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Macron Vs. Reality Slippery words from a shameless Islam appeaser. Bruce Bawer

Last week, Emmanuel Micron, I mean Macron, visited Washington, had dinner at the White House, and gave a speech on Capitol Hill in which he referred to Hemingway’s memoir A Moveable Feast as a novel, identified the French architect of Washington, D.C., whom Americans know as Pierre L’Enfant, by his middle name, Charles, and attributed a famous line by Ronald Reagan to Teddy Roosevelt. The line in question was the one about how freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.

There was, in fact, a good deal of rhetoric in his speech about freedom – and the threats thereto. Given what’s going on in France these days, that would only make sense. But his approach to his country’s – and the West’s – current travails was, to say the least, curious. On 9/11, asserted Macron, “many Americans had an unexpected rendezvous with death.” How poetic! How French! And how inappropriate a way to refer to thousands of people being evaporated one fine Tuesday morning. He made it sound as if death by jihad had been their divinely ordained destiny – as if the hijackers of those planes had been instruments of some cosmic will.

Macron went on to mention the “terrible terrorist attacks” that have struck his own country in recent years. “It is a horrific price,” he pronounced, “to pay for freedom, for democracy.” Meaning what? In what sense are such attacks the “price” we “pay for freedom”? Did Macron mean something like what London mayor Sadiq Khan meant when he said that living with terrorism is “part and parcel of living in a big city”? I’d say the people who died on 9/11 were paying for American leaders’ blithe indifference to the existential danger of Islam – and that those who’ve died in more recent terror attacks in Europe were paying for their own leaders’ cowardly irresolution (or outright defeatism) on the subject.

Macron might have said something gutsy about his fellow politicians’ culpability in the violent deaths of terrorist victims. But no. Like every other European-establishment political hack, he posed as a hero of freedom. Some hero: he didn’t dare breathe the word Islam or Muslim or even jihad. But what else to expect from a man who, as French author Guy Millière noted in March, has called for Arabic to taught in every French high school, for “cathedral mosques” to be built in every major French city, and for enhanced measures to be taken against critics of Islam?

To Promote Nonproliferation, Kill the Iran Deal Now The Europeans won’t do business with Tehran if that means losing access to American banks. By Jamil N. Jaffer

Will President Trump terminate the Iran nuclear deal? Many national-security experts are concerned he will, by refusing to waive sanctions that are up for renewal in mid-May. Some worry that unilaterally reimposing sanctions on Iran would isolate the U.S. internationally, as Europe’s leaders still broadly support the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Others argue that the JCPOA is working and Iran is largely abiding by its commitments. Still others urge the U.S. to continue waiving sanctions if the Europeans are willing to consider potential changes to the deal.

Each of these camps is deeply misguided. Should Mr. Trump refuse to continue the Obama -era policy of waiving Iran sanctions and opt to reimpose them unilaterally, Europe will have no choice but to go along. The key sanctions imposed by Congress in 2011-12—in the face of staunch opposition from the Obama White House—are “secondary” sanctions, meaning they operate by imposing costs on countries that continue to do business with Iran. Under this regime, every nation must choose between doing business with Iran and maintaining access to the American banking system. This isn’t a real choice, since no country can function economically by cutting itself off from the U.S.

Indeed, the Europeans lobbied hard against these sanctions—and convinced the Obama White House to do the same—because they knew they could never choose Iran over the U.S. They were right. When it became clear that congressional support for the sanctions was sufficient to override Mr. Obama’s threatened veto, Europe also went along, albeit unhappily. The massive economic pressure produced by the sanctions forced the Iranian regime to the negotiating table for the first time in years.

The Obama administration ultimately squandered its negotiating leverage on a weak deal with deep and enduring flaws: extremely short sunsets, after which Iran will be able to sprint to a nuclear weapon even faster than before; the ability to conduct research under the deal on advanced uranium centrifuges that will further shorten Iran’s breakout time; expanded testing of ballistic missiles that would widen the kill zone of an Iranian nuclear weapon; a self-testing regime on existing nuclear military sites that protects Iran’s illegal weaponization activities; sanctions relief providing an economic boost to the Iranian regime, removing significant pressure and providing the time, space, and resources to work on a valid warhead design; and no link whatever to Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region or support for terrorist groups world-wide like Hezbollah. CONTINUE AT SITE

U.S. Fighters for Taiwan The island democracy needs advanced air power to deter China.

