Category: Nullification

Biden Says U.S. Will Not Participate In Counter-strike Against Iran, Meets With G7 Leaders To Discuss A Diplomatic Response

Biden Says U.S. Will Not Participate In Counter-strike Against Iran, Meets With G7 Leaders To Discuss A Diplomatic Response

Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden Speaks On His "Build Back Better" Clean Energy Economic Plan WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - JULY 14: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Chase Center July 14, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden delivered remarks on his campaign's 'Build Back Better' clean energy economic plan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden Speaks On His “Build Back Better” Clean Energy Economic Plan WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – JULY 14: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Chase Center July 14, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden delivered remarks on his campaign’s ‘Build Back Better’ clean energy economic plan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

OAN’s Abril Elfi
9:04 AM – Sunday, April 14, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/biden-says-u-s-will-not-participate-in-counter-strike-against-iran-meets-with-g7-leaders-to-discuss-a-diplomatic-response/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

President Joe Biden has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States will not be participating in a counter-strike against Iran.

According to a U.S. official, Biden told Netanyahu that he should view Saturday’s interceptions as a victory because Iran’s attacks had been mainly ineffective and showed Israel’s superior military capability.

The ability to avert extensive damage, according to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, is evidence of Israel’s “military superiority” and shows that Iran is not the “military power that they claim to be.”

According to another U.S. official, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requested that Minister Yoav Gallant, his Israeli counterpart, inform the United States in advance of any possible counterattack by Israel.

Biden called a meeting with the other leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) on Sunday to talk about a “united diplomatic response,” with a focus on non-military measures that would reduce the likelihood of a larger conflict.

“I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks — sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” Biden said in a statement following his conversation with Netanyahu.

On Sunday, Gallant issued a warning, saying that the conflict with Iran is “not over yet.” Israel’s war cabinet meeting is anticipated to include a detailed discussion of the nation’s options for response.

Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, issued a dire warning, stating that a “new equation” had been created and that Tehran would react immediately if Israel retaliated.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Ahead of Iran Attack, Rep. Jamie Raskin Calls for No More Weapons for Israel

By

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/04/ahead-of-iran-attack-rep-jamie-raskin-calls-for-no-more-weapons-for-israel; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

Even right after Oct 7, Rep. Raskin’s statement warned Israel not to go too aggressively after Hamas.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, who spends all day and night trying to accuse Republicans of being Russian stooges, decided to go ahead and join with Iranian stooges to attack Israel.

Alongside Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and, having sunk so low, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Raskin signed on to a letter demanding that Biden “withhold any offensive weapons transfers” to Israel.

Such a move, coming as Iran may be preparing to launch an attack on Israel, is a gift to Iran. And incidentally to its ally Russia, which Rep. Raskin has pretended to oppose all these years only as a front for attacking non-leftists.

In a press release, after an airstrike killed members of Jose Andres’ ‘aid group’ who were allegedly accompanied by an armed escort, Rep. Jamie Raskin quoted Andres’ who falsely accused Israel of “indiscriminate killing.” Then Rep. Raskin concluded with a call for a ceasefire that would allow Hamas to continue killing Israelis.

While people tend to pay more attention to Rep. Raskin for his political witch hunts aimed at opponents, he’s been attacking Israel’s campaign against Hamas for some time now while calling for a “ceasefire.”

Even right after Oct 7, Rep. Raskin’s statement warned Israel not to go too aggressively after Hamas.

In a truly extraordinary statement, Rep. Raskin argued that Israel should reward and encourage the Hamas use of human shields, contending that, “the knowledge that a terrorist enemy displays spectacular disrespect for the lives of civilians—by such means as using them as ‘human shields’ for embedded soldiers—imposes an obligation of extra care not to kill civilians who are being used in this way.”

This is who Rep. Raskin has always been, but the mask is increasingly coming off.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries asked Raskin to represent the Democratic caucus in defending Tlaib on the House floor against a GOP-led effort to censure the congresswoman, and in the end, Raskin’s allegiance to the Constitution won out.

It was never about the Constitution. It was about Rep. Raskin’s leftist politics which include hatred of America and Israel.

U.S. Unwilliing to Supply Some Weapons Requested by Israel

By

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/03/us-unwilliing-to-supply-some-weapons-requested-by-israel; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

It used to be a Bidenite mantra: we may disagree with the Israelis on some policies, but we would never make our military aid contingent on Israel submitting to our demands. But that was then, and this is now, when the Bidenites are furiously signaling to voters in Michigan and a few other states with large Arab and Muslim populations, that don’t worry, we hear you, and you can see us getting tougher on Israel by the minute. Confirmation of this came on March 28, when the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressing the Defense Writers’ Group, for the first time openly admitted that some weaponry requested by Israel was not being provided. Presumably that was done to pressure Israel not to invade Rafah, or not to go to war with Hezbollah, or possibly both. Biden is now doing what he said he would never do: harm Israel’s capacity to wage war. More on this appalling development can be found here: “US refused to give Israel some weapons for Gaza war, general says,” Reuters, March 28, 2024:

The United States’ top general said on Thursday that Israel had not received every weapon that it had asked for, in part because US President Joe Biden’s administration was not willing to provide at least some of them.

Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, its longtime ally. The United States has been rushing air defenses and munitions to Israel, but some Democrats and Arab American groups have criticized the Biden administration’s steadfast support of Israel, which they say provides it with a sense of impunity.

“Although we’ve been supporting them with capability, they’ve not received everything they’ve asked for,” said General Charles Q. Brown is the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“Some of that is because they’ve asked for stuff that we either don’t have the capacity to provide or are not willing to provide, not right now,” Brown added while speaking at an event hosted by the Defense Writers Group.

The Israeli offensive prompted opposition from within Biden’s Democratic Party, leading thousands to vote “uncommitted” for him in recent party presidential primaries.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Washington earlier this week, and the Pentagon said that security assistance for Israel had been discussed.

There are several ways to look at this announcement, none of them good.

One is that the Bidenites are not really withholding anything of importance, but want to give the appearance of doing so, in order to win back support from Muslim and so-called progressive voters. It seems unlikely that that will do the trick; nothing short of the Biden administration demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza is likely to win them back. That may not be enough.

Much more likely is that some weapons are indeed being withheld from a loyal ally, just as that ally is in the middle of a war that it did not want and did not cause. This is the fourth war for the Jewish state’s survival, after those of 1948, 1967, and 1973. Withholding of weapons requested by Israel has obvious consequences. Israel now must feel it cannot fully count on Washington’s military support, just as it can no longer count on its diplomatic support — that is, the use of the American veto — at the UN Security Council. This means Israel will not only ramp up its domestic manufacture of weapons that until now it has bought from the Americans, but will also be more willing to consider other weapons it never thought it might have to employ, including tactical nuclear weapons. Imagine, for example, that the IDF is still fighting Hamas in Gaza, and at the same time Hezbollah has attacked the northern Galilee, launching ten thousand missiles every day (Hezbollah has 150,000 rockets and missiles), hitting Tel Aviv, Dimona, ten of Israel’s military airfields, while the Houthis are still firing on ships in the Red Sea to prevent Israel’s shipping of goods to and from Asia. At that point, might the state of Israel decide that it needs, by way of a demonstration meant to frighten Iran and all of Israel’s Iranian-backed enemies — Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, PFLP, and others — to drop a nuclear weapon in the Iranian desert?

Have the Bidenites considered how its other allies must be reconsidering their reliance on American weaponry, even if such a close ally as Israel can be denied weapons that the IDF says it needs? If you were Taiwan, for example, wouldn’t you be wondering whether you can continue to rely on American assurances of military support should China try to invade?

It’s hard to know what weapons the Americans are withholding from Israel’s wish list, but I suspect they might have decided not to resupply the IDF with the bunker-buster bombs that it had delivered early in the conflict. According to reports, the US has supplied 100 BLU-109 penetrating bombs to help the Israeli military destroy the deepest tunnels that have been dug, some 50 meters underground in the 500-mile network of terror tunnels that Hamas built under Gaza. But the destruction of those tunnels also leads to the collapse of many buildings just above. Perhaps the Bidenites want to discourage the IDF’s continued use of bunker-busters. It won’t discourage the Israelis — they are determined to destroy those tunnels, whatever the cost — but it will make that task much more difficult.

Religious-Themed Designs Banned From WH Easter Egg Roll Art Event

Religious-Themed Designs Banned From White House Easter Egg Roll Art Event

White House Easter Egg Roll WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attend the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. The tradition dates back to 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes invited children to the White House for Easter and egg rolling on the lawn. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
White House Easter Egg Roll WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 10: U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attend the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. The tradition dates back to 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes invited children to the White House for Easter and eggs rolling on the lawn. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

OAN’s Abril Elfi
11:18 AM – Saturday, March 30, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/religious-themed-designs-banned-from-wh-easter-egg-roll-art-event/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

The White House has banned religious-themed designs from the Easter egg art event. 

Religious Easter egg designs will not be accepted by the National Guard children for the 2024 “Celebrating National Guard Families” art event at the White House.

Along with the yearly Easter Egg Roll, the White House celebrates Easter with an art competition. A contest flyer specifies that an Easter egg design entry “must not include any questionable content, religious symbols, overtly religious themes, or partisan political statements.” 

“As part of the White House Easter traditions, America’s Egg Farmers—for nearly 50 years—have proudly presented an intricately decorated Commemorative Easter Egg to the First Lady of the United States. In 2021, the White House expanded on this long-standing tradition by displaying youth-designed Easter eggs in the White House East Colonnade,” the flyer explains. “On behalf of First Lady Jill Biden, the Adjutants General of the National Guard are asking youth from National Guard families across the United States and all U.S. territories to submit artwork inspired by the theme ‘Celebrating our Military Families.’”

Kids are asked to paint eggs with pictures from their own lives. “Selected designs representing the unique experience and stories of National Guard children will be brought to life on real hen eggs by talented egg artists from across the country and displayed at the White House this Easter and Passover season,” the advertisement states.

Additionally, content that encourages “bigotry, racism, hatred, or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age” cannot be used in educational settings by children. 

