Showing posts with label Islamic Jihadis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Islamic Jihadis. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Scrambling Liberals Don't Know Who to Blame for the Istanbul Airport Attack

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June 29, 2016

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH:  Now, you realize this attack in Turkey at the Ataturk airport -- by the way, Ataturk is the guy Turkey was named after.  He was a big, big, powerful, mean dude, something like Frank Ataturk.  I don't know what his first name was.  Anyway, do you know that the guy that runs Turkey now, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, although it's not pronounced that way.  I've only heard Erdogan pronounced correctly once, and I don't remember how.  The guy has practically implemented Sharia law throughout Turkey. 

This is the point.  And if he hasn't completed it yet, that's the objective.  Turkey is gonna become full-fledged Sharia, and yet ISIS still hit them, still hit them at the airport. 

Greetings, my friends, and great to have you here.  Oh, yeah.  Sorry.  Dittocam's on.  Forgot to take -- can't do it all here.  You know, it's up to me, why doesn't some of this stuff end up being automated in this era?  Anyhow, sorry.  It's on now.  It's 800-282-2882 if you want to be on the program, and the email address,ElRushbo@eibnet.com

So as I was saying, the death toll, we're up to I think almost 50 people dead, 239 people wounded at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, which is one of the major airports of the world.  Three terrorists broke through security with rifles and then set off bombs in their vests, killing at least 50.  The death toll keeps climbing. 

And since it is awkward to try to blame guns for this attack, given that Turkey practically has banned its citizens from owning firearms, the Drive-Bys and the rest of the Obama administration are scrambling to come up with somebody to blame here.  The media is pretty much ignoring the attack altogether, just assuming that this is the new norm now. 

But really, they can't go after guns here.  They can't go after guns.  This is one of the reasons why the Drive-Bys, you might expect this to be wall-to-wall coverage.  It's a terror attack.  And Trump has said some pretty powerful things about it.  You would think they'd -- but they're not.  Why are they not wall-to-wall with this? 

Now, they might have been in certain places last night, but you have to admit, they didn't cover this like usual, normal terror attacks.  I'm telling you one of the reasons why -- you can be snarky all you want, you can be cynical all you want -- is because there's no way to advance the gun control agenda here.  Even in Turkey, they're on the way to having Sharia law.  It's practically impossible for law-abiding people to get guns in Turkey anyway.  So this just kind of illustrates what will happen if gun control, if they eliminate the Second Amendment here, it's not gonna stop acts of terror.  It's not gonna stop acts of crime. 

It isn't going to stop anything like this, and the Democrats and the media, they all know that, folks.  It's just misdirection.  They want guns out of everybody's hands for reasons unrelated to what they claim to be interested in.  They want to save lives.  No, it's not about that.  They want to reduce crime.  No, it's not about that.  That's not why they want to get rid of the Second Amendment, and that's not why they want you to have to give up your gun. 

You notice the gun control efforts are always aimed at the law-abiding?  Has it ever struck to you as strange gun control efforts aimed at the law-abiding, and here in Turkey since there's no way to advance the gun control agenda here in the US, it's sort of a ho-hummer.  Oh, well, you know, it's ISIS. It's basically an Islamic country.  So maybe there's things going on that we're not aware of.  Not quite a ho-hummer, but still isn't a big deal. 

Now, John Kerry, by the way, served in Vietnam, has come up with an explanation.  In fact, he's even leapt to conclusions and said that ISIS was behind the attack.  Now, Kerry calls them Daesh because he wants to seem smarter than everybody else.  You and I call it ISIS. Obama calls it ISIL, and Kerry calls it Daesh, D-a-e-s-h, because that's the term the French like.  I'm not making that up.  Daesh is the term that the French like, so that's what Kerry uses, and because it's, in his mind, much more sophisticated to use the term Daesh. It also conveys more respect for the group than to simply call them the derisional ISIS. 

But the real kicker is that John Kerry, who once served in Vietnam, said this latest attack is proof that ISIS is losing.  Well, because they're getting desperate.  They're getting desperate.  They had to attack a country they practically run anyway.  It shows how desperate they are. 

Now, the irony is that is exactly the kind of thing US generals used to say during the Vietnam War.  In fact, the generals at the time said that the Tet offensive was a sign of how desperate the North Vietnamese and Vietcong were. And actually they were telling the truth, unlike Kerry, but in reality the North Vietnamese only won because of defeatists like Kerry.  I don't want to get sidetracked with that, but that was a victory that was a defeat snatched from the jaws of victory by the likes of John Kerry, who served in Vietnam. 

Now, in terms of a proper response, I haven't heard much love and empathy from the Obama Regime, even though Loretta Lynch said just a couple of weeks ago that this is the only way to respond to terrorism, which is what?  Now, I don't know, ISIS apparently didn't get the message.  You know, ISIS, there was a memo that went out, sort of like a rah-rah memo, the leaders of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, actually, sent a memo out, "From now on, acts of terror, make sure you hit white people.  Do not attack people of color, do not attack minorities, because in America the media will blame the Tea Party for it, and you won't get credit." 

No, no, no.  Folks, I'm not making this up.  Al-Qaeda actually sent out an operational memo to its jihadist groups urging them in further acts of terror, do not kill, do not hit minorities. Because if you hit minorities they're gonna blame conservatives, Second Amendment, guns, and the terrorists won't get their due credit.  So from now on acts of terror, only hit white people, because hate crimes against them are permitted, and the media will play it up. White people deserve to be hit, deserve to be the victims of crime and acts of terror because they have for so long been the unfair, unjust, immoral majority throughout most of the nations that are imbued with Western civilization.  If you think that's an exaggeration, it isn't.  That is exactly how the Democrat Party of today and the American left looks at things. 

White Christians who found America, they deserve all this grief because they caused so much for so many hundreds of years.  I'm not... It's the only way that you can understand the true motivation of these people.  In other words, it's impossible for minorities, impossible for people of color to be ever guilty of hate crimes.  Because their only crimes are justified.  Their crimes are justifiable.  It's retribution and payback for years and decades and maybe even centuries of oppressive behavior at the hands of the white majority.

Not just here. Not just here. 

The UK, all throughout Western civilization.  That is the mode of thinking.  Why do you think immigration is happening?  Why do you think only certain kinds of people are allowed to legally immigrate?  Have you noticed that when it comes to immigration we ride herd on legal immigration pretty damn hard, and who is it that really is subject to most of the limits there?  Have to say it's white immigrants. But when it comes to illegal immigration and open borders, if you happen to be a minority or person of color or whatever?

"Come on in! Come on in! Because it's time for you to get your payback now for all the ways you've been mistreated by the evil people that founded and ran the United States of America for so long." It was Mustapha Kamal Ataturk, the founder and first president of Turkey.  I was wrong when I said it was Frank.  (I mean, I knew it wasn't Frank.)  Mustapha Kamal Ataturk.  Let me tell you something, the guy was a bad actor. You didn't want to mess with him.  I mean, he's a serious, serious...

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Have you noticed in the aftermath of the terror attack at Ataturk airport, they don't do that?  There aren't any vigils?  There aren't any candlelit ceremonies; there aren't any pictures of whatever. They haven't stopped everything to have an ongoing memorial. 

They just got back up and picked up the pieces and started operating the airport again as though that was yesterday, which it was.  Not even the Drive-Bys have noticed this.  in fact, grab audio sound bite number seven.  Don't worry.  I know I've interrupted myself, but I have not lost my place.  Audio sound bite number seven, CBS This Morning.  This is Holly Williams reporting about the terror attack at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul.

