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Ruth King

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POSITIVE NEWS FROM AMAZING ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN

By on June 30th, 2025

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com 

A question: Can you name another nation besides Israel, that is besieged on every front by genocidal enemies; whose civilians spend many hours and days in bomb shelters; where sirens continue to warn of enemy drones and missiles meant to wreak havoc and destruction; who still manage to continue research and development of every conceivable beneficent science and technology to bring peace and succor to every corner of the Diaspora?

That’s a rhetorical question. As Michael Ordman details, the answer is a resounding NO! rsk

POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
 
A historic victory. Prime Minister Netanyahu declared a “historic victory” for the Jewish state following a 12-day conflict with Iran. The IDF had decimated Iran’s nuclear weapons program and its ballistic missile arsenal. “We rose up and stood like lions, and our roar shook Tehran and echoed around the world,” he said.
https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-hails-historic-victory-over-iran-in-12-day-war/
https://www.jns.org/israel-wins-stunning-12-day-war/
 
Existential threat removed. With a stroke, America removed the last existential threat to Israel by striking Iran’s “impenetrable” Fordo nuclear site, plus its Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. A ceasefire is now in place.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-strikes-irans-elusive-fordo-facility-joining-israels-fight-against-nuclear-program/  https://www.jns.org/israel-claims-victory-over-iran-agrees-to-ceasefire-deal/
 
The nation of Israel has risen. On 12th Jun, Israel’s Prime Minister placed a note into the Western Wall “Am Kalavi” (the operation’s name) “yakum” (The people will rise like a lioness). 10 days later, after the USA bombed Fordo, he returned to the Kotel to place another note: “The people of Israel have risen”.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4LyAK4vV864
 
All restrictions lifted. The IDF Home Front Command has lifted nationwide restrictions on civilian movement that had been imposed amid the conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran. In most of the country, unlimited numbers of people can meet, pray, work, and study.  Schools, public offices, and the airports, have reopened.
https://www.jns.org/idf-lifts-all-restrictions-on-civilian-movement-in-wake-of-iran-truce/
https://www.jns.org/ben-gurion-international-airport-resumes-full-operations/
 
Using cyber to counter drones. The IDF has revealed that its 5114th Spectrum Battalion, a unit operating under the military’s Computer Service Directorate, is defending Israeli airspace from Iranian suicide drones. Its technology disrupts communications or guidance systems, rerouting or neutralizing the UAVs mid-flight.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1rmejd4ee
 
Support for employees. During the war with Iran, Israeli tech companies are offering employees additional financial, emotional, and logistical benefits. Microsoft: 10 days emergency paid leave; Wix: funding credit cards; Matrix: NIS 5,000 to each evacuee; Others: safer housing, yoga sessions, childcare support, and more.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s10qchhnxx
 
So much support. The latest Israeli conflict with Iran has accelerated support from Israeli organizations such as Hashomer Hachadash, the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund, Yad Sarah, Leket Yisrael, and La’Aretz Foundation. https://www.jns.org/wire/hashomer-hachadash-responds-to-national-crisis-with-wide-scale-volunteer-efforts-across-israel/  https://www.jns.org/wire/kibbutz-movement-sets-up-emergency-volunteer-headquarters-to-assist-israeli-evacuees/  https://www.jns.org/wire/yad-sarah-mobilizes-as-ongoing-iranian-strikes-threaten-israeli-civilians/  https://www.jns.org/wire/leket-israel-launches-emergency-measures-during-war-with-iran/  https://www.jns.org/wire/foundation-launches-emergency-relief-campaign-for-israeli-families-displaced-by-iran-missile-strikes/
 
Humanitarian aid for Israelis. (TY eJP) For 22 years and in 62 different countries, IsraAid has supported the world’s most vulnerable communities. But since Oct 7 2023 the nonprofit has provided emergency services at home in Israel. And after Iran began its missile attacks on Israel, IsraAID launched new emergency services.
https://www.israaid.org/media/israaid-supporting-israelis-affected-by-iranian-attacks/
 
