The Tides Center is as liberal and politically active as they come; its entire purpose is to create new activist groups,” said Scott Walter, president of the Capital Research Center. “For example, we recently revealed that the Tides Center sponsors the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, one of the top groups in the Marxist-led BLM movement. It’s fair to question whether tax dollars sourced from all Americans should flow to nonprofits that have such an open ideological axe to grind.”…
Democratic donors have pushed large sums to Tides primarily through their own grant-making foundations. Millions have been given from the likes of George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, Ford Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
The Tides setup has also been emulated by other large-scale liberal dark money networks, including those at Arabella Advisors, a D.C.-based consulting company that manages four nonprofits that act as fiscal sponsors to liberal groups and initiatives.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Refers to Kamala Harris as a “Monster”
During a Thursday Fox Business appearance, President Trump criticized vice presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), calling her “a communist” and “monster.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Releases New Video Praising Regeneron, Threatening China
In a video message released Wednesday night, President Trump offered effusive praise to the pharmaceutical company Regeneron, saying that catching the COVID-19 virus was “a blessing from God.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Hides All Search Results for the “Obamagate” Hashtag
Twitter is hiding hashtag search results related to “Obamagate” — a common reference to the FBI’s secret surveillance of the Trump campaign under the Obama administration in 2016.
The Obamagate story has topped the news cycle several times over the last few years. It was pushed to the forefront again this week after President Trump ordered the declassification of all documents pertaining to the Russia collusion allegations that triggered the FBI investigation into his campaign. Vice President Mike Pence also brought up the topic of the FBI spying on the Trump campaign during Wednesday’s vice presidential debate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Warrants Issued for Arrest of Breonna Taylor’s Ex-Boyfriend Amid Leaked New Documents
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) — Two bench warrants have been issued for a central figure in the Breonna Taylor case, sources told WAVE 3 News on Wednesday.
The revelation comes two days after WAVE 3 News received 39 pages of leaked documents that paint a picture of a close relationship between Taylor and her ex-boyfriend, convicted drug dealer Jamarcus Glover.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechia Withdraws Ambassador to Belarus, Joins Other EU Nations Like Poland, Germany and Latvia
Following the move by Lithuania and Poland, other European Union countries, such as Czechia, Germany, Estonia, and Latvia, have also decided to withdraw their ambassadors from Belarus.
On Friday, Belarus withdrew its ambassadors from Poland and Lithuania for consultations and accused both countries of interfering in internal affairs, as they provide refuge to representatives of the Belarusian opposition.
At the same time, Minsk called on Poland and Lithuania to withdraw their diplomats as well. The move was initially rejected by both countries, but on Monday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevichius announced that Warsaw and Vilnius were temporarily withdrawing their ambassadors in an effort to reduce tensions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Death to Free Speech in the Netherlands — Again
A Dutch appeals court recently upheld the conviction of Dutch politician Geert Wilders for supposedly insulting Moroccans in comments he made at an election rally in 2014. At the same time, however, the appeals court overturned Wilders’ conviction for inciting hatred or discrimination against Moroccans.
At an election rally in The Hague in March 2014, as leader of the Partij voor de Vrijheid (Party for Freedom), reportedly the country’s most popular opposition party today, Wilders asked those present, whether they wanted “more or fewer Moroccans?” After the crowd chanted “fewer, fewer” Wilders said, “We’re going to organize that.”
Wilders was prosecuted and convicted in December 2016 on two counts: First for “deliberately insulting a group of people because of their race.” Second, for “inciting hatred or discrimination against these people.” Wilders did not receive any punishment then, nor will he now: Judge Jan Maarten Reinking stated, “The accused has already for years paid a high price for expressing his opinion,” referring to the fact that Wilders has lived under constant police protection for more than a decade and still receives constant threats. Most recently, Al Qaeda issued a threat against Geert Wilders, among others. “Terrible news,” Wilders called the threat.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Delingpole: NATO’s New Mission — Saving the World From ‘Climate Change’
NATO has a new mission. Defending the West from the Russians is so last century: now it wants to save the world from ‘Climate Change.’
According to an op-ed, written by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg:
Climate change is making the world more dangerous. NATO’s task is to preserve peace and keep us safe. So to fulfil our main responsibility, NATO must help to curb climate change for our security today and for the security of future generations.