Chinese bombers and warships conducted exercises near Taiwan this month, a show of force that officials in Beijing called a warning not to pursue formal independence. Last year the number of Chinese air patrols off Taiwan’s east coast quadrupled, and Beijing under President Xi Jinping has stepped up pressure on the island democracy to “reunify” with the motherland.

China’s bullying is raising alarms in the U.S., which is obligated to help Taiwan defend itself under the Taiwan Relations Act. The mainland People’s Liberation Army is deploying new jets, ships and other weapons in such numbers that the island’s defenses are in danger of being overwhelmed. Past U.S. Administrations failed to sell Taiwan the weapons it needs, and much of its arsenal is outdated.

The island’s most pressing need is air power. The mainstay of Taiwan’s fighter force is a fleet of 144 F-16s bought in the mid-1990s. Fewer than half the planes are ready for combat at any time, thanks to the maintenance required by aging aircraft and upgrades. Taiwan is pleading for new fighters to counter China’s advanced planes such as the Russian-made Su-35.

Facebook’s Censorship in Germany by Stefan Frank

Marlene Weise was banned from Facebook for 30 days, for posting a set of two pictures: One showed the Iranian women’s national volleyball team from the 1970s, wearing t-shirts and shorts; the other, the current Iranian team, wearing hijabs and clothes that cover arms and legs.

“Does a law- and contract-abiding user have to acquiesce to companies like Facebook or Twitter deleting his content or banning him for it? The ruling is an important stage victory for the freedom of speech.” — Joachim Nikolaus Steinhöfel, attorney and anti-censorship activist.

A court in Berlin has issued a temporary restraining order against Facebook. Under the threat of a fine of 250,000 euros (roughly $300,000 USD) or a jail term, Facebook was obliged to restore a user’s comment that it had deleted. Moreover, the ruling prohibited the company from banning the user because of this comment.

This is the first time a German court has dealt with the consequences of Germany’s internet censorship law, which came into effect on October 1, 2017. The law stipulates that social media companies have to delete or block “apparent” criminal offenses, such as libel, slander, defamation or incitement, within 24 hours of receipt of a user complaint.

As many critics pointed out, this state censorship makes freedom of speech subject to the arbitrary decisions of corporate entities that are likely to censor more than absolutely necessary, rather than risk a crushing fine of up to 50 million euros ($65 million USD). According to a newspaper report, Facebook’s censors have just ten seconds to decide whether to delete a comment or not.

The case with which the court in Berlin had to deal was that on January 8, 2018, the Swiss daily Basler Zeitung posted an article with the title “Viktor Orban speaks of Muslim ‘invasion'” on its Facebook site. The blurb read:

“Viktor Orban wonders how in a country like Germany… chaos, anarchy and illegal crossing of borders can be celebrated as something good.”

Facebook user Gabor B. posted a comment:

“Germans are becoming increasingly stupid. No wonder, since the left-wing media litters them every day with fake news about ‘skilled workers,’ declining unemployment figures or Trump.”

Has Pope Francis Read the Quran? by A. Z. Mohamed

Pope Francis fails to differentiate between violence motivated by religious faith and violence committed by followers of all religions, but motivated by reasons having nothing to do with religion.

Among the main duties of the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church is to protect the Church’s followers, be empathic and understanding of their needs, and not deceive them into a condition of subjugation.

In his prayer during the Good Friday, Via Crucis (“Way of the Cross”), at the Colosseum in Rome, Pope Francis said that for many reasons, Christians ought to express shame for choosing power and money over God, and for the actions of those who are leaving future generations “a world shattered by divisions and wars, a world devoured by selfishness.”

