Displaying posts published in

February 2019

BDS Plays a Nazi Tune Outside Carnegie Hall by Lana Melman

https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/02/07/bds

There was a lot to jeer at this past Sunday. (Feb. 3) I’m not referring to the lackluster Super Bowl game in Atlanta, but rather the shameful Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) protest against the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO)in front of Carnegie Hall.

The IPO annual gala took place on February 3 to raise money for the legendary orchestra, and featured a brunch and concert performance. As attendees entered the concert hall, they were jeered at by BDS proponents calling for a cultural boycott of the Jewish state.

The IPO was partly created as a refuge for Jewish musicians facing boycotts and imminent death during the rise of Nazi Germany. Its founder, Bronislav Huberman — a Polish violin virtuoso and child prodigy who had performed countless concerts all over the world — found work in Europe scarce as the cloud of Jew-hatred spread over the continent.

He fled to pre-state Israel, where he envisaged an orchestra as a refuge for musicians persecuted by the Nazis, as well as a contribution to Jewish cultural life in the young city of Tel Aviv.

Public Education’s Dirty Secret written by Mary Hudson

https://quillette.com/2019/02/10/public-

Bad teaching is a common explanation given for the disastrously inadequate public education received by America’s most vulnerable populations. This is a myth. Aside from a few lemons who were notable for their rarity, the majority of teachers I worked with for nine years in New York City’s public school system were dedicated, talented professionals. Before joining the system I was mystified by the schools’ abysmal results. I too assumed there must be something wrong with the teaching. This could not have been farther from the truth.

Teaching French and Italian in NYC high schools I finally figured out why this was, although it took some time, because the real reason was so antithetical to the prevailing mindset. I worked at three very different high schools over the years, spanning a fairly representative sample. That was a while ago now, but the system has not improved since, as the fundamental problem has not been acknowledged, let alone addressed. It would not be hard, or expensive, to fix.

Washington Irving High School, 2001–2004

My NYC teaching career began a few days before September 11, 2001 at Washington Irving High School. It was a short honeymoon period; the classes watched skeptically as I introduced them to a method of teaching French using virtually no English. Although the students weren’t particularly engaged, they remained respectful. During first period on that awful day there was a horrendous split-second noise. A plane flew right overhead a mere moment before it blasted into the north tower of the World Trade Center. At break time word was spreading among the staff. Both towers were hit and one had already come down. When I went to my next class I told the students what had happened. There was an eruption of rejoicing at the news. Many students clapped and whooped their approval, some getting out of their seats to do a sort of victory dance. It was an eye-opener, and indicative of what was to come.

The Green New Deal Versus Rural America By Robert Bryce

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/02/the-green-new-deal-versus-rural-america/

Customers outside dense urban areas will get stuck with huge electric bills.

The Green New Deal is the shiny new object in Washington. Rolled out last week by Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Senator Ed Markey (D., Mass.), the proposal is a grab-bag of policies that covers everything from creating “high-quality union jobs” to universal health care. It has been endorsed by nine Democratic contenders for the White House and nearly 70 members of the House of Representatives.

The fundamental charge of the Green New Deal is the “green” part: The U.S. is supposed to get to “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers.” Achieving such a goal (and doing it in just ten years) would require overhauling nearly every piece of energy infrastructure in the country. That’s where the Green New Deal parts company with the real New Deal — and, in fact, contradicts the achievements of the legislators who helped ensure rural electrification, and by doing so, helped set the table for America’s emergence as an economic superpower after World War II.

Two pieces of New Deal legislation changed the shape and structure of America’s energy sector: The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 busted the big electric utilities that had a stranglehold on America’s electric grid, and the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 provided low-cost federally backed loans to electric cooperatives and other entities, which allowed them to build their own electric grids and be independent of the big utilities. Those laws helped slash electricity costs for rural customers and led to a broad dissemination of economic and political power across the country that was critical to the development of western and southern states. And that leads to my thesis: If the Green New Deal becomes a reality, it will dramatically increase electricity costs and concentrate economic and political power in big business and in Washington. In short, the biggest costs of the all-renewable-energy push will be paid not by urban liberals such as Ocasio-Cortez, who are pushing the Green New Deal, but by rural Americans who probably voted for Donald Trump.

