Released Hostage Amit Soussana Recounts Horrors at Hands of Hamas Kidnappers: ‘I Was Forced to Commit Sexual Acts with a Gun Pointed at Me’

The Israeli girl in this video filmed of her kidnapping on Oct 7th has spoken out about the horrifying sexual assault she faced during Hamas captivity.

Released hostage: ‘I was forced to commit sexual acts with a gun pointed at me’

Trigger Warning: This story describes deeply disturbing events and testimonials in graphic detail.

By Jacob Laznik, Jerusalem Post, March 26, 2024:

Released Gaza hostage Amit Soussana gave her personal testimony of the sexual violence and physical abuse she endured in Hamas captivity in an eight-hour interview with The New York Times that was published on Tuesday. She is the first released hostage to give direct testimony of sexual atrocities committed by Hamas.

Soussana previously made headlines when a video surfaced of the moment of her capture, when she fought off seven Hamas terrorists before being brought to Gaza.

In the interview, Soussana recalled being held hostage in a child’s bedroom in Gaza with a chain attached to her left ankle. The Hamas terrorist in charge of guarding her, whom she named Muhammad, occasionally would sit beside her on the bed, lift her shirt, and grope her, she said.

Muhammad would constantly ask about her period, inquiring if she was bleeding, if she had washed herself since, and when it would end, she added.

Sometime around October 24, Muhammad forced her to commit a sex act on him, Soussana said.

On that morning, he unlocked the chain around her ankle so that she could wash herself in the bathtub, she said, adding that after she began, Muhammad returned with a pistol.

“He came toward me and shoved the gun at my forehead,” Soussana said.

Muhammad hit her repeatedly to force her to take her towel off. After she did, Muhammad groped her before continuing to hit her.

Afterward, he dragged her back to the child’s room at gunpoint. The room was covered in images of SpongeBob SquarePants, she said.

“Then, with the gun pointed at me, [he] forced me to commit a sexual act on him,” Soussana said. After it was over, Muhammad left the room to wash up and left Soussana naked in the dark.

When he returned, she said, he expressed remorse, telling her, “I’m bad. I’m bad. Please don’t tell Israel.”

Soussana also recounted her moral quandary of accepting food from her abuser.

“You can’t stand looking at him, but you have to,” she told the Times. “He’s the one who’s protecting you. He’s your guard. You’re there with him, and you know that at any moment it can happen again. You’re completely dependent on him.”

Soussana then discussed her second captor, Amir, after she was transferred to a different location. On the day that she arrived at the new apartment, the Hamas terrorists wrapped her head in a pink shirt, forced her onto the floor, handcuffed her, and beat her with the butt of a gun, she said.

Minutes after that, they suspended her “like a chicken on a stick, suspended between two couches.” She recalled that she felt that her hands would be dislocated due to the intensity of the pain.

While suspended, her new captors beat and kicked her, focusing on the soles of her feet while demanding information that she might have had about the enemy.

After that, she was untied and led to a new bedroom, where they told her she had 40 minutes to produce information or else they would kill her.

Reports of acts of sexual violence committed by Hamas have been told in second-hand accounts by women and girls who were freed in the hostage deal last November, but none have been as explicit as Soussana’s.

Many apologists have denied any reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas, saying if it took this long to bring the allegations to light, they could not be true. Sexual crimes do not always get reported, as the trauma suffered by the victims could take such a toll as to dissuade them from bringing the crimes to light, according to experts.

Many of the victims of Hamas’s sexual crimes either died in the October 7 massacre or are still held in captivity in Gaza.

Currently, there are still 19 women hostages or whose bodies are still held in Hamas captivity: Naama Levy, Shani Louk, Noa Argamani, Romi Gonen, Arbel Yehud, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Doron Steinbrecher, Maya Goren, Ofra Kedar, Inbar Haiman, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, Shiri Bibas, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Emily Damari, Amit Esther Buskila, and Judy Weinstein.

Read more.

AUTHOR

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Afghanistan: Taliban’s Supreme Leader says ‘We will flog women in public, we will stone them to death in public’

Stoning adulterers is not “extremist”; it is Islamic law. The caliph Umar, one of Muhammad’s closest companions, supposedly even maintained that it was originally in the Qur’an:

‘Umar said, “I am afraid that after a long time has passed, people may say, “We do not find the Verses of the Rajam (stoning to death) in the Holy Book,” and consequently they may go astray by leaving an obligation that Allah has revealed. Lo! I confirm that the penalty of Rajam be inflicted on him who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if he is already married and the crime is proved by witnesses or pregnancy or confession.” Sufyan added, “I have memorized this narration in this way.” ‘Umar added, “Surely Allah’s Apostle carried out the penalty of Rajam, and so did we after him.” (Bukhari, vol. 8, bk. 82, no. 816)

“Allah’s Apostle” is, of course, Muhammad, who according to canonical ahadith did indeed carry out stonings. Here is the hadith in which he challenges the rabbis about stoning, and in which there is amidst the barbarism and brutality a final act of love and compassion:

The Jews came to Allah’s Apostle and told him that a man and a woman from amongst them had committed illegal sexual intercourse. Allah’s Apostle said to them, “What do you find in the Torah (old Testament) about the legal punishment of Ar-Rajm (stoning)?” They replied, (But) we announce their crime and lash them.” Abdullah bin Salam said, “You are telling a lie; Torah contains the order of Rajm.” They brought and opened the Torah and one of them solaced his hand on the Verse of Rajm and read the verses preceding and following it. Abdullah bin Salam said to him, “Lift your hand.” When he lifted his hand, the Verse of Rajm was written there. They said, “Muhammad has told the truth; the Torah has the Verse of Rajm. The Prophet then gave the order that both of them should be stoned to death. (‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar said, “I saw the man leaning over the woman to shelter her from the stones.” (Bukhari, vol. 4, bk. 56, no. 829)

Even the monkeys practiced stoning, according to another hadith:

During the pre-lslamic period of ignorance I saw a she-monkey surrounded by a number of monkeys. They were all stoning it, because it had committed illegal sexual intercourse. I too, stoned it along with them. (Bukhari, vol. 5, bk. 58, no. 188)

Muhammad’s example is, of course, normative for Islamic behavior: “Indeed in the messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for him who looks to Allah and the last day, and remembers Allah a great deal.” (Qur’an 33:21)

AUTHOR

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EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Does Islam Breed Violence?

First Published in 2011

There is a division of the house. On one side are the politically correct in government, the leftist mainstream media, and a raft of Islamist apologists. One and all are tripping over each other in reassuring us that the mass murderers such as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and suicide bombers who detonate their explosive vests in crowded marketplaces and even mosques are individual anomalies, and Islam is not responsible for what they do.

On the other hand, there are those who have been fed up with the numberless daily horrific acts that are clearly committed under the banner of Islam throughout the world. In all fairness, there needs to be a distinction. Numerous criminal acts are also committed on a daily basis by non-Muslims. The critical difference is that non-Muslim criminals do not hoist a religious banner to justify their misdeeds, while Muslims proudly claim that they commit their heinous acts in obedience to the dictates of their religious faith.

Would someone please explain what motivated Nidal Hasan, who had been, at the taxpayer’s expense, educated from college through medical school and post-medical-school training, to turn his deadly weapons against a nation that gave him everything he had?

If Islam had nothing to do with what Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan did, why:

  • had he repeatedly preached the ascendancy of Islam to the U.S. Constitution?
  • had he publicly supported Islamic suicide bombing?
  • had he proclaimed his highest loyalty to Islam?
  • had he been in contact with violent anti-U.S. Islamists and a virulent Yemeni Imam?
  • did he distribute copies of the Quran to people on the morning of his bloody attack?
  • did he keep screaming “Allah-o-Akbar” as he heartlessly sprayed over a hundred bullets, killing thirteen and injuring some thirty innocent men and women?

Here is the truth, as bitter as it may be. Islam is the culprit. Islam is anything but a religion of peace. Violence is at the very core of Islam. Violence is institutionalized in the Muslim’s holy book, the Quran, in many suras:

Qur’an:9:5: “Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war.”

Qur’an:9:112: “The Believers fight in Allah’s cause; they slay and are slain, kill and are killed.”

Qur’an:8:39: “So fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief [non-Muslims]) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (in the whole world).”

Qur’an:8:65: “O Prophet, urge the faithful to fight. If there are twenty among you with determination, they will vanquish two hundred; if there are a hundred, then they will slaughter a thousand unbelievers, for the infidels are a people devoid of understanding.”

Qur’an:9:38 “Believers, what is the matter with you, that when you are asked to go forth and fight in Allah’s Cause, you cling to the earth? Do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? Unless you go forth, He will afflict and punish you with a painful doom and put others in your place.”

Qur’an:47:4 “When you clash with the unbelieving Infidels in battle (fighting Jihad in Allah’s Cause), smite their necks until you overpower them, killing and wounding many of them. At length, when you have thoroughly subdued them, bind them firmly, making (them) captives. Thereafter, either generosity or ransom (based on what benefits Islam) until the war lays down its burdens. Thus, are you commanded by Allah to continue carrying out Jihad against the unbelieving infidels until they submit to Islam?”

The Quran is considered by Muslims as the word-for-word literal edict of the Muslims’ god, Allah.

Right from the start, violence served as the engine of Islam under the command and supervision of Muhammad himself. For one, the Prophet’s son-in-law’s cousin, Ali, was titled the Commander of the Faithful for his unsurpassed feats of butchery. Ali, with the assistance of one or two of his thugs, beheaded some seven hundred captives, most of them Jews, in only one day. This man, highly esteemed by the prophet of Allah, had a sword with its own name—Zolfaghar. Holding the menacing sword, Ali’s portrait adorns the homes and shops throughout Shi’a’-lands. And this man, Ali, is revered by the Shi’a at the same level as Muhammad.

On the Sunni side, Muhammad’s co-revered is Umar, another unabashed killer of untold numbers. And, of course, the sword was the choice weapon of these champions of the religion of peace. And to this day, a sword adorns the flag of the birthplace of the religion of peace, Saudi Arabia.

And Islam, by the nature of its very doctrine, appeals to man’s base nature. It promotes intolerance, hatred, discrimination, and much more:

Qur’an:61:2 “O Muslims, why say one thing and do another? Grievously odious and hateful is it in the sight of Allah that you say that which you do not. Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in a battle array as if they were a solid cemented structure.”

In reality, Islam is like a deadly contagious disease. Once it invades the mind of its victim, this debilitating disease is capable of transforming him into a helpless pawn that has no choice but to execute what he is directed to do.