WILLIAMS:  If you look behind me, you can see what appears to be damage from one of the blasts, but come over here and you can see that the airport is operational.  Less than 24 hours after this attack, it's full of passengers.  This is one of the busiest airports in the world.  If you look over here, you can see that there is a lot of shattered glass in this area.  It's not clear whether this is from gunfire, whether that's a bullet that's done that or shrapnel from one of the blasts.  Now, the Turkish prime minister, Binali Yildirim, said there are indications that this was the work of ISIS, but so far there's been no claim of responsibility.

RUSH:  Now, folks, I'm telling you that's noteworthy here that these Muslim countries don't spend any time on vigils, lighting candles, singing songs, laying wreaths of flowers. They don't spend days and days trying to figure out the motive. They didn't convene any on-the-spot seminar saying, "Why do they hate us?" 'Cause they already know why this happened. They already know who did it. They already know why, and everybody's up and back to their business here.  (interruption)

No, No, no, no, no, no.  I'm just noting the difference.  Do not assume I'm criticizing anyone.  I'm just noting the difference.  If this happens in an American airport, you know full well there are candlelight vigils, there are wreaths of flowers, there are pictures, there's... It'd be going on for weeks.  It's one of the ways we grieve.  They don't.  They just... Did you notice also in this report that Holly Williams, in describing the damage from the blast, wasn't sure if it was from a bullet or shrapnel from a bomb?

Oh, they're praying it was from a bullet so they could focus on the guns, but everybody knows bomb control doesn't work.  

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH:  Look, I don't want to mislead anybody.  Ataturk is actually... It's a name that denotes "father of the Turks," and the name was granted to Kemal Ataturk in 1934 and forbidden to any other person by the Turkish Parliament.  Now, the reason Ataturk, Kemal Ataturk was and is so highly reputed, is he was attempting to modernize... That's not the right word.  Well, it is.  For lack of a better way of saying it, he was trying to make Islam compatible with the modern twentieth century world. 

There are a few such Islamic leaders who have attempted to do so, and they don't last long.  The terrorists get into gear; the militants like Al-Qaeda and ISIS target them.  But that's who he is.  And I'm now reliably told that the correct pronunciation of the current president of Turkey's last name is Erdogan.  It's E-r-d-o-g-a-n, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is what it looks like, but it's Erdogan.  And he is attempting to implement Sharia throughout the country.  It's what makes this attack interesting to me. 

I mean, they think it was ISIS, and ISIS attacks infidels and nonbelievers, so there's some political problem that ISIS has with Turkey.  It could involve the Syria war and who's funding here, who's buying oil from who, and who isn't.  So this may have ramifications simply beyond the tenets of Islam, not excluding aspects of Islam in the attack, but it may be a little bit more than that.  I guess we just rely on what Kerry said, that it just means they're losing, that they did this, and that they're desperate, is why they did this.  

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH:  President Obama is in Ottawa, Canada.  Do you know he called Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan?  He didn't call Rick Scott in Florida after Mateen blew up the gay bar in Orlando.  Took him awhile.  But he called Erdogan right off the bat.  Anyway he's in Ottawa, North American Leaders Summit.  And after a meeting with the Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto, President Obama spoke with reporters about the terror attack in Istanbul. No, he didn't blame it on a video.  Not this one.

OBAMA:  I had a chance to speak to President Erdogan earlier today to discuss with him not only how heartbroken we have been by the images of the injured and those killed, but also to reaffirm our strong commitment to partner with Turkey, with NATO, with the broad-based alliance that we structured around the world to fight ISIL.  It's an indication of them being unable to govern those areas that they've taken over; that they're gonna be defeated in Syria, they're gonna be defeated in Iraq.

RUSH:  It's the same thing Kerry said. It all adds up to proof that they're losing.  You know, when I hear this guy speak now, his reaction to a terror attack... I'm sorry. Because of what happened yesterday, I can't get Benghazi out of my mind, and there's something else I can't get out of my mind.  I really can't come to grips even now with the fact that this administration got away with so many abject lies.  The big one about a video being responsible for it. And furthermore, that some absolutely clueless...

This guy Nakoula Nakoula? They found this guy somewhere in California. They put him in jail. They put the producer that nobody ever heard of... They put him in jail.  They scared the daylights out of him. He went along with it. He was acquiescent as he could be.  The things lining that just didn't happen in this country, and were they to happen somebody else they would be impeached. 

But to jail an innocent person on a false, bogus charge to carry forth a lie that is designed to protect yourself as president and your campaign? So now when I hear this guy speak about terrorism and the aftermath of attacks, I just don't believe anything.  "We cringe, we cry, we join you in tears for the loss of life," and so forth?  It sounds like he's more upset about what happened in Turkey that he's upset when these things happen in this country. 

Sorry.  It just comes across that way to me. 

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH:  You know, if ISIS is losing, I would hate to see what happens when they're winning.  I'd hate to see what that looks like.  But Obama and Kerry say they're losing.  

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Now, I want to expand on a point that I made in the first hour of the program about Turkey and ISIS.  I found it fascinating that ISIS, if it is ISIS -- and everybody thinks it is -- hit Turkey, because Turkey has been one of the biggest allies ISIS could have ever had.  Are you aware of that?  (interruption) You're not?  Now, that's interesting, 'cause you are a news junkie like I am, and you're not aware of this.  Well, let me run through some things for you. 

Turkey was a helpful ally in ISIS' ongoing war in Syria and Iraq.  Turkey has been helping ISIS in their destabilization efforts throughout the region.  Turkey allowed the oil trucks that are owned and operated by ISIS to cross Turkish borders so that ISIS oil can be sold.  That is how the ISIS leadership, that's how the ISIS movement is being funded in part, which is a point Trump has made.  What the hell?  Why don't we own that oil?  We're the ones that liberated it.  Why didn't we take it?  Why aren't we in charge?  Why is ISIS?  We need to blow up their depots. We need to blow up their trucks. 

And everybody, "Oh, my God, the guy is dangerous, oh, my God."  But Turkey has been assisting ISIS in a wide variety of ways.  At times Turkey has denied us the use of their airspace in Iraq and in other theaters of war.  Turkey has been an off-and-on ally, quote, unquote, you know, as Obama has drawn red lines and then moved the red line.  Turkey has wanted to present themselves as an ally of ours.  But make no mistake about it.  President Erdogan is aiming Turkey at a Sharia nation.  That's where he wants to go.  He is a Sharia law, full-fledged, one percent Islamist. 

So what's ISIS doing hitting him?  What's ISIS doing blowing up the Ataturk airport in Istanbul?  Now, the reason I ask this is because our shortsighted, incompetent leadership in this country actually tells us that we can prevent more terrorist attacks against us if we would become more tolerant them.  Do they not?  We cannot call them Islamist terrorists.  We cannot call them radical Islamist extremists.  We cannot even say that they engage in terrorism.  We have gone to the realm of impracticality and impossibility to avoid offending these people, or worse, whatever might be going on. 

But regardless, Obama and his State Department and even the defense department are bending over backwards to give these people the benefit of the doubt.  Whenever there's a terrorist attack, it's not.  Whenever ISIS does it or militant Islam does it, no, they didn't.  We do seminars trying to examine what we have done to cause them to hate us so much.

And if they hit Turkey, if they hit the Istanbul airport, the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, in a country that is on the road to becoming full-fledged Sharia, then how in the world is the strategy Obama and Hillary employ gonna be effective at all in stopping them here?  And you know what their strategy is?  Take away your guns. 