Funds for missile victims. The Jewish Federations of North America has allocated another $10 million to 19 Israeli organizations – the first since the start of the Israel-Iran war. It included $2 million for Jewish Agency grants to victims of the Iranian attacks. Another $2 million went to Israeli hospitals, primarily Soroka.
https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/jfna-makes-first-allocations-of-israel-iran-war/
 
Haredi MK’s late night maneuvers. At 11pm, Israelis at Larnaca airport phoned Knesset member Moshe Roth (United Torah Judaism) as their flight to Israel via Jordan would arrive after the Jordan crossing closed. The MK arranged via officials and diplomats to wake the Jordanian guard leader so he could open the crossing.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/410474
 
Free luxury Cyprus hotel rooms for stranded Israelis. The (anonymous) Hong Kong billionaire owner of the Cyprus Rodon Hotel has provided free rooms to Israelis stranded by the closure of Israel’s airspace. The owner, who loves Israel, was contacted by Israeli brothers David and Ben Shlomo Cohen who are Cyprus realtors.
https://worldisraelnews.com/luxury-cyprus-hotel-offers-free-rooms-to-stranded-israelis/
 
10 people you’ll meet in your bomb shelter. (TY Ilana O) Lovely article highlighting the individuality and positivity of Israelis.  I know this is fiction based on fact, but see the cleverly generated image.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/10-people-youll-meet-in-your-bomb-shelter/
 
Beautiful and safe. (TY Sharon) Only in Israel can you find colorfully painted bomb shelters next to schools and bus stops. Underground wards in hospitals were literally operating normally. And Jerusalem’s Tower of David museum complex was regularly opened to the public, as it had been reinforced to protect visitors.
https://rjstreets.com/2025/06/22/finding-safety-in-shelters-in-time-of-war/
 
15 minutes IDF rescue response time. The IDF deployed 26,000 reservists to respond to Iranian missile impact sites, saving dozens of lives. More than 21,000 alerts of incoming missiles and other threats were activated through the Command’s alert systems, with an average response time of 15 minutes to each location.
https://www.jns.org/idf-deployed-tens-of-thousands-of-troops-during-war-for-rapid-rescue-missions/
 
What missiles can’t destroy. The Iranian missile that struck the Weizmann Institute may have wiped out decades of life-saving research, but it couldn’t extinguish the determination of the scientists to rebuild. That’s what makes Israel different: the relentless message to its enemies: resilience and defiance.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-missiles-cant-destroy/
 
 
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
Better health even if no weight lost. A study by researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University has found that although over a quarter of people on a diet do not lose weight, they gain other health benefits. These include higher “good” cholesterol, lower leptin levels, and reduced visceral and liver fat. So be positive!
https://www.bgu.ac.il/en/news-and-articles/the-weight-loss-resistance-phenomenon/
https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf308/8154771
 
Antibiotics from coral? Researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University have discovered molecules in corals that prevent bacteria from making the biofilm that connects them. This disrupts their communication, weakening infections and enhancing antibiotic effectiveness without harming beneficial microbiota.
https://www.bgu.ac.il/en/news-and-articles/coral-derived-molecules-disrupt-bacterial-communication/
https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-025-02234-7
 
Stimulating success. Israel’s BrainsWay reported success in the trial of its accelerated Deep TMS protocol on 104 patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Both programs of accelerated (10mins) and standard (20 mins) treatment sessions had very high response rates, remission rates, and time to remission.
https://www.brainsway.com/news_events/brainsway-reports-positive-results-from-multicenter-randomized-study-of-accelerated-deep-tms-for-major-depressive-disorder-mdd/
 
Israeli joins US longevity academy. The US Academy for Health and Lifespan Research (AHLR) has inducted Prof. Haim Cohen of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University. “It’s inspiring to be part of such a remarkable group of scientists, all working to advance aging research and improve lives around the world,” said Prof. Cohen.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-academy-for-health-and-lifespan-research-announces-the-addition-of-leading-scientists-driving-breakthroughs-in-aging-research-302454328.html
https://www.ahlresearch.org/haim-cohen
 