Of the reported 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, millions are already trapped in the terminal stages of this affliction, while millions of others are rapidly joining them. The people enslaved with the extreme cases of Islamic mental disease are highly infectious. They actively work to transmit the disease to others while they engage in horrific acts of mayhem and violence to demonstrate their unconditional obedience to the dictates of the Islamic cult of violence.

The savagery and variety of the actions of these Islamic captives are seen daily around the globe. Many of these acts, committed under the banner of Islam, have become so commonplace that the world has come to view them as the normal part and parcel of a troubled humanity. And, from time to time, the world is shocked into a passing and momentary realization of the evil deeds these Islamist robots commit and quickly gets over it and does nothing to address this affliction of humanity seriously.

The dastardly mass murder at Fort Hood, committed by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan will be forgotten by the public for a very long time. Life will continue on its deadly course, pushed along in a variety of ways by agents of death, Islamists. Only the families who lost their loved ones and those who survived the bullets have to live the rest of their lives with incapacitating injuries, in the main, won’t be able to put the episode behind them.

The mass murderer Nidal Malik Hasan did not riddle people with bullets under the pressure of momentary insanity. The insanity, ironically, in a man who was trained to help people with sanity was introduced in him from the moment of birth and from the very early years when he prostrated himself five times daily toward Mecca in expression of total submission to the dogma of hate called Islam.

Islam is a mental retrovirus that has mutated into numerous varieties and degrees of severity over the past 1400 years. Everyone born in a Muslim family, as well as those who convert to Islam, contracts a particular mutation of the Islamic Virus. As is the case with all retroviruses, the Islamic Virus burrows deeply in the person and erupts from time to time with potentially devastating consequences.

The Islamic Virus first divests the person of his most fundamental human attribute. It takes away his right to make decisions himself and absolves him, in return, of any responsibility for his actions rendered in blind obedience to it.

A true Muslim does not and cannot believe in freedom of choice. In the religion of Islam—Submission—everything is up to Allah, as clearly and repeatedly stipulated in the Quran. The Raison d’être for the Muslim is to be unconditionally submissive to the will and dictates of Allah. Everything that a “good” Muslim does is contingent upon the will and decree of Allah; he is indoctrinated to believe.

Humanity is facing a deeply troubling dilemma. On the one hand, is the desire of enlightened people who aim to forge a world of diverse people into one universal society ruled by peace and justice for everyone. On the other hand, Islamists are hell-bent on imposing their stone-age system on everyone. Tellingly, the Muslims themselves are at one another’s throats regarding which of dozens of Islamic sects’ dogma should rule.

For now, Islam is busy with what it did from the time of its birth, fighting the non-Muslims and infighting.

Truth be told, Violence is the animating force of Islam.

Islam is a religion born through violence, raised by violence, thrives on violence, and dies without violence.

©2024. Amil Imani. All rights reserved.

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Church Should Be About Worship, Not Entertainment

Last week an item on Fox News.com caught my attention. It was a “this day in history” article, commemorating the first rock music concert held, on March 21, 1952. It took place in Cleveland, and it ended in chaos. Glenn Gass, a professor emeritus from Indiana University, said, “Right from the start, it was seen as dangerous music. Kids loved it. Parents hated it. Great. What a way for rock ‘n’ roll to get its start.”

He adds that the event was “abandoned after approximately 30 minutes due to overcrowding and rioting after more than 20,000 revelers stormed the 9,950-seat venue.” Rioting? Over music?

I like to jog or go on bike rides early in the morning. I’ve noticed that when you pass a 7-11, early in the morning, some of them have opera music blaring on the outside. I once heard that they do that by design outside because it tends to discourage the criminal element from going inside or from them congregating outside.

But today there are many churches that utilize rock ‘n’ roll. For those who truly, sincerely worship the Lord by that means, well, I guess that’s a matter of taste.

Yet during Holy Week, we can wonder if it’s always reverent.

Now, the old saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks.” That would seem to generally apply to worship styles. I’m sure many have come back to church through the more modern music. Great.

Ultimately, only God knows the heart. But worship should not be for the sake of entertainment.

Whatever style of music chosen, reverence should be a key factor in worship.

George Washington learned much from a Christian-based book of 110 maxims filled with biblical wisdom. It is called The Rules of Civility. Rule #108 says, “When you Speak of God or his Attributes, let it be Seriously & with Reverence.” To Washington, God was to be revered.

For my series of Providence Forum documentaries on America’s Christian roots, in the episode on George Washington, author Dr. Cal Beisner, the president of the Cornwall Alliance, made this remark: “Washington built a lot of his life around the Rules of Civility. He wrote on each of these different rules and tried to measure up to them himself. And it was very, very clear, I think, that he wasn’t doing this just simply to look good in front of other people. He was doing this because he believed that this pleased God. And Washington was a man who feared the Lord, and lived in accordance with that.”

I admit I’m biased toward the classical. The highlight of the year in terms of church experiences for me is our annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. That piece is without parallel.

Meanwhile, the Christian church has in its repository one of the most beautiful treasure chests of worship. I refer to the old-fashioned hymnals. Many churches today have ditched the old hymnals and opt instead to have words projected on screens. What’s really bad is when they completely ditch the old hymns themselves. Like classical music, the work of hymn-writers such as Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley have stood the test of time.

Among some, there is perhaps a loss of reverence for God today. Yet if you read the Bible, you can’t help but feel the sense of God’s holiness.

Some evangelicals today are so mild on the reverence-to-God-front that it is as if they keep Jesus, their buddy, in their back pocket. They can pull Him out once in a while when they so desire.

But God is holy, holy, holy—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Worship styles may differ. But church shouldn’t be some sort of means of entertainment.

A couple of years ago, a Christian man escorted his Jewish friend (with Judeo-Christian values) who was running for Congress to our church and several other churches in South Florida.

The Christian man told me that he and the candidate had visited about 200 churches in the area, and that the traditional and often classical music we had in the worship service in our church was unique and a breath of fresh air. Wow—we even still have an organ.

During Holy Week, Christians celebrate with awe that God sent His only Son to suffer in a most brutal way and die as a sacrifice on behalf of sinners. Jesus went to hell for us, so we don’t have to. He rose again to seal the deal.

No wonder down through the ages, including our own with songs like “In Christ Alone” (a modern-day hymn, destined to be a classic), hundreds of millions sing His praises in a variety of ways.

All I’m saying is let it all be done in true reverence—not cavalierly. Not to entertain, but to sincerely worship.

©2024. Jerry Newcombe, D. Min. All rights reserved.

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Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine (PFLP), With Other Terror Groups, Are Among Key Organizers Of Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations In Germany

Palestinians | Special Dispatch No. 11232

Mass rallies have taken place in Germany, with thousands of people taking to the streets, in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on October 7 and Israel’s military response. The ongoing large-scale pro-Palestinian rallies were planned to call for an immediate ceasefire and in support of Hamas. Berlin has been one of the main sites of the protests in Europe on this issue. The ideologies represented among the protesters include Islamist, far-left, and Turkish extreme-right. As of November 2, 2023, the Samidoun – Palestine Prisoner Solidarity Network, which Germany explicitly banned in November 2023 and which is the foreign affairs’ arm of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which the U.S.,[1] EU,[2] and Canada[3] have designated as a terrorist organization, served as the primary organizer of the many rallies and vigils held throughout Germany in support of the Palestinian cause and is known for its antisemitism and for its advocacy for Israel’s elimination. Germany’s Interior Ministry says that there are around 450 members of Hamas in the country.[4]

The Broader German Left And The Palestinian Struggle

The Palestinian struggle is exploited by mainstream leftist circles to pursue various goals, including: a communist revolution to replace neoliberalism and capitalism; opposition to anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism, social justice and human rights, solidarity with the oppressed, opposition to Zionism, and criticism of U.S. policy in the Middle East. All these objectives, they believe, align with the Palestinian situation.

Many large rallies across Germany are organized by leftist organizations, many of which maintain close ties to Samidoun. Some of these organizations are: “Global South United,” “Young Struggle,” “Revolutionäre Linke,” “Revolution Germany,” and “Arbeiterinnen Macht,” together with “Palästina Spricht,” “Palästina Kampagne,” “Jüdische Stimme,” and “Jewish Bund.” The presumption is that some of these groups convening mass protests on German streets are acting, in part, on behalf of Samidoun, whose banned activities may have been simply diverted to these other groups.

Major Leftist Organizations Facilitating Or Co-Ordinating Pro-Palestinian Protests

Left-wing engagement with pro-Palestinian solidarity marches demonstrates a convergence of political ideas, values, and assessments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Highly vocal involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian issue has also become popular among many members of Gen Z. Leftist views on Israel and on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are generally heterogenous, ranging from nuanced support for a reasonable resolution, acknowledging the rights and aspirations of both Palestinian Arabs and Israelis, to vehemently rejecting Israel’s policies and even its very existence. Today, the latter appears to be dominant as the extremist perspective has become prevalent in both civil and political life. Leftist organizations, in particular, add significantly to the typically high protest turnout as an effective popular mobilization vehicle, reaching a broad spectrum of interest groups: country/region-specific, feminist, student, and LGBTQ entities. Each community expands its own following, creating an expansive network that transcends narrow interests and regions.

Following are descriptions of groups that are the most prominent in organizing large-scale protests in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Global South United Collective: Decolonize Human Rights

“Global South United Collective” is an organization operating throughout Germany. Its activity is particularly centered in Berlin, operating under the umbrella of “Decolonize Human Rights: No Borders, Abolish Apartheid, Abolish Deportations, Stop the Genocide.” It stands “against all forms of oppression and colonial continuities,” calls for the breaking of silence on injustices, and encourages unity against major human rights violators.

The group asserts that Europe, despite its claims to democracy and human rights, has a dark legacy of perpetuating conflict, injustice, and oppression globally. Hence, the group explains, Europe’s actions have forced countless people to flee their homes in search of safety and opportunity – sometime in Europe. Once seeking refuge in Europe, the migrants experience unequal treatment and additional human rights violations, while the mainstream media too frequently overlooks attacks against marginalized communities, the group contends, encompassing “black, indigenous, and people of color, perpetuating a narrative that ignores the realities of systematic oppression.”[5] Global South United says that echoes of past atrocities continue to reverberate through these injustices.[6] The group posits that Germany obstructs humanitarian aid and tacitly supports atrocities, including genocide and ethnic cleansing. This entrenches Germany’s role in perpetuating oppression, and frustrates efforts to confront the German past. Global South United sees itself playing an important role in dismantling all forms of oppression, challenging structural racism which, the group alleges, is ingrained within German society.

