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The Crazy Story Behind the Disturbing News. Part One Victor Davis Hanson

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

https://victorhanson.com/the-crazy-story-behind-the-disturbing-news-part-one/

The Unspeakable Precivilizational Barbarity of Hamas

A recent report from Israel chronicles the tragic, more than two-months-long hunt of a bereaved father, David Tahar, for the head of his slain son, Adir—a young Israeli soldier murdered by terrorists on October 7.

Tahar had been warned by Israeli authorities not to view the remains of his son. But he insisted, and thus discovered the mutilation perpetrated by Hamas killers and then sought to find the missing remains of his son.

Israelis, however, recently captured two terrorists who knew firsthand of the incident—given one was the perpetrator. And then the story descended further into barbarism.

Or in the words of the news report from The Times of Israel:

“Two terrorists who were captured by Israeli forces and interrogated by the Shin Bet security service revealed that one of them had tried to sell an IDF soldier’s head for $10,000 and gave details on where it could be found.”

Further macabre questions arise: is there a market for severed Israeli heads? Does the $10,000 dovetail with the earlier reports that Hamas was offering $10,000 bounties to Gaza “civilians” who tagged along opportunistically as soon as word spread that the wall was breached, Israeli civilians were being robbed, raped, and murdered—and bounties offered for ad hoc killing and hostage-taking?

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Subliterate Readers and Media Literacy California is rife with children who can barely read, but now all students have to learn “media literacy.” By Larry Sand

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

https://amgreatness.com/2024/01/25/subliterate-readers-and-media-literacy/

Per Assembly Bill 873, media literacy skills must now be taught in California schools. The law requires that it not be done in a stand-alone class but rather must be woven into existing English language arts, science, math, and history-social studies classes.

Assemblymember Marc Berman, who authored the law, claims, “Teaching media literacy is a key strategy to support our children, their families, and our society that are inundated with misinformation and disinformation on social media networks and digital platforms. From climate denial to vaccine conspiracy theories to the January 6 attack on our nation’s Capital, the spread of online misinformation has had global and deadly consequences.”

It’s not only California that has a media literacy law. Texas, New Jersey, and Delaware have also passed this kind of legislation, and more than a dozen other states are moving in that direction. However, according to Media Literacy Now, a nonprofit research organization that advocates for media literacy in K-12 schools, California’s law falls short of its recommendations. The group explains that California’s approach doesn’t include funding to train teachers, an advisory committee, or any way to monitor the law’s effectiveness.

As noted by Berman, the rush toward media literacy is a priority because young adults are more likely to believe information from social media than traditional news outlets. While I am hardly a proponent of getting news from social media, is the mainstream media really any better?

The New York Times, aka the “newspaper of record,” may be, historically speaking, the worst, most deceitful media outlet in the country. Most notably, the Times and its writer, Walter Duranty, colluded to knowingly overlook the Stalin-led starvation of Ukraine in 1931. The newspaper also went all in for the great Duke University lacrosse team hoax of 2006, which centered around an alleged rape that never happened. Additionally, The Times also embraced the disgraced 1619 project in 2019. And in 2021, the newspaper referred to the blatantly satirical Babylon Bee as a “far-right misinformation site.”

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Public Education’s Alarming New 4th ‘R’: Reversal of Learning By Vince Bielski

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2024/01/23/public_educations_alarming_new_4th_r_reversal_of_learning_1006226.html

Call it the big reset – downward – in public education.

The alarming plunge in academic performance during the pandemic was met with a significant drop in grading and graduation standards to ease the pressure on students struggling with remote learning. The hope was that hundreds of billions of dollars of emergency federal aid would enable schools to reverse the learning loss and restore the standards.

Four years later, the money is almost gone and students haven’t made up that lost academic ground, equaling more that a year of learning for disadvantaged kids. Driven by fears of a spike in dropout rates, especially among blacks and Latinos, many states and school districts are apparently leaving in place the lower standards that allow students to get good grades and graduate even though they have learned much less, particularly in math.

It’s as if many of the nation’s 50 million public school students have fallen backwards to a time before rigorous standards and accountability mattered very much.