There are lot of heroic assumptions in that paragraph. Perhaps it was written in the hope that Joe Biden will be America’s next President. Certainly, there’s no chance that President Trump would be swayed by such a flimsy argument nor approve of such mission creep. As far as Trump is concerned, NATO is a military defensive alliance, not another tentacle of the polar-bear-hugging, virtue-signalling green blob.
Almost none of the global warming ‘facts’ cited by Stoltenberg in his op-ed is accurate. Stoltenberg begins with some hokey autobiography by trying to claim that recent temperatures in Svalbard in his native Norway are a dread harbinger of climate change.
But as Paul Homewood points out, this is nonsense:…
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
French police have arrested 61 people allegedly involved in a vast child pornography network. Some of the suspects are believed to have filmed their sexual assault of minors, investigators said.
The major sting was announced by Eric Berot, head of one of the divisions within France’s sub-directorate for battling organized crime, on Thursday. The arrests were made this week during a large operation that spanned 30 of France’s regions.
So far, 61 suspects have been detained. Several suspects had been working in positions that facilitated access to children — they include teachers, religious leaders and even city hall officials.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The proposal to link the payment of EU funds to rule of law compliance is an attempt to bring down conservative government, according to MEP Witold Waszczykowski, who previously served as Poland’s foreign minister.
Waszczykowski says that attempts to create a mechanism by which the European Commission could withhold EU funds from selected member states is ideological and political rather than any attempt to defend the rule of law, according to Polish news outlet TVP Info.
He accused those Polish MEPs who voted for the measure of being against Poland.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Politicians Slam MEP Barley Over Her Remarks About Starving Hungary and Poland
Katarina Barley, the German Vice President of the European Parliament, has been sharply criticized by other German politicians for her remarks that Hungary and Poland should be “starved financially” for their alleged rule of law transgressions.
“Katarina Barley is forgetting about history and adopting a pose which will not do any good for Europe’s future,” said Michael Kretschmer, the prime minister of Saxony.
“We need to convince with values, arguments and debate looking into each other’s eyes. Blackmail is unacceptable,” continued Kretschmer in his social media post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jourova Admits Limits to What EU Can Do to Hungary and Poland Over Rule of Law
European Commission’s Vice President Vera Jourova signals that pressure will continue to be applied against Poland and Hungary over rule of law concerns and LGBT rights, but admits that there are limits to what the EU can do to the two countries.
Jourova told Polish new outlet Rzeczpospolita that the European Commission is concerned about local municipal authority resolutions on “LGBT ideology free zones”. She acknowledged, however, that these resolutions have no legal force, so it is difficult for the “perpetrators” of these resolutions to be sanctioned by the EU.
Nevertheless, the European Commission has already acted to stop funding for twinning projects to six Polish municipalities on the grounds that any EU funding should be tied to observance of EU values.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Outdoor Masks Become Obligatory in Italy
Italy on Wednesday made it obligatory to wear face masks outdoors nationwide to stop the spread of coronavirus, Reuters reported. Italy, which was one of the most-affected countries in the EU during the first wave, has been recording fewer new cases than some of its neighbours, like Spain or France. Italy’s health ministry recorded 3,678 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours — exceeding the highest daily tally since April.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Scotland Bans Sale of Alcohol Inside Pubs; UK Pub Closures, Job Losses Loom
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that pubs, restaurants, and licenced cafes will be banned from selling alcohol inside for more than two weeks.
The measures will come into effect from Friday until at least the 25th of October, with establishments only allowed to sell non-alcoholic drinks and food from 6 am to 6 pm. Outdoor hospitality venues may, however, continue to serve alcohol until the later 10 pm curfew.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Now a Coronavirus Success Story
It was only months ago that progressives and some single-minded public health experts were vilifying officials in the Nordic nation for refusing to shut down their economy as the pandemic raged. Unlike virtually every other nation, Sweden never closed restaurants, bars or schools. Parks, public transportation and most businesses remained open. The country did limit gatherings and cancel sporting events, but, for the most part, it let citizens determine their own levels of risk tolerance.
Initially, the country had a relatively high death rate per capita, earning the scorn of lockdown proponents. And it’s true that Sweden was lax in protecting vulnerable nursing home residents during the nascent days of the pandemic.
