The Shock of Facing American Anti-Semitism Jews thought America was a safe haven, but Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities revealed hatred here at home. By Joel Engel

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-shock-of-facing-american-anti-semitism-00acc234?mod=opinion_lead_pos6

It’s a long story how I came to be standing some years ago in Archbishop’s Palace in Naples alongside six Italian-Americans from New York—four academics, a monsignor, and a New York Supreme Court judge—to meet with the cardinal. Each of the others kissed his ring as he went down the line. I, at the end, turned his hand vertically and shook it. His eyes widened. Someone explained that I was Jewish, which delighted him, and for the next hour he directed all his answers to me, regardless of who had posed the questions.

Outside afterward one of the academics asked why I didn’t kiss the cardinal’s ring. Before I could explain that we kiss liturgical objects, not men, the judge shouted: “They only kiss a—.”

They.

Two of the others physically restrained me from drop-kicking his family jewels into the Bay of Naples. I was in my 40s, and this was my first authentic, unambiguous anti-Semitic comment from the mouth of another American.

I assumed that it was a one-off and rarely thought of the judge for years. But now I can’t stop thinking about him—that is, how much company he has and apparently always did. How could I have missed that? How had we all?

There isn’t an American Jew I know whose worldview wasn’t trampled by the anti-Semitism that has been displayed in this country with such fervor and pride since the barbaric attacks in Israel on Oct. 7. Millions more Americans than we ever imagined consider us less than human and would like to see us dead. That’s a lot to deal with so suddenly and unexpectedly.

Joe Biden Faces a Deep State Revolt On Israel, hundreds of federal workers try to undermine his policy.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-executive-branch-anonymous-letter-joe-biden-israel-ceasefire-gaza-hamas-f22374d0?mod=opinion_lead_pos2

President Biden has been learning lately what life is like for Republican Presidents. Parts of the deep state, to borrow a phrase, are revolting in opposition to his support for Israel against the Hamas terrorists responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre.

News reports say that no fewer than 500 appointees and staff from 40 agencies, including the National Security Council and the Justice Department, have sent Mr. Biden a letter demanding that he call for a cease-fire and “de-escalation” between Israel and Hamas: “Americans do not want the U.S. military to be drawn into another costly and senseless war in the Middle East.” The signatories are bravely anonymous.

The same is true of more than 1,000 employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development, who have reportedly signed a similar letter. “We believe,” it says, “that further catastrophic loss of human life can only be avoided if the United States Government calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.” The letter adds that its backers are withholding their names out of “concern for our personal safety and risk of potentially losing our jobs.”

DIANE BEDERMAN:IF TRUMP HAD BEEN PRESIDENT ON OCTOBER 7

https://dianebederman.com/if-trump-had-been-president-october-7-2023/

If Trump had been President of the USA on October 7, 2023, there would never have been the October 7 Massacre of 1200 Jews in Israel, and the taking of more than 220 hostages: Israelis and from many other countries. And there would be no talk today about a possible Middle East war or God forbid WWIII. Then again, the elites across America love war. Trump didn’t.

If Trump had been President, Iran would have been a mere shell of itself. A country living in poverty where the women freedom fighters would have encouraged the men to fight back and get rid of the evil Khamenei. Iran would have been poor because Trump placed sanctions on her and stopped the sale of oil; the source of billions of dollars in income; particularly to China. China is principally responsible for keeping the Iranian regime in business through oil purchases that have totaled more than $80 billion since President Biden assumed office in January 2021 to September 2023. Iran exported nearly 1.4 million barrels of oil per day in October, sustaining its average for 2023. This is up 80% from the 775,000 barrels per day Iran averaged under the Trump Administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy, according to United Against Nuclear Iran, the group of former U.S. Ambassador Mark Wallace and Sen. Joe Lieberman, whose Tanker Tracker generates the best public data we have.

Iran would have been on her knees with Trump as President. There would never have been money to buy armaments for Hamas or Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. And now the Biden administration is considering a sanctions waiver on Iran that would free up 10 billion dollars.

“Why should Iran have any access to more than $10 billion after sponsoring one of the worst terrorist attacks against American citizens and the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust? It would make more sense to freeze all of these accounts and keep every penny out of Tehran’s hands.”

Why Erdoğan Wants a UN Seat for Muslims by Burak Bekdil

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20018/erdogan-muslims-un-seat

Editor’s note: The following is the last article written for Gatestone by Burak Bekdil, a few days before he tragically passed away last month. Burak was an extraordinary person, and a brave and brilliant journalist. May he rest in peace.