Activities

Together with other groups, including “No Border Assembly,” Global South United launched a campaign calling for the boycott of the German multinational technology enterprises. The campaign “Boycott Siemens, Free Palestine” launched recently aims to shed light on the conglomerate making profits at the cost of human lives, the group alleges. The campaign slogan is: “From WWII to the EU borders to Palestine – no more complicity from Siemens, nor from other profiteers of genocide and border violence.” Global South United claims Siemens operates in occupied regions selling technology to dictatorships including Myanmar, the Western Sahara, and Iran. Interestingly, Iran’s proxy, Hamas, is not mentioned in the campaign, nor in the group’s alleged advocacy for the Palestinian people. Campaign-related protests aim to mobilize health care workers to “make a strong statement of solidarity, as well as [to issue] an indictment against complicity and war profiteering.”[7]

Other activist groups are also official supporters of the “Boycott Siemens” campaign.[8]

The “Boycott Siemens” rally was held at a frequent site of pro-Palestinian protests: the Hermann Platz in Berlin’s district of Neukölln-Kreuzberg.[9]

A “Boycott Siemens” vigil was held at the Siemens facility in Berlin. A Palestinian flag waved above signs reading: “[Siemens] guilty of genocide, apartheid, border violence, climate crisis, weapons production!”

Protests organized by Global South United are usually organized under the pretext of holding Israel liable for alleged genocide while holding Germany “once again” complicit in genocide, misappropriating the Holocaust. In some cases, exploiting or trivializing the Holocaust can lead to legal prosecution in Germany.

Global South United posted one of its many protest flyers held under the umbrella of “Israel Is Guilty – Germany Complicit.” Several symbols at the protests are forbidden in theory – however, enforcement of the law is rare.

A mass protest, organized under the banner of Global South United and affiliated groups, was held at the central train station (Hauptbahnhof) in Berlin, with loud chants, many Palestinian flags and some participants wearing keffiyehs.

A mass protest co-organized by Global South United was held in front of the headquarters of the media company Axel Springer. Protesters accused the enterprise of being “Zionist Propaganda.” The protest was primarily organized to oppose a Jerusalem Post conference held in Berlin. The protesters also accused the German media of criminalizing pro-Palestinian voices and sought to bring attention to the more than 120 journalists “murdered by Israel since October,” states the group, in Israel’s war against Hamas.

Protesters in front of the Axel Springer headquarters in Berlin.[10]

At a recent protest co-organized by Global South United with a group called the “Egyptian Diaspora Resists,” held in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin, participants called for the Egyptian borders to open to Palestinians.

A member of Global South United spoke at the demonstration. The speaker claimed that 460,000 people had been wounded and 26,000 people had been killed in Gaza “by the genocidal settler colonial state of Israel. The genocide continues against the Palestinian people and by closing the Rafah crossing, Egypt is not just complicit in the killing and suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, but Egypt is a part in the crime.” The man, speaking in Arabic, urged those assembled to remember the stories of those allegedly massacred by Israel and to never forget and never forgive. He said: “Resistance provides us with meaning […] No borders are going to stop [the resistance] and no walls, from Palestine to Congo, to Sudan, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Iran and Kurdistan – one fight against colonialism, imperialism, fascism, and dictatorship.” Moreover, the speaker demanded that all Palestinian prisoners be released, and called for the end to the so-called “colonial genocidal settler state of Israel.”

An activist from Global South United speaks at a protest held in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin.[11]

Young Struggle

The “Young Struggle” (YS) ideologically aligns itself with the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLCP), a designated terror organization in Turkey. YS serves as an umbrella organization for MLCP youth groups. The youth wing, “Komünist Gençlik Örgütü/KGÖ” (Turkish, “Communist Youth Organization”) fields organizations across Europe, established by entities from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Britain. In Germany, YS is predominately active in major cities, including Berlin, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Duisburg, Cologne, Hamburg, Kiel, Mannheim, Hildesheim, and Ulm, among several major university cities. The organization’s activism is focused on what they call the “revolutionary struggle,” drawing distinct parallels with militant groups such as the German Red Army Faction (RAF). YS relies heavily on an extensive network throughout the left-wing activism landscape, hence its ability to mobilize young people for its proclaimed cause. YS politicizes youth while raising awareness of injustices and societal disparities; it advocates for active collective resistance. Its activism primarily focuses on anti-repression, anti-capitalism, women’s struggles, anti-fascism, anti-imperialism, and pro-internationalism.[12] Among the organization’s flagship causes are the “Palestinian struggle for liberation,” as well as the “Kurdish liberation cause.”[13] On its webpage, YS regularly publishes extensive articles and opinion pieces.

Activities

After the October 7 attack on Israel, Young Struggle issued a lengthy statement on October 10, defining the Hamas massacre as a “prison break of the Palestinian people.” The statement alludes to October 7, when the “Palestinian National Liberation Movement” staged an operation organized by 14 factions, releasing Palestinian militants to return home in what many termed as a “prison raid.” YS criticized the mainstream media in Germany, as well as generally leftist Turkish and Kurdish outlets, for assuming a narrative in which innocent people were killed by Hamas terrorists, while Israel was described as the “democratic heart of the Middle East.” YS sees itself as the “critical voice emerging from the anti-imperialist youth” that criticizes the reactionary aspects of the revolt, while also denouncing a spectrum of the left that supports reactionary forces rather than emphasizing revolutionary and progressive ones.

YS viewed October 7 as a “popular revolt by the Palestinian resistance movement.” The violence perpetrated by what they call the “oppressed” Palestinians in conjoined as well as with “revolutionary activities in Turkey and Kurdistan.” The civilian casualties are dismissed: “If we reject the validity and legitimacy of any movement or people who have made civilian sacrifices for their liberation and compare them with their oppressors, we will be absolutely incapable of action.”[14]

YS also justified the attack, saying: “Palestinians have neither the capacity nor the motivation to carry out a slaughter of Palestine’s Jewish people. However, the invasion of Gaza, the attacks on the long-demolished migrant camps, the detention of Palestinians in the media and by leading Israeli politicians, and the decade-long surveillance of Israeli soldiers all contribute to an objectively increased risk of mass murder in the Gaza Strip, though the numbers will not be in the hundreds.”[15]

Further, YS claimed the kibbutzim residents are not ordinary civilians, but rather “assault troops” backed by the IDF that are allegedly accelerating the “colonization of Palestine.” YS states that each kibbutz represents a “devastated Palestinian village and hundreds of murdered and displaced Palestinians.”[16]

The importance of resistance is emphasized in the German context, where there is some incitement against migrants; Arabs are sometimes portrayed as those importing antisemitism, and people YS considers “revolutionaries” are imprisoned. To combat perceived injustices on German land, unilateral support is essential in “freedom for Palestine and all oppressed peoples, from the river to the sea.”

The statement “The Al-Aqsa Flood – The Prison Break Of The Palestinian People,” as published on the YS web site.

YS and Samidoun have maintained close ties as a result of their joint participation in, and organization of, rallies and protests marches. In the wake of Samidoun’s monitoring by German law enforcement, which intensified in the spring of 2023, Samidoun issued a statement titled: “Statement of Young Struggle: Solidarity with Samidoun!” on May 18. On Nakba Day, Samidoun praised “our comrades [of] ‘Young Struggle’ for their continuous work against imperialism […].”[17] Immediately after Germany’s interior minister disclosed Samidoun’s involvement, YS uploaded a graphic captioned “Solidarity with Samidoun!” and “No ban can stop us!” A photo of the Samidoun rally reads: “In the fight for a just peace and justice for the Palestinian people, Samidoun has remained steadfast in recent weeks, despite all the repression, smear campaigns, and attacks.” YS, it appears, shall continue to stand with them. [18]

YS post on Instagram expressing solidarity with Samidoun.

YS members further participate in pro-Palestinian vigils, frequently held at the campuses of German universities such as the Berlin-based Freie Universität (FU), which serves as a hotspot of activities which include anti-Zionist and antisemitic rhetoric. One action included the occupation of an FU auditorium where students called for the end of the alleged “genocide” against the Gazans. YS published a statement following the dismantlement of the auditorium siege by the police, in which it claimed that “Solidarity with Palestine is no crime!”[19]

“Solidarity With Palestine Is No Crime!” post shared on Instagram by YS.

On January 31, YS held its own pro-Palestinian protest at the FU by occupying an auditorium for an extended period of time “with around 50 people since Tuesday, 9:30,” as reported by the university’s newspaper “Furios.” The occupiers demand that Germany cease all alleged imperialist actions, including “warmongering” aims, while also demanding the revision of an FU civil clause. [20] The demand calls for the university to cease from investing in arms businesses, and withdraw from research and initiatives involving Israel, and allocate funding solely to civilian research projects. The occupation attempted to disrupt university life in a way reminiscent of left-wing protests of past decades. Previous flyer campaigns had failed to achieve their aims, according to Furios, which also stated that YS had meticulously planned the occupation of the auditorium in advance, perhaps as early as December. “Roles were delegated and recorded, logistics were evaluated, and teams were formed for each stage of the action,” Furios reported. Furthermore, campaigners reportedly submitted an open letter to the FU Executive Board, listing their demands.

YS occupation of the FU auditorium end of January. Two activists can be seen giving a Powerpoint presentation embedded by: the flag of Rojava, which is used by Syrian Kurds; the YPG militia flag; the YS flag; and the Palestinian flag. Two banners are mounted on the wall with the inscriptions: “Youth Against War And Crisis” and “Overthrow Imperialism, New Turning Point – Stop The War![21]

A placard with the words: “Free Palestine From German Guilt” was hoisted at a YS protest in front of the Rotes Rathaus (City Hall) located in Berlin-Mitte.

At the beginning of November, Young Struggle co-organized a large-scale demonstration in the heart of Berlin, near the Rotes Rathaus (City Hall). Activists displayed several flags, including the Palestinian, YS, KGÖ, and MLCP. Activists wearing keffiyehs chanted “From The River To The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” climbed on a Neptune Fountain statue situated near the City Hall, and hung Palestinian flags from the TV Tower.[22]

Leipzig’s YS branch shared photos and videos from their protest in Berlin in November, with activists climbing onto the Neptune Fountain statute; in the background, the TV tower can be seen.

A YS spokesman, shared a video of his speech on his Instagram account. The speech was titled: “Free Palestine – Fight the Apartheid State: The Palestine’s Freedom Movement Will Triumph!” In the video, Glenn discussed Palestinian suffering since the Nakba (Israel’s founding and displacement of approximately 700,000 Arabs) from the Palestinian perspective, using words like “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing.” He cited Al Jazeera news reporting during his address.

EDITORS NOTE: This MEMRI column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.


SOURCES:

 [1] State.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations, October 8, 1997.

