Anthony Esolen reflects on what happens when we tear down the solid foundations of Christian life. We need builders now. We must have slow, patient building, the building up of human souls.
One day when I was a boy I was riding in the car with my father, in the countryside north of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, when we came to an open crossroads at the top of a high hill.
They call this intersection The Four Corners of Life,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye. “Can you guess why?”
I looked out of the windows left and right and back, and saw a church and a cemetery on two of the corners, and a couple of buildings which I couldn’t identify on the others.
Well, I can guess, but you’d better tell me.”
That building over here,” he said, “used to be a small hospital, and this over here is a beer garden.” That’s what we called bars in that part of the world. “So you’re born in the hospital, you get married in church, and you get buried in the cemetery.”
What about the beer garden?”
That,” said my father, with his humorous understatement, “is where some guys go after they get married and before they get put in the ground. The Four Corners of Life!”
Eclipse in America, 08/21/17
My father was a good man and a devout Catholic, not above visiting the Pine Cafe on a Sunday afternoon, owned and operated by his old friend Joe with the Italian accent. He took me with him sometimes, as you could do then without fear of anything indecent, and I’d play shuffleboard or skee-ball, snacking on red-dyed pistachio nuts which Joe provided free of charge.
My father has been gone these twenty-six years, the Pine Cafe is no more, and the Four Corners of Life might be remembered by a few old-timers; I think I can still find the intersection. But that place came to my mind this evening when I went to Mass in a rural village in Nova Scotia.
I like the people in that old place of fishing boats and lobster traps; they’re a lot like the coal miners of my youth. They bear no resentment against the Church, and have little use for modern ideologies.
But they have been ravaged by modernity all the same. The church was filled with people who really wanted to be there; almost all of them older than I am, and I’m not young. The priest is newly ordained: his hair is white and he breathes heavily and he clearly has seen the other side of seventy.
He preached a fine sermon, and before Mass he addressed the people directly, telling them that the diocese of Antigonish has no ordinands this year, and not one young man in the seminary. It will be at least seven years before a man from the diocese will minister as priest to his people.
No children, no priests. No healthy habits of manhood, no priests; no vocations to the married life, no priests. But my mind returned to the jest my father told.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/cross-road.jpg350650The Catholic Thinghttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Catholic Thing2017-08-22 06:27:232017-08-22 06:28:38The Four Corners of Life
Shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, he directed Secretary of Defense Mattis and his national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia. Last night, the President outlined his strategy for the region.
Watch President Donald Trump addresses the nation on U.S. Policy in Afghanistan.
EDITORS NOTE: The featured image of President Trump is an official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead.
FULL TEXT OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP SPEECH ON AFGHANISTAN AND SOUTH EAST ASIA POLICY
Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of the Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggin. Most especially, thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer, and every member of the United States military at home and abroad. We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to those conducting the search-and-recovery efforts.I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia. But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want to say a few words to the service members here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home.Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history. American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom. Through their lives, and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality. By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation, under God. The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission and one shared sense of purpose. They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together and sacrifice together in absolutely perfect cohesion.
That is because all service members are brothers and sisters. They’re all part of the same family. It’s called the American family. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law. They’re bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other. The soldier understands what we as a nation too often forget: that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together. Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate. The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas—and we will always win—let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name: that when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military, and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September 11th—nobody can ever forget that—have not been repeated on our shores. But we must acknowledge the reality I’m here to talk about tonight: that nearly 16 years after the September 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history, 17 years. I share the American people’s frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.
That is why shortly after my inauguration, I directed Secretary of Defense Mattis, and my national-security team, to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia. My original instinct was to pull out, and historically, I like following my instincts. But all my life I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office. In other words, when you’re president of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail, and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David with my Cabinet and generals to complete our strategy. I arrived at three fundamental conclusions about America’s core interests in Afghanistan.First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives. The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the tools they need and the trust they have earned to fight and win.Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan, because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and Al-Qaeda, would instantly fill just as happened before September 11th. And as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks.
We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq. Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan, and the broader region, are immense. Today 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The highest concentration in any region, anywhere in the world. For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen. No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan, and South Asia. But we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I became president, I was given a bad and very complex hand. But I fully knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But one way or another, these problems will be solved. I’m a problem solver, and in the end, we will win.We must address the reality of the world as it exists right now, the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal. We need look no further than last week’s vile, vicious attack in Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children. You saw it for yourself, horrible. As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia, three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology. Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. They are nothing but thugs and criminals and predators, and that’s right—losers. Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, America’s interests are clear. We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America. And we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists, and being used against us, or anywhere in the world for that matter. But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history.
As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways. A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I’ve said it many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin or end military options. We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on. America’s enemies must never know our plans, or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.
Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power—diplomatic, economic, and military—toward a successful outcome. Some day, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen. America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field. Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an ever-lasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists.
The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach in how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe-havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond.
Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists. In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked to together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices. But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars. At the same time, they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change. And that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country’s harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace. Another critical part of the South-Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India; the world’s largest democracy, and a key security and economic partner of the United States. We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States—and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.
We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region. Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively, and work quickly.
I’ve already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy. Micromangement from Washington, D.C., does not win battles. They’re won in the field, drawing upon the judgment and expertise of war-time commanders and front-line soldiers acting in real time with real authority and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy. That’s why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorists and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos through Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide, that no place is beyond the reach of American might and American arms. Retribution will be fast and powerful as we lift restrictions and expand authorities.
We’re already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq. Since my inauguration we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law-enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror. When America commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming force. Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on victory will have a clear definition: Attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terrorist attacks against America before they emerge.
We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will. Since taking office I have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense. And they have done so. In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces. As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us. Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do.
Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed, but we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interest. We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward. Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country, but strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace. America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited and our support is not a blank check. The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open in abiding by the oath I took on January 20. I will remain steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests. In this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat. Terrorists, take heed: America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat. Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military and this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense. In every generation, we have faced down evil and we have always prevailed. We have prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for.
Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of America’s greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National Cemetery. There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth. Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in the months after Sept. 11, 2001. They volunteered for a simple reason: They loved America and they were determined to protect her. Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives.
