Displaying posts published in

June 2020

What’s Trump Got To Do With The George Floyd Riots?

https://issuesinsights.com/2020/06/02/whats-trump-got-to-do-with-the-george-floyd-riots/

On Monday, Trump delivered remarks on the situation. He said that a “small minority of folks who’ve resorted to violence in various forms, whether out of genuine anger or mere opportunism, are putting innocent people at risk, compounding the destruction of neighborhoods that are often already short on services and investment. … I saw an elderly black woman being interviewed today in tears because the only grocery store in her neighborhood had been trashed.” He said “let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it.”

Almost everything connected George Floyd’s tragic death and the subsequent riots involve Democratic leaders. So naturally, President Donald Trump is taking the blame.

Start at the beginning. George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, a liberal city (the New York Times calls it “one of America’s most liberal cities”) in a liberal state (that hasn’t voted for a Republican for president since 1972). 

In 2017, Larry Jacobs, a professor at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, observed that “In Minneapolis, we have one of the most liberal activist agendas in the U.S. They are seeking to accomplish at the municipal level what isn’t being done at the federal level.”

Even that wasn’t liberal enough for city dwellers, who booted out a liberal mayor in November 2017 for an even more leftist mayor, Jacob Frey. He ran promising more affordable housing and, if you can believe it, improved police-community relations.

Meanwhile, almost every city where riots have broken out is a deep blue enclave that has been run by Democrats for many years. In fact, all but a handful voted for Hillary Clinton by wide margins — New York, for example, went 64% for Hillary, Chicago, 67%, Los Angeles, 69%,  Portland, 64%, San Francisco, 82%. In Minneapolis, Hillary got 57% of the vote. The riots also appear to be aided and abetted by professional left-wing agitators.

You’d think that those most responsible for maintaining law and order would bear the brunt of the criticism for the ongoing mayhem, wouldn’t you?

How Strong is the Islamic Republic of Iran? Catastrophic Iranian air and naval mishaps reveal severe military shortcomings.Ari Lieberman

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/06/how-strong-islamic-republic-iran-ari-lieberman/

The Islamic Republic of Iran frequently boasts of its military prowess. Periodically, the regime will showcase what it characterizes as an indigenously produced piece of military hardware, bragging about its supposed sophisticated features and uniqueness. But it’s often the case that the unveiled weapon system is either a painfully obvious, unworkable plastic model dressed up to look like something really cool or a poor replica of vintage American hardware, readily apparent to anyone with rudimentary knowledge of military hardware.

In 2013, Iran showcased its Qaher F313, which it touted as a fifth generation fighter with stealth capabilities similar to the American F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Military experts immediately identified the aircraft as a fake, and a poor one at that. Andrew Davies of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute dryly noted that “It looks like it might make a noise and vibrate if you put 20 cents in.”

In 2018, the Iranians tried to pull off a similar hoax with their unveiling of a purportedly domestically produced twin seat fighter jet called the “Kowsar.” The Iranians boasted that the aircraft was “completely indigenously made,” and featured “advanced avionics.” The plane was showcased before Iran’s “moderate” president, Hassan Rouhani, who boasted that the United States is fearful of Iran’s power.

Rouhani’s bombast notwithstanding, the plane was actually a copy of an American F-5F, which was unveiled by the Northrop Corporation in 1974, and is based on the single seat version of the F-5E, which had its first test flight in 1972. Iran purchased a number of these aircraft during the Shah’s reign and cannibalized many of them for spare parts. It is now trying to pass off half-century old, copied technology as its own. Rather than projecting military prowess, Iran’s efforts here come across as not only disingenuous but desperately pathetic.

Chinese State Media Editor Taunts About Rioters in American Cities Compares them to all Hong Kong protesters. Joseph Klein

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/06/chinese-state-media-editor-taunts-about-rioters-joseph-klein/

Chinese state media are having a field day exploiting the riots that have occurred in recent days in  Minneapolis and other cities across the United States led by a coordinated cadre of left wing radicals. These violent extremists have sought to hijack the peaceful protests by many well-meaning people outraged by the killing of an unarmed African-American, George Floyd, by a rogue ex-policeman. Chinese propagandists lump the peaceful protesters and the smaller number of dangerously violent rioters together as if they were part of one indistinguishable movement, in the same way as the ruling Chinese Communist Party treats all the protesters in Hong Kong.

Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of Chinese and English editions of the Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times, tweeted sarcastically, for example, “Secretary Pompeo, please stand with the angry people of Minneapolis, just like you did with people of Hong Kong.” Then, in a tweet aimed at President Trump after the president vowed to use force as necessary to deal with the violent riots, Xijin wrote: “Just three days after unrest broke out in Minnesota, Trump threatened the use of ‘shooting’ and announced the army supports the governor. I strongly condemn such threats. Please protect the people of Minnesota, just like you sympathize with Hong Kong thugs.”

The Illusion of ‘Peaceful Protestors’ The rioting is all about politics, not justice. Bruce Thornton

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/06/illusion-peaceful-protestors-bruce-thornton/

Last week we watched the sorry spectacle of aimless destruction supposedly in response to the death of a black man at the hands of the police. The predictable script from Ferguson and Baltimore was reprised, the same bumper-sticker empty slogans brandished, and the same pointless destruction and looting occurred that were worse than useless for solving the injustice the protestors supposedly want remedied.

Just as predictable was the media coverage, which mixed ratings-bait lurid footage of the violence with clichés like “peaceful protestors,” youthful passionate idealists moved by righteous anger over racial injustice, but compromised by “outside agitators” exploiting the tragedy for their own nefarious extremist ends, most likely alt-right and white supremacist ones. And, of course, the blue-state mayors and governors whose appeasing riot-control protocols worsened the riots while frantically trying to avoid blame and exploit them for their own political aims.

What is missing, as usual, is the truth about these protests and their alleged causes––They’re all about politics, not justice.

One thing that is obvious from watching the footage is that these riots have become a rite of passage for the college-age demographic, a sort of “woke” spring break memorialized by cell-phone cameras, selfies, tweets, Instagram, and Facebook postings. The other cohort comprises the shock-troops of left-over leftism like Antifa, the same bougie thrill-seekers and political illiterates who filled the ranks of Occupy Wall Street and the other international outfits that regularly protest at meetings of the IMF and G7.

Blitz: Trump Will Smash the Left and Win David Horowitz’s new book is a guide to the wars that are engulfing the nation. J. Christian Adams

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/06/blitz-trump-will-smash-left-and-win-j-christian-adams/

When David Horowitz wrote his latest book Blitz: Trump Will Smash the Left and Win (Humanix, 2020) he didn’t know that ANTIFA-fueled mobs would be burning and looting cities across America, and even threatening the White House itself.  Then again, knowing how Horowitz understands the Left as well as anyone else in the conservative movement, perhaps he actually did anticipate the events of the last few days.

Blitz is the go-to recap of the first Trump term, from the first days of the so-called “Muslim ban” through a deconstruction of the “partisan impeachment,” as Horowitz labels it.

Blitz is a comprehensive reset at the end of the first Trump term. It is catalog of how we got here and how the Left have lost their minds over President Trump’s new way. Horowitz diagnoses the causes and effect of Trump Derangement Syndrome.  He also documents how Trump has thrived despite the unhinged hatred aimed at him.

One reason Blitz suggests Trump is unlike his Republican predecessors, is that he didn’t let personal attacks change his tactics.

Switzerland: A New ‘S’ in ESG? By Andrew Stuttaford

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/switzerland-businesses-face-prospect-tougher-ethical-regulations/

Switzerland is generally a well-run place, with a healthy respect both for the preservation of capital and for the way that its referendums help ensure that Swiss democracy is genuinely bottom-up as well as top-down.

But, judging by this Financial Times report, these two qualities may be about to come crashing into each other:

Some of the world’s biggest companies, from Nestlé to Glencore, face the prospect of tougher ethical regulations in Switzerland, as a four-year debate over business practices comes to a head in parliament this week.

From Tuesday, MPs will have less than three weeks to thrash out a compromise to a proposed change to the law brought by the Responsible Business Initiative (KVI) .