In [Erdoğan’s] speech [at the UN General Assembly], greeted as a brave international challenge by the Turkish media (90% of which he controls), he called on the international community to collectively fight what he thinks is the greatest malady of mankind: Islamophobia. He wants, he said, to revolutionize the post-World War II international political order by giving Muslim nations a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

That is not all. Erdoğan wants the world to recognize the breakaway Turkish statelet of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey. That statelet emerged after Turkey’s illegal invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

Still not all. Erdoğan admitted he was holding NATO hostage. On September 26, he said that the Turkish parliament would abide by his pledge to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO if the US sticks to its commitments to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ankara.

Meanwhile, at home, a brave Turkish journalist broadcast a video showing Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists being detained in Turkey, then released and sent to government-run camps for military training.

In Erdoğan’s worldview, Islamophobia is the greatest threat to humanity. Radical Islamist suicide bombers and torturers are not.

The world’s “strategic eyes” should have looked closer at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech in September at the UN General Assembly. It was another warning to the West about his intended Islamist design for the entire world — not that he can accomplish this ambition, but what he aims for comes in with several red flags with it.

In his speech, greeted as a brave international challenge by the Turkish media (90% of which he controls), he called on the international community to collectively fight what he thinks is the greatest malady of mankind: Islamophobia. He wants, he said, to revolutionize the post-World War II international political order by giving Muslim nations a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. “The world is bigger than five” has been his dictum over the past several years. He wants Muslim nations, preferably Turkey, to have a veto power, via the UN, over a new world order.

Israeli Forces Are Reportedly Getting Crucial Intelligence From an Unlikely Source Matt Vespa

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2023/11/13/with-hamas-grip-broken-gaza-civilians-reportedly-providing-israeli-troops-with-valuable-intelligence-n2631087

Israeli forces have cut the Gaza Strip in two, surrounded Gaza City, and are tightening the noose around the reported nerve center of Hamas. Before the ground invasion began on October 28, Israel pounded the strip with artillery and air strikes, killing scores of terrorists and their leaders. Many have hidden in the matrix of tunnels, which has been an operational concern for the IDF. They’re booby-trapped. It’s nearly impossible to see, and some tunnels are 250+ feet underground. So far, Israel has been able to make inroads, but some 30-40,000 Hamas terrorists remain embedded in the strip like ticks. They’ll be uprooted, especially now that re-supply from Iran is now impossible. It will take time. 

Hamas’ grip has loosened enough that scores of civilians have been able to make to make it safety. Terrorists are still shooting at Gazans trying to flee south, but those who have made it to IDF lines have reportedly been providing valuable intelligence on the whereabouts of Hamas hideouts and weapons stashes. The IDF did a leaflet drop, promising financial compensation for any information on the whereabouts of the 200-plus civilians that were taken by Hamas on October 7. Most who replied didn’t want money, just safe passage out of the war zone:

 No doubt there are civilians who hate Hamas.

London Has Fallen; UPDATED David Strom

https://hotair.com/david-strom/2023/11/13/london-has-fallen-n591974

I have been following London’s decline for a while now, and have written a fair amount about the societal decline in Britain.

I often speak of Western culture, and the Anglosphere as a subset of it. Generally speaking, the Anglosphere comprises Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA–the countries that not only predominately speak English, but whose traditions and legal practices derive from English Common Law and the Scottish Enlightenment.

Obviously, these countries differ in important respects. Still, aside from knowing what side of the road to drive, citizens from one country would feel pretty comfortable navigating the streets of any of the others.

I happen to be a fan of the English Common Law and the Scottish Enlightenment and believe that the modern concept of human rights derives from the traditions embodied within them. It’s not that I believe that the ideals embodied in these traditions have been universally upheld by the societies built upon them–that is hardly the case. Rather, we judge the failures to do so based on these very ideals.

When people acknowledge that America’s record of slavery is shameful, we don’t do so based on superior non-Western values, but rather in reference to our own belief in the equality of all men.

This is why I am so saddened to see the obvious decline of London as a home for the values of the Anglosphere. While Washington D.C. may be the informal political capital of these nations, London has been its spiritual hometown.

And London has fallen to the barbarians.

Ivy League School Shuts Down Anti-Semitic Palestinian Student Groups By Ryan Saavedra

https://www.dailywire.com/news/ivy-league-school-shuts-down-anti-semitic-palestinian-student-groups

Columbia University announced on Friday that it was banning two anti-Semitic student groups on campus for the remainder of the fall term after they repeatedly violated school rules.

The private New York City school suspended Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) as official student groups in light of their recent actions on campus.

“This decision was made after the two groups repeatedly violated University policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event Thursday afternoon that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation,” said Gerald Rosberg, Senior Executive Vice President of the University and Chair, Special Committee on Campus Safety.

“Suspension means the two groups will not be eligible to hold events on campus or receive University funding,” he added. “Lifting the suspension will be contingent on the two groups demonstrating a commitment to compliance with University policies and engaging in consultations at a group leadership level with University officials.”

Jewish Voice for Peace is an anti-Semitic organization that has held numerous anti-Israel rallies after Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis in an unprecedented terrorist attack last month.

“Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) is a radical anti-Israel and anti-Zionist activist group that advocates for the boycott of Israel and eradication of Zionism,” according to the ADL, which adds that they have “expressed support for violence and, occasionally, classic antisemitic tropes.”

Election Fraud Deniers Are The Real Threat To Democracy

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/11/14/election-fraud-deniers-are-the-real-threat-to-democracy/

“Just to be clear, we are not saying the 2020 election was rigged or that Biden stole the election. We will never know the answer to that. But what we are saying is that voter trust in the integrity of our elections will never be restored so long as one side keeps insisting that election fraud is a myth, while doing everything it can to make cheating easier.

That, dear reader, is the real threat to democracy.”

If you are like us, you’re sick and tired of being labeled a “denier” any time you challenge the left’s agenda. Don’t believe the earth will be destroyed unless we all live like cavemen? You are a climate denier! You worry about side effects from an experimental new vaccine. Vaccine denier!

And if you suspect that election fraud is a real problem, you’re an election denier!

The problem is that the “deniers” keep turning out to be right.  

The latest example came out of Bridgeport, Connecticut, earlier this month, when a judge overturned the primary election for mayor because of an “unprecedented” volume of evidence showing ballot fraud, including surveillance footage exposing supporters of the incumbent stuffing stacks of absentee ballots into drop boxes.

Even CNN, which can always be relied on to dismiss election fraud as a myth, was forced to admit that “the Connecticut case does highlight the potential vulnerabilities with mail-in voting.”

Just as a reminder, this is exactly what “election deniers” have been saying since 2020, when Democrats used COVID as an excuse to implement widespread mail-in voting schemes across the country.

The Food Insecurity Lie And the State’s creation of dependency. by John Stossel

https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-food-insecurity-lie/

President Joe Biden says 24 million Americans “suffer from food insecurity!”

News anchors were shocked that there is “food insecurity in the richest country in the world!” ABC hosts turned “insecurity” into “hunger.”

But in my new video, Rachel Sheffield, who researches welfare policy at the Heritage Foundation, explains, “Food insecurity is not the same thing as hunger. It just means that they had to rely on cheaper foods, store-brand alternatives … or reduce variety.”

Really? The alarm about “food insecurity” is based on that? Well, yes. Even the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in its fine print, admits that “for most food-insecure households, the inadequacies were in the form of reduced quality and variety of food rather than insufficient quantity.”

“They always want to create a crisis,” I say to Sheffield.

“Government programs want to keep themselves going,” she replies.

She’s talking about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; the Women, Infants and Children program; the National School Lunch Program and the other constantly growing handouts that make up America’s welfare system.

The biggest effect of these handouts is to harm the people they want to help. They harm people by making them dependent on government.

Before government’s War on Poverty began, Americans were steadily lifting themselves out of poverty. Year after year, the number of people living below the poverty line dropped.

Heather Mac Donald Tell the Truth About Law Enforcement and Crime Until we relinquish the idea that policing activity against black criminals is racist, restoring law and order in our cities will be impossible.

https://www.city-journal.org/article/tell-the-truth-about-law-enforcement-and-crime

Public safety has been destroyed in many American cities because of an idea. That idea holds that any law-enforcement activity that has a disparate impact on black criminals is racist. Disparate impact is why many police departments have dismantled gang databases and antigun task forces, why they have given up on public-order enforcement, and why they have all but eliminated car stops. It is why “progressive” district attorneys have stopped prosecuting trespassing, shoplifting, fare evasion, and resisting arrest, why bail is being eliminated, and why judges let repeat offenders back on the street. Disparate impact is the reason that chain stores like Starbucks and Walgreens would rather close high-loss outlets than accost thieves.

Until the disparate-impact conceit is demolished, permanently restoring law and order will be impossible. Any short-term gains from renewed enforcement will remain vulnerable to the charge that they have come at the expense of racial equity. Conservatives can call for re-policing all they want. Unless they explicitly discredit the idea that incarcerating black criminals is racist, however, Democratic politicians and policymakers will be able to use disparate rates of stops and arrests to roll back constitutional crime control whenever they have the power to do so.

Only a president has the national reach to engage this most difficult of all “conversations about race.” If the next president does not have the fortitude to do so personally, his attorney general should assume the responsibility. The next AG should lay out in a national speech the dilemma facing law enforcement: in order to save black lives, police officers will have to stop and arrest black criminals in numbers greatly disproportionate to the black share of the population. He should give the victimization facts: black juveniles were shot at 100 times the rate of white juveniles since the George Floyd race riots; blacks between the ages of ten and 24 were killed in gun homicide at 24 times the rate of whites in that age cohort. Those black victims are not being gunned down by America’s alleged white supremacists or by the police; they are being gunned down by other blacks, at rates equally disproportionate to the black population share. Providing justice to those black victims will require putting more black criminals in prison.