We must unite to defend America from its enemies abroad. We must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home. And we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid. Our actions, and in months to come, all of them will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation. With our resolve, we will ensure that your service, and that your families, will bring about the defeat of our enemies, and the arrival of peace. We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you. Thank you. May God bless our military, and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you.
A foreign company hired by the U.S. government to mentor and train Afghan intelligence officers billed Uncle Sam for more than $50 million in luxury cars — including Porsches, an Aston Martin, and a Bentley — and the lucrative salaries of executives and their spouses (who didn’t do any work). The firm also spent $1,500 on alcohol and $42,000 on automatic weapons prohibited under the terms of the contract, according to figures provided by a U.S. Senator from a federal audit that has not been released to the public. It marks the latest of many scandals involving the free-flow of American dollars to controversial causes in Afghanistan, where fraud and corruption are rampant in all sectors.
In this latest case, the Department of Defense (DOD) hired a British firm called New Century Consulting (NCC) to operate a program called “Legacy East” that was supposed to provide counterinsurgency intelligence experts to mentor and train Afghan National Security Forces. Instead, NCC billed the Pentagon millions of dollars in questionable or unallowable expenses, including seven luxury cars and exorbitant $400,000 average salaries for the “significant others” of corporate officers to serve as “executive assistants.” Other prohibited expenses include severance payments, rent, unnecessary licensing fees, extensive austerity pay, and the cost of personal air travel. The outrageous figures became public when the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Claire McCaskill, wrote a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis demanding answers. As a federal lawmaker McCaskill had access to the information after viewing a report from the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), which provides financial oversight of government contracts for the Pentagon and operates under the Secretary of Defense.
McCaskill discloses that the British firm continued receiving lucrative DOD contracts despite having “many previous problems,” involving billing and performance practices. The senator also questions why the Pentagon kept pouring money into a “troubled” program that a separate federal audit had determined was likely ineffective. That assessment, made by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), came after investigators found that a lack of performance metrics makes it nearly impossible to assess whether the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the mentoring and training programs for Afghan intel personnel are effective. “Despite all of the listed issues with NCC’s performance and billing practices, the Army continued to engage in contracting with NCC for sensitive work in Afghanistan,” McCaskill states in her letter to Mattis.
Afghanistan reconstruction has been a huge debacle that continues fleecing American taxpayers to the tune of billions and Judicial Watch has reported extensively on it over the years. Many of the details are regularly disclosed in provoking reports published on the SIGAR website. Highlights include the mysterious disappearance of nearly half a billion dollars in oil destined for the Afghan National Army, a $335 million Afghan power plant that’s seldom used and an $18.5 million renovation for a prison that remains unfinished and unused years after the U.S.-funded work began. Among the more outrageous expenditures are U.S. Army contracts with dozens of companies tied to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The reconstruction watchdog recommended that the Army immediately cut business ties to the terrorists but the deals continued. Another big waste reported by Judicial Watch a few years ago, involves a $65 million initiative to help Afghan women escape repression. The government admits that, because there’s no accountability, record-keeping or follow-up, it has no clue if the program was effective.
Back in 2013 Judicial Watch reported that, despite multiple warnings of fraud and corruption inside the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, the U.S. keeps sending hundreds of millions of dollars to support the Islamic republic’s scandal-plagued healthcare system. In that infuriating case, the money—$236 million over nine years—flowed through the scandal-plagued U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is charged with providing economic, development and humanitarian assistance worldwide. It was supposed to fund prenatal care for women, hospitals, physicians’ salaries and other medical costs. Instead, a federal audit found pervasive, waste, fraud and abuse that warranted an immediate cutoff of U.S. assistance. In a scathing report SIGAR called it a reckless disregard toward the management of U.S. taxpayer dollars.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/fraud-waste-and-abuse.jpg373640Judicial Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJudicial Watch2017-08-21 19:37:032017-08-21 19:37:03U.S. Pays $50 Mil for Luxury Cars, Weapons, Booze to Mentor Afghan Intel Officers
Washington, D.C. – Judicial Watch today announced that it filed two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State for records of communications regarding anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions’ (BDS) groups’ efforts to lobby the Obama administration to ignore trade laws that protect Israel.
Judicial Watch filed a FOIA lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after the Department of Homeland Security failed to respond to two June 20 FOIA requests, one to the Department itself and one to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bureau (CBP), a component of DHS (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:17-cv-1650)). Judicial Watch is seeking:
All emails which mention West Bank country-of-origin marking requirements, and were sent between [DHS or CBP] and any of the following groups: Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, Al-Awda, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Friends of Sabeel-North America, If Americans Knew, the International Solidarity Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Muslim American Society, Students for Justice in Palestine, or the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (the “BDS Groups”).
All emails internal to [DHS and/or CBP] discussing the efforts of the BDS Groups to strengthen enforcement of the West Bank country-of-origin marking requirements.
Judicial Watch also filed a FOIA lawsuit against the State Department after it failed to respond to a June 20 request (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:17-cv-01651)). Judicial Watch is seeking:
All emails which mention protections for Israel in the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, and were sent between [State Department] and any of the following groups: Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, Al-Awda, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Friends of Sabeel-North America, If Americans Knew, the International Solidarity Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Muslim American Society, Students for Justice in Palestine, or the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (the “BDS Groups”).
All internal [State Department] emails discussing the efforts of the BDS Groups to limit protections for Israel in the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015.
In February 2016 President Obama signed the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 into law, which forces U.S. trade partners to cut ties to the BDS movement and protects Israel territories. But Obama announced:
Certain provisions of this Act, by conflating Israel and “Israeli-controlled territories,” are contrary to longstanding bipartisan United States policy, including with regard to the treatment of settlements. Moreover, consistent with longstanding constitutional practice, my Administration will interpret and implement the provisions in the Act that purport to direct the Executive to seek to negotiate and enter into particular international agreements (section 414(a)(1)) or to take certain positions in international negotiations with respect to international agreements with foreign countries not qualifying for trade authorities procedures (sections 108(b), 414(a)(2), 415, and 909(c)) in a manner that does not interfere with my constitutional authority to conduct diplomacy.
Shortly after Obama signed the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, the Customs and Border Protection Bureau restated the West Bank Country of Origin Marking Requirement rules requiring labeling of goods from the West Bank. The Jerusalem Post later reported the restated rules were a result of several complaints filed by activists seeking the U.S. follow policy guidelines distinguishing goods produced from Israel and the West Bank.