“I’m getting concerned that, rather than continuing to do the hard work of addressing learning loss, schools will start to accept a new normal of lower standards,” said Amber Northern, who oversees research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a group that advocates for academic rigor in schools.

The question is—why did the windfall of federal funding do so little to help students catch up?

Northern and other researchers, state officials and school leaders interviewed for this article say many districts, facing staffing shortages and a spike in absenteeism, didn’t have the bandwidth to take on the hard work of helping students recover. But other districts, including those that don’t take academic rigor and test scores very seriously, share in the blame. They didn’t see learning loss as a top priority to tackle. It was easier to spend the money on pay rises for staff and upgrading buildings.

The learning loss debacle is the latest chapter in the decade-long decline in public schools. Achievement among black and Latino students on state tests was already dropping before COVID drove an exodus of families away from traditional public schools in search of a better education. Although by lowering standards and lifting the graduation rate districts have created the impression that they have bounced back, experts say that’s the wrong signal to send, creating complacency when urgency is needed.

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NIKKI HALEY’S STRATEGIES:VICTOR DAVIS HANSON

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

https://victorhanson.com/nikki-haleys-strategies/

Nikki Haley just lost the New Hampshire primary by 11 percent.

She had earlier come in third in the recent Iowa caucuses behind Ron DeSantis.

But DeSantis, not she, dropped out of the race. He then endorsed front-runner Donald Trump.

By contrast, Haley confidently announced that at last there was a two-person, head-to-head race. So she confidently headed to New Hampshire.

Her subtext was that if she did not win the upcoming two-person primaries, she would come in “second” rather than “last.”

Her supporters outspent all the candidates in Iowa and would do so again in New Hampshire. Haley consolidated the Never-Trump voters, won Independents and cross-over Democrats, and garnered millions from the donor class exasperated at the thought of a third Trump candidacy.

Moreover, nearly half of those who voted in the Republican primary were not themselves Republicans. New Hampshire was the most Haley-friendly primary in the entire campaign season.

Yet after coming in last in the three-person Iowa race with 19 percent of the vote, she still lost by 11 points in a New England state more reflective of a traditional Romney or Bush voter than of a Trump supporter.

Trump has now won the first two primaries by large majorities. As he reminds us, no Republican in recent history has lost the nomination after winning Iowa and New Hampshire.

So what is Haley’s strategy ahead?

In the short term, she will cede to Trump the Nevada caucuses and focus on her home state of South Carolina.

But then what?

ANTI-SEMITISM Comments turned off

Antisemitism on College Campuses Has Shot Up 1,753% Since Oct. 7. Higher Education Spawned This Culture of Hate. Jarrett Stepman

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/01/24/study-finds-antisemitism-college-campuses-rose-1753-heres-how-higher-education-created-culture-hate/

The nation’s college campuses have created a climate of hate.

A report released Monday by the Combat Antisemitism Movement in partnership with the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University in Israel found that antisemitism has exploded in U.S. higher education.

The numbers are shocking, but not surprising.

The report found that in the fourth quarter of 2023, from October through December, there was a 1,753% increase in far-left incidents of antisemitism and a 268% increase of Islamist antisemitic incidents on college campuses since the previous quarter. 

That obviously stems in no small part from the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

A news release from the Combat Antisemitism Movement said that nearly all the antisemitic incidents were “tied to anti-Zionist forms of antisemitism and the conflation of worldwide Jewry with the state of Israel.”

The report confirms what many already assumed, but there are a few things worth noting here.

First, it’s absurd to contend that this increase in antisemitism is a general societal problem, as witnesses at the now infamous congressional hearing on antisemitism in higher education suggested.

Polls show overwhelming U.S. support for Israel. The older the American, the more likely they are to support Israel. While there has certainly been an increase in antisemitic incidents in general since Oct. 7, it’s on a whole other level in the ivory tower.

 Americans didn’t suddenly become frothing antisemites after Oct. 7, but college campuses and left-wing enclaves did.

IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

Liz Peek: Joe Biden’s immigration avalanche is about to bury him

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/4429305-joe-bidens-immigration-avalanche-is-about-to-bury-him/

What on earth is Joe Biden thinking?  

As the country erupts over the horrorshow at the southern border, the White House is doing battle — not with the armed gangs infiltrating our country or the tens of thousands of people illegally streaming across our border, but with the governor of Texas, who is trying to protect his citizens from the unruly horde.   

Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the construction of razor wire barriers to prevent people entering between legal ports of entry; the White House has gotten permission from the Supreme Court to take them down. 

In addition, Republicans in Congress have demanded that the Biden administration secure the border in exchange for greenlighting aid to Ukraine and Israel.  

This is easy, folks. Give the GOP the rules changes they want and 1) Biden’s border catastrophe gets better, generating fewer appalling headlines, and 2) the U.S. meets its promises and Biden can keep chirping that “America is back.”  

Our clueless president disagrees. This issue could literally defeat Joe Biden, and he is fighting everything and anything that could make the situation better. 

The No.1 issue for Republican voters in Iowa and in New Hampshire was immigration, beating out even the economy. Not surprisingly, Donald Trump was the heavy favorite in both states. Securing the border was the former president’s signature campaign promise in 2016; having delivered on that pledge, he will, for sure, hit the topic hard again in 2024.   

ISRAEL Comments turned off

Why Benjamin Netanyahu Rejects Palestinian Statehood by Lawrence J. Haas

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-benjamin-netanyahu-rejects-palestinian-statehood-208847

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a post-Gaza War Palestinian state spurred a predictable global response—with UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres calling it “unacceptable,” President Joe Biden reiterating support for the “two-state solution,” and the European Union threatening “consequences” if Netanyahu’s government doesn’t change its course.

But the back and forth between Jerusalem (which is fighting a gruesome war with a genocidal terrorist group) and the world (which watches it peacefully from afar) masks a far more complicated reality.

The question is not whether Netanyahu is wrong to reject the two-state solution for the foreseeable future. The question is whether he’s wrong to say publicly what many in his position would think privately.

To be sure, Netanyahu can’t seem to resist the temptation to portray himself as a Jewish “Horatius at the bridge”—the only thing standing between his people and their destruction. With Israelis outraged by intelligence failures that enabled the slaughter of October 7, a weakened Netanyahu will likely try to reinforce that image at home and not worry about the consequences abroad.

But set aside that it’s the controversial Netanyahu who’s presiding in Jerusalem. And set aside the conventional wisdom that hails the two-state solution as the obvious path to Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Let’s consider the two-state solution through the eyes of a generic Israeli leader—one elected by the people and responsible for their safety.

The two-state solution is predicated on Israel and a new Palestine “living side by side in peace.” True peace, however, must not only emerge from the negotiating table but also infuse the hearts of the populace. Otherwise, pursuing the two-state solution is misguided and potentially dangerous.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

“Like…wtf”: Israel’s Arab Citizens Feel Lucky by Bassam Tawil

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20339/israel-arab-citizens-lucky

“It’s disheartening to know that among the fallen heroes are Bedouin and Druze soldiers, Muslims, and Christians who courageously defended our country. The Bedouin community mourns all civilian victims, regardless of their background — Jews, Christians, or Muslims. This brings me to a crucial point: we all share the same destiny, and our strength lies in unity. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to undermine cooperation between different sectors, sowing seeds of mistrust. I urge you not to be swayed by such attempts and to stand strong in our shared commitment to unity.” — IDF Sergeant First Class (reserve) Ahmed Abu Latif, 26, a husband and father to a one-year-old baby, who was killed on January 22 during the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Facebook, November 13, 2023,

Hamas’s October 7 atrocities did not distinguish between Jew and Arab, old and young, male and female, black and white. At least 20 Arab Israeli citizens were murdered by Hamas terrorists during the attack on that day or by Hamas rocket attacks in the ensuing days. Most of the victims were Bedouin residents living in the south of Israel. Moreover, several Bedouin men and women were abducted by Hamas.

It is no wonder, then, that an overwhelming majority of the Israeli-Arab public opposed the Hamas attack. A study conducted by Nimrod Nir of the Adam Institute and Dr. Mohammed Khalaily among the Arab public showed that most Arabs support Israel’s right to defend itself and even expressed a willingness to volunteer to help civilians who were harmed during the Hamas attack. The study showed that almost 80% of Israeli Arabs opposed the Hamas attack, and 85% opposed the kidnapping of civilians.