So we have the latest attack, which is the attack on the gay club in Orlando, and, no, we're not gonna call 'em, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.  He was radicalized.  He was an American citizen and he was a fine young man until he got radicalized by that out of control internet.  Islam had nothing to do with it, militant or otherwise.  No, no, no.  The religion of peace, they don't do these kinds of things.  Instead, we need to take your guns away.  That is the Obama and Hillary solution to these things, oh, yeah, and not saying "radical Islam."  Oh, yeah, and not saying "radical Islamic terrorism." 

Oh, yeah, doing all that, by closing Club Gitmo, yeah, we close Club Gitmo, we apologize for the photos that we took at Abu Ghraib.  That's supposed to dial them back.  Really?  Well, if they blew up an airport in Istanbul in a country with a leader who believes entirely in Sharia law, then how in the world can we stop them?  I mean, using the same philosophies and strategies Obama and Hillary have put into place. 

Obviously it's a joke.  They don't know what they're doing.  Well, I take it back.  Obama knows what he's doing, and maybe Hillary, too.  But the point is, what they want us to believe they think they're doing is totally ineffective.  It doesn't have a prayer of working.  You know, Hillary's out there saying, we need smart diplomacy.  We need to do smart power.  And that means empathizing with our enemy, understanding their grievances, like we understand the grievances of homosexuals, like we understand the grievances of African-Americans.  We must learn to understand the grievances of ISIS. 

Why?  Because ultimately everything's our fault.  Everybody who hates us has legitimate reasons for hating us, according to Obama and Hillary.  We've been too big for our britches, we've been too rich, and our riches came from theft and colonialism, not from genuine accomplishment and achievement.  You didn't build that.  Then go through these things, my blood's boiling here as I remind myself of what these people tell us, and I remind myself how they think about us. 

If Recep Tayyip Erdogan cannot placate ISIS, how are we ever gonna be able to?  And placate is clearly what John Kerry, who once served in Vietnam, and Barack Hussein O and Hillary Clinton think is the only thing we have to do is placate them.  Because we're at fault, see.  Our attitude all these years, our braggadocios pomposity, our overly confident, bigger than the rest of the world attitude has justified all this kind of stuff.

So we gotta find a way to placate them, let them know that it's a new day in America where our current leadership does not hate them and, in fact, agrees with them on many of their grievances about the United States.  And that's supposed to mollify them.  It's supposed to tame them.  It is supposed to cause them to stop attacking us. 

It hasn't.  We've had a major attack every year of Obama's Regime.  I guess they're telling us the truth.  ISIS and Al-Qaeda and whoever else, that is the only way they stop is after we convert.  That's what they say.  The only way this stops is when the infidels convert. Well, that's not happening. 

So what are we gonna have to do?  We're not gonna convert.  If this nation ever goes Sharia, it's gonna be because of the aggressive use of force.  You know, I take that back.  There is a segment of this population already that would surrender.  I have no doubt that there's a segment of the population that would surrender rather than fight it.  But we're not yet anywhere near a majority of Americans with that attitude.  

Monday, June 13, 2016

Trump Promises End to 'Days of Deadly Ignorance'

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Republican Donald Trump asserted Monday there are thousands of people living in the United States "sick with hate" and capable of carrying out the sort of massacre that killed at least 49 people in a Florida nightclub. 

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee gave a long speech Monday previewing the foreign policy he would enact as president, including ending immigration from areas in the world from which people have attacked the U.S. and its allies, and attacking Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama for being weak on immigration.

"I refuse to be politically correct. I want to do the right thing, I want to straighten things out, and I want to make America great again. The days of deadly ignorance will end, and they will end soon, if I'm elected," he said in a speech at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire that doubled down on his propsed ban on Muslims entering the country.

He spoke after giving a host of broadcast interviews to preview his remarks. 

"The problem is we have thousands of people right now in our country. You have people that were born in this country" who are susceptible to becoming "radicalized," the billionaire real estate mogul told Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends. He claimed that there are Muslims living here who "know who they are" and said it was time to "turn them in." 

The gunman, identified by police as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen from Fort Pierce, Florida, opened fire with an assault-style rifle inside a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando early Sunday, killing at least 49 people before dying in a gunfight with police. Another 53 people were hospitalized, most in critical condition. 

Trump's longstanding proposal to temporarily ban foreign-born Muslims from entering the United States has triggered outrage from Democrats and Republicans alike, who see it unconstitutional, un-American and counterproductive. But it has helped him win over many primary voters who fear the rise of Islamic extremism and believe that "political correctness" — the fear of offending Muslims — is damaging national security. 

"I want every American to succeed, including Muslims, but they have to work with us," he said in his speech. "They knew that he was bad. They knew that the people in San Bernardino were bad. But they didn't turn them in, and we had death and destruction."

He also turned his ire on Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, who gave also delievered a speech about the nightclub shooting on Sunday. In Trump's eyes, Clinton "has no clue" about radical Islam and "won't speak honestly about it, but wants to take Americans' guns way. 

He also linked Clinton to Obama's immigration policy, saying both had failed Americans.

"Ask yourself who really is the friend of women and the LGBT community? Donald Trump with actions or Hillary Clinton with words," he said.

Trump earlier said in a phone-interview with NBC's "Today" show that he would not support a ban on the sale of assault-style rifles in the wake of the weekend massacre in Orlando. 

He told the network "there are millions" of such weapons already in circulation and said he didn't think instituting a ban would help, since "people need protection."

 

Trump harshly criticized Obama for referring Sunday to a "terror" attack without going further. "He's not calling it what it is," Trump said. "This is radical Islamic terrorism. He doesn't want to properly describe it. And if you don't want to discuss it and describe it, you're not going to solve the problem."

Trump planned later Monday to further address the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history in a campaign speech originally intended to attack Hillary Clinton. That switch came a day after Trump called for Clinton to drop out of the race for president if she didn't use the words "radical Islam" to describe the Florida nightclub massacre. 

Clinton addressed the Orlando massacre and responded to Trump's early morning attacks Monday in asober national security address in Cleveland, vowing to make stopping "lone wolf" terrorists a top priority if elected president and calling for ramping up the U.S. air campaign targeting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

But she also vigorously reiterated her call for banning assault weapons, like one of the guns the Orlando shooter used.

"I believe weapons of war have no place on our streets," she said.

Clinton also emphasized her position on increased gun control. When pressed by "Today's" Savannah Guthrie Monday morningn about why policy makers have been unable to pass gun reform, Clinton said the gun lobby has terrified elected officials into ignoring the necessary response to the many shootings across the country. 

"We cannot fall into the trap set by the gun lobby that says, if you cannot stop every shooting and every incident, you should not try to stop any," Clinton said. "That is not how laws work. It's not common sense. We need to get these weapons of war off the streets."

Trump's hardline approach to fighting Islamic terrorism was a hallmark of his primary campaign. Besides proposing a temporary prohibition on foreign Muslims from entering the country, he has advocated using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods to try to stave off future attacks. 

In the hours after the Orlando shooting, Trump issued a statement calling on President Barack Obama to resign for refusing "to even say the words 'radical Islam'" in his response to the attack. He said Clinton should exit the presidential race if she does the same. 

In an address from the White House, Obama called the tragedy an act of terror and hate. He did not talk about religious extremists. He said the FBI would investigate the shootings in the gay nightclub as terrorism, but added the gunman's motivations were unclear. 

While some Republican leaders have encouraged Trump to abandon his proposed Muslim ban in an effort to broaden his support among voters before November's general election, the Orlando attack appeared Sunday to harden the billionaire businessman's position.

"What has happened in Orlando is just the beginning," Trump tweeted Sunday. "Our leadership is weak and ineffective. I called it and asked for the ban. Must be tough."