[2] Eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:165:0072:0074:EN:PDF, June 26, 2012.

[3] Publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-en.aspx, accessed March 26, 2024.

[4] Dw.com/en/why-germany-banned-hamas-and-pro-palestinian-group-samidoun/a-67546361, November 24, 2023; Verfassungsschutz.de

[5] Radar.squat.net

[6] Radar.squat.net

[7] Picuki.com

[8] Picuki.com

[9] Picuki.com

[10] Picuki.com

[11] Picuki.com

[12] Young-struggle.org

[13] Verfassungsschutz.de

[14] Young-struggle.org

[15] Young-struggle.org

[16] Young-struggle.org

[17] Samidoun.net

[18] Picuki.com

[19] Picuki.com

[20] Furios-campus.de

[21] Furios-campus.de

[22] Scontent.cdninstagram.com

COLUMBIA & CORNELL: The Impact Of Pro-Hamas Educators

Antisemitism at Cornell and Columbia universities has escalated following the October 7th Hamas massacre to the point where both schools are now the subject of federal investigations and lawsuits filed by Jewish students.

The role played by professors in fomenting this hate cannot be understated. Professors openly express anti-Israel sentiments and support terror groups like Hamas.

Their academic positions lend credibility to these views, which has led to the normalization of antisemitic on these once-esteemed campuses.

SEE CAMPAIGN


FEATURED VIDEO

“We are able to take what we learn in the classroom about decolonial theories … and put these theories into practice in real time,” says Columbia SJP activist Safiya O’Brien, who was featured in an Al Jazeera video.

WATCH to find out what “real-time” decolonization means.


FEATURED POST

“It’s crossed such a line into physical violence.” Listen to University of California Berkeley’s Jewish students describe what it’s like to be Jewish at Berkeley these days. Shocking testimony about a PUBLIC university in America.


FEATURED PROFILE

Katya Castell, a counselor at NYC’s Discovery Mental Health Counseling, posted an image that read: “Anti-Semitism: ‘Ideology that is implied to keep the Palestinian in subjugation and to keep the world silent about what is happening to Palestinians.’”

POSTED ON X

READ HER PROFILE 

©2024. . All rights reserved.

PATRIOTIC SONG: ‘American Fire in Our Soul’

This is the second patriotic song. I am still looking for a good composer and a fabulous singer. If you know of any, please get in touch with me. Thank you.


American Fire in Our Soul

Song written by Amil Imani

(Intro – Sparse instrumentation, building tension)

Redwood giants scrape the sky (whisper)
Oceans roar a restless cry (louder)
Prairie winds sing freedom’s song (soft)
Mountains hold where giants belong (louder)

(Verse 1 – Driving beat)

Concrete jungle, city’s heart (fast)
Melting pot, a work of art (slower)
Stars and stripes, a dream unfurled (fast)
From revolution, a new world (slower)

(Chorus – Soaring melody)

Oh, America, a land so vast (powerful)
From etched-in history to future cast (slower)
Equality, justice, a burning desire (fast)
In every heart, a patriot’s fire (slower)

(Verse 2 – Bluesy feel)

Dustbowl whispers of hardship’s hold (slow)
Civil rights march, a story told (faster)
Silicon dreams in neon haze (slow)
Can we learn from the echoes of yesterday’s maze? (faster)

(Chorus – Soaring melody)

Oh, America, a land unfurled (powerful)
From mountains high to oceans swirled (slower)
A melting pot, a fiery test (fast)
We rise, we fall, but freedom’s the quest! (slower)

(Bridge – Spoken word, building intensity)

We are the pilgrims, the slaves set free (spoken)
The cowboys, the dreamers, by the boundless sea (spoken)
Can we bridge the canyons and mend what’s torn? (spoken with rising intensity)
The land of opportunity, forever reborn (spoken with emphasis)

(Chorus – Full band, triumphant melody)

Oh, America, a paradox in bloom (powerful)
A restless spirit, forever in a room (slower)
We fight, we love, a chaotic ballet (fast)

We’ll mend the cracks and find a brighter day! (slower, building to a powerful finish)

©2024. Amil Imani. All rights reserved.

Driven Ministry Center seeks to purchase a 2,000-acre ranch in Ocala, Florida to be called ‘Freedom Ranch’

Michael Mastro, founder of Driven Ministry Center, as a kid growing up on a small farm in Ohio, the first big news story that he remembers was the May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State University which was located about one hour east of where we lived. Whether there is a direct correlation between that event and how our veterans have been treated since that time is a question for academics.

What is known is that on one night in January 2023, over 35,000 veterans – 31,000 men and 4,000 women – were homeless.

Research indicates that those who served in the late Vietnam – roughly 1970 – and post-Vietnam eras are at the greatest risk of becoming homeless but that veterans from more recent wars and conflicts are also affected. Veterans returning from deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq often face invisible wounds of war, including traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, both of which correlate with homelessness.

Local and State governments are evicting veterans in favor of housing the eight million or so illegal aliens that have crossed our southern border.

Driven Ministry Center cannot and will not stand by and allow this to happen to our vets. But we need your help.

Driven Ministry Center intends, with God’s will, to purchase a 2000-acre ranch in the Ocala area to be called Freedom Ranch.

Driven Ministry Center will build a dormitory that will house up to one hundred veterans, male and female in two-person shared rooms. Two rooms will share a bathroom. The rooms will be strictly segregated by gender to protect everyone. Driven Ministry Center will have medical and dental clinics – all free – and for which we already have doctors, dentists and support staff lined up. However, not all veterans want to be housed in a building. Their PTSD makes it preferable to sleep outside. We will have a 200-acre campground with full shower and toilet facilities to protect and accommodate them.

Driven Ministry Center’s Freedom Ranch will be a fully functional horse and cattle ranch. It will include up to 100 head of cattle and 30 horses. Freedom Ranch will have a large garden, the objective of which is to provide as much fresh produce for the residents as possible. Freedom Ranch will not have an abattoir as that skill is more easily outsourced, along with the necessary veterinary and blacksmith services. With that exception, everyone will participate to the best of their ability. This could include cooking, cleaning, animal husbandry, gardening, maintaining the equipment or just plain being a helping hand.

There will of course be a Christian aspect to it, though open to all. This will be funded by God’s will with a foundation built by angels.

We need your help.

Driven Ministry Center, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit and donations are tax deductible.

We need your donations.

We ask that you act in a Biblical fashion.

Whether you can donate two coins as the poor widow did in Mark 12:42 or a much more grand some, ever bit will help.

Please make checks payable to Driven Ministry Center, Inc. In the memo write “Freedom Ranch.”

Checks may be mailed to Jeffrey Sanow, 9036 Unicorn Dr., Port Richey FL 34668.

ABOUT DRIVEN MINISTRY CENTER

Driven Ministry Center is a non-profit organization that ‘Changes America One Heart at a Time!’ via counseling  in a personal way that truly makes a difference.  As traveling evangelists we go where God leads us, spreading the ‘Good News’ that not only is the surety of eternal life in heaven available, which is very important; but the fact that God wants you to live here on earth blessed – enjoying health and wealth as your soul prospers.  (3 John 2)

©2024. All rights reserved.

Army Recall ALARCT 2024: Army Looking to Recall Up to Age 68

I’ve heard from friend who has contacts in DOD Personnel that this could involve a “recall” of retirees up to the age of 68.  I’m glad I don’t qualify for this potential recall.

Anyone volunteering for this must not have kept up at how totally woke all services have become at the top.


Army Seeks Retirees to Come Back to Work Amid Manpower Crisis

Micaela Burrow  / 

The Army is seeking to bring back retired soldiers to fill critical manpower shortages, according to a service wide directive published this week.

The All Army Activities document describes how Army retirees can find and apply for open positions and aims to maintain a sufficient number of personnel to fill all of the Army’s authorized positions.

The message comes as the service publicly has acknowledged its struggles to balance a shrinking workforce with the demands of sprawling global mission sets as recruitment woes persist for a third year in a row.

“A review of commands’ requests for [the] fill of authorized personnel vacancies, in conjunction with current Army manning guidance, prompted review of how the Army can fill key and critical position vacancies,” the document states, outlining the situation. “The retiree recall program can be an effective tool to fill personnel shortages of authorized regular Army vacancies that are considered key and essential.”

It was unclear whether the Army already had identified manning shortages to be filled or was issuing the message in anticipation of future need. The Army didn’t respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comments by deadline.

Continue reading.

©2024. Royal A. Brown III. All rights reserved.


Army Recall ALARCT 2024 – DIRECTORATEOF MILITARY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

What is Retiree Recall?

A recalled retiree is a retired Soldier who is ordered to active duty from the Retired Reserve or the retired list under 10 USC 688/688a, 12301(a), or 12301(d) and serves in his or her retired status. Retiree Recall is not an extension of your MRD.

Who can approve a Retiree Recall?

The Assistant Secretary of the Army (ASA) of Manpower & Reserve Affairs (M&RA) is the authorized approver to recall retired Soldiers.

Who is eligible for Retiree Recall?

Personnel of all grades are eligible for retiree recall to Active Duty (AD). There is no age limitation, although personnel older than 70 not normally recalled. Recalled retiree Soldiers must be aligned to a valid AC vacancy with an exact grade and skill level match (“one up-two down” does not apply). The retiree population will be utilized as a last resort to fill AC requirements.

I’m currently drawing retirement and disability pay. Can I continue to receive those?

You may only receive one form of compensation while on AD. Usually, that will mean AD Pay and Allowances. Your retirement pay will be suspended. You must notify the Veterans Administration of your active service and make a pay election (i.e., suspend your disability payments). Failure to do so will result in collection actions for overpayment.

Slide 2 of 9

DIRECTORATEOF MILITARY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

How long is a recall?

Retired Soldiers voluntarily ordered to AD, in support of peacetime operations, will normally remain on AD from 1 to 2 years. Retired aviation officers are generally recalled for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years.

Can I be promoted?

No. Retirees are not eligible for promotion. (AR 600-10, Chapt 2). Retired Soldiers will be ordered to AD in their current grade on the retired list unless otherwise directed by HQDA. Members of Retired Reserve must be ordered to AD in their reserve grade.

Can I be released early?

Yes. Retirees may be released for poor performance, lack of operational requirements, personal hardship, or other reason deemed appropriate.

Can my security clearance be reinstated?

Everyone is required to pass a National Agency Check with Local Agency Checks (NACLC) and Credit Check (also known as Tier 3) to be able to attain a Secret Clearance. Generally, those with less than two years into retirement are easier to process. You must, of course be eligible to hold the level of clearance that the job requires.