Children will paint a few chosen designs on actual eggs, which will be on display at the White House.

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Kamala Unveils ‘Red Flag’ Centers to Take Away Guns~Repressive states~Gun control governors

Higbie: Any government that takes guns away is going to do something terrible

Repressive States: No Right to Carry, Ban on Semi-Autos, No Suppressors, and High Taxes

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/03/repressive-states-no-right-to-carry-ban-on-semi-autos-no-suppressors-and-high-taxes/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:
gun control gun rights iStock-gguy44 962772470
gun control gun rights iStock-gguy44 962772470

Nine states show up again and again as the most repressive states in the union of the United States of America. With the occasional exception, these states refuse to honor the Constitution; they have extremely restrictive policies on who may bear arms, they ban common rifles, they ban the ownership of suppressors, and they tend to have high taxes. They are all controlled by the Democratic Party.

The nine most repressive states are California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

Of those nine states, all but Rhode Island have enacted bans on some semi-automatic firearms, usually under the politically defined label of “assault rifles.”

Washington State has also banned certain semi-automatic rifles. Litigation challenging such bans as unconstitutional is moving forward in several states, including Maryland, New York, California, Illinois, and New Jersey. At some point, the Supreme Court will rule on one or more of these cases.

Of those nine states, all but Rhode Island have enacted bans on some semi-automatic firearms, usually under the politically defined label of "assault rifles." 
Of those nine states, all but Rhode Island have enacted bans on some semi-automatic firearms, usually under the politically defined label of “assault rifles.” 

Of the nine repressive states, eight of them have laws that prevent most of the population from exercising their Second Amendment rights, especially the right to bear arms outside of the home.

The right-to-carry map shows the current state of the right to carry in the United States of America by state.
The right-to-carry map shows the current state of the right to carry in the United States of America by state.

Out of the nine repressive states, eight have “may issue” laws whereby a government official has discretion to deny a carry permit based on his subjective opinion.

In this way, Martin Luther King was denied a carry permit in Alabama in 1956. John Stossel was denied a carry permit in New York City. Illinois is shown as a “shall issue” state. Illinois was forced by the Court of Appeals in the Seventh Circuit to pass a “shall issue” law or risk being forced to become a permitless carry state.

Of the nine repressive states, all but one ban the possession of silencers/suppressors in their state.

Suppressors/silencers are effective safety devices, which are common in Europe and many other countries. The American Suppressor Association maintains a map showing which states ban the legal possession of silencers/suppressors. Maryland does not ban the ownership of suppressors and allows them to be used for hunting. Suppressors/silencers are banned in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

Of the nine repressive states, all but one ban the possession of silencers/suppressors in their state.
Of the nine repressive states, all but one ban the possession of silencers/suppressors in their state.

Now, taxation, of the nine most repressive states, is in the top ten highest tax states: New York, Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Illinois, and Delaware.

All of the nine most repressive states are Democratic party trifectas, as shown by Ballotpedia. A Democratic party trifecta means both houses of the legislature and the governorship are in the hands of the Democratic party.

A similar situation existed with states in the South when they refused to follow Supreme Court rulings to desegregate public schools. Eventually, under a Republican administration, President Eisenhower enforced the desegregation order in Arkansas schools. Do not expect a Biden, or any Democratic administration, to use troops to enforce Second Amendment rights in repressive states.  Just as the Democratic party was the party of government power and segregation through the 1950’s, the Democratic party has been the party of government power and repression of Second Amendment rights since the Supreme Court rulings in Heller (2008), McDonald (2010), Caetano (2016) and Bruen (2022).

About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten was a peace officer, a military officer who was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.

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Gun Control Governors Need a Hard Reality Check

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by

Opinion
By Matt Manda

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/03/gun-control-governors-need-a-hard-reality-check/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

Crime Scene Tape NRA-ILA
Shutterstock 56280433

Several of the nation’s most ardent gun control activist governors and mayors of the largest metropolitans are staring down a divergent reality. They continue to stick with publicizing increasing gun control restrictions on law-abiding citizens, as crime is going down in many – though not all – major cities, while gun sales continue to increase at “new normal” historically high rates.

The tired scare tactic of warning “more guns means more crime” is crumbling apart as millions of law-abiding Americans are awakening to what it means to be a lawful and responsible gun owner. The streak of more than one million NSSF-adjusted FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) verifications processed for the purchase of a firearm that hit 55 months in February 2024.

Those firearm sales figures include significant increases in gun ownership in some of the country’s bluest states and cities. In those same areas, crime has been rampant over the past several years as politicians embraced “Defund the Police” efforts, bail reform policies and going soft on criminals.

The rest of the law-abiding population has pushed back in a resounding way.

Eyes on the Big Apple

One city where the divergent reality is most prominently seen today is New York City. Perhaps no city has seen more dissatisfied citizens about their feelings toward public safety than the Big Apple. It was a major factor under former accidental Mayor Bill de Blasio and continues under Mayor Eric Adams. That includes a stretch in 2022 where 70 percent of New York City residents felt unsafe.

