Ruthie Blum Polls, Gaza, Netanyahu and Gantz

https://www.jns.org/opinion/polls-gaza-netanyahu-and-gantz/

Even members of the public forced into bomb shelters on a regular basis realize that the prime minister is doing the best he can to keep Hamas at bay, while reserving the option to launch a ground incursion into Gaza as a last resort.

During live coverage of the bombardment of southern Israel by Islamic Jihad rocket fire on Monday, a Red Alert siren sent a TV reporter—along with a local shop owner whom he was interviewing and other people taking cover from the terrorist barrage from Gaza—into a nearby stairwell.

Tragically well-versed in the drill, the handful of passers-by entered the building and positioned themselves, single file, down a flight of steps, with the broadcast journalist and his cameraman in tow. As all waited for the wail of the siren to subside—listening for the familiar sound of explosions from projectile landings, Iron Dome interceptions and Israel Defense Forces’ bombings of terrorist targets over the border—the interview continued.

But it didn’t proceed as the reporter had hoped or anticipated.

After bemoaning the near-bankruptcy that his shoe store has been suffering as a result of the security situation in his city, the interviewee praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“There’s nobody like Bibi!” he exclaimed, smiling broadly.

“No, no, let’s not talk politics,” the reporter admonished.

The Thousand Traitors Program John David

https://www.nas.org/blogs/article/the-thousand-traitors-program?utm_source=Natio

Charles Lieber was recently charged with “making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement” to the Department of Defense. Lieber, Chair of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, allegedly lied repeatedly to federal investigators about his participation in China’s “Thousand Talents Program,” and in particular about his collaboration with Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) as a “Strategic Scientist.” Lieber’s case is the latest in a slew of reports about proven and suspected Chinese infiltration of America’s universities.

Lieber is a titan in his field. In 2011, his “citation impact score” led Thomson Reuters to rank him the top chemist of the 2000s. Lieber is internationally recognized as a pioneer of nanotechnology, has been awarded a bevy of academic prizes, and has taught at Harvard since 2011, where he leads the Lieber Research Group. He and his collaborators possess more than 35 patents; he has also founded two nanotechnology companies.

Lieber’s great success made him a natural target of China’s “Thousand Talents Program” (TTP), a “talent recruitment program” launched by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2008. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations’ Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise: China’s Talent Recruitment Plans warns that “the Chinese Communist Party is able to ‘exert exceptional’ levels of control” over the TTP, and reports that China may have signed more than 7,000 foreign scientists and engineers to lucrative employment contracts—exceeding its original recruitment goal of 2,000 more than threefold. TTP paid Lieber “$50,000 USD per month, living expenses of up to 1,000,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately $158,000 USD at the time) and … more than $1.5 million to establish a research lab at WUT.” That’s on top of his salary from Harvard.

The Resistance Starts To Infect Our Courts

https://www.nysun.com/editorials/the-resistance-starts-to-infect-our-courts/91025/

We wonder what the Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts, makes of that headline about the Ninth United States Circuit Court of Appeals. “Trump has flipped the 9th Circuit — and some new judges are causing a ‘shock wave,’” the headline said. Los Angeles Times attributes the claim to one of the circuit’s own judges. Chief Justice Roberts can’t be happy.

The Chief Justice, remember, was so irked when President Trump laced into “Obama judges” that he issued a rebuke. “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” he said. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.”

Mr. Trump would have none of it. “Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges,’” Mr. Trump retorted. Obama judges, he added, “have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country.” The New York Times quoted one law professor, Josh Blackman, as warning the Chief’s statement could “backfire.”

So welcome to the 9th Circuit. The latest is that the judges who heretofore had held sway in the nation’s largest — and most liberal — circuit are now complaining to the press. The judge who says Mr. Trump has “flipped” the 9th Circuit is Milan D. Smith, Jr. He was moved to talk by the fact that Mr. Trump won confirmation of ten new judges to the Ninth Circuit.