Slide 3 of 9

DIRECTORATEOF MILITARY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

I am still on Active Duty. What do I need to start?

Soldiers serving on AD who are immediately recalled (day after contractual obligation ends) must go through the actual retirement process and initiate DD2656 (Data for Payment of Retired Personnel) to allow DFAS to build a retired account. HRC will require either your retirement order or your DD214.

How do I find a position eligible for recall?

Currently, the only mechanism is for Commanders, ACOMs, Army Service Component Commands, Direct Reporting Units, and Army component commanders to request retiree support by one of two means: through a requirement-based request or a by-name request. There is no database or system to post and/or search for retiree recall positions.

What are the minimum requirements?

You must meet the medical fitness standards IAW AR 40-501, para. 8-17, which states “A current (within the past 12 months) periodic health assessment, separation health assessment, or retirement medical examination is required.” A civilian medical assessment may be substituted or you may be sent to a Mobilization Force Generation Installation (MFGI) who will validate your medical readiness before assignment. For mobilization, you must also meet standards for deployment to the theater of operations.

You must maintain personal fitness and stay within Army weight/body fat standards during period of active duty.

DIRECTORATEOF MILITARY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

What do I need to submit?

HRC will provide you with a checklist of required documents. You must complete this checklist to be further considered for recall. Some additional documents and certifications may be required, but generally you will need:

  • Command request memorandum 1825 Rule Waiver request (can be combined with Command request) Position Validation
  • DA Form 160 (request for active duty) DA55005501 (body fat worksheet)
  • DA7349(Initial medical review) Current PHA(consecutive tours)
  • Security Clearance level and dateRetirement order or DD214
  • Waiver of notice for deployments

Slide 5 of 9

DIRECTORATEOF MILITARY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Where do I report?

Your report location for in processing will be located on your orders. Failure to report to the location specified will negatively impact your tour and may result in immediate revocation of the active duty order.

What are my entitlements?

Your pay and entitlements are the same as any other Soldier currently on active duty. CONUS and OCONUS tours follow the rules as outlined in the Joint Travel Regulation.

What else?

  • Soldiersand Sailors’ Civil Relief Act applies to all retired Soldiers ordered to AD.
  • Protection under Uniformed Services Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) applies Recalled personnel do not receive additional entitlements to educational benefits,

unless specifically provided for by Congressional action.

  • Recalled personnel ordered to AD are automatically enrolled in SGLI (unless declined) Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Law stipulates a Soldier typically may not change previous

SBP election, however cost of coverage is suspended until Soldier is released from AD Once AD period is complete, retired pay will be recalculated based on:

1) higher grade to which [if] appointed while on AD 2) Disability incurred or aggravated

3) Length of service on AD

  • You must contact the VA upon completion of AD to reinstate your disability benefits

Slide 6 of 9

DIRECTORATEOF MILITARY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

120 days*

Force Requestor identifies a critical vacancy and selects a qualified Soldier (must be an exact match of Rank/Grade and MOS/AOC).

Soldier† completes the Retiree Recall

packet and submit directly to Human Resources Command

HRC conducts the initial screening

of the recall request, builds the packet, and forwards it to DMPM

† 90120 days from start

OTJAG†† DMPM requests a legal

opinion from HQDA-Office of Judge Advocate General (OTJAG)

† † Minimum 30 days

DMPM

Upon receipt of the legal opinion, the entire packet is routed through the HQDA G-1 DMPM, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, and the ASA (M&RA) for a final decision.

ASA M&RA Packet approved, routed back to HRC for orders production; only HRC may publish, amend, or revoke a recall order.

*for visualization only. Staffing times are approximate(except where noted).Please plan accordingly. DMPM Mobilization Division Team: usarmy.pentagon.hqdadcs-g1.mbx.mobilizationdivision@army.mil

HRC Retiree Recall website: https://www.hrc.army.mil/STAFF/Retiree%20Recall

HRC Retiree Recall Team: usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.rpmd-ord-retiree-recall@army.mil

Slide 7 of 9

QUESTIONS?

Please Contact Human Resources Command or visit: https://www.hrc.army.mil/STAFF/Retiree%20Recall or contact The Mobilization Division at the DMPM usarmy.pentagon.hqda-dcs-g-1.mbx.mobilization-division@army.mil

DIRECTORATEOF MILITARY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

References:

  1. A) 10 USC 688 Retired members: authority to order to active duty; duties
  2. B) 10 USC 688a Retired members: temporary authority to order to active duty in high-demand, low-density assignments
  3. C) 10 USC 12301 Reserve Components Generally
  4. D) SEC ARMY Memorandum pursuant to Executive Order 13814 (2018)
  5. E) DOD Instruction (DoD I)1352.01 Management Of Regular And Reserve Retired Military Members (December 8, 2016)
  6. F) Financial Management Regulation (FMR) 7000.14-R – Volume 7B, Chapter 7: Active/Reserve Duty After Retirement (December 2019)
  7. G) Army Regulation 601-10 Management and Recall to Active Duty of Retired Soldiers of the Army in Support of Mobilization and Peacetime Operations (7 June 2019)
  8. H) Army Regulation 135-200 Active Duty For Missions, Projects, and Training for Reserve Component Soldiers (20 October 2020)
  9. I) Army Regulation 40-501 Standards of Medical Fitness (27 June 2019)

Slide 9 of 9

U.S. Army Retiree Recall Process Flow

Force Requestor Identifies a critical vacancy and selects a qualified RR Soldier (must be an exact match of Rank/Grade and MOS/AOC).

90 total days

Force Requestor Completes the Retiree Recall packet and submits it directly to HRC RPMD

HRC

Conducts the initial screening of the recall request, builds the packet in DAMPS and will forward to the DMPM, MOB DIV.

OTJAG

The MOB DIV requests a legal opinion from the HQDA, OTAG. The packet is sent back to the MOB DIV.

DMPM

The MOB DIV will SLAP the packet in ETMS2 to the HQDA G-1 DMPM and the DCS, G-1 to recommend approval or disapproval.

ASA

The MOB DIV will route the RR packet in ETMS2 to the ASA (M&RA) for final determination. The RR packet is routed back to HRC.

HRC

HRC will complete the orders production process. ** only HRC may publish, amend, orrevoke a recall order.**

RR

Soldier receives orders and reports to unit of assignment.

120 total days

≈ 7-14 days ≈ 1-7 days ≈ 30 days ≈ 7-14 days ≈ 7-14 days ≈ 3-5 days

LEGEND     RETIREE RECALL AUTHORITIES      PACKET REQUIREMRNTS

v Days: Business days v ARNG: Army National Guard

v ASA (M&RA): Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs)

v COMPO: Army Component

v DAMPS: Department of the Army Mobilization Processing Systems

v DMPM: Directorate of Military Personnel Management v DCS, G-1: Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1

v EO: Executive Order

v ETMS2:Army Task Management System v.2

v FR: The Command Requesting the RR v HRC: Human Resources Command v MOB DIV: Mobilization Division v OTJAG: Office of the Judge Advocate

General

v RPMD: Reserve Personnel Management Directorate

v RR: Retiree Recall Soldier

v SLAP: Senior Leader Approval Process v USAR: United States Army Reserve

Regular Army (COMPO 1) (RA)

  • 10 USC 688 / 688a • EO 13814
  • DODI 1352.01 • AR 40-501
  • AR 600-9 • AR 601-10

Reserve Components (COMPO 2 (ARNG) & COMPO 3 (USAR)

  • 10 USC 12301(a) / 12301(d) • DODI 1352.01
  • AR 40-501 • AR 600-9 • AR 601-10

General Officers (COMPO 1, 2, & 3)

  • 10 USC 689 / 690 • EO 13814
  • DODI 1352.01 • AR 40-501
  • AR 600-9 • AR 601-10

vO7/ SES-equivalent command justification memorandum vDAForm160(request for active duty)

vDA5500-5501 (body fat worksheet) vDA7349(Initial medical review) v Current PHA(consecutive tours) v Security Clearance level and date v Retirement order orDD214

v FMS Web printout identifying the vacant AC position

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1: What is Retiree Recall?

A1: Are called retiree is a retired Soldier who is ordered to active duty(AD) from the RetiredReserveortheretiredlistunder10USC688 / 688a, 12301(a),or12301(d).PerAR601-10,Recalledretiree Soldiers must be aligned to a valid vacant AC requirement that matches the grade and skill of the retiree before he or she may be recalled to AD. The retiree population will be utilized as a last resort to fill Active Component vacant requirements.

Q2: I am still on Active Duty. What do I need to start?

A2: Soldiers serving on AD who are immediately recalled(day after contractual obligation ends)must go through the actual retirement process and initiate DD Form 2656 Data for Payment of Retired Personnel)to allow DFAS to build a retired account. HRC will require either your retirement order or your DD Form 214.

 

Q3: What are the minimum requirements?

A3: You must meet the medical fitness standards IAW AR 40-501, 3-2. For initial tours you may utilize a DA Form 749 Annual Medical Certificate with page 2 signed by a physician. IAW AR 600-9, retirees must stay within Army body composition standards during period of active duty. Retirees who exceed standard will be placed in Army Weight Control Program.

 

Q4: How do I find a position eligible for recall?

A4: The only mechanism is for the Command to request retiree support by one of two means: through a requirement-based requestor a by-name request. There is no data base or system to post and/or search for retiree recall positions.

Q5: How long is the period of recall?

A5: RetiredSoldiersvoluntarilyorderedtoAD,insupportofpeacetimeoperations, will normally remain on AD from 1 to 2years. Retired aviation officers are generally recalled for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years.

Q6: How does the FR request an extension for a Retiree Recall?

A6: Any extension requests requires the FR to generate a new recall packet; the packet will follow the same processing timeline and review/approval requirements.

Q7: Can I be promoted?

A7: No. Retirees are not eligible for promotion. (AR 601-10, Chapter 2-4). Retired Soldiers will be ordered to AD in their current grade on the retired list unless otherwise directed by HQDA. Members of Retired Reserve must be ordered to AD in their reserve grade.

Q8: I’m currently drawing retirement and disability pay. I am still eligible to serve as Retiree Recall and will I continue to receive these payments?

A8: Retire pay will automatically be suspended for retired Soldiers ordered to AD for over 30 days. On release from active duty (REFRAD), other than for training, retired Soldiers are entitled to credit the additional time served on AD for computation of retired pay. Disabled Veterans are still eligible to serve as a Retiree Recall however they must notify the Department of Veterans Affairs and make a pay election (i.e., suspend your disability payments). Failure to do so will result in a collection action for overpayment.

Additional Information and Points of Contact

Timeline: The Force Requestor must contact HRC to initiate the recall process at a minimum of 90 before the requested start date. The process can take 90-120 days from start to finish.