Report: Tlaib Once Wrote Op-Ed for Anti-Semitic Farrakhan Outlet By Jack Crowe

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/rashida-tlaib-once-wrote-op-ed-for-anti-semitic-farrakhan-outlet/

Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) wrote an op-ed in 2006 for Louis Farrakhan’s digital publication Final Call, which routinely publishes anti-Semitic content, according to a new report from freelance journalist Jeryl Bier.

Tlaib argues in the op-ed, which is dated October 4, 2006 and was resurfaced by Bier, that illegal immigrants shouldn’t face criminal charges or be deported for violating immigration law.

Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, has long been known as an outspoken anti-Semite. In February 2006, months before Tlaib’s piece was published, he accused Jews of promoting homosexuality in order to harm the African-American community.

“These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength. . . . It’s the wicked Jews, the false Jews, that are promoting lesbianism, homosexuality. It’s the wicked Jews, false Jews, that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic,” he said during his Saviour’s Day speech on February 26, 2006.

Dem. Leaders Demand Omar Apologize for Endorsing ‘Anti-Semitic Tropes’ By Jack Crowe…..see note please

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/dem-leaders-demand-omar-apologize-for-endorsing-anti-semitic-tropes/

Update 3:04p.m.: Omar apologized for her comments in a Monday afternoon tweet.

House Democratic leaders issued a joint statement Monday calling on Representative Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) to apologize for endorsing the “anti-Semitic trope” that Jewish donors leverage their wealth for nefarious political purposes.

“Legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies is protected by the values of free speech and democratic debate that the United States and Israel share,” read the statement, which was signed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and other Democratic leaders. “But Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive. We condemn these remarks and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments.”

Congresswoman Omar’s hatred for Jews now on daily display By Carol Brown

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/02/congresswoman_omars_hatred_for_jews_now_on_daily_display.html

Congressman Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitism is so virulent that it’s on full display just about every day. The Daily Wire reports:

On Sunday, after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) displayed her blatant anti-Semitism by tweeting that GOP support for Israel was “all about the Benjamins,” and followed by accusing AIPAC of paying American politicians to support Israel, bipartisan condemnation of her remarks erupted, although no leading Democrats said a word about their colleague’s vile rhetoric.

(“All about the Benjamins” refers to Benjamin Franklin’s face on $100 bills.)

GOP voices expressed disgust, including former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, Congressman Lee Zeldin, Senator Ted Cruz, and the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Democratic voices were few and far between. Chelsea Clinton, whose husband is Jewish, is the exception, though her parents remain silent as of this writing.

Democratic leadership remained silent, as they have for months as rampant anti-Semitism is spreading through the party like cancer.

I get the feeling Omar likes this attention and may feel empowered as a female Muslim member of Congress. That seemingly sweet smile isn’t so sweet.

Amy Klobuchar announces her presidential race in a snowstorm By Thomas Lifson

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/02/amy_klobuchar_announces_her_presidential_race_in_a_snowstorm.html

Senator Amy Klobuchar chose an outdoor rally — in Minneapolis in the middle of February — to announce her candidacy for president. Since there are plenty of indoor venues available, almost certainly, she wanted to stand out from the rest of the field and project an image of toughness, albeit leavened by the legendary “Minnesota nice” mode of personality on which she relies for image purposes. It does raise the question of if she knows enough to come inside out of the rain (or snow).

She certainly gets points for resistance to cold and snow — the white stuff visibly accumulated on her head, the podium, and the microphones as she spoke for 11 minutes:

She promises to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord that would impoverish Americans while allowing China and India to build huge numbers of coal-fired electricity generating stations for many years, and she came in for mockery from President Trump for the contrast between warmism and the facts on the ground in Minneapolis in February. In her response, she laid claim to a Minnesotan version of machismo, implying that others lack the strength to endure blizzards.

