ISRAEL Comments turned off

The Term ‘Annexation of Land’ in Judea and Samaria by Israel is a Myth The Jewish people have the absolute historic legal right to this disputed land. Dr. Schmuel Katz

Posted By on August 11th, 2020

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/08/term-annexation-land-judea-and-samaria-israel-myth-dr-schmuel-katz/

I know that there is a lot of information available to the observers of the historical perspectives, and as I am sure that many of you know, much of it is based on disinformation and on outright lies. Therefore, in order to be able to promote honorable causes it is important to clarify the facts.

Before addressing a few issues specifically, I would like to make some very important clarifying points:

1.     The state of Israel is one of the strongest and most reliable allies of the USA in the Middle East and in the UN.
 
2.     We do not want to weaken Israel and put her at risk of failure, giving way to Radical Terror Organizations like Hamas, Fatah and Hezbollah etc. and Terror Supporting States like Iran and Lebanon, etc.
 
3.     A failure of Israel will definitively cause irreparable damage to the USA, and to the free world, by losing the mutually crucial security benefits and the tremendous mutually important general benefits, from the Israeli innovations, as they relate also to research and development.
 
4.     The land in the West Bank of the Jordan River, which is being discussed, was known for generations as Judea and Samaria, the heartland of the Jewish people, since Biblical times.
 
5.     The Jewish people had a longstanding claim to the land, which was under the management of the British Mandate following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in 1917. The Jewish claim was recognized by the Balfour declaration and by the subsequent legally-binding decision by the League of Nations in the San Remo conference. This decision was accepted also by the nascent United Nations. Therefore, it is very clear from the international law point of view, that the presence of the state of Israel in this area is totally legal!!

MEDIA Comments turned off

Untangling the Media Myths of Covid-19 They’re countless. States that reporters shamed have done the best, and the U.S. is average among its peers. By Gerard Baker*****

Posted By on August 11th, 2020

https://www.wsj.com/articles/untangling-the-media-myths-of-covid-19-11597099357?mod=opinion_lead_pos9

Has there been in recent history a more tendentious, hysterical, data-denying and frankly disreputable exercise in misdirection than the way in which much of America’s media has covered the Covid-19 epidemic?

Perhaps we can forgive them the endless repetition of pandemic porn; the selectively culled stories of tragedy about otherwise completely healthy young people succumbing to the virus. While we know that the chances of someone under 30 being killed by Covid are very slim, we know too that news judgments have always favored the exceptional and horrific over the routine and unremarkable.

Perhaps we can even forgive them the rapidly shifting headlines—each one shouting with absolute certitude—about the basic facts of the virus and its context: its lethality and transmissibility, the merits of mask-wearing, or the effectiveness of this or that therapy. The science is evolving, and so too is the reporting.

But there are larger representations of this massive and complex story that we should mark as simply unforgivable.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Cuomo Rejects Independent Investigation of N.Y. Nursing Home Deaths, Saying It Would Be ‘Political’ By Zachary Evans

Posted By on August 11th, 2020

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/cuomo-rejects-independent-investigation-of-n-y-nursing-home-deaths-saying-it-would-be-political/

New York governor Andrew Cuomo rejected calls for an independent investigation into deaths of coronavirus patients in state nursing homes, saying such an investigation would be “political.”

The state has seen over 32,000 deaths from coronavirus, with at least 6,500 of those deaths among residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities. However, if a nursing home resident dies of coronavirus after having been transferred to a hospital, the fatality is not listed in state records as a “nursing home” death. This practice has led to speculation that the death count among nursing home residents is higher than reported.

“I wouldn’t do an investigation [into nursing home deaths] whether or not it’s political,” Cuomo said at a press conference. “I think you’d have to be blind to realize it’s not political.”

The governor dismissed allegations that the state had not adequately protected nursing home residents from coronavirus.

“Just look at where it comes from and look at the sources and look at their political affiliations…and look at what publications raise it and what media outward networks raise it,” Cuomo said.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Lebanon’s Government Is to Blame for the Beirut Explosion By Carine Hajjar

Posted By on August 11th, 2020

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/08/lebanons-government-is-to-blame-for-the-beirut-explosion/

It was the country’s own government that brought Beirut to its knees.

The political and economic decline in Lebanon was eating away at the public’s confidence in its government. On Tuesday, however, any hope was dashed as physical destruction and death were added to a list of Lebanon’s troubles. Symbolic, in a way, the explosion in Beirut marked the end of Lebanon’s spiral. The once abundant, vibrant country is officially approaching rock bottom.

The Lebanese people have been protesting their government for months. The perfect storm of economic mismanagement, political corruption, and the mounting COVID crisis have empowered the Lebanese to join across sectarian lines to call for reform. Last Tuesday, any lingering hope in the government’s ability to uphold its most vital duty — safety and security — was blown up. The corruption and mismanagement of the Lebanese government allowed years of oversight in maintaining essential safety protocols.