DMPM Mobilization Division Team: usarmy.pentagon.hqdadcs-g-1.mbx.mobilization-division@army.mil HRC Retiree Recall website:https://www.hrc.army.mil/STAFF/Retiree%20Recall

HRC Retiree Recall Team: usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.rpmd-ord-retiree-recall@army.mil

UPDATED AS OF 4 JANUARY 2024                                                                  CUI

Retiree Recall Program Overview

What is Retiree Recall?

  • Are called retiree is a retired Soldier who is ordered to active duty(AD)from the Retired Reserve or the retired list under 10USC 688/688a,12301(a),or 12301(d). PerAR601-10,Recalled retiree Soldiers must be aligned to a valid vacant AC requirement that matches the grade and skill of the retiree before he or she may be recalled to AD. The retiree population will be utilized as a last resort to fill Active Component vacant requirements.

I am still on Active Duty. What do I need to start?

  • Soldiers serving on AD who are immediately recalled (day after contractual obligation ends) must go through the actual retirement process and initiate DD Form 2656 Data for Payment of Retired Personnel) to allow DFAS to build a retired account. HRC will require either your retirement order or your DD Form 214.

What are the minimum requirements?

  • You must meet the medical fitness standards IAW AR 40-501, 3-2. For initial tours you may utilize a DA Form 749 Annual Medical Certificate with page 2 signed by a physician. Retirees must stay within Army body composition standards during period of active duty. Retirees who exceed standard will be placed in Army Weight Control Program.

How do I find a position eligible for recall?

  • The only mechanism is for the Command to request retiree support by one of two means: through a requirement-based request or a by-name request. There is no database or system to post and/or search for retiree recall positions.

How long is the period of recall?

  • Retired Soldiers voluntarily ordered to AD, in support of peacetime operations, will normallyremainonADfrom1 to2years. Retired aviation officers are generally recalled for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years.

Can I be promoted?

  • No. Retirees are not eligible for promotion. (AR 601-10, Chapter 2-4). Retired Soldiers will be ordered to AD in their current grade on the retired list unless otherwise directed by HQDA. Members of Retired Reserve must be ordered to AD in their reserve grade.

Im currently drawing retirement and disability pay. I am still eligible to serve as Retiree Recall and will I continue to receive these payments?

  • Retire pay will automatically be suspended for retired Soldiers ordered to AD for over 30 days. On release from active duty (REFRAD), other than for training, retired Soldiers are entitled to credit the additional time served on AD for computation of retired pay. Disabled Veterans are still eligible to serve as a Retiree Recall however they must notify the Department of Veterans Affairs and make a pay election (i.e., suspend your disability payments). Failure to do so will result in a collection action for overpayment.

Force Requestor

Identifies a critical vacancy and selects a qualified Soldier (must be an exact match of Rank/Grade and MOS/AOC).

Force Requestor†

Completes the Retiree Recall packet and submit directly to Human Resources Command

† 90120 days from start to finish

HRC

Conducts the initial screening of the recall request, builds the packet, and forward sit to DMPM

OTJAG††

DMPM requests a legal opinion from HQDA-Office of Judge Advocate General (OTJAG)

† † Minimum 30 days

DMPM

Upon receipt of the legal opinion, the entire packet is routed through the HQDA G-1 DMPM, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, and the ASA (M&RA) fora final decision.

ASA M&RA

Packet approved, routed back to HRC for orders production; only HRC may publish, amend, or revoke a recall order.

Additional Information and Points of Contact Timeline: The Force Requestor must contact HRC to initiate the recall process which can take 90-120 days fromstart to finish.

Required Documents:

O7/SES-equivalent command justification memorandum DAForm160(request for active duty)

DA5500-5501(body fat worksheet) DA7349(Initial medical review) Current PHA(consecutive tours) Security Clearance level and date RetirementorderorDD214

FMS Web printout identifying the vacant AC position

DMPM Mobilization Division Team: usarmy.pentagon.hqdadcs-g1.mbx.mobilizationdivision@army.mil HRC Retiree Recall website:https://www.hrc.army.mil/STAFF/Retiree%20Recall

HRC Retiree Recall Team: usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.rpmd-ord-retiree-recall@army.mil                                                                                                                            3

CUI

Dem Claims Men ‘Don’t Compete in Women’s Sports’ as Stolen Titles Near 300

Does Rep. Jerry Nadler (D) live in New York or an alternate universe? People certainly wondered after a House Judiciary hearing where the 76-year-old declared, “Men do not compete in women’s sports.” Is the president’s senility contagious or is Nadler living in complete denial of a global phenomenon that’s plunged communities into chaos? Not only are men competing in women’s sports, they’re winning women’s titles — a fact Riley Gaines was more than happy to point out.

“Ironic he says this on the EXACT 2 year anniversary of this photo being taken,” the former University of Kentucky swimmer posted alongside a picture of Lia Thomas holding a trophy he never should have had the chance to race for. “This 6’4” man isn’t fooling anyone with any amount of common sense,” Gaines fumed. “2 years ago today I had a fire lit under me and communists like Nadler continue to fuel it.”

And yet, Nadler was so determined to suppress reality that he actually moved to have evidence of the debate stricken from the record. Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman (Wyo.) had catalogued a number of times that biological boys had stolen girls’ titles and opportunities in the last several years. The group SheWon puts the number at an eye-popping 292 stolen first-place podiums. “I ask for unanimous consent to submit for the record instances of men hijacking women’s sports and the various examples that we have demonstrating not only injuries that have been suffered by women as men have participated in girls’ sports, but also the women — the girls and women who have been affected by this, including Riley Gaines, when Will Thomas decided to join the … women’s swimming team in Pennsylvania,” she requested.

Nadler, the committee’s ranking member, fired back, “I object to concluding these mistruths in the record.” Shocked, Hageman replied how telling it was that he didn’t want the facts included in the record — to which the New Yorker replied, “Men do not compete in women’s sports.”

That’s news to the 25 (going on 26) states who’ve stepped in to stop this madness from overtaking their girls at the pool, track, court, field, and gym. If it wasn’t happening, then this was sure a monumental waste of legislative time.

Slack-jawed, conservatives kept up the pressure, giving a passionate defense of girls and the opportunities, safety, and privacy they’re losing by this absurd introduction of men in women’s sports. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) showed a video montage of girls who’ve been physically injured playing against biological boys in volleyball, field hockey, and basketball. From Massachusetts to North Carolina, members watched as girls screamed in pain, lost teeth, were carted off with head injuries. One of the victims, Payton McNabb, still suffers from blurred vision, partial paralysis, and memory loss.

We have examples, Spartz insisted, of “much stronger guys playing sports against biologically not-as-strong women.” “Girls actually get hurt by biological males playing sports,” she argued. “I mean, it is really unbelievable for me that this is an issue that we cannot stand with women and girls on.” Instead, Spartz went on, “the other side tries to really deter the conversation in a different direction and divert it. … Let’s talk about how we are going to protect our women and girls.”

When the talk turned to privacy rights, Democrat Eric Swalwell (Calif.) joined Nadler’s delusion, claiming that men in girls locker rooms “is not a thing.”

Tell that to the 16 plaintiffs suing the NCAA. One of them, Gaines’s teammate and SEC champion Kaitlynn Wheeler, describes in agonizing detail how they were put in a “fundamentally unfair situation that no student-athlete, let alone a teenage girl, should ever have to face.” The collegiate sports body “did not simply make my teammates in the 100-, 200-, and 500-yard freestyle races face a biological male swimmer in the pool,” she insisted. “The NCAA also decided that Lia Thomas, a 6-foot-4-inch, 22-year-old transgender swimmer with a male body and full male genitalia, would be undressing with us.” She writes of that traumatizing experience in a new Washington Examiner op-ed:

“The moment I realized Thomas would be sharing our most private space, I was engulfed by a whirlwind of emotions — shock, disbelief, horror. The sanctity of our locker room, a space that should have been ours and ours alone, was shattered without warning. The presence of male genitalia in a space that was supposed to be safe, where we were vulnerable and exposed, was not just uncomfortable; it was a visceral invasion of our privacy and dignity.

“Feeling my stomach churn as whispers turned to silence, I stood there, naked and exposed, not just physically but also emotionally, grappling with a reality I couldn’t comprehend. The NCAA’s decision to transform our sanctuary into a ‘unisex’ locker room without our consent felt like a betrayal of the highest order. It was a stark reminder that our voices, our comfort, and our boundaries did not matter.”

And yet, the effort to protect these girls is what Swalwell called “creepy” — not forcing innocent teenagers to share a room with a naked man. That’s what really stings, the girls say. No one has their backs. As so many female athletes admitted to Senate Republicans, they feel “helpless.” “This is kind of a theme that we got,” Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said of his committee’s investigation on trans inclusion in sports: “‘Why am I even trying? I don’t have any hope whatsoever.’” “Our voices as women were completely silenced,” another admitted.

Fortunately for Wheeler and the thousands of American daughters living this nightmare, Republicans do care. Over the objections of Democrats, conservatives on the House Judiciary Committee passed Rep. Greg Steube’s (R-Fla.) Protection of Women in Olympic & Amateur Sports Act last Thursday. To Wheeler, who watched Thomas stand on top of a podium meant for her sport, maybe it will mean the end of the silence of the adults in the room. “That silence spoke volumes of the injustice, pain, and anger brewing in the hearts of not just the competitors but of every woman forced into silence by a system that refuses to listen.”

Until then, she vowed, women will “stand against the erasure of our voices,” whether or not this president or his party stands with them. “We demand a future where female athletes are respected, where our safety and privacy are not just acknowledged but fiercely protected.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

RELATED ARTICLE: Does Transgender Visibility Day Override Resurrection Sunday?

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.


The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Christianity Is Exclusive — And Inclusive!

A study by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research published in late 2022 offered a startling finding: nearly 60% of professing evangelical Protestants believe Jesus is but one of a number of ways to God. A similar 2021 survey by Probe Ministries documented a similar percentage.

This is more than troubling — it is a rejection, whether from ignorance or outright rebellion to God’s Word, of the New Testament’s teaching about the person and work of Jesus Christ. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” said Jesus. “No one comes to the Father except by Me” (John 14:6). The apostle Peter confirmed his Master’s claim: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). In addition to such explicit passages, the whole text of the New Testament asserts that Jesus of Nazareth, fully God and fully man, took into Himself the penalty of eternal death deserved by all of us. That’s comprehensive in both time and scope, and by definition excludes all other supposed pathways to God.