That figure hasn’t improved much in the past year. The New York Times reported on a new poll showing that only 37 percent of city residents felt satisfied with the level of safety in their neighborhood. The same poll found that only half of residents admitted they planned to stay in the city past 2028.

“People are fed up with the quality of life. There’s a general sense of lawlessness. You go into CVS and there’s shoplifting. "People's cars get vandalized,” Queens Councilman Robert Holden told The New York Post about the polling.

Despite residents still feeling unsafe in their city – particularly while New Yorkers still face spikes in crime on the city’s subway – two trends have overlapped to demonstrate why crime is falling a bit in New York City from the recent highs over the past few years: increases in gun ownership and law enforcement getting tough on criminals.

In New York City, the rampant crime of the past several years, as well as more recent events including rises in antisemitism, have contributed to large numbers of new law-abiding gun owners in the city. Women, African Americans, Jewish residents, and even a collection of hundreds of the city’s bodega owners have all taken the Second Amendment into their own hands to purchase firearms. It’s also led to a decrease in crime so far compared to last year.

“Anyone that’s out there looking to rob us, hurt us, kill us – beware,” Fernando Mateo, a spokesperson for the United Bodegas of America, recently said. “You may be walking into the wrong bodega because now we have the same firepower you have.”

All told, NSSF-adjusted FBI NICS verifications for the purchase of a firearm in New York have totaled nearly 1.6 million. There's a lot of new, empowered New Yorkers taking their personal safety into their own hands and not relying on delayed or understaffed law enforcement. Criminals are taking note.

Busting Bad Guys

In addition to the massive number of new gun owners in the Big Apple, the falling crime rate is likely due to another logical effort that has nothing to do with placing more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners. Instead, it turns out that going after and getting tough on criminals who break the law has a real, positive impact on the city.

Gothamist reported on a new survey released by the mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and the New York Police Department that highlighted new information about what types of illegal guns police are seizing and where. The report breaks down more than 6,200 firearms that police seized between July 2020 and December 2021.

“About a third of [the seized firearms] had been used in a crime and about two-thirds had not. The guns that had not been used in a crime included those seized from people who didn’t have a license to possess a firearm, and weapons that people voluntarily turned over to law enforcement at gun buybacks,” the report stated. It should be noted that illegally possessing a firearm is, in fact, a crime.

The report also demonstrated that most of the seized firearms connected to a crime came from police precincts with high crime rates, reinforcing that police know where violent criminals are, that they are using and possessing illegal firearms and that those areas deserve the most attention.

Lastly, the crime report reinforced that illegally possessed handguns are, by far, the most commonly used firearm when a crime is committed. More than 70 percent of all the guns seized were handguns, with only eight percent being either a rifle or shotgun. When the report segments those guns out further to look at the “crime guns” the numbers are even more telling. More than 80 percent of recovered firearms were handguns, with only three percent being a long gun.

This data tracks fairly closely with what the firearms industry has said for years: that the overwhelming majority of firearms used in crime are illegally obtained handguns and that, also, Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs), which there are more than 28 million in circulation, are seldom used in a crime.

Not an Outlier

While crime is staying high in Washington, D.C., even though the city already implements nearly every gun control law imaginable, and a few other major cities that have notoriously soft-on-crime prosecutors or that severely cut police budgets, New York City isn’t an outlier. Across the country, in major cities crime seems to be trending downward in the right direction.

Not all major cities can point towards new gun restrictions or gun control laws as the reason behind the decrease. But, in every state – including many of the major cities which often have Left-leaning, gun control supportive mayors – firearm sales have kept up at a blistering pace.

With more law-abiding gun owners, and with more states like Louisiana and South Carolina opting for permitless carry, it’s abundantly clear criminals have recognized they are facing more empowered and confident residents that won’t be such easy targets as victims anymore.

About The National Shooting Sports Foundation

NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org

National Shooting Sports Foundation

Automatic Broker Commissions Going Away For Home Buyers Under New $418M Settlement

Automatic Broker Commissions Going Away For Home Buyers Under New $418M Settlement

SAN FRANCISCO - MARCH 23: Real estate signs are posted in front of homes for sale March 23, 2010 in San Francisco, California. Sales of existing homes fell for the third straight month, falling 0.6 percent in February. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

OAN’s James Meyers
11:00 AM -Friday, March 15, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/automatic-broker-commissions-going-away-for-home-buyers-under-new-418m-settlement/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

A massive settlement has been approved for home buyers in the United States. 

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has agreed to a Real Estate changing settlement that eliminates real estate brokers’ long-standing automatic commissions, which are typically up to 6% of the purchase price.

Home buyers and sellers would be able to negotiate fees with their real estate agents up front.

If the $418 million settlement is approved by a federal court, experts believe that the number of real estate agents will begin to decrease, which will continue to drive down commission prices.

“For years, anti-competitive rules in the real estate industry have financially harmed millions,” said Benjamin Brown, managing partner at the Cohen Milstein law firm and one of the settlement’s negotiators. “This settlement bring sweeping reforms that will help countless American families.”

The NAR acknowledged the pending settlement in a statement Friday and denied any wrongdoing.