But the situation in Sweden has improved dramatically. The New York Times noted last week that the nation is doing far better at containing the virus than many other European countries grappling with renewed outbreaks. And even as COVID-19 numbers have rebounded in recent weeks in places such as Great Britain, Spain, Germany and France, many European leaders are now highly skeptical of the sustainability of shutting down commerce as a means of addressing the virus.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Populists See Largest Rise in Support in Stockholm
The populist Sweden Democrats (SD) have seen a surge in support in Stockholm, as another poll shows a rapid decline in national support for the current Social Democrat prime minister.
The Ipsos poll showed that the SD and the centre-right Moderates had gained ground in the Swedish capital while the Christian Democrats, Feminist Initiative, and the Greens have seen a decline in support.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Exonerates Data-Mining Firm on Brexit
Cambridge Analytica, the British data-mining firm disgraced for meddling in US elections, did not abuse information to steer the Brexit debate or help Russia to influence British voters, Elizabeth Denham, the UK’s information commissioner, said Wednesday, following a three-year investigation. The firm’s power “may have been an exaggeration” used by its own marketing, she said. Cambridge Analytica pitched to work with Ukip, a pro-Leave party, but was never hired.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: BBC Journalist Blasted for Chasing Non-Mask Wearer Down the Street
A BBC journalist has been blasted for proudly showcasing a segment where he chased a man down the street for allegedly not wearing a mask when he entered a shop.
BBC Northern Ireland presenter Stephen Nolan enthusiastically broadcast the footage as a promo for his show, telling viewers, “Why do people not get it that it’s the law here to wear a face mask?”
A clip is then shown where Nolan confronts a man leaving a shop (who is actually wearing a mask), while asking him, “We just noticed when you walked in you weren’t wearing a mask. Well, why is that sir?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Terrorist Inmate Dressed in Fake Suicide Vest, Stabbed Guard, Wanted to be Martyred
Two radical Islamist inmates — one of which is serving a 22-year sentence for plotting to behead a soldier — at a British prison were found guilty of attempted murder of a prison guard. Both convicts were said to have wanted to become “martyrs”.
Brusthom Ziamani, 25, and Baz Hockton, also 25, were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Wednesday of attempted murder after trying to stab to death a guard at Her Majesty’s Prison Whitemoor on January 9th of this year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Who Will be the Next President of Hungary?
With the second and last mandate of the current president of Hungary, 61-year-old Janos Áder, expiring on March 2022, the governing conservative Fidesz party is already looking for his replacement, news portal Mandiner reports.
Fidesz founding politician and lawyer Janos Áder was first elected president of Hungary by Parliament on April 12, 2012, and re-elected with a 131 to 39 majority on March 13, 2017, meaning that his second and last constitutionally allowed term will end on March 13, 2022. According to the constitution, parliament will have to elect a new president 30 to 60 days before the expiry of the incumbent’s mandate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Apple Orders Telegram to Block Some Belarus Protest Channels
Apple is now forcing Telegram to take down three channels that are being used in Belarus to push back against the country’s authoritative regime.
Of late, the country has seen severe political instability, as the country’s incumbent Alexander Lukashenko allegedly won the 2020 elections by rigging it and getting re-elected amidst intense public backlash for his previous term. Lukashenko “won” 80.10% of the vote.
Citizens of the country, displeased with the election outcome, took to the streets and paved the way to country-wide protests.
Now, while all of this is going on, citizens have been using Telegram to communicate and share the details of law enforcement that are targeting them. Apple believes that such activity may lead to further violence, because of which it is demanding Telegram shut those channels down for iOS users — even though it’s accessible on other platforms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Azerbaijan Targets Armenian Church and Cultural House in Artsakh
Azerbaijan has not hidden away from targeting sites of Armenian culture in Artsakh as it continues its invasion with the support of Turkey and Al-Qaeda elements imported from Syria.
Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said on Twitter that “Shushi Holy Savior Cathedral has been deliberately bombed by savage aggressor. Azerbaijan with direct involvement of Turkey and international terrorists continue to target civilians, destroy infrastructure and reveal the depth of their barbarity by destroying holy sites. This is an affront to humanity.”
Azerbaijan also shelled the church a second time when journalists arrived to cover the event.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brzezinski’s Shadow Over Nagorno-Karabakh
by Emanuel Pietrobon
It is impossible to fully understand what is going on in Nagorno-Karabakh without taking into the account the wider context, which is not that of a mere Azeri-Armenian dispute but is that of the new Russo-Turkish wars and, to an even greater extent, that of the geopolitical chess game for control over the Heartland.
