ISIS Women: Victims or Perpetrators? by Uzay Bulut

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15309/isis-women

“Female members of ISIS are often perceived as being passive, naïve, or even as victims. This is a dangerous and wildly inaccurate characterization.” — Free Yezidi Foundation.

It is important to stress that the true victims of ISIS’s hateful practices are not the thousands of women and girls who willingly joined ISIS and actively participated in the group’s horrendous crimes against humanity, but rather the hundreds of thousands of Christians, Yezidis and Muslims whom they displaced, tortured and killed.

The recent case of Samantha Marie Elhassani (née Samantha Sally) — an American mother-of-two who left her home in Indiana to join the now-defunct Islamic State (ISIS) caliphate in Syria — sheds light on the issue currently debated in the West about the degree of culpability of terrorists’ wives, and whether they should be viewed as victims or perpetrators.

On November 25, in a U.S. Federal Court, Elhassani pled guilty to, and was convicted of “providing financial support to individuals who desired to support ISIS.”

Palestinian Liberation or Islamic Conquest? Palestinians demand justice for themselves — and injustice for the rest of the world. Raymond Ibrahim

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/palestinian-liberation-or-islamic-conquest-raymond-ibrahim/

What drives Muslim animus for Israel: brotherly love for “oppressed” Palestinians or religious hatred for “infidel” Jews?

A recent incident in Jerusalem goes a long way in answering this question.  Hizb al-Tahrir—the “Liberation Party”—held a large, outdoor event near al-Aqsa mosque to commemorate the anniversary of the Islamic conquest of Constantinople (May 29, 1453).  There, as he had done before, Palestinian cleric Nidhal Siam made clear that, from an Islamic perspective, liberation and conquest are one and the same.

After all the takbirs (chants of “Allahu Akbar”) had subsided, Siam spoke:

Oh Muslims, the anniversary of the conquest [fath/فتح, literally, “opening”] of Constantinople brings tidings of things to come. It brings tidings that Rome will be conquered in the near future, Allah willing….  We are approaching the fulfillment of three prophecies, and we pray that Allah will fulfill these prophecies by our hands. The first prophecy is the establishment of the rightly-guided Caliphate in accordance with the way of the prophet. The second prophecy is the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the establishment of Jerusalem as the capital of the state of the Caliphate. The third prophecy is that Islam will throw its neighbors to the ground, and that its reach will span across the east and the west of this Earth. This is Allah’s promise, and Allah does not renege on his promises.

He and the assembled throng then repeatedly chanted, “By means of the Caliphate and the consolidation of power, Mehmed the Conqueror vanquished Constantinople!” and “Your conquest, oh Rome, is a matter of certainty!”

Trump Rises to the Occasion With State of the Union Address While Pelosi lowers herself even further into the gutter. Joseph Klein

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/02/trump-rises-occasion-state-union-address-joseph-klein/

With Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, sitting stone-faced behind him for much of the time, President Donald Trump delivered a stirring, upbeat State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. “I say to the people of our great country and to the members of Congress: the state of our union is stronger than ever before,” the president declared.

President Trump followed Bill Clinton as the second president in U.S. history to have delivered his State of the Union address while impeachment proceedings against him were still ongoing. President Trump delivered his State of the Union address on the eve of his expected Senate acquittal of the two hopelessly partisan articles of impeachment that the House had rushed through its chamber and then delayed sending over to the Senate for weeks.

Like Bill Clinton, President Trump did not lob any recriminations against his political adversaries during his speech. There was no mention of the impeachment ordeal the Democrats had put him and the nation through. Instead, the president extolled what he called “The Great American Comeback” and projected optimism for America’s future.

“America is the place where anything can happen. America is the place where anyone can rise. Here, on this land, on this soil, on this continent, the most incredible dreams come true,” the president said. “The American age, the American epic, the American adventure has only just begun. Our spirit is still young. The sun is still rising. God’s grace is still shining. My fellow Americans, the best is yet to come.”

Cuba: The grim reality of life in a communist country By Andrea Widburg

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

Thanks to Obama’s reopening official relationships with Cuba, as well as the fondness that Hollywood and the media have for that Caribbean island, young Americans grow up thinking that Cuba is cool and that communism can’t be that bad. Four young men who traveled there, though, discovered the ugly truth: communist countries are every bit as bad as traditional Americans have been saying for the last 100 plus years.

One of the most shocking things about the 2020 election is how many people support a man who has had a lifelong love affair with totalitarian governments. We’re used to the fact that, for decades now, Democrats have viewed soft-socialist Europe as superior to a free and constitutionally governed America. They never did figure out that Europe had that kind of glamorous socialism because America footed the bill by absorbing all of Europe’s defense costs.

Bernie, however, has no time for the weak sauce that is European socialism. Bernie’s love is for hardcore communism. Everyone knows that he honeymooned in the Soviet Union and praised the wonders of breadlines. Some, though, forget that he has also had a love affair with Cuba’s communist dictatorship. Bernie wants the real socialist deal: the end of all private forms of ownership, the consolidation of everything in government hands, and himself as the head of the government. He’s not a cute, crazy grandfather. He’s a wannabe Lenin.

President Trump’s moving, statesmanlike State of the Union address By Andrea Widburg

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

On Tuesday night, two very different events took place. The first was President Trump’s State of the Union speech, one that showcased incredibly good news about the state of America today, soaring rhetoric, and moving human interest stories. That’s what this post is about. The other event was the embarrassing Democrat temper tantrum, something that we’ll save for a less uplifting, but perhaps more amusing, post.