“NAR has worked hard for years to resolve this litigation in a manner that benefits our members and American consumers,” said Nykia Wright, interim CEO of NAR, whose former chief stepped down late last year amid fallout from a federal lawsuit.

“It has always been our goal to preserve consumer choice and protect our members to the greatest extent possible. "This settlement achieves both of those goals,” Wright said in the statement.

Currently, a home seller has to pay a brokerage fee for listing their property on a Multiple Listing Service, which is usually 5% or 6% depending on where they are located on the map.

If the settlement is approved, brokerage commissions would be stripped from MLS sites and opened up to negotiation with sellers. Additionally, home buyers would be able to negotiate fees more easily if they choose to sign up with a broker. 

Furthermore, new brokerage-fee changes will begin to take effect in the next few months once they are fully approved. A preliminary hearing to approve the deal is slated to take place in the next few weeks. 

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Turkey: Man responsible for shaping Erdogan’s Middle East policy says ‘there is no such state called Israel’

  BY 

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/02/turkey-man-responsible-for-shaping-erdogans-middle-east-policy-says-there-is-no-such-state-called-israel; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

Erdogan’s Turkey, which wants to destroy Israel, is an ally of the U.S., and Israel itself is an ally of the U.S. One of these alliances is in serious danger, and the worries are not in Istanbul.

“‘Israel must be destroyed,’ said chief Middle East advisor to Turkey’s President Erdogan,” by Abdullah Bozkurt, Nordic Monitor, February 15, 2024:

The person responsible for shaping Turkey’s foreign policy in the Middle East in the office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been revealed to have called for the destruction of Israel, as uncovered by a Nordic Monitor investigation.

Sefer Turan, a 62-year-old pro-Iranian Islamist and a chief advisor to the Turkish president, has openly denied Israel’s right to exist, stating, “We must consistently and at every opportunity inform the public that there is no such state called Israel.”

Turan’s remarks were made in June 1997 during a panel discussion concerning the closure of the Palestine Solidarity and Friendship Association (Filistin Dayanışma ve Dostluk Derneği, FDD) by Turkish authorities. The FDD was identified as a front organization sponsored by the Iranian mullah regime in Turkey, aimed at channeling funds to armed Palestinian jihadist groups, organizing rallies against Israel and promoting antisemitism in Turkey.

Turan, one of the architects of the FDD, vehemently criticized the government’s decision to shut down the organization. He also condemned the peace initiatives launched in Madrid in 1991 that aimed to foster peace between Israel and Palestine, along with several Arab nations. The Madrid conference, co-sponsored by the US and the Soviet Union, eventually resulted in the signing of the Oslo I Accord in 1993 and the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel in 1994.

“We must openly reveal our identity and, if necessary, endure the risks,” Turan emphasized, further stating, “Nothing ends with the closure of the FDD.”

The driving force behind the creation of the FDD was a propaganda magazine named Yörünge, which received funding from the Iranian regime and was operated by pro-Iranian Turkish Islamists. Some members of this group had undergone training by Iranian intelligence in handling arms and explosives. Turkish authorities took action against the magazine, shutting it down and initiating criminal investigations and indictments against its staff.

The application for the establishment of the FDD was initially approved on July 1, 1995, during a preliminary process and later endorsed by the Interior Ministry in November 1995. However, a month after approval, the ministry requested that the FDD halt its operations until the Cabinet reviewed the application, citing concerns regarding the mention of international operations in the founding charter, which fell under the discretion of the Cabinet. On May 7, 1997 the government officially notified the FDD of its closure.

The FDD board members included Ahmet Varol, Remzi Çayır, Rıdvan Kaya, Nurettin Şirin, Fikret Özdemir and Ahmet Ağırakça, several of whom had longstanding ties with the Iranian Islamist Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force.

In fact, both Turan, working as chief aide to Erdogan at the time, and Şirin were suspects in a confidential investigation into the Quds Force network between 2011 and 2014. During this period their phones were tapped under court order as investigators sought to uncover an Iranian intelligence network in Turkey. The investigation aimed to determine any plots targeting Israeli, Jewish and Western interests in Turkey….

Biden Unfit for Oval Office: Speaker Johnson Shuts Down Senate Bill, Blasts President

In a bold move that underscores his commitment to America First principles, Speaker Johnson has put a stop to a Senate bill that sought to funnel billions in foreign aid, sidestepping critical domestic issues such as border security. This special report dives into the fiery press conference where Johnson didn't just shut down the bill but also blasted President Biden for his mishandling of classified information and overall incompetence. Johnson's stance sends a clear message: American leadership must prioritize the needs of its people over international aid. This report unpacks the implications of Johnson's actions, the reactions it has sparked, and what this means for the future of American policy and leadership. Don't miss our Final Thought, where we tie everything together, revealing why this moment is crucial for every American.