That’s more than a third of the circuit and a 40% increase in three years from the seven judge President Obama was able to seat in his entire eight years. LATimes reports that some of the Trump judges “have quickly won the respect of their colleagues.” It quotes one judge, though, as complaining: “Ten new people at once sends a shock wave through the system.”

Los Angeles Times cites unnamed judges as saying that one Trump appointee, Judge Daniel Collins, early on appeared, as the paper paraphrased it, “oblivious to court tradition.” Judge Collins also apparently called for en banc review of five decisions by three-judge panels and allegedly used combative language. Land sakes!

VIDEO: Heather Mac Donald defends due process, debunks 1-in-5 rape stat as hostile crowd shrieks in protest

https://www.thecollegefix.com/video-heather-mac-donald-defends-due-process-debunks-1-in-5-rape-stat-as-hostile-crowd-shrieks-in-protest/

Heather Mac Donald stood at a Colgate University podium last Thursday night in front of a hostile, emotional audience who barraged her during a Q&A with highly charged questions after she gave a speech there at the behest of the school’s Open Discussion Club.

Mac Donald, author of “The Diversity Delusion: How Race and Gender Pandering Corrupt the University and Undermine Our Culture,” drew a protest of students who filled the auditorium making it so those open to the Manhattan Institute scholar’s views could not get in.

The plan among student activists was to listen to music with headphones or read a book by a “radical” during Mac Donald’s speech — then bombard her with hard-hitting questions during the Q&A, according to emails activist sent around before the event.

Perhaps the most tense moment of the evening took place when a woman took the mic to ask about campus rape culture, according to exclusive video obtained by The College Fix.

“In 2008 you wrote an article called ‘The Campus Rape Myth’ where you decided to claim that rape could be attributed to ‘sluttish behavior’ and that it’s women’s fault for getting drunk,” the question began amid applause, cheers and moans of shock from the surrounding audience, mostly students dressed head to toe in black to protest the scholar’s visit and views.

“You also said in a 2019 interview with the Hoover Institution that ‘all college-aged women can avoid 100 percent of so-called campus rape,’” Mac Donald’s questioner continued in an impassioned tone before dropping her bombshell:

“As someone who has been assaulted on this campus, do you believe that I am at fault?!”

The question drew a boisterous and prolonged round of cheers and applause that went on for roughly 30 seconds as Mac Donald stood at the podium and collected her thoughts.

Her reply showed that Mac Donald would not be cowered by the emotion and frenzy of the moment.

“Thank you for your question. And I do not know the facts of your incident and I am very sorry for what …,” but whatever she said next was once again met with loud gasps and groans from many in the crowd.

International Migrants Day by Judith Bergman

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15514/international-migrants-day

The project of multiculturalism in Europe, including the integration of people from the Middle East and Africa, has fared extremely poorly until now and no amount of denial from the UN or the World Economic Forum, including leveling accusations of “hate speech” and “fake news” at its critics can alter that fact.

Many migrants have made it clear that they have no wish either to contribute to, or become part of, the European societies into which they have migrated. Parallel societies… have sprung up all over Western Europe.

In Germany, authorities believe that it will take decades to get rid of the Middle Eastern family crime clans that have spread their criminal activities throughout the country. Sweden also is reeling from the many shootings and explosions that migrant crime gangs are responsible for throughout the country.

None of these grave issues was even hinted at by the UN’s and the World Economic Forum’s “experts” on migration in their statements on International Migrants Day. Instead, they encouraged states to clamp down on critics in the name of “hate speech”. What are they afraid of?

When the UN marked International Migrants Day on December 18, 2019, the theme was “social cohesion.” António Vitorino, director general of the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) wrote in an op-ed entitled “Social Cohesion: Recognizing Migration is a Benefit that Works for All”:

“This year on International Migrants Day, the IOM has chosen to focus on social cohesion, in recognition not just of migrants, but of the communities in which they can and do flourish…

“Too often, when we speak of migration, we debate whether it is good or bad, costs too much or pays out too little… But to view migration as an accounting practice is to reduce it… It is an evolving…yet integral part of our societies, enriching them in multiple, intangible ways…

“Today’s political climate is challenging; oftentimes migrants make for an easy scapegoat for all the ills of society, rather than one element of a cure…we need to constantly remind the international community of the reality – both historic and contemporary – that when well managed migration works, closed societies can become open, and political tensions fade away.”