The West Bank country-of-origin marking requirements is said to stem from “longstanding bipartisan U.S. policy” toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. First put in place in 1995 under the Clinton administration, the rule is to preserve the distinction between the goods produced in State of Israel and the good produced in the territories it controls over the Green Line.
The BDS movement was started by the PLO and other anti-Israel groups to encourage an economic and cultural boycott of Israel. It has gained the support of radical leftwing groups here in the United States, especially on college campuses.
“President Obama advanced the agenda of anti-Israel radicals in subverting U.S. law that rejects the malicious anti-Israel boycott movement,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “And it is no surprise the Deep State ignores our FOIA requests that could expose the Obama-BDS connections. It is well past time for the Trump administration to stop this obstruction and follow the FOIA law.”
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/bds-logo-1.jpg370640Judicial Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJudicial Watch2017-08-21 19:25:482017-08-21 19:26:13Judicial Watch Sues for Anti-Israel ‘BDS’ Lobbying Records
“Then a person ran towards us shouting ‘He has a knife’, and everybody from the terrace ran inside. Next, a woman came in to the cafe. She was crying hysterically, down on her knees, saying someone’s neck has been slashed open.”– A witness
Surely you know what happened in Finland on the heals of Barcelona, but here from Reuters we get more facts on the killer and the poor innocent women who were sadly in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Over the years we have written a few posts on Finland, but it isn’t as easily accessible (or slovenly welcoming) as other Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway.
This Reuters story is surprisingly unrestrained and relatively free of whitewash (or is that because those quoted weren’t pulling punches and speaking in politically correct terms?):
HELSINKI/TURKU, Finland (Reuters) – Finnish police said on Saturday that an 18-year-old Moroccan man, arrested after a knife rampage that killed two people and wounded eight, appeared to have targeted women and that the spree was being treated as the country’s first terrorism-related attack.
Finland’s loss of innocence. Photo: Inquirer.
The suspect arrested following the attack on Friday after being shot in the leg by police in the city of Turku had arrived in Finland last year, police said. They said they later arrested four other Moroccan men over possible links to him and had issued an international arrest warrant for a sixth Moroccan national.
Finnish broadcaster MTV, citing an unnamed source, said the main suspect had been denied asylum in Finland. The police said only that he had been “part of the asylum process”.
The case marks the first suspected terror attack in Finland, where violent crime is relatively rare.
“The suspect’s profile is similar to that of several other recent radical Islamist terror attacks that have taken place in Europe,” Director Antti Pelttari from the Finnish Security Intelligence Service told a news conference.
[….]
Both of those killed in the Turku attack, and six of the eight who were wounded, were women, the police said. The two who died were Finns, and an Italian and two Swedish citizens were among the injured.
Ville Tavio (Finns party): Asylum system is primary means of entry for terrorists.
“It seems that the suspect chose women as his targets, because the men who were wounded were injured when they tried to help, or prevent the attacks,” said Crista Granroth from the National Bureau of Investigation.
“The act was cowardly … we have been afraid of this and we have prepared for this. We are not an island anymore, the whole of Europe is affected,” Prime Minister Juha Sipila said. [Well, maybe not Poland and Hungary that have closed their borders to Muslim migration!—ed]
[….]
Some members of the nationalist Finns party, which was kicked out of the government in June for their new hard-line anti-immigration leadership, blamed the government for what they said was too loose an immigration policy.
“The asylum system is the primary road for illegal immigration, used also by the terrorists. Harmful immigration can be controlled only by reducing Finland’s attractiveness, or by border controls,” said Finns party lawmaker Ville Tavio.
What is asylum? (As opposed to refugee resettlement)
In the refugee resettlement process, wannabe refugees must prove they are persecuted, the UN screens them (supposedly!) and a country accepts them and flies them in.
For asylum, the wannabe refugee makes his or her way to a ‘safe’ country and then applies for asylum (or often called political asylum). They are supposed to make a case that they would be persecuted if returned home. Europe is dealing with mostly asylum seekers (many are phony and are really economic migrants) who are basically loose in the country until their cases can be processed.
And, are often loose because they have been rejected and no one has made them leave!
So, it is a misnomer when you hear the Left and political leaders refer to asylum seekers as refugees. They are not legitimate refugees until their cases have been processed and the governmental body responsible has granted them asylum.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/finland-knife-attack-e1503317956886.jpg384640Ann Corcoranhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngAnn Corcoran2017-08-21 08:19:332017-08-22 06:51:13Moroccan Muslim asylum seeker was targeting women, slashing their throats
In the 2018 mid-term elections, all 435 U.S. House members are up for reelection and in the U.S. Senate, 25 democrats and 9 republicans are running for reelection. Not one of them has kept their oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, “so help me God.”
The 2016 election was a landmark shift away from liberal concepts to American concepts, as demonstrated by voters crossing party lines to support long-shot outsider Donald J. Trump for President with a common concern in mind.
The TOP 4 2016 election issues with voters from both parties
Terrorism and National Security – 87% across party lines
The economy – 87% across party lines
Employment, Jobs – 84% across party lines
Health Care – 79% across party lines, although not in agreement on the solution
In the end, voters across party lines shared the same four primary concerns in 2016 by wide margins and they trusted Donald J. Trump more than Hillary Clinton to deal with these four primary issues.
On other matters of interest, the political divisions become more visible.
Other TOP issues for Republican Voters 2016
National Debt and ongoing deficit spending
Foreign Threats
Ineffective Government
Illegal Immigration
Rising taxation without representation
Other TOP issues for Democrat Voters 2016
Free Government funded education K through College
Government redistribution of private wealth
Issues of less interest to voters from either party
Gun Laws
Wall Street and Bank Regulations
Social issues, gay marriage, abortion, transgender
Climate Change
(All data taken from broad-based Gallup polls HERE)
The result of the 2016 election cycle was Republican Party control of the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The demise of democrat political power that had cost the party over 1000 political seats between 2008-2016, continued in 2016, leaving democrats essentially completely powerless under normal circumstances.