The proposal will make businesses in Switzerland legally liable and “guilty until proven innocent” for abuses of human and environmental rights anywhere in their supply chains around the world — whether at subsidiaries or third-party companies.

The Responsible Business Initiative emerged in 2016 as a result of Switzerland’s direct democratic process garnering the support of more than 100,000 citizens, the threshold for triggering a referendum.

George Floyd’s Brother Condemns Riots, Calls for ‘Destructive Unity’ to End By Matt Margolis

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2020/06/01/george-floyds-brother-condemns-riots-calls-for-destructive-unity-to-end-n479504

Terrence Floyd, the younger brother of George Floyd, condemned the rioting that’s happening nationwide.

Floyd spoke with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, and described his brother as “a gentle giant” who “was about peace” and a “motivator” who “always saw the lighter, the brighter side of things.”

He added that the riots and violent protests are “overshadowing” his brother’s memory. “They may call it unity, but it’s destructive unity.” Terrence explained that his brother “would want us to seek justice” but would want people to channel their anger “another way.”

“It’s OK to be angry, but channel your anger to do something positive or make a change another way because we’ve been down this road already.”

“The anger, damaging your hometown is not the way he’d want,” he added.

THE NOTHING MATTERS RIOTERS WANT ANARCHY BY MATT PURPLE

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-nothing-matters-rioters/

It was a funny thing over the weekend. You could turn on CNN and find officials deploring the violence in Minneapolis. You could hear rapper Killer Mike exhorting his fellow Atlantans “to be better than burning down our own homes.” You could listen to George Floyd’s girlfriend, who said that seeing Minneapolis in flames would have devastated her slain beau.

And then you could log on to Facebook and find people lionizing the riots as the next Boston Tea Party.

It’s hard to think of anything more privileged than social media armchairs excusing violence against our poorest and most vulnerable neighborhoods. But so it goes in the Nothing Matters quarter of America. This weekend saw the unrest that began in Minnesota spread across the country. In Louisville, vandals smashed windows and attacked restaurants and hotels. In Washington, D.C., the White House was briefly locked down amid rowdy protests outside. In Oakland, two federal officers were shot; one died. And in Minneapolis itself, the arson and looting continued, drawing out the largest National Guard mobilization in Minnesota history.

All this was done ostensibly to express fury over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman, as well as other episodes of brutality against African Americans, the killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville and the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. Yet there was something else at work too. Officials estimated Saturday morning that only 20 percent of the rioters in Minneapolis were actually from Minnesota, and while that was later walked back, reporting confirms that the city has become a bug light for out-of-state anarchists and agitators. Pittsburgh’s police chief, meanwhile, said protests there had been hijacked by “white males” dressed in black. And in Rochester, where cars were flipped over and set ablaze, police blamed “anarchists” and “paid protesters.”

The Lancet’s Politicized Science on Antimalarial Drugs A new study suggests a treatment Trump touted is harmful. Let’s take a closer look at the data. by Allysia Finley

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-lancets-politicized-science-on-antimalarial-drugs-11591053222?mod=opinion_lead_pos5

“Lancet’s decision to publish the study with little apparent scrutiny also suggests politics may be influencing its scientific judgment. An unsigned editorial in May criticized President Trump’s “inconsistent and incoherent national response” to the pandemic and asserted that “Americans must put a president in the White House come January, 2021, who will understand that public health should not be guided by partisan politics.” The Lancet editors should focus on healing themselves.”

President Trump has often mentioned hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for Covid-19. Last month he announced that he was taking the antimalaria drug, also known as HCL, as a prophylaxis after two White House staffers tested positive for the virus. Mr. Trump’s critics in the press seem to be on a mission to discredit the therapy. Now a prestigious medical journal may be joining in.

The Lancet published a study on May 22 that purported to find a 30% increased risk of death for hospitalized Covid-19 patients treated with HCL or chloroquine, a related treatment. “Study says drug hailed by Trump is harmful,” the Washington Post reported. The World Health Organization suspended its HCL trial. France, Belgium and Italy announced they would prohibit the drug for the treatment of Covid patients.