Published at 8:56 AM EDT on Jun 13, 2016 Copyright Associated Press / NBC New York

COMMENTS

Trump Promises End to 'Days of Deadly Ignorance'

Listen to Military Veteran Talk Radio
iHeart.SmythRadio.com
Facebook.com/SmythRadioN

www.nbcnewyork.com

Republican Donald Trump asserted Monday there are thousands of people living in the United States "sick with hate" and capable of carrying out the sort of massacre that killed at least 49 people in a Florida nightclub. 

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee gave a long speech Monday previewing the foreign policy he would enact as president, including ending immigration from areas in the world from which people have attacked the U.S. and its allies, and attacking Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama for being weak on immigration.

"I refuse to be politically correct. I want to do the right thing, I want to straighten things out, and I want to make America great again. The days of deadly ignorance will end, and they will end soon, if I'm elected," he said in a speech at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire that doubled down on his propsed ban on Muslims entering the country.

He spoke after giving a host of broadcast interviews to preview his remarks. 

"The problem is we have thousands of people right now in our country. You have people that were born in this country" who are susceptible to becoming "radicalized," the billionaire real estate mogul told Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends. He claimed that there are Muslims living here who "know who they are" and said it was time to "turn them in." 

The gunman, identified by police as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen from Fort Pierce, Florida, opened fire with an assault-style rifle inside a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando early Sunday, killing at least 49 people before dying in a gunfight with police. Another 53 people were hospitalized, most in critical condition. 

Trump's longstanding proposal to temporarily ban foreign-born Muslims from entering the United States has triggered outrage from Democrats and Republicans alike, who see it unconstitutional, un-American and counterproductive. But it has helped him win over many primary voters who fear the rise of Islamic extremism and believe that "political correctness" — the fear of offending Muslims — is damaging national security. 

"I want every American to succeed, including Muslims, but they have to work with us," he said in his speech. "They knew that he was bad. They knew that the people in San Bernardino were bad. But they didn't turn them in, and we had death and destruction."

He also turned his ire on Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, who gave also delievered a speech about the nightclub shooting on Sunday. In Trump's eyes, Clinton "has no clue" about radical Islam and "won't speak honestly about it, but wants to take Americans' guns way. 

He also linked Clinton to Obama's immigration policy, saying both had failed Americans.

"Ask yourself who really is the friend of women and the LGBT community? Donald Trump with actions or Hillary Clinton with words," he said.

Trump earlier said in a phone-interview with NBC's "Today" show that he would not support a ban on the sale of assault-style rifles in the wake of the weekend massacre in Orlando. 

He told the network "there are millions" of such weapons already in circulation and said he didn't think instituting a ban would help, since "people need protection."

 

Trump harshly criticized Obama for referring Sunday to a "terror" attack without going further. "He's not calling it what it is," Trump said. "This is radical Islamic terrorism. He doesn't want to properly describe it. And if you don't want to discuss it and describe it, you're not going to solve the problem."

Trump planned later Monday to further address the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history in a campaign speech originally intended to attack Hillary Clinton. That switch came a day after Trump called for Clinton to drop out of the race for president if she didn't use the words "radical Islam" to describe the Florida nightclub massacre. 

Clinton addressed the Orlando massacre and responded to Trump's early morning attacks Monday in asober national security address in Cleveland, vowing to make stopping "lone wolf" terrorists a top priority if elected president and calling for ramping up the U.S. air campaign targeting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

But she also vigorously reiterated her call for banning assault weapons, like one of the guns the Orlando shooter used.

"I believe weapons of war have no place on our streets," she said.

Clinton also emphasized her position on increased gun control. When pressed by "Today's" Savannah Guthrie Monday morningn about why policy makers have been unable to pass gun reform, Clinton said the gun lobby has terrified elected officials into ignoring the necessary response to the many shootings across the country. 

"We cannot fall into the trap set by the gun lobby that says, if you cannot stop every shooting and every incident, you should not try to stop any," Clinton said. "That is not how laws work. It's not common sense. We need to get these weapons of war off the streets."

Trump's hardline approach to fighting Islamic terrorism was a hallmark of his primary campaign. Besides proposing a temporary prohibition on foreign Muslims from entering the country, he has advocated using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods to try to stave off future attacks. 

In the hours after the Orlando shooting, Trump issued a statement calling on President Barack Obama to resign for refusing "to even say the words 'radical Islam'" in his response to the attack. He said Clinton should exit the presidential race if she does the same. 

In an address from the White House, Obama called the tragedy an act of terror and hate. He did not talk about religious extremists. He said the FBI would investigate the shootings in the gay nightclub as terrorism, but added the gunman's motivations were unclear. 

While some Republican leaders have encouraged Trump to abandon his proposed Muslim ban in an effort to broaden his support among voters before November's general election, the Orlando attack appeared Sunday to harden the billionaire businessman's position.

"What has happened in Orlando is just the beginning," Trump tweeted Sunday. "Our leadership is weak and ineffective. I called it and asked for the ban. Must be tough."

Published at 8:56 AM EDT on Jun 13, 2016 Copyright Associated Press / NBC New York

COMMENTS

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

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www.washingtontimes.com

Syrian refugees arrive aboard a dinghy after crossing from Turkey to the island of Lesbos, Greece, on Sept. 10, 2015. (Associated Press) more >

The State Department admitted 80 Syrian refugees on Tuesday and 225 on Monday, setting a new single-day record, as President Obama surges to try to meet his target of 10,000 approvals this year — sparking renewed fears among security experts who say corners are being cut to meet a political goal.

Officials insisted they’re moving faster because they’re getting better at screening, and say they’re still running all the traps on applicants.

But the new spike in numbers is stunning, with more people accepted on Monday alone than were approved in the entire months of January or February.

“The Obama administration is on full throttle to admit as many people as possible before the time clock runs out on them,” said Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies. “This is the classic scenario when political expediency trumps prudence, and someone slips through who shouldn’t have, and tragedy ensues.”

Powerless to stop the civil war in Syria, Mr. Obama has instead offered the U.S. as a safe haven for those fleeing the conflict, promising to accept 10,000 refugees between Oct. 1 and Sept. 30. As of Tuesday evening, he’d approved 2,540 — an average of about 10 applications a day.

To meet the 10,000 goal, that pace will have to spike to nearly 60 approvals a day.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency charged with vetting the applications, declined to comment on the surge, referring all questions to the State Department, which gives final approval. Officials there insisted they can meet Mr. Obama’s goal without sacrificing security.

From February to April, the department deployed extra staff to Jordan, where some 12,000 applicants referred by the U.N. were interviewed. The department is also conducting interviews of Syrians in Lebanon and Iraq, and said everything is going according to plan.

“Increases in processing capacity have improved our capacity to meet the 10,000 target for Syrian refugee admissions for this fiscal year. As such, we expect Syrian refugee arrivals to the U.S. to increase steadily throughout the fiscal year,” an agency official said.

The department says refugees undergo the most checks of anyone applying to enter the U.S., and Syrians are getting as much scrutiny as possible.

But pressure to speed up the process is growing. Last week Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, fired off a letter saying other countries are approving refugees at a quicker pace, and demanding the administration catch up.

“Refugees are victims, not perpetrators, of terrorism,” the Democrats wrote in their letter.

That’s not always the case, however, as two men who arrived as part of the refugee program were charged with terrorism-related offenses in January.

One of those, Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, an Iraqi-born man, was living in Syria when he was admitted as a refugee in 2012. The State Department counts him against its Iraqi refugee program, not against the Syrian refugee program.

The Obama administration has repeatedly cited the Iraqi program as evidence that it can safely admit refugees from Syria. But security experts say the U.S., by dint of the long war in Iraq, has access to government databases, and a presence on the ground, to assist in checking out would-be refugees’ stories.