What touched the audience most during the speech were the interactions Trump had with his honored guests. There are too many of these interactions to retell for this post, but the following guests were especially moving:

There was Juan Guaido, the true president of Venezuela, who is being kept out of office by the tyrannical socialist, Nicholas Maduro. To Guaido, Trump had one message:

All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom! Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul.

There was Kelli Hake, a war widow, and Gage, her 13-year-old son. Kelli’s husband and Gage’s father had died when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb that Qassem Soleimani had supplied. It was a vivid reminder of the havoc and death Soleimani sowed throughout the Middle East.

There was Jody Jones, whose brother, Rocky, was randomly shot to death by an illegal immigrant who was still on the streets thanks to California’s sanctuary state policy.

There was Iain Lanphier, an 8th grader who wants to be part of the new Space Force. What was really awesome, though, was that Iain was there with his great grandfather, 100-year-old Brigadier General Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman and career military pilot who fought in WWII, Koran, and Vietnam.

Nancy Pelosi throws a public temper tantrum and other Democrat misbehavior By Andrea Widburg

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

Two different events played out on the floor of the House on Tuesday night. The first was President Trump’s powerful, moving, uplifting, and optimistic State of the Union speech. The second was the immature, arrogant, intemperate, and really disgusting temper tantrum in which Democrats indulged.

The most obvious sign of a complete mental breakdown on the left was Nancy Pelosi’s conduct during the speech. Her petulant behavior could not be missed because she was seated behind the president, to his left. Whenever the camera was on Trump, it was on Pelosi too.

Pelosi’s hissy fit first showed itself when Pelosi refused to give Trump the traditional formal introduction. Traditionally, Speakers of the House say that it is their “high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States.” Pelosi, however, in grudging and rushed tones, simply said, ‘Members of Congress, the President of the United States.”

Renewable Energy Fairy Tales By Norman Rogers

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

The very wrong energy policy being pursued in the U.S. and even more so in Europe has its roots in a 1987 report from the United Nations. The report called Our Common Future is normally referred to as the Brundtland Report after Harlem Brundtland, a Norwegian Politician, and chairman of the committee that wrote the report. Mrs. Brundtland in the introduction to the report states that: “We became convinced that major changes were needed, both in attitudes and in the way our societies are organized.” Scandinavian reformers always believe that they are a model for the rest of the world. By 1987 Norway was already well on the way to becoming an extremely wealthy country due to its offshore oil fields. It’s not that surprising that Norwegians may perceive accidental geological wealth as proof of their moral superiority.  Nor is it surprising that the Norwegians opted not to preserve the oil for future generations. The failure of Scandinavian ideology is most evident in Sweden where massive third-world Moslem immigration has devastated the country. The Brundtland Report takes a dark view of the world and sees its dark view as a good reason to rearrange the world along Scandinavian lines.

The key finding of the Brundtland Report is this:

“Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Trump Impeachment Agonistes He addresses Congress on the eve of acquittal as his approval rating rises.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-impeachment-agonistes-11580860797?mod=opinion_lead_pos2

Donald Trump delivered his third State of the Union address Tuesday night in one of the most paradoxical political scenes in memory. The President stood before the House Speaker who recently impeached him, and a day before the Senate will acquit him as his approval rating rises.

Mr. Trump touted his substantive policy achievements as he began to frame his case for re-election. They include tax reform and deregulation that gave the economic expansion a second life and has produced the tightest labor market since the 1960s. Wages are now rising for the least skilled and educated, a reversal of the Obama years when most gains went to those who held financial assets.

The President also celebrated his record number of first-term judicial nominees, who are remaking the judiciary as he promised in 2016. He talked about criminal-justice reform, which he pushed across the finish line in Congress despite doubts in his own party. And he talked at some useful length to make the case for education choice, especially for poor children denied it by teachers unions and a Democratic Party that increasingly opposes even charter schools. This will be a clear point of contrast in the election, and it’s a winning issue.

Paris Metro Passengers Lauded for Preventing Antisemitic Assault on Young Jewish Man

https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/02/04/paris-metro-passengers-lauded-for-preventing-antisemitic-assault-on-young-jewish-man/Passengers on the Paris Metro who prevented an antisemitic assault on a young Jewish man on Saturday night have been warmly praised by a leading community defense group.

In a statement on Monday, the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Antisemitism (BNVCA) highlighted the role played by passengers who interceded when four men attempted to chase the Jewish man.

The incident took place late on Saturday night at the Jean Jaurès station in northeastern Paris. The 25-year-old man, who wore a kippah that identified him as a Jew, was approached by four men said to be aged between 30 and 40, one of whom asked the victim for a cigarette. When the young man replied that he did not have any cigarettes, the attacker pinned him against the wall of the station, telling him, “You Jews have enough money, you can buy me some.”

At this point, other passengers intervened, blocking the four men and enabling the young Jewish man to safely depart the scene.

Israel Harshly Criticizes European Union Over Rejection of Trump Middle East Peace Plan

https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/02/04/israel-harshly-criticizes-eu-over-rejection-of-trump-middle-east-peace-plan/

The European Union rejected parts of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the Middle East on Tuesday, prompting an angry response from Israel which has strongly backed the American proposal.

The plan, announced by Trump last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, was rejected outright by the Palestinians.

The EU, which often takes time to respond to international developments because of a need for unanimity among its 27 members, had said last week that it needed to study the Trump plan before it would give its verdict.

It made its conclusions public on Tuesday in a statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who said Trump’s plan departs from “internationally agreed parameters.”