But the circumstances present as the new administration took power in January 2017 were anything but normal. The global “never-Trump” operation was about to hit overdrive. Establishment career politicians on both sides of the aisle were sent a loud and clear message… Represent OUR will or we will repeal and replace YOU! They had to double down and fast…
The Next Seven Months
Immediately following the 2016 upset of “sure thing” Hillary Clinton, the “never-Trump” operation launched into overdrive. Every possible tool and tactic was on the table. The only rule of engagement was – destroy Trump by any means necessary.
Trump had stepped between Making America Great Again and the Global Governance Agenda launched by Bill and Hillary Clinton in the early 90s, labeled Global Governance 2030, later labeled UN Agenda 21 by the United Nations.
Trump stepped into much worse than any “swamp.” He stepped squarely between the global power structure hell-bent on reducing the United States to a 3rd world level partner in a global commune -and- American voters from all party affiliations who want no part of it.
The “never-Trump” operation involves foreign governments, the United Nations, the Democratic Party, many members of the Republican Party in congress and state governments, 97% of all Federal Employees, the “fake news” media, Hollywood, DOJ Officials, the FBI, CIA, NSA, the DNI, George Soros and his more than 200 NGOs, the Communist Party USA, Socialist Party USA and Democratic Socialists of America, Islamists, illegal alien invaders, ANTIFA and BLM, giant international corporations, the education system and K-College kids…. On and on and on….
It’s not just a “swamp.” Trump stepped into the middle of a velvet global war to destroy America and took a stand with the dying breed of Americans who still believe our foundations can make America great again. Trump and his voters are at war… and the sooner they realize it, the better.
Beyond Executive Orders, some of which are also blocked by judicial tyranny, the 2016 election agenda is entirely blocked by congress. Congressional republicans even took measures to prevent any recess appointments by Trump. The agenda is being blocked by republicans in charge, working with democrats to remove Trump from the Oval Office and keep America on track to global governance.
Repeal and Replace Congress 2018
The national agenda of more than 63 million Trump voters has been stalled for the first seven months of the Trump Administration. Trump and his original team have been under constant daily assault by the “never-Trump” operation since the day Trump announced his bid for the White House.
But it isn’t just democrat global Marxists working to subvert and undermine Trump and his supporters. Republicans like Jeff Flake (AZ) and Bob Corker (TN) have been working with known enemies like John McCain (AZ) and Lindsey Graham (SC) to force the demise of the Trump presidency in short order. As a result, democrats are still running Washington DC despite republican majorities. Should politicians who fail to keep their oath even be allowed to run for reelection?
If the people who supported Trump in 2016 remain committed to their pro-American agenda, they will have to repeal and replace congress in 2018. Trump cannot MAGA alone and under constant assault.
Republican members running for reelection must be replaced in the primaries by challengers who will keep their oaths. Democrats must be defeated in the general election by viable conservative challengers. The same way 63 million voters TRUMPED the 2016 elections, they will have to TRUMP congress in 2018.
Assuming Trump can successfully defend against those at war with him long enough to see the mid-term elections, the people of this country must eliminate as many career turncoats as possible in 2018, or their agenda will remain beyond their grasp.
The people must start right now, unite for the fight, organize in coordinated strategic plans district by district, state by state with senators, and they must not fail. Voters hold the future in their hands. Evil will prevail if good people do nothing!
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/capital-building-1.jpg354640J.B. Williamshttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJ.B. Williams2017-08-20 11:59:362017-08-20 11:59:51Repeal and Replace Congress 2018
Enough is enough. It’s time to take a stand. Today, students at East Catholic High School rise up and declare that we’re more concerned with God than we are with being politically correct.
We encourage you to do the same. Please watch our video…then SHARE it with your friends and encourage THEM to SHARE it as well. TAG a friend, a community leader, or even the media. Let’s get this powerful message out there.
No more prayer shaming. Let’s bring God and prayer back into our lives.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/prayer-1-e1503232727892.jpg368640Dr. Rich Swierhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Rich Swier2017-08-20 08:39:142017-08-20 08:39:14VIDEO: Students call for an ‘End to Prayer Shaming’
Yes, it’s a historical fact, but it’s politically inconvenient nowadays. And so it’s six months in jail for Michael Stürzenberger.
Video thanks to Vlad Tepes.
RELATED PHOTOGRAPH:
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin el Husseini, reviewing the Bosnian Muslim Nazi SS Division Handzar in November, 1943 in Neuhammer, Germany with SS Brigadefuehrer und Generalmajor der Waffen SS Karl-Gustav Sauberzweig, right, the commander of the division.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/Nazi-Muslim-collaboration-e1503228617682.png396640Jihad Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJihad Watch2017-08-20 07:33:512017-08-20 15:17:33VIDEO: Man gets 6 months in jail for Facebook post showing Nazi/Muslim collaboration
More on how the Left is moving in for the kill and trying to destroy the freedom of speech completely.
“ProPublica, Working with Google to ‘Document Hate,’ Threatens Conservative Bloggers,” by Paula Bolyard, PJ Media, August 19, 2017:
Google revealed in a blog post that it is now using machine learning to document “hate crimes and events” in America. They’ve partnered with liberal groups like ProPublica, BuzzFeed News, and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to make information about “hate events” easily accessible to journalists. And now, there are troubling signs that this tool could be used to ferret out writers and websites that run afoul of the progressive orthodoxy.
In the announcement, Simon Rogers, data editor of Google News Labs, wrote:
Now, with ProPublica, we are launching a new machine learning tool to help journalists covering hate news leverage this data in their reporting.
The Documenting Hate News Index — built by the Google News Lab, data visualization studio Pitch Interactive and ProPublica — takes a raw feed of Google News articles from the past six months and uses the Google Cloud Natural Language API to create a visual tool to help reporters find news happening across the country. It’s a constantly-updating snapshot of data from this year, one which is valuable as a starting point to reporting on this area of news.
The Documenting Hate project launched in response to the lack of national data on hate crimes. While the FBI is required by law to collect data about hate crimes, the data is incomplete because local jurisdictions aren’t required to report incidents up to the federal government.
All of which underlines the value of the Documenting Hate Project, which is powered by a number of different news organisations and journalists who collect and verify reports of hate crimes and events. Documenting Hate is informed by both reports from members of the public and raw Google News data of stories from across the nation.