These things compose a single claim: That there are no other means of obtaining a relationship with God and eternal life apart from placing your trust in Christ alone for forgiveness and reconciliation with our Creator. And in making this claim, Christianity is accused of being narrow, unfair, and arrogant. There are so many other faiths, and so many good people now and throughout history who have never heard of Jesus; how can Christianity tell every other religion it is false and every other spiritual code it is inadequate?

These are hard questions. Not to admit this is not to be honest. Yet the Bible also tells us that God is both loving and just, and Jesus commanded His followers to go throughout the earth and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). This, then, is the foundational calling of all who have come to know Him.

The God of the Bible has provided but one way to be born physically and, in the same way, only one way to be born spiritually. He is the One Who makes and redeems; the way of knowing Him is a matter of His choice, not ours.

The uniqueness of Jesus and His plan of salvation are not the Bible’s only exclusivities. Christianity also claims that marriage is exclusive: one man and one woman in a life-long, covenantal relationship (see, for example, Proverbs 2:14) and the only place where sexual intimacy is honored by God. In our era, one characterized by every manner of sexual dysfunction and promiscuity, this understanding of human sexuality is profoundly counter-cultural. It is also an understanding of unity, complementarity, and life-affirming relationship imbued with beauty, goodness, and truth.

These things mirror the character of God Himself. He is a God of exclusivity. He told the people of Israel, “See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me” (Deuteronomy 32:39). He declares to Isaiah, “I am Yahweh, and there is no other, besides me there is no God” (45:5).

In our time, these scriptural claims are discomfiting. How much simpler and less contentious to affirm religion as palliative, a means of coping with stress and molding one’s preferred deity into the form most comfortable to the molder. And how distasteful to assert that there is but one true God and one means of entering His presence, that new birth through which the imponderable purity of His Son is imputed to those who repent and place their hope in Him alone.

These perceptions are appealing but have an immutable disadvantage: They are false, wrong, and turn us in the direction of everlasting punishment. This is because of the gospel’s unmitigated inclusivity.

Yes, you read that correctly. The good news of Jesus is inclusive, open to all who come to Him and receive Him by faith. We read in Revelation 7:9 that in heaven, followers of Christ will be part of “a great multitude that no one can number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” Eternal redemption is open to all, not some spiritual elite or mysteriously initiated handful.

Jesus is alive: This is the simple and universe-shaking truth of the resurrection, that always-glorious day we will celebrate this coming Sunday. The way to know God is exclusively through Him, and that way is accessible to all, including you and me. Come meet Him today.

AUTHOR

Rob Schwarzwalder

Rob Schwarzwalder, Ph.D., is Senior Lecturer in Regent University’s Honors College.

RELATED VIDEO: Tucker Carlson points out examples of the new legal code and motives of the current U.S. administration

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.


The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

DeSantis Signs Bill Targeting Addictive Social Media and ‘Digital Trafficking’

The Sunshine State is moving to protect children from “addictive” social media and the “danger” of online predators. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill into law on Monday prohibiting minors under the age of 14 from opening or operating social media accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others.

H.B. 3 bars children under 14 “from creating new accounts” and requires “social media platforms to terminate certain accounts and provide additional options for termination of such accounts.” The legislation also requires minors aged 14 and 15 to obtain parental consent before creating social media accounts and mandates “age verification measures for internet sites that contains [sic] obscene or ‘harmful’ content, unsuitable for minors,” such as pornographic websites.

“Documentation of the deleterious effects of social media on children abounds, and yet we still seem hesitant to place governmental authority over this powerful force. I am glad to see efforts like the one in Florida,” Family Research Council Senior Fellow Meg Kilgannon said in comments to The Washington Stand. “The need to protect children from online predators specifically is very real, but the general effort to rein in social media in favor of authentic relationships and in-person engagement is more important than ever.”

In a brief speech before signing the legislation, DeSantis said, “One of the things that I know a lot of parents have had concerns about is the role that the internet and social media play in the upbringing of young kids.” He continued, “Now, with things like social media and all this, you can have a kid in the house — safe, seemingly — and then you have predators that get right in there, into your own home. You could be doing everything right, but they know how to get and manipulate these different platforms.” Referring to his own family and his role as governor, DeSantis noted, “One of the things that informs me on issues relating to children is just being a dad of young children.”

Following DeSantis, Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (R) said, “Knowing what I know now, none of us can afford to be on the sidelines when it comes to social media, when it comes to hardcore pornography that our kids are being exposed to.” He explained, “We know from law enforcement, we know from our prosecutors, that social media is the primary platform in which children are trafficked, in which pedophiles … pretending to be children, come after our children, and that more crimes against children happen on these platforms than any other venue.”

“Our bill is focused on addiction, and when you think about it, children are not set up to handle the addiction that some of us as adults have had to face and step away from,” Renner continued. “A child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked in to these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it.” Referring to social media as “digital trafficking,” the speaker asked, “If I said to you that a company was going to take children, use addiction that causes them harm for profit, what does that sound like? Sounds like trafficking to me.”

Florida Senator Erin Grall (R), who sponsored the Senate version of the bill, stated that social media companies “have made our parenting difficult by addicting our children.” She said that although she expects the law to be upheld if challenged in courts, “it always comes back to the parents,” who she said have “abdicated our responsibility” and allowed addictive social media platforms to serve as “babysitters.”

Grall’s original bill was vetoed earlier this month by DeSantis, who wanted stronger language protecting parental rights and addressing internet anonymity. The new law will take effect on January 1, 2025.

AUTHOR

S.A. McCarthy

S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.

POST ON X:

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.


The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

VIDEO: ‘The Soviet Story’—From Joseph Stalin to Joseph Biden. History is repeating itself!

“There is no present or future – only the past, happening over and over again – now.” — Eugene O’Neill

“History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.” — Karl Marx

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  — George Santayana


It appears that history is truly repeating itself and the United States is more and more looking like the former Soviet Union, while the New York Times yawns.

The New York Times during the era of Joseph Stalin

Walter Duranty was an Anglo-American journalist who served as Moscow bureau chief of The New York Times for fourteen years (1922–1936) following the Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War (1917–1923).

The New York Times’ Walter Duranty, one of the most famous correspondents of his day, won the Pulitzer Prize for 13 articles written in 1931 analyzing the Soviet Union under Stalin.

Duranty’s cabled dispatches had to pass Soviet censorship, and Stalin’s propaganda machine was powerful and omnipresent. Duranty’s analyses relied on official sources as his primary source of information, accounting for the most significant flaw in his coverage – his consistent underestimation of Stalin’s brutality.

Describing the Communist plan to “liquidate” the five million kulaks, relatively well-off farmers opposed to the Soviet collectivization of agriculture, Duranty wrote in 1931, for example: “Must all of them and their families be physically abolished? Of course not – they must be ‘liquidated’ or melted in the hot fire of exile and labor into the proletarian mass.”

Taking Soviet propaganda at face value this way was completely misleading, as talking with ordinary Russians might have revealed even at the time. Duranty’s prize-winning articles quoted not a single one – only Stalin, who forced farmers all over the Soviet Union into collective farms and sent those who resisted to concentration camps.

Collectivization was the main cause of a famine that killed millions of people in Ukraine, the Soviet breadbasket, in 1932 and 1933 – two years after Duranty won his prize.

Even then, Duranty dismissed more diligent writers’ reports that people were starving. “Conditions are bad, but there is no famine,” he wrote in a dispatch from Moscow in March of 1933 describing the “mess” of collectivization. “But – to put it brutally – you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.”

Some of Duranty’s editors criticized his reporting as tendentious, but The Times kept him as a correspondent until 1941. Since the 1980’s, the paper has been publicly acknowledging his failures.

Ukrainian-American and other organizations have repeatedly called on the Pulitzer Prize Board to cancel Duranty’s prize and The Times to return it, mainly on the ground of his later failure to report the famine.

Fast Forward to 2024 and the New York Times under Joseph Biden

In a March 27, 2024 article titled Desperate Politicians Do Desperate Things In Election Years the President of Citizens United David Bossie wrote,

Desperate politicians do desperate things in an election year and that describes President Joe Biden’s strategy for 2024 perfectly.

[ … ]

The shameless Biden will do anything to get re-elected.  With no answers on how to fix the economy, no interest in securing our southern border, and no ability to project strength abroad, Biden is going to run in support of the Washington swamp and broken status quo. This means signing legislation to fund the government and his failed policies with 1,000-page omnibus bills that are barely read or debated.  It means running on radical climate alarmism and abortion fear tactics.  It means prioritizing another forever war in Ukraine and damaging our alliance with Israel.  And it means stealing from responsible American taxpayers by forgiving billions upon billions in student loans.  So, if you’re looking for a reason to be hopeful about the future, don’t look to Joe Biden.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that the Biden student-loan forgiveness program is an unconstitutional vote buying scheme. To date, the administration has robbed $144 billion from the American people without congressional approval in an attempt to buy the votes of nearly four million debtors.  When you consider that the 2020 election was decided by about 43,000 votes in just three states, Joe Biden’s lawless loan repayment operation could pay off in droves.

To date, the Biden administration has bailed out over 14,000 borrowers in Arizona; 35,000 in Georgia; 30,000 in Michigan; 38,000 in Pennsylvania; and 16,000 in Wisconsin. According to the Department of Education, President Biden is literally emailing “an additional 380,000 public service workers thanking them for their service and notifying them they are on track to have their debt cancelled…” 

And Biden’s message for the millions of Americans who paid their students loans off on time?  Playing by the rules no longer matters.  Remember, this is Joe Biden’s America, where everything is upside down and hard work no longer pays off.  Congress must aggressively investigate this loan program so the American people know the truth about exactly what’s going on behind the high walls of Biden’s vast bureaucracy.

At the same time, President Biden’s political allies in the biased mainstream media brutally attack former President Trump for simply campaigning to make America great again.

Continue reading.

Joseph Stalin and Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. have more in common than their first names.

Like Stalin, Biden has weaponized the federal government to eliminate his political rivals and anyone who opposes him and his failed policies.

The New York Times isn’t reporting on this new collectivization of America. The New York Times isn’t reporting on this criminality:

The only thing that will stop this new slaughter is if we the people vote in a president who will return power to the people by draining the swamp from the schoolhouse to the White House.

©2024. All rights reserved.

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The European Union is the branch office of the COMINTERN.

Christ Is King and Every Knee Shall Bend

Almost since the beginning of recorded history, men have sought power: Caesars and shahs, kings and sultans, princes and khans, presidents and prime ministers, emperors and generals. Kingdoms and empires, dynasties and nations have risen and fallen, memorialized in poems and art and the annals of history. Some dominated entire generations, others sprawled across centuries. Only one has stood the test of time, covering every continent and thriving over 2,000 years: Christianity.