The Virginia train wreck has set the stage for 2020 By M. Catharine Evans

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/02/the_virginia_train_wreck_has_set_the_stage_for_2020.html

Virginia’s Del. Kathy Tran’s and Governor Ralph Northam’s open and public admission that their bill, H.B. 2491, allowed for the murder of a baby up until the time of birth and afterward was never supposed to happen.

Tran’s and Northam’s partial-birth abortion-funders, Planned Parenthood and EMILY’s List, have always encouraged their candidates in Southern states to stay mum on abortion until they get into office.

For example, in the run-up to the 2018 midterms, in blue state Virginia, where there are still plenty of conservative voters and where congressional races were tight, Democratic candidates focused on health care, fair wages, and security issues. Abortion, if mentioned at all, was couched in the more moderate-sounding “reproductive rights.”

Consequently, Tran’s and Northam’s startling and unpredictable honesty about H.B. 2491 had the Democratic Party and its pro-abortion benefactors trying to stifle any reporting suggesting that Democrats are the party of infanticide.

Donald Trump, Revealer-in-Chief . By Steve Cortes

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/02/11/donald_trump_revealer-in-chief_139434.html

First Lady Michelle Obama told the 2012 Democratic Party Convention that “being president does not change who you are, it reveals who you are.” Ever since his entry into politics, Donald J. Trump certainly has revealed who he is, but even more importantly he simultaneously reveals the often-uncomfortable reality of who his opponents actually are. In fact, the ruling classes of media and politics revile his unorthodox and pugnacious approach largely because of his uncanny ability to unmask their underlying motivations and philosophies.

Trump’s role as the Great Revealer began as he faced Republican primary rivals in 2015 and 2016. He exposed elitist establishment figures like Jeb Bush for their stale policies and attitudes that alienated working-class voters. Candidate Trump uncovered the harsh reality of frequent GOP complicity in crony political class maneuvers that served the interests of connected globalists — to the detriment of Middle America. He skillfully skewered Washington as essentially a one-party town regarding issues such as unfair trade deals, punitive multilateral climate accords, and endless overseas military interventions. His success in office pursuing economic nationalism and a restrained foreign policy proves the efficacy of a course that diverges from the strictures of the bipartisan Beltway Brahmins.

The Indecent Inquisitors By Julie Kelly

https://amgreatness.com/2019/02/10/the

The first contest of the 2020 primary season is one year away and the Democratic Party’s agenda now is coming into sharp focus: An income tax rate upwards of 70 percent, a Green New Deal that would send America back to the Stone Age, postpartum baby-killing, and the elimination of federal control over our southern border are just a few of the lowlights.

Sprinkle that message with a heavy dose of anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-white, anti-male rhetoric and voila!—Democratic presidential contenders are ready to swarm Iowa and New Hampshire.

But another destructive sideshow now animates the Democrats ahead of next year’s elections: The multi-pronged, unprecedented and possibly unconstitutional investigation into President Trump.

To satisfy the bloodlust of the party’s rank-and-file, still bitter about losing the 2016 presidential election and gobsmacked that Trump somehow remains in office, congressional leaders are seeking vengeance in the hearing rooms of Capitol Hill. Since taking the helm of powerful House committees last month, Democratic chairmen are wasting no time in probing every crevice of Trump World; no one, including the president’s family members, will be spared.

Hundreds of New Investigations
The government’s formal investigation into Donald Trump began in July 2016, when Barack Obama’s FBI launched a counterintelligence probe into four Trump campaign aides, allegedly suspected of conspiring with Russians to influence the election. In May 2017, Trump’s own FBI—led temporarily by the disgraced Andrew McCabe after James Comey was fired—opened both a counterintelligence and a criminal case into the president. Days later, the Justice Department appointed Robert Mueller as a special counsel to further investigate any supposed ties between the Kremlin and Donald Trump.