Kataib Hezbollah, Suddenly Scared, Promises It Will No Longer Target Americans

By

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/02/kataib-hezbollah-suddenly-scared-promises-it-will-no-longer-target-americans; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

Apparently, after having launched 150 attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria during the past few months, and one attack on our servicemen at Tower 22 in northeast Jordan, Kataib Hezbollah is suddenly scared out of its wits, and wants Washington to know that it will no longer — honest, cross our hearts and hope to die — target any Americans. More on this sudden volte-face can be found here: “Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah says it suspends attacks on US forces,” by Timour Azhari, Reuters, January 30, 2024:

Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah has announced the suspension of all its military operations against US troops in the region in a decision aimed at preventing “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government, the group said in a statement.

No, the decision is not aimed at preventing “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government. It’s aimed, rather, at saving the lives of Kataib Hezbollah members, and of avoiding destruction on a scale they would really prefer to avoid. And were such an American attack to take place, as the talk in Washington brought home to Kataib Hezbollah that this time the American mood was “no-more-water-the-fire-next-time,” with Lindsey Graham and Mike McCaul and a host of other Republicans urging the Administration to “hit Iran. Hit it hard.” The credit for this unexpected decision by Kataib Hezbollah goes to the Republican rhetoric in the Senate, urging retaliation on Iran itself. The Iranians may even have prompted Kataib Hezbollah to announce its new policy.

The decision follows the killing of three U.S. troops in a drone attack near the Jordan-Syria border – an attack that the Pentagon said bore the “footprints” of Kataib Hezbollah, though a final assessment had not yet been made.

Founded in the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah is one of the elite Iraqi armed factions closest to Iran….

That pitiful attempt by Kataib Hezbollah to now ‘scape whipping — after it and its fellows in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have launched 150 attacks on American targets in Syria, Iraq, and Jordan — by promising that it has “suspended” attacks on American targets, has not even been acknowledged by Washington. That promise came a day late and a dollar short. Americans are fed up, and are not going to be hornswoggled by the likes of Kataib Hezbollah to refrain from retaliation.

Within the next week or two, we can expect drone attacks, or bomb-away airstrikes, not just on Kataib Hezbollah, but also on Iranian bases in Syria and Iraq. After the murder of those three servicemen at Tower 22 in Jordan, the gloves are off. And if those retaliatory attacks lead groups other than Kataib Hezbollah to attack Americans anywhere in the Middle East, Washington will simply double, treble, quadruple the dose, until the enemy understands, and quietly reigns.

BREAKING: Ron Desantis DROPS OUT, Supports Donald Trump for President

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is ending his 2024 Republican presidential campaign after failing to overtake rival Donald Trump in polling or in the early vote. DeSantis made the announcement in a video posted to social media on Sunday with less than 48 hours until voting in New Hampshire's primary, the second state in the nominating race.

Victory: South Florida Muslim Federation Conference Shut Down

Program of pro-Hamas, anti-Jewish speakers deemed security issue by Coral Springs Marriott.

 by 

SEE: https://www.frontpagemag.com/victory-south-florida-muslim-federation-conference-shut-down/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes: 


[SPECIAL JANUARY PROMOTION: Spend $50+ In The FPM Store And Receive A Free Copy Of “Final Battle” By David Horowitz.]

On Friday, December 29th, in coordination with the Middle East Forum, this author took a delegation of five leaders from the local community to meet with the General Manager of the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel & Convention Center, Mark Cherry. It was our goal to convince Mr. Cherry to cancel a conference and bazaar the center was to host a couple weeks later (January 12-13), organized by the South Florida Muslim Federation (SFMF), an umbrella organization for South Florida’s many radical Muslim groups. With the help of a public outcry, our mission was a success.

We had several concerns about this conference taking place, starting with SFMF itself.

Right after the October 7 massacre of over 1200 Israelis perpetrated by Hamas – literally on the same day as the attack – SFMF asked its followers on social media to donate funds to Gaza via the US chapter of Islamic Relief, a group that has been banned by a number of nations. Israel has labeled Islamic Relief a front for Hamas and previously arrested its Gaza leader. And regarding its US chapter, IRUSA, its ex-Chairman Khaled Lamada tweeted that it is “absurd” to classify Hamas “as a terrorist organization” and used his social media to promote Hamas.

Islamic Relief was to be the main sponsor (“Premier Sponsor”) of the SFMF conference.

The President of SFMF is Samir Kakli. He took over the job from Nezar Hamze, a former representative for the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which is a member organization of SFMF.

In June 2020, Kakli promoted the Palestinian “Day of Rage,” large-scale protests that resulted in violence against Jews. In October 2020, he called for the release from prison of leaders of the Holy Land Foundation (HLF), who were convicted of raising millions of dollars for Hamas. In December 2022, he questioned Israel’s nationhood, posting on Facebook, “[T]heir ‘nation’ is built on lies and fantasy.”

SFMF and its leader Kakli have both promoted events run by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a group that was recently banned from operating in Florida universities for its declared alliance with Hamas. In May 2022, SFMF co-sponsored an anti-Israel rally with SJP. During the rally, Kakli and others called for Israel’s destruction with shouts of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Death to Israel.”

We also had concerns about many of the speakers for the SFMF conference.

One conference speaker, Naima Khan-Ghany, was recently removed from the two committees she served on in the Broward County School Board, as a result of her making numerous anti-Semitic posts on social media. One post referred to Jews as being “Satanic.”