Over the weekend, this well-chronicled historical fact became a subject of discontent and dispute for the armchair philosophers and amateur pundits of social media — many of them self-professed conservatives and even Christians. According to these self-appointed arbiters of theological, historical, and social truth, the admission “Christ is King” is clearly a hateful, anti-Semitic slur. That is to say, claiming that the Messiah foretold by centuries of Jewish prophets, born to a humble Jewish carpenter and his wife, who illuminated and fulfilled the Jewish Scriptures, could be the King of the world is … hateful towards Jews. Luckily for Christians, nearly two millennia ago, a Jew famous for prosecuting and executing Christians actually addressed this argument:

“Because of this, God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

The chief argument against “Christ is King” is that the proclamation of the fact is offensive to those of the Jewish faith, and thus anti-Semitic, a slur against a race of persons. As for the racial component of this argument, Christianity necessarily holds that God does not create anything evil — evil is, rather, an absence or a perversion of good in something — and, since every person is not only made by God but is in fact made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27), no human can be created evil.

It is for this reason that Christianity has, from the beginning, served as the driving force of civilization. It was St. Patrick, himself sold as a slave in his boyhood, who first condemned the slave trade, some 1,400 years before the American Civil War was fought. It was St. Remigius of Reims who, after the fall of Rome, baptized Franks, Goths, Galls, and Celts, giving those who the Romans derided as “barbarians” a new name, “brother in Christ.” It was Christian missionaries who brought the gospel to Africa, Asia, and South America, establishing peace in regions which had previously been dominated by tribal and racial wars, often culminating in slavery and human sacrifice.

History baldly contradicts the argument that Christianity condemns any particular race, but especially the Jewish race. Christ Himself was ethnically Jewish, and his earthly father, Joseph, was descended from the line of the great King David, as affirmed by the Gospels of both Luke and Matthew. Declaring then that a humble carpenter’s son of the Jewish race is, in fact, the King of the entire world hardly seems to be a means of deriding the Jewish race. The first Christians were Jewish fishermen, so devoted to Christ and the gospel that, with the exception of John the Evangelist, they all willingly died for their faith. The first act of the apostles was to evangelize the Jews, to welcome thousands into the church, to call their own people to recognize the kingship of Christ.

By its very nature, Christianity demonstrably rebuffs the claim that Christ’s kingship — and its proclamation — is somehow an instrument of violence, hatred, or oppression towards any people, but especially the Jews. The fact that some vocal pundits and influencers have attempted to affix the phrase with their racially-charged messages does not alter or mitigate the truth that Christ is King, and it does not warrant the broad effort to suppress proclaiming Christ’s Kingship regardless of intent. Instead, the real case against “Christ is King” is a theological one.

Christ did not come to end the Mosaic covenant, but to fulfill it. He Himself said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). In other words, He came that He might be the continuation of that covenant: not its death, but its fruition. The prophets of old predicted that a Messiah would come to save the world from its sins and eternal damnation. Christ is that Messiah. There is no longer the promise of a Messiah, there is not some other savior waiting in the wings like an understudy. This does not abolish the Mosaic covenant, but continues it, rather as a young boy maturing into a man does not kill the boy, but fulfills the promise of his youth. There is not now, though, the same boy running about playing while the grown man works and weds and raises his own children. Just so, there are not two extant covenants: an old one and a new one. Rather, the old covenant was made to mature into Christ, who is Himself the new covenant, just as the boy was made to mature into the man.

This point is an important one to understand, for if Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection were merely offering an alternative covenant to the Mosaic covenant, then what would be the point? If the Mosaic law were sufficient for one to attain Heaven and eternal salvation, perfect and beatific communion with God, then God becoming man, taking on the form of a mere creature, suffering an excruciating and ignominious death, and then conquering the grave would be rather superfluous.

Very well, but what if the Mosaic covenant was for the Jews and the new covenant established in Christ is for the Gentiles? Then Christ’s ministry, carried out entirely within the Jewish community, would have been fruitless. Christ was not born in Rome, fulfilling prophesies written hundreds of years before in Jupiter’s temples. He was not born in Athens, claiming to be the son of Kronos. He was not raised studying the sacred texts of the Persians or the Babylonians. He was born in Bethlehem to a Jewish carpenter whose royal lineage would mean nothing to a Gentile, He grew up studying the Jewish Scriptures, and He called Himself the Son of God. But He was rejected by those who, for centuries, awaited His coming.

Christ Himself acknowledges this throughout the gospels. In one instance, He tells a parable to the Pharisees and Jewish priests and leaders, of a landowner who leases his vineyard to tenants and sends numerous servants to ask them for his vintage. After the tenants beat and kill the servants and messengers, the vineyard owner sends his son. When he arrives, Christ says, “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him” (Matthew 21:33-39).

Christ rarely explained His parables to anyone other than the Apostles, but He did explain this one to the Pharisees and priests:

“Did you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit” (Matthew 21:42-43).

Matthew records, “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them” (Matthew 21:45). Christ also knew the thoughts of the Pharisees and priests (Luke 5:22-23), which makes His summary of the tenants’ thoughts all the more damning. He knew, of course, that He would be rejected, and He knew why. Christ did not reject the Jews and God did not replace them with Christians. Rather, Christ brought the promise of the Mosaic covenant to fruition through His life, death, and resurrection, calling His chosen people to enter into the covenant which He Himself is.

The conclusion this argument against “Christ is King” reaches is, essentially, that Christ is not King. If He were King, of course, then there would be no harm in declaring Him thus — but if He is not, then boldly and proudly proclaiming His Kingship would be a sort of spiritual colonization of those who do not call Him a King, especially the Jews, since Christ claimed to be the Messiah their Scriptures prophesied. Instead, if this argument is accepted, Christ is relegated to merely one king among many. In short, the argument’s conclusion is that there are multiple avenues to what Christ offers: eternal salvation. Christians, of course, recognize that this is patently false.

Once again, Christ Himself declares, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father” (John 14:6-7). There is no other way, there is no other savior, there is no one else whose blood might wash away sin and whose life might conquer death itself. As St. John Chrysostom asks, “Could I produce a witness more trustworthy than the Son of God?” The campaign against Christ’s Kingship is nothing short of an overture to pantheism, an effort to declare that Christ is not only not King, but is not the way or the truth or the life.

Atheism is given pride of place among the social, political, and academic elites of the West: the declaration “God is dead” is met with smiles or applause and is ingratiated into Western nomenclature. The violent religion of Islam is endorsed and promulgated, with even those whom Muslims would deride as “infidels” serving as some of Islam’s most ardent evangelists. Judaism used to be more vigorously defended, with any critique of the religion instantly labeled racism and anti-Semitism. But the Kingship of Christ is denied, spurned, and rejected. The only One who truly is the way, the truth, and the life is silenced, as He was silenced upon a cross nearly 2,000 years ago.

Christians have a responsibility, a solemn commission, to proclaim that Christ is King. It is not anti-Semitic, it is not a slur, it is not a “dialectical trap,” as some have called it. It is a crucial tenet of the Christian faith. Our King commanded us not to shirk and shrink from name-calling, but to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), reminding us that the world will hate us for declaring that Christ is King, just as it first hated Christ our King (John 15:18-19).

Over the centuries, Christian martyrs have faced far worse than criticism, accusations of racism, and social ostracization in their efforts to preach the gospel and expand Christ’s kingdom. Let us not cower before the self-negating arguments of pantheism nor allow any smear to keep us from courageously proclaiming that truth in which both Heaven and earth rejoice: Christ is King.

AUTHOR

S.A. McCarthy

S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council


The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Survey Says: Biden Weaponizing Government to Jail Political Opponent

New polling is suggesting that a majority of the nation believes President Joe Biden is trying to win reelection by jailing his opponent. According to a survey from McLaughlin and Associates, almost 70% of American voters agree that the multiple indictments against former President Donald Trump are politically motivated, with half of all voters saying politics has played a “major” role in the lawfare campaign against the Republican presidential candidate.

Nearly 60% of voters also believe that Biden has played a role in the Trump indictments, including almost 40% of Democrats. Over half (52%) of voters said they believe that the lawfare campaign against Trump is intended to keep him from running for president, and 56% of voters — including a third of Democrats — said they believe that “Joe Biden wants to stop President Trump from winning the election by putting him in jail…”

Another 56% of voters agreed — including 41% who “strongly” agreed — that Biden’s Justice Department has been weaponized and employs double standards, unfairly targeting Republicans and conservatives while offering “sweetheart deals to Joe Biden and his family members when the evidence shows Joe Biden and his family have failed to pay their taxes, taken bribes and extorted money from our enemies such as the Communist Chinese and Russia…” Nearly 60% of voters agreed that Biden’s Justice Department should not be “interfering with the upcoming presidential election” by targeting Trump and should instead “let the voters decide who the next president should be.”

This month’s Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showed similar results, with 57% of voters agreeing that “the Democrats today are engaged in lawfare — a campaign using the government and the legal system in biased ways to take out a political opponent…” Fifty-four percent said that the Trump indictments are politically motivated and 53% said that they don’t think Trump will be convicted. Additionally, 54% of voters said that they would back Trump for president even if a jury convicted him “of crimes related to his handling of classified presidential documents.” This is up four points from last month, after U.S. Special Prosecutor Robert Hur declined to prosecute Biden for the same crime that Trump allegedly committed.

Both polls also found that Biden’s popularity is continuing to flounder. Biden’s job approval rating is hovering in the low-to-mid 40s, having remained below 50% since August of 2021. Biden’s economic policies are also still negatively impacting Americans. According to McLaughlin and Associates, inflation is the single most important issue to Americans (23%), though immigration is second place (14%). Inflation is also of major concern (33%) according to the Harvard/Harris poll, but takes second place to immigration (36%), although respondents did say that inflation has impacted them personally the most. Over 70% of voters also said that inflation is “here to stay.”

Additionally, both polls predicted Trump beating Biden in November, though by a relatively narrow margin. Trump has a six-point lead over Biden according to McLaughlin and Associates and a three-point lead according to Harvard/Harris, with nearly 10% undecided in both instances. When Harvard/Harris pollsters asked undecided voters which way they lean, the margin narrowed, with Trump beating Biden 51% to 49%. This represents a two-point decrease in support for Trump since last month and an increase for Biden.

Over the past few months, polling has almost unanimously predicted Trump defeating Biden in November, though by varying margins. A spate of surveys released since early this year have shown Trump leading Biden, significantly among Independent voters, and a recent series of polls from Emerson College/The Hill show Trump leading Biden in battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

AUTHOR

S.A. McCarthy

S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.


The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.