On the surface, this looks rather innocuous. It’s presented by Google as an attempt to create a database of hate crimes — information that should be available with a quick Google search, it should be noted. But a quick glance at the list of partners for this project should raise some red flags:
ProPublica poses as a middle-of-the-road non-profit journalistic operation, but in reality, it’s funded by a stable of uber-liberal donors, including George Soros’s Open Society Foundation and Herb and Marion Sandler, billionaire former mortgage bankers whose Golden West Financial Corp. allegedly targeted subprime borrowers with “pick-a-pay” mortgages that led to toxic assets that were blamed for the collapse of Wachovia. The Southern Poverty Law Center, of course, is infamous for targeting legitimate conservatives groups, branding them as “hate groups” because they refuse to walk in lockstep with the progressive agenda. And it goes with out saying that The New York Times and BuzzFeed News lean left.
A perusal of the raw data that’s been compiled thus far on hate stories shows articles from a wide array of center-right sites, including The Daily Caller, Breitbart News, The Washington Times, National Review, and the Washington Examiner. It also includes many articles from liberal sites like BuzzFeed News and The New York Times. One story from PJ Media’s Bridget Johnson is included in the list. It’s a report about a Sikh ad campaign aimed at reducing hate crimes against members of their faith community. Many of the articles are simply reports about alleged hate crimes from sources running the gamut of the political spectrum.
Note that Google, which recently fired an employee for expressing his counter-progressive opinions, thinks this information could be used to “help journalists covering hate news leverage this data in their reporting.” What do they mean by “leverage this data”? They don’t say, but an email sent to several conservative writers by a ProPublica reporter may give us some indication. Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer along with some others received this from ProPublica “reporter” Lauren Kirchner:
I am a reporter at ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative newsroom in New York. I am contacting you to let you know that we are including your website in a list of sites that have been designated as hate or extremist by the American Defamation League or the Southern Poverty Law Center. We have identified all the tech platforms that are supporting websites on the ADL and SPLC lists.
We would like to ask you a few questions:
1) Do you disagree with the designation of your website as hate or extremist? Why?
2) We identified several tech companies on your website: PayPal, Amazon, Newsmax, and Revcontent. Can you confirm that you receive funds from your relationship with those tech companies? How would the loss of those funds affect your operations, and how would you be able to replace them?
3) Have you been shut down by other tech companies for being an alleged hate or extremist web site? Which companies?
4) Many people opposed to sites like yours are currently pressuring tech companies to cease their relationships with them – what is your view of this campaign? Why?
In other words, nice website you’ve got there. It would be a shame if anything happened to it.
To summarize: Liberal ProPublica, working with the smear merchants at SPLC — powered by Google — sent a reporter out to issue not so veiled threats against conservative websites. It’s blatantly obvious that the goal here is to tank websites they disagree with by mounting a campaign to pressure their advertisers and tech providers to drop them as clients. This comes on the heels of Google, GoDaddy, CloudFlare, Apple, and others singling out alt-right sites for destruction in the wake of the Charlottesville riots.
Robert Spencer (who also writes for PJ Media) responded to the threat on his Jihad Watch blog:
The intent of your questions, and no doubt of your forthcoming article, will be to try to compel these sites to cut off any connection with us based on our opposition to jihad terror. Are you comfortable with what you’re enabling? Not only are you inhibiting honest analysis of the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat, but you’re aiding the attempt to deny people a platform based on their political views. This could come back to bite you if your own views ever fall out of favor. Have you ever lived in a totalitarian state, where the powerful determine the parameters of the public discourse and cut off all voice from the powerless? Do you really want to live in one now? You might find, once you get there, that it isn’t as wonderful as you thought it would be.
Spencer has recently criticized Google and the SPLC here at PJ Media for their attempts to squelch dissent, so it’s not surprising that they’ve decided to target him. Only instead of fighting Spencer’s words with words of their own, they’re lashing out with actions designed to silence him….
Robert Spencer wrote, “Authoritarianism in service of any cause leads to a slave society despite the best intentions of those who helped usher it in.”…
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/google-broken-e1503228120789.jpg370640Jihad Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJihad Watch2017-08-20 07:23:132017-08-21 17:15:41ProPublica working with Google to ‘document hate’ direct threat to counter-terrorism bloggers
I had just about given up on Trump, and then he says this. We can only hope that he will follow through, and not be persuaded by McMaster that all Pakistan needs is a few more U.S. billions to turn it into a reliable ally.
“Trump to ‘cut all military aid to Pakistan’, thinks Washington is being ‘ripped off’ by Islamabad: report,” Reuters, August 19, 2017:
US President Donald Trump is mulling cutting off all military aid to Pakistan because ‘Washington is being ripped off by Islamabad’, claims a Foreign Policy report….
The FP report quoted a White House official as saying that “the President thinks we’re being ripped off by Pakistan. The president wants to cut off all military aid to Pakistan. That’s part of the strategy”….
During the discussions at Camp David, there were differences of opinion over taking a harder line on Pakistan for failing to close Afghan Taliban sanctuaries and arrest Afghan extremist leaders. US officials say the Afghan Taliban are supported by elements of Pakistan’s military and top intelligence agency, a charge Islamabad denies.
Pentagon has already frozen support to Islamabad under the coalition support fund, which provides Pakistan with payments to finance counter-terrorism operations. Mattis claims he could not find evidence that Pakistan had taken enough action against the Haqqani network.
Amid relentless criticism of Pakistan from the Trump administration, army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has told a top US military commander that Pakistan doesn’t need aid, all it wants is acknowledgement of its efforts in the fight against terrorism.
“More than financial or material assistance, we seek acknowledgement of our decades-long contributions towards regional peace and stability, understanding of our challenges and most importantly the sacrifices the Pakistani nation and its security forces have rendered in [the] fight against terrorism and militancy,” he told Centcom chief General Joseph L Votel during a meeting at the GHQ on Friday….
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/TRUMP-PAKISTAN-e1503227578600.jpg396640Jihad Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJihad Watch2017-08-20 07:13:072017-08-20 15:19:36President Trump to ‘cut all military aid to Pakistan’, thinks U.S. is being ‘ripped off’
The stature of statues is determined by the emotional reaction of observers to what the statues represent. Religious statues, political statues, historical statues commemorating events and achievements all symbolically represent people places or things that observers react to. The power of statues like the power of flags is determined by the reaction they arouse in the observer.