The Pope’s statement follows a pattern that consists of a steady, firm defense of Islam and Muslims, and accusations against Western civilization and Christians. Pope Francis persistently confuses his audience by claiming that violent people belong to all religions and that all religions are religions of peace. He fails to differentiate between violence motivated by religious faith and violence committed by followers of all religions, but motivated by reasons having nothing to do with religion. His goal in this intricate confusion appears to be to negate any connection between Islamic teachings and violence committed by Muslims who themselves proclaim that they had been motivated by their Islamic faith to kill and terrorize. “Islam is a religion of peace, one which is compatible with respect for human rights and favours peaceful coexistence,” wrote Francis in his letter to the Christians in the Middle East in 2014. “Authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence” said Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (2013).

Islam contra the West: Surrender is not an option By Amil Imani

Who are we? We are individuals dedicated to expose Islamic tyranny for what it is. There are not many of us. I am going to name just a few who have been on the front line to stop the incursion of the Islamic ideology in the West: Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, Dr. Ali Sina, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ibn Warraq, Brigitte Gabriel, and Geert Wilders come to mind, along with many others who have sacrificed the comforts of life just to sound the alarm, only to be mercilessly attacked by elements of the global left.

All of us have to constantly look over our collective shoulder to make sure the knife of an Islamic zealot doesn’t slash our throats as he aims to secure a posh place for himself in Allah’s paradise. Not a good feeling to have to live with, is it?

The potential killers take all the advantages this benign society and culture offer to implement their dastardly schemes, while people like us are virtual prisoners.

We have been challenged. They say, “You want us to go to war with 1.5 billion Muslims? Is that what you’re proposing we do?”

Not at all. We are peaceful, non-violent individuals. We despise wars and killings – the favorite activities of Muslims the world over and ever since the birth of their faith.

What we are saying is that Islam is at war with us and the free people of the world. We are saying we shouldn’t surrender. We should reject in no uncertain terms their historical ultimatum of aslam taslam (surrender, become Muslim, and you will have peace). We refuse to become Muslims. And no, thank you, we don’t want your peace. We should do all we can to defeat this menace.

Europe: Safeguard Values or Disappear by Giulio Meotti

We no longer replace our numbers; instead we rely on immigration to compensate for the shortfall in births. This immigration is for the most part Muslim; the effect of our demographic decline is, therefore, the Islamization of Europe.

The response of members of the political class, at least in Italy, is to shrug their shoulders, and say, “So what?” European elites believe that religion is private. However, most Muslims do not believe that religion is private, and some are working hard to create a state in which Islamic law is the legal foundation for everyone. The effect of this is already being felt across the European continent. We have more Islamic veils and mosques, and fewer cartoons of Mohammed.

Without the courage to insist on safeguarding our values, and passing our inheritance on to our children, we Europeans will simply disappear — as many groups have before. With us, however, will disappear the most enlightened civilization the world has ever known.

“We have to decide if our ethnicity, if our white race, if our society continues to exist — or if it will be wiped out.” This observation was recently made by Attilio Fontana, a politician with the anti-immigrant Northern League, who is running to govern the Italy’s northern region of Lombardy. Fontana’s remarks sparked quite a political storm. He may not have chosen the most delicate words, but he was right in pointing out the potential suicide of Europe. Italy’s problem, in fact, is not the word “race”, but the empty cradles and the crowded boats which have brought in 500,000 African migrants in a relatively short time

In Milan, Italy’s financial district and second-biggest city, there are more dogs than newborns. The city has literally “lost” half its births in a mere ten years. From 2006 to 2016, the number of children born in Milan has declined from 17,000 a year to fewer than 10,000. By comparison, in 1880 Milan had a population of 350,000, and that year, 10,000 children were born. Today, Milan is inhabited by 1,362,000 people with fewer than 10,000 new births. So, relatively, 138 years ago Milan had proportionately four times as many children as today. That is how Europe’s indigenous population will die out.

Nicaragua is back in the news By Silvio Canto, Jr.

We remember Nicaragua from the 1980’s, i.e. the “contras,” the “Sandinistas,” and other stories from the Reagan years.

Nicaragua is back in the news because of protests and the government’s reaction to them, as we see in news reports:

Nicaragua has been rocked by a week of protests in which over two dozen people have been killed.
The protests were triggered by tax hikes and benefit cuts meant to shore up the ailing social security system.