“For the longest time, I struggled with my identity. A Palestinian kid born inside Israel. Like…wtf. Many of my friends refuse to this day to say the word ‘Israel’ and call themselves ‘Palestinian’ only. But since I was 12, that did not make sense to me. So, I decided to mix the two and become a ‘Palestinian-Israeli.’ I thought this term reflected who I was. Palestinian first. Israeli second. But after recent events, I started to think. And think. And think. And then my thoughts turned to anger. I realized that if Israel were to be ‘invaded’ like that again, we would not be safe… And I do not want to live under a Palestinian government. Which means I only have one home, even if I’m not Jewish: Israel.” — Nuseir Yassin (“Nas Daily”), Israeli Arab blogger, October 9, 2023.

“I’m an Israeli Arab… I’m embarrassed. And Hamas is to blame… “This [Arabs identifying with Israel] demonstrates that the Arab community in Israel aspires to further integrate into society and distance itself from bad faith actors like Hamas… Israeli Arabs and Jews are like salt and pepper: They both belong on the table, and once they’re sprinkled into a dish it’s almost impossible to distinguish between them.” — Prof. Mouna Maroun, Vice President and Dean of Research at University of Haifa and the former Head of the Sagol Department of Neurobiology, the first Arab woman to hold a senior faculty position in natural sciences; newsweek.com, November 21, 2023.

Hamas was undoubtedly hoping that the massacre its members committed on October 7 would sabotage relations not only between Israel and the Palestinians, but also between Jews and Arabs inside Israel. Fortunately, however, Hamas has been unsuccessful in pitting Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs against each other. Despite the Israel-Hamas war, the vast majority of Jews and Arabs inside Israel continue to work together and live in peace and security next to each other, and often in the same neighborhoods…

The Palestinians living under the corrupt Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip can only envy Israeli-Arab citizens for living in Israel, where they enjoy democracy, freedom of expression, access to superb healthcare and educational institutions and careers, as well as a thriving economy.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D- NY District 15)Gives Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sermon at Central Synagogue NYC

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

Rep. Ritchie Torres Gives Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sermon at Central Synagogue NYC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u3B_feOUUU&t=2s

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TED Fellows Resign after Bill Ackman, Bari Weiss Invited to Speak at Conference By Zach Kessel

Posted By on January 25th, 2024

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/ted-fellows-resign-after-bill-ackman-bari-weiss-invited-to-speak-at-conference/

Five participants in the TED fellows program, which supports and promotes emerging voices in a variety of fields across the globe, resigned Wednesday after the public-speaking organization invited hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman and journalist Bari Weiss to speak at its 2024 flagship conference in Vancouver. The five fellows — self-described inventor Ayah Bdeir, filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky, cosmologist Renée Hlozek, artist Sarah Sandman, and astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz — sent a letter to TED leader Chris Anderson and fellows program director Lily James Olds. Titled “TED Fellows refuse to be associated with genocide apologists,” the letter accused TED of choosing “not only to align itself with enablers and supporters of genocide, but to amplify their racist propaganda.”

The authors of the letter wrote that Ackman “has defended Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and has cynically weaponised antisemitism in his programme to purge American universities of Pro-Palestinian freedom of speech.”

The five former fellows also named the invitation of Free Press founder and editor Bari Weiss to the conference as a reason that they cut ties with TED. Weiss, they wrote, “has a long, sordid, and well-documented history of anti-Palestinian speech.” And, supposedly like Ackman, she has “weaponised antisemitism to defend Israel’s genocide in Gaza and has a track record of transphobic extremism.”

Ackman — not known, before the Hamas attack on Israel, as a commentator on current events — has become one of the most outspoken critics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education. Since October 7, he has become one of the loudest voices on X discussing the rise in antisemitism in the United States, particularly on college campuses. He was also one of the bigger names calling for Claudine Gay’s removal, first after the former Harvard president’s testimony in front of the House Education and Workforce Committee and then during the plagiarism scandal that ultimately led to Gay’s resignation on January 2.

Weiss, whose outlet has extensively covered the Hamas attack, the ensuing Israeli response, and the conflict’s reverberations in the West, is the author of How to Fight Anti-Semitism, from 2019. She has become known as a defender of the Jewish state.