Tech to treat mental illness. Israelis have developed many digital platforms to aid mental health. They include Kai.ai, physiological approaches from Calmigo (see here), passive sensing technologies by Behavidence, and the digitally scaled trauma response of NATAL (see here), Israel’s Trauma and Resiliency Centre.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/5nrfwvjte  https://www.behavidence.com/
 
One pill to control your body.  Israel’s Lembas (named after elves bread in the movie Lord of the Rings) has developed the GLP-1 Edge dietary supplement. It contains a bioactive peptide that triggers the body’s secretion of GLP-1 and other gut hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israeli-startup-lembas-unveils-food-additive-for-slimming-1001513552
https://www.hellolembas.com/
 
Another less expensive medicine. The US FDA has approved SELARSDI that Israel’s Teva has developed with Europe’s Alvotech. SELARSDI is a biosimilar (see here previously) to the costly branded Stelara. It treats adult and pediatric psoriatic arthritis and plaque psoriasis, as well as Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-teva-jumps-on-fda-approval-for-biosimilar-1001509454                                                                                       
 

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Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Glastonbury—and the Purge of the Jews

By on June 30th, 2025

https://www.thefp.com/p/ayaan-hirsi-ali-glastonbury-and-the

The strategy is brilliant in its simplicity: Paint Israel as the nexus of evil. Then paint every Jew who doesn’t renounce it as complicit. Force them to choose: dignity or safety.

At first glance, and from the panoramic shot provided by a shaky iPhone, the scenes out of Glastonbury resemble an energetic protest. The red and green flags waving in the hot breeze; the keffiyehs; the chants. But turn up the volume and listen closely to what tens of thousands of people are shouting, led by the lead singer of the punk duo Bob Vylan: “Death, death to the IDF.”

This took place on one of the festival’s main stages. It was broadcast live on the BBC.

Lest there be any confusion about what the singer meant: Later that evening he posted a selfie eating ice cream: “While Zionists are crying on socials,” he wrote, “I’ve just had a late night (vegan) ice cream.”

Bob Vylan was followed on stage by Kneecap, an Irish rap trio named after the IRA punishment of shooting someone in the knee. They, too, are fond of sprinkling anti-Israel chants throughout their shows, and last month one member was charged with a terror offense after waving the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terror group, on stage. In video footage, members of the group can be heard shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.”

The Bob Vylan incident was bad enough that papers across the world were forced to cover it. The New York Times, in framing that was typical, described their chants as “against Israel’s military.”

This is nonsense. Just as it is nonsense to hear chants of “Free Palestine” as being about Palestine any more than during the 1930s slogans about lebensraum were about a bigger backyard.

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Trump Clings To Solid Ratings For Leadership, Despite Dems’ Ongoing Negative Views: I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones

By on June 30th, 2025

https://issuesinsights.com/2025/06/30/trump-clings-to-solid-ratings-for-leadership-despite-dems-ongoing-negative-views-ii-tipp-poll/

President Donald Trump’s eventful presidency continues to leave most Democrats and independents unimpressed, but he gets top grades from Republicans, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows. Can he build on recent policy successes to improve his standing with non-GOP voters, or will Trump’s strong personality, offhand remarks, and bold leadership style alienate them?

Each month, I&I/TIPP asks voters to gauge presidential favorability, leadership, and performance. In the just-finished national online poll of 1,421 adults taken from June 25-27, Trump’s grades from voters remain little changed.

Asked to gauge his leadership, 44% of voters gave the second-term president “favorable” ratings, while 45% gave him “unfavorable” ratings. The poll has a margin of error of +/-2.7 percentage points.

But major voting blocs, based on party affiliation, region, and gender, remain sharply split over how they view Trump’s leadership.

Democrats, for instance, give Trump a 77% unfavorable rating, with just 16% calling his tenure so far favorable. Independents are only marginally less harsh: 55% unfavorable, 30% favorable.

Republicans remain happy, if not ecstatic, with Trump’s leadership, giving him 80% favorable to only 12% unfavorable.