No such access exists in Syria, where the U.S. considers the current regime an enemy and much of the country is occupied by the very terrorist forces from Islamic State that the U.S. is fighting.

Critics say the Obama administration has been too heavily focused on Muslim refugees, while hundreds of thousands of Christians are left behind. The latest statistics show only a dozen Christian refugees from Syria have been accepted so far — a rate of less than half of one percent.

The overwhelming majority — more than 97 percent — are Suni Muslims.

Congressional Republicans have called for a slower approach to admitting refugees, but have been powerless to stop Mr. Obama. Democrats filibustered a proposal to require the chiefs of Homeland Security, intelligence and the FBI to sign off on every refugee’s application.

The House will take another step Wednesday, as the Judiciary Committee votes on legislation requiring USCIS to check the social media profiles of all applicants seeking visas from suspect countries.

States have also tried to block Mr. Obama, renouncing agreements to work with the administration to resettle refugees within their borders. Texas even sued to try to bar resettlement, but a federal court rejected the lawsuit, saying the state didn’t have standing.

COMMENTS

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Labour set to recapture London after bitter mayoral campaign

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ca.news.yahoo.com

By Elizabeth Piper and Nadeem Shad

LONDON (Reuters) - Labour candidate Sadiq Khan was set on Thursday to become the first Muslim to be elected mayor of London, loosening the ruling Conservatives' hold on Britain's financial center after a campaign marred by charges of anti-Semitism and extremism.

His expected victory may be a lone bright spot for Labour on a day of local elections in England, Scotland and Wales. Opinion polls suggested the main opposition party would lose seats in some traditional strongholds, testing the authority of its new left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

In bright sunshine, Britons trickled in to voting stations to cast their ballots in elections which some campaigners fear could fail to attract many voters, as the contests have been overshadowed by next month's referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union.

The fight to run London - the top prize in the local elections - has pitted Labour's Khan, 45, the son of an immigrant bus driver, against Conservative Zac Goldsmith, 41, the elite-educated son of a billionaire financier.

The winner will replace Conservative Boris Johnson, who has run the city of 8.6 million people for the past eight years and is seen as a leading contender to succeed David Cameron as party leader and prime minister.

Khan has a big lead in the opinion polls, despite accusations by Goldsmith that he has shared platforms with radical Muslim speakers and given "oxygen" to extremists.

"Yes Goldsmith's argument on the radio made me distrust him ... I am absolutely amazed how he tried to smear by innuendo," said self-employed voter Ian Whisson, describing the Conservative candidate's campaign as "disgusting and slimy".

Goldmith denies the charge, saying he has raised legitimate questions over his opponent's judgment.

The campaign, condemned by Labour for using what it calls Donald Trump-style tactics to divide Londoners along faith lines, has swept aside usual concerns in the capital over high transport costs and a lack of affordable housing.

HEATED CAMPAIGN

On the eve of the vote, Prime Minister Cameron and Labour leader Corbyn went head-to-head over Khan and Goldsmith's campaigns in a heated parliamentary debate.

Cameron accused Khan of sharing "a platform with an extremist who called for Jews to drown in the ocean", while Corbyn accused the Conservatives of "smearing" Khan.

Khan says he has fought extremism all his life and that he regrets sharing a stage with speakers who held "abhorrent" views.

But the former human rights lawyer has also had to distance himself from Corbyn after a row over anti-Semitism.

The Labour leader ordered an inquiry into charges of anti-Semitism after suspending Ken Livingstone, a political ally and a former London mayor, for saying Adolf Hitler had supported Zionism.

Khan was quick to condemn the comments. Although people out in the capital said the row had done little to change their view of the Labour candidate for mayor, others said they had become disenchanted with the party itself.

"Yes it has affected my view of Labour, it's very disappointing," said Sylvie Edge, a 60-year-old photographer, as she cast her ballot in Shoreditch in central London.

Corbyn risks losing dozens of seats in some of Labour's traditional strongholds in his first major electoral test since being elected party leader in September on a wave of enthusiasm for change and an end to 'establishment politics'.

After Corbyn expressed confidence that Labour would gain seats, his spokesman qualified his remarks on Thursday, saying he rather wanted to say: "We're not in the business of losing seats and we'll be fighting to win as many as possible tomorrow."

(Additional reporting by William James, writing by Elizabeth Piper, editing by Mark Trevelyan)

COMMENTS

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Exclusive: 21 Generals Lead ISIS War the U.S. Denies Fighting

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www.thedailybeast.com
Brass Ball03.31.16 5:10 AM ETThere are only 5,000 U.S. troops in Iraq—about what a colonel usually commands. But for this ISIS war, as many as 21 generals have been deployed. Why?
In the war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, the U.S. military is notably short on soldiers, but apparently not on generals.
There are at least 12 U.S. generals in Iraq, a stunningly high number for a war that, if you believe the White House talking points, doesn’t involve American troops in combat. And that number is, if anything, a conservative estimate, not taking into account the flag officers running the U.S. air war, the admirals helping wage the war from the sea, or their superiors back at the Pentagon.
At U.S. headquarters inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, even majors and colonels frequently find themselves saluting superiors at a pace that outranks the Pentagon and certainly any normal military installation. With about 5,000 troops deployed to Iraq and Syria ISIS war, that means there’s a general for every 416 troops, give or take. To compare, there are some captains in the U.S. Army in charge of that many people.
Moreover, many of those generals come with staffs and bureaucracy that some argue slows decision-making against an agile terror group.
The Obama administration has frequently argued that the U.S. maintains a so-called light footprint in Iraq to reassure the American public that its military is not back in Iraq. Indeed, at times, the United States has not acknowledged where it has deployed troops until one of them died.
But if the U.S. footprint is so small, why does the war demand so many generals?
There is the three-star general in charge of the war, Army Gen. Sean MacFarland, and his two deputies, one of whom is in Iraq at any given time. There is the two-star Army general in charge of the ground war, Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, and his two deputies, who also travel between Iraq and Kuwait. There is the two-star general in charge of security cooperation—things like military sales—and his deputy.
Then there are the one-star generals in charge of intelligence, operations, future operations, targeting, and theater support.
There also are an untold number of Special Forces commanders in the battlefield whom the military does not speak publicly about; the dozen figure presumes at least one one-star Special Forces general.
And that is just the beginning of the top-heavy war fight. That figure doesn’t include the bevy of generals stationed in places like Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar to support the mission. Nor does it count the three-star Air Force general and his two-star deputy in charge of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, which is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Then there is a three-star Marine in charge of Marine Corps Forces Central Command, based out of MacDill Air Force, Florida, and his deputy and their Navy counterparts. All three commands are responsible for the Middle East.
Finally, there are a number of generals from the other roughly 60 coalition countries. The Daily Beast knows of three who support the U.S. generals—from Australia and the United Kingdom.
Once all those additional generals are included, there are at least 21 flag officers in Iraq, a number even military officials concede is conservative, as there likely are other coalition generals and possibly other Special Forces commanders.
Officially, there are only 3,870 U.S. troops, or the equivalent of a heavy brigade, which is usually led by a colonel. One colonel.
As The Daily Beast first reported, however, there are actually more than 5,000 troops, still far short of a footprint that would usually demand a score of generals.
Defense officials defended the deployment of so many generals to The Daily Beast. In a war where there are so many different types of fighters, these officials said, you need generals to coordinate. Today’s warfighter is more lethal, thanks to improved technology, and therefore needs a commander with the appropriate authority to sign off authority on the use of that power. The intelligence reaching the front lines is so complex, it demands the talents of a one-star general, defense officials argued to The Daily Beast.
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(Of course, it’s odd to brag about such lethality when the Defense Department has said repeatedly that American troops were “not in an active combat mission” in Iraq.)
These officials also say it is only fitting that Iraqi military leaders engage with a U.S. counterpart of the same rank.
“When you look at what they do and what they are in command of and how they provide support, I think it is justifiable,” one defense official explained to The Daily Beast.
Some defenders offer a more simplistic answer—the U.S. military has always used this structure to deploy generals to places like Iraq.
There are as a rule two types of generals in the U.S. military—those who command troops and those who support the fight. The military argues that in Iraq, the U.S. needs far more of the latter than the former. The Iraqi troops, led by Iraqi generals, should shape the front lines, they said.
But critics argue that such dependency on U.S. generals in areas outside the battlefield not only suggests a lack of Iraqi skills but also obfuscates the U.S. effort.
“Having this many generals and flag officers gives the appearance of commitment without the substance of commitment,” Christopher Harmer, a naval analyst at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, explained to The Daily Beast.
After World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War, the U.S. military downsized its rank and file troops but did not shrink the size of its general and flag officer corps proportionally. The result is a long-standing criticism of a top-heavy military that some argue is costly and not as effective.
A May 2013 U.S. Government Accountability Office report, for example, concluded that “mission and headquarters support-costs at the combatant commands more than doubled from fiscal years 2007 through 2012, to about $1.1 billion.”
Several past defense secretaries have tried to cut the number of generals. Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel tried to reduce the number of general officers and civilians by 20 percent but wasn’t on the job long enough to make it happen. Robert Gates, the defense secretary during the peak of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, proposed eliminating 50 generals and admirals.
If Gates’s efforts succeeded, it is not obvious in today’s military. In addition to all those generals in the Middle East, there are dozens of others at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, which is in charge of the Middle East, and at the Pentagon who also support the U.S. effort in Iraq and Syria—so many that it is impossible to say just how many generals are part of the U.S. war effort.
On Wednesday, two of the leading four-star generals of the war stateside took new command positions. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the outgoing special operations commander, became the new head of U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East. Army Gen. Raymond “Tony” Thomas is Votel’s special operations replacement.
Soon, they’ll be visiting the front lines in Iraq—and adding to the number of American generals on the ground in the ISIS war.
COMMENTS