Are Turkish Cypriots Done with Ankara? by Burak Bekdil

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15631/turkish-cypriots-turkey

For the Turks, Turkey is the homeland and Cyprus is the “baby homeland.”
In January 2018, several thousand Turkish Cypriots marched against what they said was Turkey’s unwanted influence that has emboldened hard-right groups to try to silence opposing views.
Erdoğan’s government has been generously sending Turkish taxpayers’ money to religious foundations, associations, NGOs and Quranic schools in Turkish Cyprus via the Turkish Aid Delegation. Turkey also built a (Sunni Muslim) theology academy at the same time as it ignored local criticism against it.
“There have been mosque constructions in all areas in northern Cyprus, including former Greek Orthodox churches. All that effort has upset Turkish Cypriots.” — Yusuf Kanlı, a prominent Turkish Cypriot columnist, to Gatestone Institute, February 18, 2020.

A famous tweet by an unknown Turk and shows how pathetically crazy some Turks can get in their never-ending wars with the rest of the world:

“We should bomb Turkish Cyprus to show the world what a psychopathic nation we are. The world should ponder what the crazy Turks would do to the others if they did this to their ‘baby'” — @spleenistanbul

“Turkish Cyprus” here is the breakaway statelet of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey — also known among the Turks as the “baby homeland.” Since Turkey invaded the northern third of the island in 1974 in response to a coup by Greek Cypriots that aimed to annex Cyprus to Greece, the “Cyprus cause” has been emblematic in reflecting Turkey’s militarist and nationalist sentiment.

The Left Dumps NeverTrump The love affair between the Left and NeverTrump Right appears to be over. For real, this time. Julie Kelly

https://amgreatness.com/2020/02/24/the-left-dumps-nevertrump/

The love affair between the Left and NeverTrump Right appears to be over. For real, this time.

After working in tandem for four years to try to destroy Donald Trump and everyone in his orbit, NeverTrump and the Left are breaking up in a very public and a very ugly way. And for those of us who’ve been close observers of this twisted political romance, watching their divorce play out is deeply gratifying.

The split couldn’t be happening to a more deserving couple—or dare I say, in honor of former Representative Katie Hill (D-Calif.), a more deserving throuple since it also included a willing canoodler in the corporate media.

But, for now, it looks like they are done brushing each other’s hair and sending late-night boozy texts confessing their mutual lust and loyalty.

NeverTrump is getting the boot for breaching the boundaries of this toxic relationship by daring to opine about the seemingly unstoppable candidacy of Bernie Sanders. Trouble in paradise began when NeverTrump changed the mood music from Orange Man Bad to Crazy Bernie Bad as the commie senator from Vermont began to dominate early Democratic presidential primary contests.

NeverTrump, consisting mostly of Democrats disguised as Trump-hating conservatives so they can keep their gigs on MSNBC and the Washington Post, are encouraging Democratic voters to dump Sanders in favor of a more reasonable Democratic candidate (LOL) who could beat Donald Trump in November.

Now, NeverTrump isn’t exactly known for their inimitable political instincts. In fact, the collection of failed magazine editors, washed-up campaign consultants, and dullards from legacy conservative outlets have been spectacularly wrong about almost everything for the past few decades, but never more so than during the Trump era. Their collective losing streak basically started with weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and has continued, nearly uninterrupted, from there.

In the UK, it now spells a product’s death if conservatives boast about liking it By Andrea Widburg

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/02/in_the_uk_it_now_spells_a_products_death_if_conservatives_boast_about_liking_it.html

Once upon a time, manufacturers marketed their product based upon the product’s merits. In recent years, companies have been selling, not their products, but their politics. So, what’s a company to do when a disfavored buyer purchases the product in the free market? According to Britain’s social justice warriors (“SJWs”), the company is still responsible and must be punished.