After spending six years at the Beirut port, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate ignited. It was unloaded in 2014, and then stored next to one of the most important sources of food and GDP for the import-dependent country. The ensuing blast has killed at least 163 people and left thousands injured. Property within a six-mile radius suffered damage, and the port and surrounding neighborhoods were decimated. From miles away, a relative of mine felt the blast as her bed moved across the room. A friend told me, “We felt the ground move . . . then we heard a huge explosion.” The explosion was so powerful that he thought it was nearby, only to realize he lives almost 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) away. The aftermath is shocking. My relative lamented: “I can’t even describe how painful the situation is . . . they’re still looking for the dead . . . mothers are crying in the streets.” Part of Beirut is “on the floor,” she told me.

How did this devastating explosion occur? The government, my friend told me: “They let this happen.”

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Donald Trump shows grace under pressure By Andrea Widburg

Posted By on August 11th, 2020

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/08/donald_trump_shows_grace_under_pressure.html

On Monday, immediately after President Trump started his press briefing, Secret Service agents suddenly appeared and hustled him away. It turned out that there had been a shooting so near the White House that the Secret Service believed the president to be at risk. After the danger had passed, President Trump went right back to the press conference, dismissing even the possibility that he might be shaken. By comparison, his opponent in the presidential race refuses to come out of the basement even to accept his nomination.

As every parent knows, if something bad happens, the last thing you want to do is panic in front of young children. After all, they are looking to you for emotional guidance. The same is true for a nation’s leader. As our children do with us, we look to him (or her) to know whether we should be worried.

Additionally, when there’s a crisis, we grade a leader’s performance – can this leader handle the heat? When the going gets tough and scary, will this person be there for the nation? Will the leader show grace under pressure?

We’ve seen examples of that grace under pressure over the years, especially from Ronald Reagan. In 1981, while John Hinckley thankfully failed to assassinate Reagan, he did give Reagan a collapsed lung and a bullet less than an inch from his heart. Arriving at the hospital, Reagan ignored his extreme pain and smiled as he walked into the emergency room, only to collapse once the doors closed behind him.

POLITICS, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Only Joe Biden can save the mullahs running Iran By Sam Faddis

Posted By on August 11th, 2020

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/08/only_joe_biden_can_save_the_mullahs_running_iran.html

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is the Iran lobby in the United States.  It operates in the open and with astonishing audacity in pushing the agenda of Iran’s radical theocracy.  During the months preceding the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, representatives of the NIAC made a total of 33 visits to the Obama White House to discuss the topic.  During that time frame, Sahar Nowrouzzadeh, a former member of NIAC, served as the Iran director for President Obama’s National Security Council (NSC).  If you have ever wondered why the deal seemed almost as if it had been written by the Iranians themselves, in large measure, it was.

NIAC loves the new draft Democratic Party platform.  In fact, only days ago, it sent a letter to the Democratic National Committee applauding the party’s call for a return to the Iran deal and an end to the “Muslim ban.”  The letter also castigated the Trump administration for its policies toward Iran.  NIAC no doubt also rejoiced in the fact that the platform specifically opposes American involvement in “regime change.”

Why?  Why is the lobbying arm of a hostile foreign government applauding the political platform of an American political party and interjecting itself into our internal electoral politics?

The answer is that the Trump administration’s policies toward Iran are working.  In fact, the hard line that Trump has taken against the ayatollahs in Tehran has had an unprecedented economic, political, and military impact.  The Iranian revolutionary regime that has terrorized the Middle East for decades may not survive another four years.  If Iran’s leaders cannot find a way to relieve the pressure, their days are certainly numbered.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

How Fauci’s Stubborness Costs Lives By Daniel John Sobieski

Posted By on August 11th, 2020

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/08/how_faucis_stubborness_costs_lives.html

Dr. Anthony Fauci, between magazine photo shoots and throwing the first pitch at baseball games, seems to have forgotten the cardinal rule of medicine – first, do no harm. By downplaying the effectiveness and highlighting the alleged dangers of  hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), it can be argued he has cost American lives, and will cost more, coming as he has between real doctors and real patients and real world experience with a drug that has been safely used to treat conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis for six decades without any serious side effects.

Fauci is in love with clinical studies, which are fine to determine effectiveness and risk of vaccines, but pale in comparison to the results of actual use.

One can understand the opposition of Big Pharma and Democrats in Congress to HCQ use against the Wuhan Chinese virus. There’s no money in a commonly available drug that costs something like 50 cents a pill. And if its widespread use were as effective here as it has been worldwide, it destroys a key rationale for the lockdowns which give liberals unconstitutional power to control every aspect of our lives  Worse yet, for some people, it might indeed save a great many American lives and that would improve public perception of President Donald J. Trump’s handling of the crisis and boost Trump’s reelection chances. Can’t have that, even if it costs American lives.