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

17 Men Reportedly Heard Chanting, Firing Off Shots In Apple Valley Detained, Released

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losangeles.cbslocal.com

APPLE VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — Federal and local law enforcement authorities Tuesday are investigating after 17 men were detained for reportedly firing off hundreds of rounds in a remote part of Apple Valley.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies and an FBI agent were among the units that detained the men – reportedly all of Middle Eastern descent – who were camping out in the Deep Creek Hot Springs area Sunday morning, authorities said.

Feds & local law enforcement investigating after 17 men, reportedly Middle Eastern, fired 100s of rounds in Apple Valley. @KNX1070

— Margaret Carrero (@KNXmargaret)March 29, 2016

A 911 caller reported hearing over 100 shots fired and seeing five to seven men wearing turbans and shooting “assault rifles, handguns, and shotguns,” according to a Sheriff’s Department statement.

A county sheriff’s helicopter located the men walking near a creek with backpacks “and other items”, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Officials say the men were cooperative as they were detained and searched.

Several handguns, a rifle, and a shotgun were found at the scene, but a records check found all the weapons were registered with the exception of the rifle, which reportedly didn’t have a serial number because it was purchased in parts, an FBI spokesperson told The Times.

Police scanner traffic posted online by the Victor Valley News Group described “a large group of subjects wearing turbans and chanting” at the scene.

“They were up all night chanting ‘Allah akbar’-type stuff,” an unidentified officer is heard saying on the audio recording.

None of the hikers interviewed by Sheriff’s investigators say they witnessed any shots being fired, according to Sheriff’s officials.

A photo of the arrests was posted by the Victor Valley News Group but were not immediately confirmed by authorities.

All 17 men were eventually released because Sheriff’s investigators say they had no outstanding warrants or criminal histories.

“There was no evidence found that a crime had been committed by any of the subjects who were detained and they were released,” a Sheriff’s spokesperson said.

The FBI may conduct further interviews with the men to determine if any crimes were committed, The Times reported.

COMMENTS

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Autonomous IS cells are 'worst nightmare' for security: experts

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news.yahoo.com

Beirut (AFP) - Jihadist cells like the one that carried out the Brussels attacks are supported by the Islamic State group's leadership in the Middle East, but are choosing themselves where and when to strike, experts say.

And that degree of autonomy is making them all the more difficult to track, and doubly dangerous.

"These are security personnel's worst nightmare. Because they're almost impossible to prevent, they can hit almost any soft target possible," said Robert Taylor, a terrorism and security expert at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Tuesday's bombings at the Brussels airport and metro, which killed 31 people and wounded 270, were quickly claimed by IS as the latest in a wave of deadly attacks in Europe.

Less than two years after it declared its Islamic "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq, IS appears to have set up a network of cells made up of European nationals drawn to its extremist cause.

By providing these homegrown jihadists with training, planning and munitions, IS has managed to extend its reach into Europe's capitals.

Details of Brussels attacks perpepetrators and suspects still at large. (AFP Photo/Jean Michel Cornu …

"These are coordinated attacks. They're certainly rehearsed. People have planned them, and I think they are directed by a specific group," Taylor said.

"I doubt it goes all the way up to (IS chief Abu Bakr) Baghdadi. I think what we have are individual cells that are acting relatively independently."

J.M. Berger, a fellow at George Washington University, said it has become clear that attacks like the ones in Brussels and last year in Paris were more than just inspired by IS.

"It's certainly not a lone wolf attack when there are three or four confirmed attackers, not counting any other support they had," he said.

- Too complex for 'lone wolves' -

Belgian police officers stand guard near Maelbeek - Maalbeek subway station in Brussels on March 23, …

"ISIS central command in Iraq and Syria likely provided some or all of the personnel and technical and financial resources used in this attack," Berger said, using an alternative acronym for IS.

"They may or may not give more specific directions, but the operators on the ground probably have quite a bit of latitude in terms of picking targets and the timing."

IS has been calling for attacks on the West since its emergence as the preeminent jihadist group. Those calls intensified after a US-led coalition launched air strikes against the group's strongholds in Syria and Iraq in mid-2014.

Berger said it was likely the cell behind the Brussels attacks was also involved in November's massacres that killed 130 people in Paris.

"While it is still too early to draw definite conclusions, the most likely explanation is that this attack was carried out by the same ISIS network that carried out the Paris attacks," he said.

The Brussels bombings came only four days after the arrest in Brussels of the last known surviving suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam.

This week's attack was "too sophisticated just to be a matter of lone wolves," said Aymenn al-Tamimi, a research fellow at the Middle East Forum, a US think-tank.

"This reflects an operational capacity IS has been building to carry out attacks in Europe since at least late 2014/early 2015."

"Of course it's debatable how far IS leader Baghdadi and other senior central figures know of details of operations in advance, but it's not plausible to portray these attacks as independent of IS," he said.

Thousands of European sympathisers have joined IS in Syria and Iraq and many have returned to their home countries, especially to Belgium and France.

Belgium is in fact the European nation with proportionally the highest number of nationals that have fought with IS in Syria or Iraq. At least 494 of its citizens are known to have joined the group.