When Obama replaced the statue of Winston Churchill with the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. in his office it was a symbolic gesture. Churchill was perceived as a right-wing extremist until Germany declared war on England and it was clear that Neville Chamberlain’s policies of appeasement (leading from behind) emboldened Hitler. In May of 1940 Parliament voted no confidence in Prime Minister Chamberlain and King George VI appointed Churchill prime minister and minister of defense. Churchill was a powerful leader who rallied the English people during WWII and led his country out of a crippling defeat to victory.
Martin Luther King Jr., the Baptist minister who lead the non-violent movement civil rights movement in America, was a powerful leader whose efforts ultimately secured the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Martin Luther King Jr. remained committed to non-violence and civil disobedience as the methods for social reform – his vision was as successful in his time as Churchill’s was in his.
Here is the problem. Neither Churchill nor Martin Luther King Jr. reflected Obama’s vision for America. After eight years in office it is evident that busts of Saul Alinsky, Frank Marshall Davis, and Edward Said would have been the appropriate busts in Obama’s office. But statues are symbolic and the stature of those statues would have exposed Obama’s actual hope for change in America.
When Barack Obama was elected in 2008 the entire country was hopeful that race relations in America would improve. Americans hoped the country would realize Martin Luther King’s dream and the country would be one United States of America where children would be judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin. We hoped that being an American would be the common denominator that bound us all together in common cause to strengthen and realize the American dream.
Americans ignored the company that Obama kept and substituted their own hopes for change when they voted. Americans ignored Obama’s twenty year affiliation with anti-American anti-white black supremacist Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Americans ignored Obama’s affiliation with anti-white anti-American Black Power Frank Marshall Davis. Americans ignored Obama’s relationship with anti-American pro-Muslim professor Edward Said. Americans ignored Obama’s relationship with anti-white law school professor Derrick Bell. Americans ignored Obama’s relationship to domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. Americans ignored Obama’s mentor radical socialist Saul Alinsky and Obama’s friendship with black supremacist Louis Farrakhan.
Barack Obama’s hope for change was not what most Americans hoped for. Obama’s radical left-wing liberal hope was to weaken America and change our political structure from democracy to socialism. In eight years Obama deliberately fomented racial divisiveness because divisiveness creates the social chaos required for seismic social change.
Obama followed Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” with the commitment of a religious zealot. He cut his hair, stopped smoking crack, put on a suit, honed his skills as a community organizer and began his career of selling snake oil to America. He was groomed to be the presidential candidate to bring socialism to America.
In Obama’s memoir “Dreams from My Father” Obama actually described Alinsky’s trick/tactic:
“It was usually an effective tactic, another one of those tricks I had learned: People were satisfied as long as you were courteous and smiled and made no sudden moves. They were more than satisfied, they were relieved—such a pleasant surprise to find a well-mannered young black man who didn’t seem angry all the time.” p. 94-95
From the very beginning Barack Obama’s presidency promoted a racist anti-white black nationalist agenda. Americans ignored Obama’s first attorney general anti-white black activist Eric Holder who refused to prosecute the New Black Panthers for voter intimidation in Philadelphia. Obama’s answer to racism was more racism. His supporters refuse to acknowledge that racism against whites exists – in fact their political correctness denies the possibility that blacks can be racist. In reality racism is racism whether it is whites agains blacks or blacks against whites.
Black Lives Matter, the black activist group formed after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin, is funded by George Soros and incites escalating violence against the police particularly white police officers. After five police officers were assassinated in Dallas one of the father’s of the slain officers filed a lawsuit against Black Lives Matter, the Nation of Islam, the New Black Panther Party, George Soros, Louis Farrakhan, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Eric Holder blaming them for the attack and seeking damages. The reason is that Obama’s presidency fomented racism.
Racism is racism whether it is white against black or black against white. Racism is not the cure for racism.
After the Dallas shootings Barack Obama invited BLM to the White House. Why? Can you imagine if President Donald Trump invited the KKK to the White House? Racism is racism. The difference is that white supremacists are fair game but black supremacists are protected by the left-wing liberals and the mainstream media.
Black Lives Matter and Antifa rely on identity politics that divide America into people of color and whites. They promote the racist view that people of color are innocent victims of guilty white oppressors. Their racist views foment racial violence against whites and should not be tolerated or protected in civil society. Racism is not a cure for racism.
It is time to recognize that ALL LIVES MATTER. Yes, ALL lives matter including blue lives. That is not an insult it is a fact of American life if we are ever to have a civilized society. Martin Luther King Jr. understood that all lives matter. Winston Churchill understood that all lives matter. President Trump was entirely correct when he said that BOTH sides were responsible for the violence in Charlottesville, VA. because all lives matter. For anyone to be offended by that fact is shocking because it denies objective reality. President Trump did what Obama should have done. President Trump condemned the violence on both sides because he wants ALL Americans to value each other and to live together in peace.
Barack Obama fomented racial divisiveness because he wanted the social chaos that results. Special chaos is the prerequisite for the seismic social change that Obama intended to bring to America. The radical Left in this country who now dominate the Democrat Party are trying to finish what Obama started. They want to destroy American democracy and replace it with socialism. They have allied themselves with the Islamists who have common cause to bring down America. The Leftist/Islamist axis financed by globalist George Soros foment anarchy and are present at every political rally. They protest against the alleged racism of President Trump to create racial divisiveness and social chaos. Michael Signer, the Democrat mayor of Charlottesville who worked on Obama’s State Department Transition Team in 2008, ordered the police to stand down during the violence and chaos of the protests. Why? Asking the police to stand down in Charlottesville is equivalent to telling the military to stand down in Benghazi. If you want to know the motive look at the result. The stand down orders resulted in chaos.
The irony is that it is President Trump who is advocating racial tolerance. His message to America is that we are Americans First and ALL OUR LIVES MATTER. President Trump is reviled by the Leftist/Islamist axis and by the globalist media. They have colluded to destabilize and destroy his presidency because President Trump is committed to American sovereignty, American democracy, and America-first policies.
Americans ignored the company Obama kept. They willfully ignored his intention to bring socialism to America through social chaos and anarchy. Obama followed Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and disguised his intentions when he substituted a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. for the bust of Winston Churchill. Obama duped America. The war against President Trump is a war between the subjective reality of Barack Obama and the objective reality that President Trump insists upon. Americans who believe in Obama simply cannot tolerate the information that Obama deceived them – it is more shattering than Hillary Clinton’s loss. Instead, the truth teller Trump must be destroyed to preserve the fiction of Obama’s deceitful message.