Great Powers in Nagorno-Karabakh
This conflict is not the mere result of decades-old never-solved misunderstandings between two countries and there is a very simple and easy way to prove it: today’s great powers are deeply involved in it.
Russia, Iran and their satellites are backing Armenia, whereas much of the West as well as Turkey and Israel are supporting Azerbaijan. Each player has its own reason for explaining their choice and sometimes there is no dialogue among them, the only thing in common is their positioning in the conflict: this is the case of Turkey and Israel, with the former backing Baku to expand its influence in the region and in accordance with its Pan-Turkic agenda and the latter driven by the goal of countering Iranian influence.
[…]
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Teacher Describes Persecution for Suspected Religious Teachings
In a Monday webinar hosted by non-profit human rights group the Jubilee Campaign, a former kindergarten teacher in China described imprisonment and harassment by the Chinese Communist Party, which accused her of teaching religion in her classroom.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Organ Harvesting: A Blind Eye to Mass Atrocity
An atrocity going on today, which is relatively little known of or believed as actually happening, is state-sanctioned mass murder, torture, and money-making from forced organ harvesting in China. It is imperative that the realities of this become widely known, and that effective international action be taken urgently in response.
The primary victims are prisoners of conscience, Falun Gong practitioners in particular. A second major group evidently being readied for harvest is Uyghur Muslims. There is evidence too that Tibetan Buddhists and some Christian groups are among the victims. Whether for their ethnicity or beliefs, these groups have been ruthlessly targeted for the ideological challenge they represent to the Chinese Communist Party, especially in the case of the swelling numbers of Falun Gong followers. What these people with different spiritual and religious focuses have in common is a dedication to ideals such as compassion and truth—to human values, as distinct from CCP-style nationalist expansionist materialism. As victims, these people are killed in the process of having their organs removed, and their remains are subsequently incinerated.
The perpetrator of this atrocity is the machinery of the Chinese Communist Party, operating on an industrial scale. It is now thought that there may be something in the region of 60,000-100,000 such transplants every year, with hearts, lungs, kidneys, livers, and corneas for sale in an industry worth billions of dollars. This is über-big business for China, with its wealthier citizens besides rich people from the USA, UK and around the world getting these transplants—some surely knowing, some less aware, where their donated organs are coming from. Some countries have taken measures against such “transplant tourism,” including Taiwan, Israel, Spain, and Italy. Others remain complicit in this crime against humanity.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Taiwan Ministry Tells China to “Get Lost” After Beijing Tries to Urge Indian Media to Censor Support
Taiwan has accused China of censorship following the regime’s message through its embassy in India warning journalists not to stray from the “One-China” rhetoric. China sent the advisory after some Indian newspapers published ads for Taiwan National Day.
China considers Taiwan part of the People’s Republic of China. However, Taiwan is a democratic nation that prefers not to be associated with the Chinese regime.
An advert in Indian media promoting Taiwan’s national day did not sit well with the Chinese government. The ad featured Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and said India, being a democratic nation, is a partner to the wayward Chinese province.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woke Olympics: Tokyo Organizers Backflip on Athlete Demands for on-Field Protests
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said Thursday competitors should be able to “take the knee” in protest at the Tokyo Olympics next year. Coe’s assurance means an end to the political neutrality the modern Olympic movement has embraced since it was founded in 1896.
Coe, who was in the Japanese capital inspecting the venue where Olympic track and field will be contested, gave his approval with the caveat protests are carried out with “respect” for other competitors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former health minister Jenny Mikakos has suggested Premier Daniel Andrews may have lied to an inquiry established to find out how Victoria’s second deadly wave of COVID-19 spread.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has admitted she’s ‘concerned’ that some New South Wales trains may have been built by Uyghur slave labour at the direction of the Chinese government.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
British dancer Nathan James, 35, said it was ‘unfair’ that women are being targeted while men can stroll around in tiny swimming trunks, unfazed.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
France: Paris to Open Migrant Reception Centre in Historic Former Town Hall
The Paris city government has announced it will be transforming the historic former town hall in the city’s 1st arrondissement into a reception centre for asylum seekers and migrants.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced the move on Sunday, saying that the humanitarian mission that was previously located in the notorious Porte de la Chapelle area would be moved to the very centre of Paris in the vicinity of the world-famous Louvre museum.