COMMENTS

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Kerry Having ‘Additional Evaluation’ Done to Decide if Slaughter of Mideast Christians is Genocide

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cnsnews.com

(Screen Capture)
(CNSNews.com) - Secretary of State John Kerry told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of State and Foreign Assistance today that he is having an “additional evaluation” done to help him determine whether the systematic murder of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East—at the hands of the Islamic State and others—should be declared “genocide.”
“I will make a decision on it as soon as I have that additional evaluation and we will proceed forward from there,” Kerry said.
Kerry was responding to a question put to him by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R.-Neb.), who is the sponsor of a resolution that would declare on behalf of Congress that it is in fact genocide.
The resolution expresses “the sense of Congress that those who commit or support atrocities against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities, including Yezidis, Turkmen, Sabea-Mandeans, Kaka‘e, and Kurds, and who target them specifically for ethnic or religious reasons, are committing, and are hereby declared to be committing, ‘war crimes,’ ‘crimes against humanity,’ and ‘genocide.’”
As a preface to his question, Fortenberry told Kerry about a young Syrian man who had been murdered by jihadists after refusing to renounce his Christian faith.
“I had the extraordinary privilege of being in the room with Pope Francis when he, in a very powerful moment, was given a small cross, a Christian crucifix,” said Fortenberry. “That crucifix had belonged to a young Syrian man who had been captured by the jihadists, and he was told to choose: Convert or die. And he chose his ancient faith tradition. He chose Christ, and he was beheaded.”
“His mother was able to recover the body, recover this cross, and bury him,” said Fortenberry. “She fled to Austria, which set the stage for this moment which I witnessed.”
“Mr. Secretary, this is repeating itself over and over and over again against Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities in the region,” said Fortenberry.
“What I’m urging here today,” said Fortenberry, “is that you use the authority and power of your office to call this genocide, to help restore the rich tapestry of the ancient faith traditions in the Middle East, to stop this assault on human dignity and civilization itself.”
Kerry said he is now considering declaring the targeting of Middle East Christians and other religious minorities in the region a genocide.
But, Kerry said, he has asked for “further evalution” to be done before he makes a final decision.
“I share just a huge sense of revulsion over these acts, obviously,” Kerry said. “None of us have ever seen anything like it in our lifetimes. Although, obviously, if you go back to the Holocaust, the world has seen it.
“We are currently doing what I have to do, which is review very carefully the legal standards and precedents for whatever judgment is made,” he said.
“I can tell you we are doing that,” he said. “I have had some initial recommendations made to me. I have asked for some further evaluation. And I will make a decision on this. And I will make a decision on it as soon as I have that additional evaluation and we will proceed forward from there.”
Here is the transcript of the exchange between Fortenberry and Kerry:
Fortenberry: Mr. Secretary, I had the extraordinary privilege of being in the room with Pope Francis when he, in a very powerful moment, was given a small cross, a Christian crucifix. That crucifix had belonged to a young Syrian man who had been captured by the jihadists, and he was told to choose: Convert or die. And he chose his ancient faith tradition. He chose Christ, and he was beheaded.
His mother was able to recover the body, recover this cross, and bury him. And she fled to Austria, which set the stage for this moment which I witnessed.
Mr. Secretary, this is repeating itself over and over and over again against Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities in the region. In 2004, Colin Powell, when he was secretary of state, came before Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and I believe you served on that committee at that point, and declared what was happening in Darfur to be a genocide.
There are 200 members of Congress in a bi-partisan fashion, we’ve put our names on a resolution that is forthcoming that declares this genocide. There is a growing international consensus in this regard. The European Parliament has passed something similar. The U.S. Catholic Bishops, Pope Francis has spoken out, Hillary Clinton has called it such, Marco Rubio, the international association of genocide scholars.
I want a note as well a word of thanks to you and President Obama for the quick action on Mount Sinjar that actually saved the lives of women and children, countless persons who would have been wiped out and victimized.
So, what I’m urging here today is that you use the authority and power of your office to call this genocide, to help restore the rich tapestry of the ancient faith traditions in the Middle East, to stop this assault on human dignity and civilization itself. And to set potentially the conditions that we are all hoping and praying for that re-establishes stability and reintegration of these ancient faith traditions into the fabric of the communities in the Middle East entirely.
I think the stability, the future stability, of the entire region depends upon this.
Kerry: Well again Congressman thank you for a very moving and eloquent description of the problem. And I appreciate, you were lucky to be in that room to witness that, and I certainly appreciate your reactions to it. And I share just a huge sense of revulsion over these acts, obviously. None of us have ever seen anything like it in our lifetimes. Although, obviously, if you go back to the Holocaust, the world has seen it.
We are currently doing what I have to do, which is review very carefully the legal standards and precedents for whatever judgment is made. I can tell you we are doing that. I have had some initial recommendations made to me. I have asked for some further evaluation. And I will make a decision on this. And I will make a decision on it as soon as I have that additional evaluation and we will proceed forward from there.
I understand how compelling it is. Christians have been moved in many parts now of the Middle East, I might add. This is not just in Syria, but in other places there has been an increased forced evacuation and displacement, which is equally disturbing, though it’s not—you know, they aren’t killing them in that case, but it’s a removal, and a cleansing ethnically and religiously, which is deeply disturbing. So we are very much focused on this. And, as I say, I will make a judgement soon.
Fortenberry: They have taken the conditions for life as well as life away from Christians, Yazidis, and religious minorities. And I bring up the declaration by former Secretary of State Colin Powell to demonstrate the power that the declaration actually has, because in doing so he helped put a stop to that grim reality there in Darfur.
I know you share deep sympathies in this regard. I just urge you, and plead with you, partner with us. There is a growing consensus that this is not only true and real but I think, again, it sets the condition for whatever the future settlement we have to have.  

Saturday, February 13, 2016

George Clooney Nailed America’s Hate-Speech Problem, Says Business Insider

by BREITBART NEWS12 Feb 20161819

George Clooney, while promoting Hail, Caesar! at the Berlin Film Festival, explained that “hate speech” frequently heard on the campaign trails in American presidential politics is just “extreme voices” that “don’t survive.”

In an interview reported by Business Insiderthe actor commented:



I mean there are some extreme voices out there. I always have to caution people when they watch American politics that we go a little crazy during the political season and it’s a very long season. And the xenophobic, fascist sort of ‘no muslims are going to come into the United States,’ that’s never going to happen, you know, that’s not going to happen in the United States.

That’s not who we are, that’s not who we have ever been, that’s not how this country was formed.

Clooney adds that these voices don’t represent  America, “So you are going to hear some of these louder voices that are extreme, and a much smaller percentage of the country that always come up during these moments, but they don’t ever survive and we get past this.”

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Breitbart TVBig Hollywood2016 Presidential RaceGeorge Clooney

George Clooney Nailed America’s Hate-Speech Problem, Says Business Insider

by BREITBART NEWS12 Feb 20161819
George Clooney, while promoting Hail, Caesar! at the Berlin Film Festival, explained that “hate speech” frequently heard on the campaign trails in American presidential politics is just “extreme voices” that “don’t survive.”
In an interview reported by Business Insiderthe actor commented:



I mean there are some extreme voices out there. I always have to caution people when they watch American politics that we go a little crazy during the political season and it’s a very long season. And the xenophobic, fascist sort of ‘no muslims are going to come into the United States,’ that’s never going to happen, you know, that’s not going to happen in the United States.
That’s not who we are, that’s not who we have ever been, that’s not how this country was formed.

Clooney adds that these voices don’t represent  America, “So you are going to hear some of these louder voices that are extreme, and a much smaller percentage of the country that always come up during these moments, but they don’t ever survive and we get past this.”
Read More Stories About:

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Chelsea Clinton goes on FULL CAMPAIGN DESTRUCTION MODE

Chelsea Clinton goes on the attack; Democrats ask why

thehill.com

Chelsea Clinton is stepping onto the 2016 battlefield against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a shift that some Democrats are interpreting as a sign of trouble for her mother’s presidential campaign.