Another speaker, social media influencer Yasemin Kanar, a.k.a. The Real Yaz, three days after October 7, stated, “[A]ll of Hollywood is run by Zionist Jews and promoting pedophilia.” Kanar, as well, praised Hamas. She further posted, on her Twitter account, a video claiming the documented rapes committed by Hamas are fake. And she posted a video of rabid anti-Semite Lucas Gage saying, “You guys don’t know what Jewish supremacists will do to push a narrative. They will lie. They are called the ‘Masters of Lies’ for a reason… [E]veryone’s starting to see it, maybe our ancestors are right, maybe antisemitism isn’t this irrational hatred.”

Yet another speaker, founder and Imam of the Darul Uloom Institute (DUI) Shafayat Mohamed, was thrown off several Broward County boards for his vile rhetoric against the LGBTQ community, including claiming that natural disasters are caused by gay sex.

Our meeting with Marriott GM Mark Cherry lasted just over an hour. For the meeting, my non-profit, the Joe Kaufman Security Initiative, had created a 30-page PowerPoint presentation to show to Mr. Cherry. It contained all of the evidence against SFMF and its event speakers – their extensive and documented support for Hamas and an extreme hostility of Jews that went way beyond hatred of Israel.

The PowerPoint began with a page containing graphic images from the October 7 atrocities – a rape victim and bloodied and burned bodies. We felt it necessary to display these images, in order to convey the barbaric cruelty which was being justified by the SFMF speakers.

Well into the meeting, Mr. Cherry informed us of the fact that SFMF had already used his facility a number of times in the past and that the contract for the upcoming conference had been signed a year in advance. He also indicated that he shared our concerns regarding the material we were presenting to him.

This author also provided information showing that other hotels, including Marriotts, had recently cancelled similar conferences, due to issues related to safety and security. Given the anti-Semitic atmosphere following October 7 and given the terrorist element shadowing the SFMF event, I suggested he consider doing the same.

Following our Marriott meeting, an article that I had written regarding the situation was published in the Middle East Forum’s Focus on Western Islamism, titled ‘Coral Springs Marriott Set to Host Florida Gathering of Hamas Sympathizers.’ The piece sparked a public outcry from the community. Phone calls were made, including by city officials, emails were sent, and petitions were signed in the thousands.

The result of all of this was the Coral Springs Marriott’s cancellation of the SFMF conference.

The threats posed by the individuals and groups involved in this conference must be considered detrimental to both the local community and national security interests, especially in light of the current elevated threat levels, both in the US and abroad. As FBI Director Christopher Wray stated to the House Committee on Homeland Security, this past November, “[W]e cannot – and do not – discount the possibility that Hamas or another foreign terrorist organization may exploit the current conflict to conduct attacks here, on our own soil.”

Mr. Cherry and, by extension, the Marriott Hotel administration, are to be commended for taking the courageous step of refusing to let their facilities be used by pro-Hamas individuals and groups to promote jihad and the hatred of Jews. By canceling the SFMF event, they have helped protect the community and shown themselves to be on the ‘right side of history.’

Mark Cherry and the Marriott Corporation deserve everyone’s thanks.

Beila Rabinowitz, Director of Militant Islam Monitor, contributed to this report.

Sen. Rand Paul Not Ready To Make Presidential Endorsement, Won’t Be Supporting Nikki Haley

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 11: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Senator Rand Paul talks with SiriusXM's Olivier Knox and Julie Mason during a Town Hall event on October 11, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

OAN’s Stephanie Myers
9:35 AM – Friday, January 12, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/sen-rand-paul-not-ready-to-make-presidential-endorsement-wont-be-supporting-nikki-haley/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes: 

Senator Rand Paul has yet to announce who he will endorse for president. However, he stated that he will not be supporting Nikki Haley’s bid for the White House.

The Kentucky senator posted his thoughts on X on Friday, saying he likes various aspects President Trump, Governor DeSantis (R-Fla.), Vivek Ramaswamy and Independent candidate RFK Jr. have to offer.

Even though he didn’t make an endorsement, Paul (R-Ky.) did make the case for why he won’t be supporting Haley.

“I’m not yet ready to make a decision, but I am ready to make a decision on someone who I cannot support,” he said. “So, I’m announcing this morning that I’m Never Nikki.”

“I’ve also seen her indicate that she thinks you should be registered to use the Internet,” Paul continued. “That people posting ideas anonymously. I think she fails to understand that our Republic was founded upon people like Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, Madison, John Jay, and others, who posted routinely for fear of the government. They posted routinely, anonymously.”

Senator Paul believes that idea alone should disqualify her in the mind of all libertarian-leaning conservatives.

He continued to post on X, highlighting some of Haley’s record and rhetoric. He stated that she advocated for a gas tax, praised the United Nations and supported foreign aid, saying she has a “thirst for war.”