Dr. Fauci, who has not wasted this crisis and parlayed it into a media career, recently opined on one of the main HCQ opponents, telling the doctors at MSNBC:

White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that all the “valid” scientific data shows malaria drug hydroxychloroquine isn’t effective in treating the coronavirus, contradicting President Donald Trump’s opinion of the drug.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Police shooting of Englewood man reignites political debate and looting as Mag Mile trashed, 13 cops injured, 2 people shot

Posted By on August 11th, 2020

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-chicago-downtown-looting-20200810-3zwa3b7zzrc5vdyb4qjqywrjvu-story.html

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday decried “a false rumor on social media” that police officers killed a 15-year-old boy. That led residents to clash with police officers in Englewood and prompted calls to head toward downtown.

Hundreds of people swept through the Magnificent Mile and other parts of downtown Chicago early Monday, smashing windows, looting stores and confronting police after officers shot a suspect in Englewood hours earlier.

The mayhem marked the second time since late May that the city’s upscale shopping district has been targeted by looters amid unrest, reigniting the debate over policing as city leaders continued to point fingers and downtown again was shut down overnight heading to Tuesday.

As businesses owners boarded up shops and braced for the possibility of additional looting, some cautioned against simplifying the situation or blaming any single issue.

“It’s not just people looting,” said Patsy Mullins, whose Gold Coast store, Accessorize, was completely emptied. “Let’s dig to the root of the problem, let’s not look at the surface. … We need to get to the bottom of this. Otherwise, well, this problem will never be solved and it will continue again and again.”

City officials said the seeds for the crime spree were sown on social media Sunday afternoon, after officers shot and wounded a 20-year-old man who allegedly had fled and fired shots at them.

ANTI-SEMITISM Comments turned off

Wealth Tax On Billionaires? Great … If You Want Stagnation, Fewer Jobs, More Poverty

Posted By on August 10th, 2020

https://issuesinsights.com/2020/08/10/wealth-tax-on-billionaires-great-if-you-want-stagnation-fewer-jobs-more-poverty/

Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has another bright socialist idea: A 60% wealth tax on billionaires to pay for nationalized health care for a year. Such nuttiness would be easy to ignore were it not for the fact he’s now the driving intellectual force behind Joe Biden’s basement-based presidential campaign.

As any economist worth his salt will tell you, a wealth tax is perhaps the most pernicious tax, since it punishes people retroactively for their hard work, thrift and smart investments.

Not only does it dissuade people from accumulating wealth, but it also dramatically reduces the amount of capital in our economy. Everyone will be poorer, with lower incomes for all and fewer jobs as the inevitable result.

We already had this debate, if you recall, last year. Both Sanders and his socialist pal Sen. Elizabeth Warren both brought it up. It was one of the many reasons why voters rejected both Sanders and Warren, favoring instead the mentally challenged Biden.

Yet, the wealth tax keeps getting burped up like a bad meal. Maybe with COVID-19 lockdowns and the public’s very real economic worries, the Sanders-led left (and, by extension, Biden) thinks it can take advantage and finally get a wealth tax passed. Or maybe it’s just political theatrics.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Jimmy Lai’s Chilling Warning About China By Claudia Rosett Feb 28, 2020

Posted By on August 10th, 2020

https://pjmedia.com/claudiarosett/claudia-rosett/2020/02/28/jimmy-lais-warning-about-china-n378733

Surely China’s Communist Party henchmen have enough on their hands, as they hustle to disappear outspoken bloggers, kick out Wall Street Journal reporters, and repurpose parts of the CCP’s vast machinery of surveillance and coercion to police President Xi Jinping’s “People’s War” on the deadly new coronavirus — which achieved ruinous breakout in Wuhan early last month, while China’s authorities were busy detaining and silencing the honest local doctors who tried to sound a warning. But when it comes to ramping up repression, there’s always time for more. On Friday, China’s satrap administration in Hong Kong arrested one of the city’s longtime leading advocates of democracy, 71-year-old newspaper owner Jimmy Lai.

Let’s be clear: Jimmy Lai is one of the world’s most clarion voices for freedom. In Hong Kong these days, that takes tremendous courage. Born in China, he came to Hong Kong at the age of 12, made his fortune in the garment industry, and in 1995 founded a pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily. Under British colonial rule, and under China’s increasingly heavy boot since the 1997 handover, Lai has argued the case for democracy, in person and in print, and turned out, again and again, to take part in peaceful protests. Earlier this month, Jimmy Lai published a superb op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, under the headline “China’s Facade of Stability,” spelling out that “the spread of the coronavirus has revealed a truth that poses a much greater risk to Mr. Xi: There is no cure for Chinese communism except the collapse of the party.” Noting that “Deception is China’s true rule of law,” and citing the silencing at a critical moment of the Wuhan doctors who tried to warn of the virus, Lai spelled out, “This is the problem now before the world: the rise of a Goliath-like China no one trusts.”