“In the former town hall of the 1st arrondissement, we will install the humanitarian stop that has been open for several years at the Porte de la Chapelle. Paris will continue to play its role as a safe haven,” Hidalgo said…
| — Hat tip: JM | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested 128 undocumented immigrants during a weeklong sting in California.
The federal immigration enforcement agency said at least 95% of the individuals arrested had been either convicted of previous crimes or had ‘pending criminal charges’.
The arrests are the first stage of ICE’s ‘Operation Rise’, where agents will target illegal immigrants in ‘anctuary cities’ ahead of the election on November 3.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Canary Islands See ‘Unsustainable’ 700 Per Cent Rise in Migrants
The Spanish Canary Islands have seen a massive 700 per cent rise in illegal migrant arrivals in 2020 and European Union officials are calling the influx “unsustainable”.
European Union Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson sounded the alarm about the surge in new migrant arrivals so far this year, saying: “In the Canary Islands, there is a 700 per cent increase compared to last year, I think. Which is obviously unsustainable.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Immigrant Gang Beats Young Woman in Stockholm Metro a 50 People Watch on
On Friday night, Natalie was traveling by public transport in Stockholm when an immigrant gang of men spotted her. They started harassing Natalie by sitting on her, and when she asked for space, she was told, “What did you say you little whore?”
The gang then turned violent and attacked Natalie (pictured above) in front of about 50 metro train passengers who just watched without intervening.
The incident happened around 9:00 p.m. Natalie described the man who attacked her as three Arabs and one African in their 20s and 25s.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Local Politicians Attempt to Stop Refugee Settlements in Solvesborg
The local government in Sölvesborg, Sweden, wants to stop refugees from moving to their municipality again, and have thus decided to defy the Settlement Act, the SVT reported. The municipality wants to be prepared for a possible new wave of refugees.
Already a year ago, the governing politicians in Sölvesborg raised the question of whether a municipality should be able to say no to receiving designated refugees. Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit and the question lost its priority, however, the issue is now relevant again and is expected to be raised during the city council meeting in November.
For Sölvesborg’s part, it has received 16 refugees that were assigned to the municipality this year. Paul Andersson, municipal councilor, still has not solved their placement problems, but the current joint board’s proposal is about future placements and whether they can be rejected.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than 80 taxpayer-funded guards accompanied just 14 illegal immigrants on a deportation flight from Stansted to Germany and France, according to a report.
An inspection into the removal flight — in which passengers were dropped off at airports in Frankfurt and Toulouse on August 12 this year — found 86 escorts were used, over six times the amount of detainees.
It follows the Government estimating that it will spend £200million on deportation tickets and charter flights between 2017 and 2024.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: LGBT Ideology in Kindergartens? Budapest District Pushes New Educational Agenda for Kids
At the initiative of Daniel Turgonyi, deputy mayor in charge of education, Budapest’s 3rd district now has a child protection program for kindergartens operated by the gay rights organization, Rocking Horse Foundation for Children’s Rights (Hintalovon Gyermekjogi Alapitvany), conservative daily Magyar Nemzet reports.
“We believe that the safety of children is a public issue, and we will help make the institutions safer and more transparent in the future,” the website set up on Oct. 1 writes, adding that the foundation will help the municipality “highlight the issue of child protection and present the planned steps and programs that will make it more transparent” in kindergartens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
JPMorgan Chase Commits $30 Billion to Advance Racial Equity
JPMorgan Chase is committing $30 billion over the next five years to promote racial equality.
“Systemic racism is a tragic part of America’s history,” said JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon in a news release. “We can do more and do better to break down systems that have propagated racism and widespread economic inequality, especially for Black and Latinx people. It’s long past time that society addresses racial inequities in a more tangible, meaningful way.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Menstrual Capitalism: A Lot of People Profit From Your Monthly Menstruation
Menstruation presents an endlessly renewed commercial opportunity for period-product manufacturers, who are finding new ways to infiltrate wider markets in an era when taboos are being chipped away.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Many in the establishment believe democracy has gone too far. But there is little to back up this line of thinking — it’s simply a realisation that their opinions are being drowned out by populists.
‘Democracy works better when there is less of it’ warns Financial Times commenter Janan Ganesh. As far as he is concerned, “no global trend is better documented than the crisis of democracy,” by which he means that too often people vote against the advice of the elites.