Making her first solo appearance on the stump, Chelsea Clinton late Tuesday ripped Sanders over his proposals on healthcare and college affordability, arguing the White House hopeful wants to “dismantle” ObamaCare and Medicare.

Democrats have almost universally panned the attack, believing it to be ineffective and a misuse of her talents.

They note that Chelsea Clinton has mostly been used to highlight Hillary Clinton’s softer side as a mother and grandmother and say she seemed uncomfortable shedding her first daughter persona for the role of attack dog.

“The thing that tells you as much as anything about [the Clinton campaign’s] current state of mind is Chelsea going on the attack. It tells you everything you need to know,” said one Democratic strategist. “That this [challenge from Sanders] is real and they’ve got to be freaking out.”

The attack caught many Democrats, including Sanders and his supporters, by surprise. 

Following Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, CNN played the clip of Chelsea Clinton’s criticism directly to Sanders. The Vermont senator held back a wry smile as he offered a measured rebuke of Chelsea, who is nearly 40 years his junior.

“As much as I admire Chelsea, she didn’t read the plan,” he said.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who is one of only two members of Congress who has endorsed Sanders for president, told The Hill the attacks are a sign the Clinton campaign is worried about Sanders’s rise in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“I perhaps could see it coming from Bill, but I was taken aback hearing it from Chelsea,” said Grijalva, who backed President Obama over Hillary Clinton in 2008 after first endorsing John Edwards.

“I was surprised and thought it was out of character. It seems the Clinton campaign is going into full destruction mode very early in this process.”

In a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon defended Chelsea Clinton as a “very spirited and fierce advocate for her parents.”

Asked if she would continue to attack Sanders and whether she’s suited for the role, Fallon called Chelsea Clinton “policy-obsessed” and said the attack lines had not been planned.

“Her comments were spontaneous and spoke to the fact that she follows these issues closely herself and is deeply studious of the details of the candidate’s policy proposals,” he said.

While the media zeroed in on the Sanders lines, they represented only a small portion of Chelsea Clinton’s remarks at the event in New Hampshire, where she spoke at length about her upbringing and how it has influenced her as she raises her own family.

That’s similar to the role she played during the 2008 presidential campaign, when she worked to soften her mother’s image, particularly during events on college campuses. Rather than attack then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama directly, Chelsea Clinton sought to make inroads among the young voters that her mother was struggling to reach.

But having grown up in politics, Chelsea Clinton likely knew that her criticism of Sanders would make headlines.

Democrats interviewed by The Hill were scratching their heads over why she’d be so aggressive in taking on her mother’s rival for the Democratic nomination at this stage, with new polls showing Sanders in the lead in both Iowa and New Hampshire. 

“I’m 100 percent for sharp elbows and blunt contrasts in campaigns, including paid negative ads in every possible medium,” said Democratic strategist Craig Varoga. “But I cringe at the idea of using close family members to carry personal attacks, especially when the opponent is well-positioned to say the attack is untrue and desperate.”

It’s not just the messenger that’s drawing scrutiny. 

Many Democrats are puzzled that the Clinton campaign would open up a front against Sanders on healthcare, arguing that the questions the campaign is raising over how he intends to pay for his plan resemble Republican talking points.

Furthermore, Sanders’s desire for a single-payer system is wildly popular among the grassroots liberals who are key in the early-voting states.

“I really regret that the Clinton campaign sent Chelsea out to make the attack that she made,” former Obama adviser David Axelrod said on CNN on Tuesday night. “I don’t think it was the right attack. ... It’s not really an honest attack, and it’s not something that they should have sent her out to do.”

Democrats note that Chelsea Clinton taking on a more aggressive role in the campaign could make her a target, particularly for Republicans.

She has given paid speeches on behalf of the Clinton Foundation, has close ties to Wall Street and benefited from the Clinton name in securing a media job with NBC in 2014 that reportedly paid $600,000 annually.

Nobody expects Sanders will go down that road. Speaking Wednesday on MSNBC, he avoided a question about whether he thinks Chelsea Clinton is a powerful voice for her parents, saying only that “I think she is wrong” about his healthcare plan.

But the list of Clinton enemies is long, and at the top of it right now is GOP front-runner Donald Trump, for whom nothing is out of bounds.

“This makes Chelsea just another political player in the arena, and if I was Chelsea, that’s not where I’d want to be,” said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon.

Democrats say she should reprise her role from 2008 and try to help her mother connect with voters on a personal level.

“The best role for her is to help in humanizing Hillary and talking about what a great mother and grandmother she is,” Bannon said. “Hillary has plenty of edge on her own, she doesn’t need help there. She has such an asset in her family if only they can use them the right way.”

COMMENTS

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Iran Releases Footage of U.S. Sailor Apologizing After Capture



Iranian state-controlled news outlet Tasnim released video Wednesday afternoon that shows a U.S. sailor apologizing for purportedly infringing upon Tehran’s sovereignty.



On Tuesday, Iran seized two U.S. naval boats, arguing they illegally entered Iran’s territorial waters. The Pentagon said they encountered mechanical troubles, forcing their boats to go off course.

“It was a mistake, it was our fault, and we apologize for our mistake,” an unidentified sailor told the Iranian interviewer, who then asked him if his GPS system penetrated Iran. “I believe so,” he responded.

In another segment of the interview, the sailor held by the Iranians is asked, “How was the Iranian behavior with you?” He responds, “The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. We thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance.”
“Did you have special problem” with us, the interviewer asked. “We have no problem, sir,” the U.S. sailor responded.

Abas Aslani of Tehran’s Tasnim news Agency released more photos of the encounter on social media, which show the female sailor was forced to wear an Islamic hijab.
Iran’s PressTV has also released extensive footage showing the sailors’ arrest and detention. In the video, Iranian soldiers are seen rummaging through American weapons and ammunition, and checking the sailors’ identities.
The naval crews were taken Tuesday evening as they were navigating the Persian Gulf in riverine boats while in an area between Bahrain and Kuwait, according to reports. President Obama would later deliver his State of the Union Address without mentioning the sailors held by Tehran.
The sailors were held overnight on Fari Island, where an Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) base is situated.
The ten sailors are now safe at a U.S. military base in Qatar, according to U.S. officials. The sailors will be debriefed and receive a medical checkup, but there are no signs they were harmed, the official told AP.

John Kerry Thanks Iran for Releasing Kidnapped U.S. Sailors

Secretary of State John Kerry – who served in Vietnam – thanked Iran this morning for releasing the U.S. sailors that they detained yesterday.

“I want to express my gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation ‎in swiftly resolving this matter,” Kerry said in a short statement.

He added that he was particularly attuned to the situation reminding the nation that he was “a former sailor myself” and understood the importance of Naval power.

Kerry signaled that the incident was not a sign of provocation, but rather a symbol of how the two countries could work together after Iranian nuclear deal.

“That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong,” he said.

On Tuesday, hours before President Obama’s final State of the Union Address, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized two Navy vessels and abducted their crew, a total of nine men a one woman. IRGC officials confiscated the two Navy vessels and their GPS equipment, and held the soldiers overnight. Iranreleased the soldiers Wednesday morning, along with a series of photographs of the soldiers in captivity.

In addition to Kerry’s statement of gratitude to the Iranian government following the incident, the BBC reported that the United States government officially apologized to Iran for unnamed “unprofessional” acts by the American sailors alleged by the Iranian officials, though this report comes from Iranian officials and is yet to be corroborated by the United States.