Paul concluded his message by directing the public to visit nevernikki.net

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

UK Methodists Drop ‘Husband and Wife’ From Marriage Vows

LINCOLN BROWN | 6:16 PM ON DECEMBER 29, 2023
Republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes: 
AP Photo/The Idaho Statesman, Kyle Green
Earlier today, Kevin wrote a piece about his friends and fellow comedians who had banished him to the outer darkness over politics. These people will continue to support Biden or whoever takes his place, no matter how desperate things become. They would rather see the nation descend into a post-apocalyptic hellscape, complete with Mad Max-style car chases and cannibalistic, radioactive mutants lurking in underground bunkers than cast a vote for Donald Trump. Kevin titled the column, "Leftists Would Rather Send Their Kids to War Than Vote for 'Orange Man Bad.'"

As a former Leftist, I see today's progressivism, which is still managing to hold on despite the chaos and rubble the Biden administration is creating, like my first Ralph Lauren polo shirt. When I was a kid, we were never broke, although we did stray close to the poverty line a few times. And once, through a bit of luck, I found myself in possession of a genuine Ralph Lauren polo shirt. This was a big thing for someone whose family shopped in the bargain bins more often than not. I looked good, and I felt confident. After all, it was quite the step up. 

And so I wore it, and wore it, and wore it. I wore it until the navy blue was a sickly shade of gray. I wore it until there were holes in the armpits and the collar and sleeves were frayed. I wore it until the polo player resembled an obese, inebriated golfer. And I continued to wear it after that. Why? Because it was Ralph Lauren. The whole episode would have made for T.S. Eliot's poem: "The Wardrobe of J. Alfred Prufrock." Leftists today continue to wear the same threadbare, tattered, and moth-eaten garments of progressivism because the label is just too chic. 

Take churches, for example. Look at any mainline Protestant denomination. Chances are that on any given Sunday, you will see a small knot of people, many of them well along in years, mumbling prayers and rasping hymns among rainbow candles and a smattering of abortion pamphlets. Once-great church buildings are becoming mausoleums and charnel houses simply because the remnants of their congregations decided to don the trappings of progressivism. 

The UK, of course, is much further along the road to ruin than the U.S., having gained about a twenty-year headstart. But we in the States are doing our best to keep up. Back in my radio days, the Brits were issuing dire warnings to us that "as we are now, so shall you be."  

The latest development in progressive madness from across the pond comes from the Methodist Church of England. According to The Christian Institute, the leadership has told its ministers to avoid using the words "husband" and "wife." Not every marriage is between a husband and wife these days, you know. And who is to say that congregants or engaged couples even consider themselves to be men or women? 

Better to stick to inclusive language, lest someone, somewhere, become aggrieved and demand apologies amidst great wailing and gnashing of teeth. On the other hand, a person wailing in the nave because they have been misgendered would present a wonderful opportunity for virtue signaling, so perhaps the leadership has not thought this issue completely through. 

Instead of "husband" and "wife" or "brothers and sisters,"  the church suggests using words like  “parent,” “partner,” and “child.” From the article:

It added: “Language such as ‘brothers and sisters’, while intended to be inclusive and friendly, doesn’t take into account our non-binary friends”.

Members of the church are encouraged to share their own pronouns in conversations and to consult Stonewall or GLAAD if there are further questions.

The new set of instructions came in the latest edition of the church's "Inclusive Language Guide" which is updated every six months. Every six months? What minister, even in the most woke of congregations, would be able to keep up with those mandates? These poor pastors will spend all of their time rewriting sermons and their liturgies so they can successfully complete another round of the Gender Hokey Pokey. It's a veritable recipe for a church-wide mental breakdown among the ordinands. At this rate, church services will start to sound like meetings of the United Federation of Planets. 

On his Substack, Fr. Calvin Robinson noted that the latest genuflection to the Holy Gender Unicorn is another step toward Marxism:

Liberalism teaches that heteronormativity is an option among other options. Marxism, via the Critical Theories, teaches that heteronormativity must be destroyed. The phrase ‘smash heteronormativity’ is often used by proponents of Queer Theory, Gender Theory, and even Critical Race Theory.

When the Methodist Church says ministers should no longer use the terms husband and wife, it is showing support for Marxism by partaking in the smashing of heteronormativity. To replace God’s order with the devil’s disorder. At the very least, the Methodist Church is saying it is more afraid of the world than it is of God.

The problem is clear. It is not possible to be both a communist and a Christian.

Furthermore, God may love someone unconditionally, but that is not to say He will leave that person as He found them. The stories of Christ with the woman at the well and the woman accused of adultery bear that out. If God requires nothing of us and wishes to leave us as we are, then there is no need for a savior, and Christianity is no longer Christianity.

We may be witnessing some form of ecclesiastical Darwinism. The denominations that are set on maintaining the "approved narrative" as opposed to preaching the Gospel will become less and less relevant, and will eventually disappear. They value their social status above all else, and they find their tar pits comfortable, even as they sink up to their necks. And that may have been the point of the progressive movement all along

Israel-Hamas war: Israeli Govt. on hostage operations, murdered bodies held captive

The Israeli Government provided an update on the 129 hostages being held captive by Hamas. Israeli Government Spokesman Eylon Levy says Hamas is holding the bodies of hostages that have been murdered. The government says Hezbollah has launched an anti-tank missile from inside Lebanon at the Greek Orthodox Church, injuring a civilian.

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