Yorkshire Tea is just what it says it is: a company that sells tea. Its roots go back to 1886 and it is the most popular traditional black tea brand in Britain. In 1962, the current owners took over the company, rebranded the tea from “Taylors” to “Yorkshire Tea,” and have been selling the tea ever since. The company is still family-owned and has been holding its own against teas from Unilever, Tata (Tesco), Twinings, and Typhoo.

The company is still old-fashioned enough to advertise its product’s virtues and ties to lovely Yorkshire, often quite humorously:

House Hunters: A Window on a Derelict Culture By David Solway

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/02/house_hunters_a_window_on_a_derelict_culture.html

Like many people, I’ve been watching House Hunters and its cousin House Hunters International on HGTV with considerable interest, though perhaps not for the usual reasons. I understand the charm the program has for its viewers: the pleasure of visiting houses and their locales, the ideas one may get for redecorating one’s own dwelling, the information about places one may wish to visit or move to, the guessing game regarding which of the inevitable three houses the purchasers will settle for, or simply abundant material for one’s fantasy life.

But I do wonder how many viewers realize that the whole business is largely a scripted hallucination which may even be hazardous to one’s future decisions if taken seriously. And as we will see in the ensuing, it partakes as well of a progressivist rage for leftist queer and gender politics.

To begin with, House Hunters et al. paint a scrubbed and prettified picture of the subject. I recall several episodes dealing with the lovely Greek island of Paros, featuring gorgeous, well-appointed villas replete with lavish amenities including ample showers and impressive fireplaces. I lived in Greece for several years and know the island well — well enough to know that, like most Aegean islands, it suffers from critical water shortages and an equally critical lack of firewood owing to centuries of forest denudation. Showers will be few and winters will be rheumatoid. And unwary buyers will be sucking lemons.

This is only one instance of the HGTV lie. Cabo San Lucas is another popular HGTV fable, focusing on gleaming condominiums and stunning views. The hagglers, cheats, swarms of importunate vendors, heavy traffic, sewage treatment problems and evidence of extortionate prices are left on the cutting-room floor. Caveat emptor.

Moreover, dialogue and character must rank the program at the lowest end of the entertainment industry scale. The dialogue is cloyingly banal with its ceaseless empty chatter, and the prospective buyers/renovators are generally among the most vapid and unattractive cast of characters one could ever hope to avoid.

Conservative Activist Targeted by Mob at Ohio University Welcome to the world of higher miseducation. Jack Kerwick

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/attacked-conservative-activist-targeted-mob-ohio-jack-kerwick/

With each passing week, more proof mounts that the world of Higher Education is, as I note in the title to my book on this subject, Higher Miseducation.

It’s also an increasingly dangerous place for conservative students.

Unfortunately, it is not an exaggeration to say that violence against the person and property of conservative students has become something of a commonplace on college campuses.

This should (but, regrettably, most assuredly will not) shock the moral sensibilities of remotely decent people everywhere, irrespectively of their political partisanship.

The College Fix, a student-run publication dedicated to drawing the public’s attention to the systemic and systematic undermining of the University’s historic mission by political ideologues, informs us of the violence, the mob violence, to which conservative students and speakers are routinely subjected.

At Ohio University, Kaitlin Bennett, a conservative activist in her early 20’s who regularly records her exchanges with left-leaning students at college campuses around the country, was besieged by a mob—yes, a mob—of at least 100 students who attacked her and the rest of her crew—including her bodyguard (that one young, petite female even needs a bodyguard on a college campus for daring to express her conservative views speaks volumes).  

The Fix refers to the footage of the “huge crowd of students…yelling and screaming at Bennett” as she tries to film a video.  Also captured on the latter are the members of the mob who “eventually began throwing things at Bennett, her bodyguard, and her team from Liberty Hangout.”