President Trump accused the mainstream media of fake news. They were outraged but it was true. President Trump accused the Democrats of spying on his administration. They were outraged but it was true. President Trump is fighting a multi-front war for American democracy and sovereignty against Leftism, Islamism, and globalism. Globalism is not global trade – globalism is the new world order of one-world government. The Republican senators like McCain, Graham, McConnell, Fleck, and Corker are all part of the Washington swamp determined that no America-first policy of President Trump succeeds. The Washington swamp enriches themselves at public expense.
George Orwell is right: In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
President Donald Trump is a revolutionary president trying to drain the corrupt Washington swamp of establishment politicians seeking to preserve the status quo. The globalist elites who have corrupted the American political landscape seek an unrestricted global marketplace for their goods worldwide. Their futuristic vision is one-world without national sovereignty, boundaries, flags, or statues. What Americans ignore is that the globalist elite vision for one-world government is a regressive binary socio-political structure of masters and slaves.
The globalist elite are the masters and everyone else are their slaves including the Leftists and Islamists.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/statue-of-liberty-3.jpg366640Linda Goudsmithttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngLinda Goudsmit2017-08-20 06:57:422017-08-20 07:06:09The Stature of Statues: Racism is not a cure for racism!
Bassem Alhalabi, Ph.D. FAU Associate Professor Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
On August 17, 2017 Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Professor and President of the Islamic Society of Boca Raton, FL, Bassem Alhalabi, agreed to publicly defend the Shariah Islamiyya (Islamic Law) but ran away in shame from the venue minutes before the programs starting time.
The title of the meeting was, “Interfaith Cafe: Sharia Law and U.S. Law Nothing To Fear.” Dr. Alhalabi was to defend Islamic law, making the case that we non-Muslims have nothing to fear from Shariah.
Deep down Dr. Alhalabi knows the facts are not on his side. I suspect what Dr. Alhalabi fears most are Americans who are educated on Islamic Law and use Islamic sources with consensus/Ijma to distinguish his lies from truth.
When those knowledgeable people from The United West showed up to film, Dr. Alhalabi ran out of the venue faster than you can say chop chop adios. Dr. Alhalabi left his audience and event organizers dumbfounded. I suspect this video might be the reason why.
Dr. Alhalabi remembers on May 23, 2016 he was a participant on a Muslim Student Association panel discussion on Islamophobia, at FAU, that haunts him to this day. Dr. Alhalabi made the case that chopping off the hands of thieves is good for society, as per the Shariah.
Professor ‘Chop Chop’ Alhalabi, as he’s affectionately known in South Florida, didn’t realize members of The United West caught the entire exchange on tape. Yes, this story is quite fantastic so, click on this link, watch the video here and you will be outraged if you are not a follower of Islam. I say that because on the panel was Wilfredo Ruiz, legal counsel for, The Council On American Islamic Relations CAIR Florida, who said nothing.
Except for Rabbi Barry Silver, nobody on that Islamophobia panel was outraged. There was no outrage from the followers of Islam on the panel because Dr. Bassem ‘Chop Chop’ Alhalabi said nothing that contradicted Islamic Law/Sharia.
Sadly for the Delray Beach Interfaith Cafe Community, their other speaker in the discussion, Dr. Mark Schneider, Professor Emeritus from Southern Illinois University said, “Non-Muslims have nothing to worry about, since Mohammed, and/or the Qur’an, never commanded Muslims to Kill.” Audience member, Roger Gangitano informed Dr. Schneider that Qur’an Verse 4:89 states, “Those who reject Islam seize them and slay them wherever you find them.” Dr. Schneider replied, “That is a lie” and ended that uncomfortable moment without any personal reflection or honesty.
In the Islamic culture Dr. Dumitrescu states,
“The most cherished cultural value is honor. No effort and care is spared in order to avoid shame. For a Muslim, life consists of the intricate dynamics that take place between honor and shame.”
Dr. Bassem Alhalabi has lost face in the South Florida Islamic and interfaith communities. I suspect the cumulative effect of Dr. Alhalabi’s running away from a scheduled speaking engagement for no good reason, defending the chopping off of thieves hands, his arrest for assault, and illegally selling thermal imaging equipment to Syria should render him toxic in American lexicon and without honor in the Islamic culture.
Ladies and Gentleman Florida Atlantic University Professor Dr. Bassem Alhalabi has left the building in shame and dishonor.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/florida_atlantic_university.jpg361641Alan Kornmanhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngAlan Kornman2017-08-20 06:30:412017-08-20 15:20:21Florida Atlantic University Professor Dr. Alhalabi Fears Defending Islamic Law
Progressives talk a lot about the evil of hate. We are told that if we object to Sharia law and jihad, then we are intolerant haters. But what about hating harms people?
I hate wife-beating, yet the Sharia, Koran and Sunna support it.
I am intolerant of child abuse, including child marriage, but the Sunna and Sharia support it.
I hate the jihadist killings of Christians, Jews, Buddhists and apostates.
I am intolerant of religious leaders, such as the Pope and Dai Lama, who will not condemn the jihadic killing of their groups.
I hate dualistic ethics, which lack integrity.
I am intolerant of face coverings, since it cuts off open communication.
As a society, we have lost the ability to become morally outraged and are incapable of anger about the Islamic harm of innocents. I hate that.
Why are people being banned and silenced? “Hate speech.”
Silicon Valley billionaires claim to love free speech, but they forbid speech that doesn’t fit their narrative, and call it “hate.” And who determines what “hate” is? They do. Based on their performance, they are the Red/Green alliance–Marxists and Muslims, the new Big Brother.
Progressives talk a lot about the evil of “hate.” We are told that if we object to Sharia law and jihad, then we are intolerant haters. But what about hating harms people?
I hate child marriage
I hate rape of kafir women
I hate wife beating
I hate the jihadist killing of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus & apostates
I hate the suppression of free speech
As a society, we have lost the ability to become morally outraged and are incapable of anger about the Islamic harm of innocents and the Left’s ignorant embrace of Islam.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/TruthNewHateSpeech1-e1434184303471.jpg370640Bill Warnerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngBill Warner2017-08-19 19:04:372017-08-19 19:04:37VIDEO: The Jihad Against Free Speech
Poland’s interior minister says “Europe should wake up” after the Barcelona attack and realize it’s dealing with a “clash of civilizations” that proves his government’s point that accepting migrants is a tragedy for Europe.