On Sunday, President Daniel Ortega said the government would withdraw the pension changes.
But he rejected demands to free detained protesters, withdraw the police and lift some censorship.

The U.S. embassy has moved some employees from Managua as a reaction to the violence. The State Department has also issued a travel warning.

The violence in Nicaragua is related to President Ortega’s proposal to raise taxes to pay for social services & fund public pensions. President Ortega did promise new negotiations with the opposition but not much has happened yet.

The international media has been reporting the violence and the death of Angel Gahona, a journalist who was gunned down during his broadcast. The shooting was caught live on social media.

From Euthanasia to Mass Murder Alex Grobman, PhD

In a ground breaking new study, Austrian medical historian Herwig Czech, debunks the myth that Hans Asperger, who was the first to describe a group of children with distinctive psychological features as “autistic psychopaths,” had opposed the Nazis and defended his patients against the Nazi ‘euthanasia’ program.

The article entitled “Hans Asperger, National Socialism, and ‘race hygiene’ in Nazi-era Vienna, published in Molecular Autism reports that Asperger sent patients to the Am Spiegelgrund clinic in Vienna, where almost 800 children were murdered by poisoning and other means from 1940 to 1945.

“The picture that emerges is that of a man who managed to further his career under the Nazi regime, despite his apparent political and ideological distance from it,” Czech concludes. “This was not least due to opportunities created by the political upheaval after Austria’s Anschluss (annexation) to Germany in 1938, including the expulsion of Jewish physicians from the profession.”

By making political compromises to Nazi dogma, Asperger advanced his career by cooperating with the race hygiene system, including the Nazis’ child “euthanasia” program.

The Evolution of Sterilization into Euthanasia Killing Centers

What is often overlooked, is that before the Nazis sent Jews to the gas chambers, where they were murdered with Zyklon-B or carbon monoxide, the Nazis created clandestine programs that systematically targeted certain groups of people for extermination.

The sterilization programs began in late 1933, as historian Henry Friedlander wrote in the Origins of Nazi Genocide. Within a year, 32,268 individuals were sterilized. In 1935 there were 73,174. Justification for this treatment included schizophrenia, epilepsy, alcoholism, deafness, blindness, manic-depression psychosis and feeblemindedness. Those deemed sex offenders were castrated.

Politics as a Weapon in the Cause of Islam By Janet Levy

In 2007, in a highly controversial move, Keith Hakim Ellison, the first Muslim congressman, swore his oath of office on a copy of the Koran. In effect, Ellison rejected the values that unify Americans and instead pledged to follow a religious text that commands Muslims to wage war against secular legal systems.

Today, swearing the oath of office on the Koran and even simultaneously praising Allah have become almost commonplace. In 2016, Minneapolis Park Board member and Somalian refugee, A.K. Hassan took his oath on a massively oversized Koran and proclaimed his commitment to serve “in the name of Allah.” In 2015, another Somali refugee, Ilhan Omar, elected to the Minnesota House of Representative, swore on the Koran, as did Carolyn Walker-Diallo, the first Muslim woman judge elected to Brooklyn’s 7th Municipal District, and Abdullah Hammoud, a Michigan state representative.

In “Muslim Brotherhood Political Infiltration on Steroids,” I described how as early as 1987, FBI information revealed that the Muslim Brotherhood – a Middle East political organization considered a terrorist organization by five Arab countries and Russia – was seeking to “peacefully get inside the United States Government” and accomplish “the ultimate goal of overthrowing all non-Islamic governments.” Several M.B. front groups, including Project Mobilize; the United States Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO); and Jetpac, Inc., had been created to politically exploit America’s Muslim community to achieve supremacist goals set forth in the Muslim Brotherhood’s strategic plan, the Explanatory Memorandum.

As if taking a cue from the memorandum, the executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Nihad Awad, spoke in January 2016, at the 14th annual Muslim American Society-Islamic Circle of North America (MAS-ICNA) conference in Chicago. He urged Muslims to “[t]urn your centers, Islamic centers, mosques into registration centers for voters, into polling stations during election time.”