Ganesh joins the ranks of a small army of leader writers in the mainstream media who condemn democracy and the supposed stupidity of the electorate. “Too much democracy is bad for democracy” says a headline in The Atlantic. The Economist concurs and claims that “too much democracy threatens freedom.”
What these warnings about ‘too much democracy’ really mean is that what’s needed is a form of democracy that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for people to vote for Brexit or for candidates they label as populists. Arguing in this vein, Ganesh states that if there were “curbs on direct democracy” then British public life “would now be less poisoned had it had them.”
Disappointed by the recent electoral successes of the wrong kind of people, this hostility towards both populism and democracy is often uncontained.
[Comment: Recommended reading.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
British author Helen Pluckrose was part of a team who successfully submitted parody articles about ‘dog rape culture’, ‘a conceptual penis’ and the ‘fat-exclusionary’ nature of bodybuilding,
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
so which country will become an islamic state first?
none, god willing
Islamic is preferable to Marxist as Christianity withers away in the West, mostly due to the woman’s vote this last 100 years.
Don’t worry Christianity will be back with a vengeance. Islam’s followers have slaughtered more human beings in the their miserable fourteen hundred years of God forsaken mayhem than Marxism and all the others combined.
Churches go underground, like in China, they prosper, flourish, increases memberships, they lead unbelievers to Jesus Christ. China is communist but they have muslims in concentration camps and they belong in them.
Amen. Ugly Islam’s days are numbered. Nobody rides free.
So who are the most likely candidates? France, the U.K. and Belgium have to be in the top three.
Sweden is likely ahead of those three.
And don’t rule out the Netherlands.
None will fall, sooner or later, the western male will do what he always does when push comes to shove, go to war. Make no mistake, a survival of the fittest is coming and the loud mouthed feminaxi’s are going to find out to their horror, nobody cares about their feelings or caterwauling about so called equality. The strong will rule and the weak will serve. There won’t be a 3rd worlder or their offspring left to tell the tale when all is said and done.
Now that is telling it like it is. Brainwashed Ali just does not get it.
“Delingpole: NATO’s New Mission — Saving the World From ‘Climate Change’”
NATO isn’t necessary anymore anyways, and it includes Turkey which outlived its usefulness when the Soviet Union fell.
You mean “Chinese change”. Every Muslims nightmare.
Demographically, its impossible to tell since some countries compile statistics on immigrant backgrounds and others don’t, but politically, its hard to argue against the UK because the government is so thoroughly infiltrated by them. Just look at who is Mayor of London, and insulting Mohammad or joke praying to Aladdin in an airport Mosque will get you arrested. This Sharia is being enforced by what is called a secular state. There is an Islamic party too.
Although the west European countries are thoroughly surrendered to Islam does not mean there won’t or can’t be a very very very successful revolution.
There is not an Islamic party in Britain, you are thinking of Belgium.
The rules in the UK like the rest of the western countries are becoming more and more Islam friendly though. The rest is just a matter of demographics and EUnuchs.
Whoever is the queerest. Macron wants to introduce Arabic. That will take what it takes. “Better dead than Red”? This generation can’t win for losing.
Northern Ireland leads the packed UK these past few days by calling revolution across the kingdom. Too many subjects messing the whole thing up though with a unified WTF!?
https://twitter.com/AmyMek/status/1314319651359211521
Here we go again. Wild rioting, France is burning…for the 8th time this year.
Oh noes the dastardly backwoods militia was going to harm esteemed party member comrade kommisarina Gretch!
Right on time for the election and right out of central casting.
What moronic scripts the Derp State dreams up.
They need to hire some new talent as these cornballs have grown stale and tiresome.
The really amusing thing is that 80 percent of Americans will believe that the “plotters” were right-wing extremists, despite the fact that all of ’em had pics posted of them in front of Anarchist symbols.
Which has been ignored by the Lying Mainstream Media.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/10/09/boris-may-submit-to-european-court-of-human-rights-for-eu-deal/
Oh so shocking. He already sold us out months ago to BLM and antifa, nothing else he does is needed for evidence, yet still he goes even further.
It won’t be long now until an awful lot of very disciplined people will have a lot of time on their hands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP5CSmZ4yA8
Boris Johnson to announce tougher Covid restrictions as companies offered more support