Mariusz Blaszczak says Friday his country is safe because “we do not have Muslim communities which are enclaves, which are a natural support base for Islamic terrorists.”
The ruling Law and Justice party has taken a strong anti-migrant stance, refusing to accept any refugees in a European Union resettlement plan, creating tensions with Brussels.
Blaszczak insisted late Thursday on state TVP that Warsaw will not succumb to EU pressure because it is putting Poland’s security needs first.
He said: “The refugee resettlement system is a system that is encouraging millions of people to come to Europe.”
The logic of his remarks is inescapable.
For my complete ‘Invasion of Europe’ archive, go here.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/terrorist.jpg360640Ann Corcoranhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngAnn Corcoran2017-08-19 18:39:092017-08-20 15:21:04Polish Interior Minister: Barcelona is a ‘Clash of civilizations’
I was born in 1977, the year John Holt launched the first-ever newsletter for homeschooling families, Growing Without Schooling. At that time, Holt became the unofficial leader of the nascent homeschooling movement, supporting parents in the process of removing their children from school even before the practice was fully legalized in all states by 1993. Today, his writing remains an inspiration for many of us who homeschool our children.
Mass schooling is, by its nature, compulsory and coercive.
Holt believed strongly in the self-educative capacity of all people, including young people. As a classroom teacher in private schools in both Colorado and Massachusetts, he witnessed first-hand the ways in which institutional schooling inhibits the natural process of learning.
Holt was especially concerned about the myriad of ways that schooling suppresses a child’s natural learning instincts by forcing the child to learn what the teacher wants him to know. Holt believed that parents and educators should support a child’s natural learning, not control it. He wrote in his 1976 book, Instead of Education:
“My concern is not to improve ‘education’ but to do away with it, to end the ugly and anti-human business of people-shaping and to allow and help people to shape themselves.”
Self-Determined Learning
Holt observed through his years of teaching, and recorded in his many books, that the deepest, most meaningful, most enduring learning is the kind of learning that is self-determined.
As “the enemy,” we homeschoolers reject the increasing grip of mass schooling.
One of his most influential books, originally published in 1967, is How Children Learn. This month, it was re-published in honor of its 50th anniversary, with a new Foreword by progressive educator and author, Deborah Meier. In her early days as an educator, Meier says, she was influenced by Holt’s work and was particularly drawn to his revelation that even supposedly “good schools” failed children through their coercive tactics. Meier writes in the Foreword:
“While following Holt’s deep exploration of how children learn I therefore wasn’t surprised to discover Holt had joined ‘the enemy’—homeschoolers. His little magazine, Growing Without Schooling, was the most useful guide a teacher could ever read. As time passed I began to change my views of homeschooling. I’m still first and foremost working to preserve public education but homeschoolers can be our allies in devising what truly powerful schooling could be like. If we saw the child as an insatiable nonstop learner, we would create schools that made it as easy and natural to do so as it was for most of us before we first entered the schoolroom.”
Compulsory Education is Always Coercive
The trouble with Meier’s line of reasoning is that it presumes this is something schools can do. Mass schooling is, by its nature, compulsory and coercive. Supporting “an insatiable nonstop learner” within such a vast system of social control is nearly impossible.
Holt said so himself. In his later books, as he moved away from observations of conventional classrooms and toward “the enemy” of homeschoolers, Holt acknowledged that the compulsory nature of schooling prevented the type of natural learning he advocated. He writes in his popular 1981 book, Teach Your Own:
“At first I did not question the compulsory nature of schooling. But by 1968 or so I had come to feel strongly that the kinds of changes I wanted to see in schools, above all in the ways teachers related to students, could not happen as long as schools were compulsory
Holt continues:
“From many such experiences I began to see, in the early ‘70s, slowly and reluctantly, but ever more surely, that the movement for school reform was mostly a fad and an illusion. Very few people, inside the schools or out, were willing to support or even tolerate giving more freedom, choice, and self-direction to children….In short, it was becoming clear to me that the great majority of boring, regimented schools were doing exactly what they had always done and what most people wanted them to do. Teach children about Reality. Teach them that Life Is No Picnic. Teach them to Shut Up and Do What You’re Told.”
While progressive educators like Meier may have the best intentions and believe strongly that compulsory schools can be less coercive, the reality is quite different. Over the past half-century, mass schooling has become more restrictive and more consuming of a child’s day and year, beginning at ever-earlier ages. High-stakes testing and zero tolerance discipline policies heighten coercion, and taxpayer-funded after-school programming and universal pre-k classes often mean that children spend much of their childhood at school.
As “the enemy,” we homeschoolers reject the increasing grip of mass schooling and acknowledge what Holt came to realize: compulsory schooling cannot nurture non-coercive, self-directed learning. Holt writes in Teach Your Own: “Why do people take or keep their children out of school? Mostly for three reasons: they think that raising their children is their business not the government’s; they enjoy being with their children and watching and helping them learn, and don’t want to give that up to others; they want to keep them from being hurt, mentally, physically, and spiritually.” Today, those same reasons ring true for many homeschoolers.
It’s worth grabbing the anniversary copy of John Holt’s How Children Learn. His observations on the ways children naturally learn, and the ways most schools impede this learning, are timeless and insightful. But it is also worth remembering that Holt’s legacy is tied to the homeschooling movement and to supporting parents in moving away from a coercive model of schooling toward a self-directed model of learning. After all, Holt reminds us in Teach Your Own:
“What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children’s growth in the world is not that it is a better school than the schools but that it isn’t a school at all.”
Kerry McDonald has a B.A. in Economics from Bowdoin and an M.Ed. in education policy from Harvard. She lives in Cambridge, Mass. with her husband and four never-been-schooled children. Follow her writing at Whole Family Learning.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/homeschool_mini-3-e1503179793502.jpg361640Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngFoundation for Economic Education (FEE)2017-08-19 17:56:512017-08-19 17:56:51Homeschoolers: The Enemy of Forced Schooling by Kerry McDonald
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