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‘Obliterating’ Iran’s Nuclear Sites Is Not Enough by Khaled Abu Toameh

By on June 30th, 2025

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21708/obliterating-iran-nuclear-sites-is-not-enough

“The conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerrilla wins if he does not lose.” — Henry Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, January 1969.

Iran’s regime may have lost its nuclear sites, but it has not lost its appetite to kill Jews and wipe Israel off the map.

Would the Allied forces have left the Nazi Party as the rulers of Germany after World War II?

Ideally, such a campaign should be spearheaded by the Iranian people themselves with the backing of Western countries, including the US, and Arabs and Muslims who oppose the Iranian regime and view it as a direct threat to their national security. These countries include Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in addition to the recognized governments of countries home to Iran’s current and former proxies: Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. They will cooperate once they see that the US is serious about standing against, not appeasing, those who threaten the security and stability of the Arab countries.

With China, Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran and its proxies, Trump may be underestimating the intensity of their desires.

With an enriched Iran, freely selling its oil to China, the temptation to rebuild a war machine might be hard to resist.

The weakening or removal of the Iranian regime can only facilitate the mission of obliterating Hamas and PIJ in Gaza, and freeing all the Israeli hostages they hold.

It is time for the Trump administration and its Western allies to understand that there can be no genuine deals or compromises with either Sunni or Shiite jihadists who consider America and Israel as the big and small “Satans.”

If the US and the West do not want to be directly involved in bringing about regime change in Iran, they should at least encourage and back any opposition individuals or groups working to topple Iran’s Islamist regime. Reinstating economic sanctions on Iran could help accelerate the downfall of the mullahs and their terror proxies. That is the only way to bring peace and stability to the Middle East and prevent further violence and bloodshed. When your enemies say they want to eliminate you, you have every right to eliminate them first.

Iran’s regime may have lost its nuclear sites, but it has not lost its appetite to kill Jews and wipe Israel off the map. Would the Allied forces have left the Nazi Party as the rulers of Germany after World War II? 

The United States and Israel have, according to reliable sources, “obliterated” or “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear installations, but so long as the regime and its terror proxies continue to exist, the mission remains unaccomplished.

“The conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerrilla wins if he does not lose,” Henry Kissinger observed in 1969.

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MY SAY: Comments turned off

INTERMISSION-FAMILY WEDDING

By on June 28th, 2025

BACK ON MONDAY JUNE 30TH

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HOMELAND SECURITY Comments turned off

The Looming Threat to Our Homeland It has never been greater. Jeff Cruere

By on June 27th, 2025

https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-looming-threat-to-our-homeland/

After the successful completion of “Operation Midnight Hammer,” in which 125 U.S. military aircraft bombed three Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities, the threat to our homeland has never been greater.

President Donald Trump only authorized America’s first military attack on Iran after repeated diplomatic efforts failed to convince the Iranian government to end its nuclear weapons program. Trump called the operation a “spectacular military success,” which “completely obliterated” the three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites.

In the area of national security, Trump has great latitude and, as Commander-in-Chief, he can use military resources to respond to imminent threats, such as the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Unfortunately, his ability to implement homeland security changes has proved to be much more limited.

Every move the President makes is challenged in court by leftwing Democrats who do not want to protect our homeland from recognized threats. This is the political party that delivered open borders during the administration of President Joe Biden. According to Vice President J.D. Vance, Biden allowed approximately 20 million illegal immigrants to enter the country during his disastrous term in office.

Illegal immigration was already a severe problem before the start of the Biden administration. In 2018, a Yale University study discovered 22.1 million illegal immigrants living in America. This is why Trump was so determined to build a wall and close the southern border. He made tremendous progress during his first term, using creative methods to fund the border wall that Congress refused to authorize.

Unfortunately, all of Trump’s progress was halted when Biden took office, and a genuine problem turned into a five-alarm fire for the nation. Biden stopped construction of the border wall and allowed illegal immigrants from more than 160 countries to enter the country.

With the new Trump administration, the border has been effectively closed once again. In May, the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) apprehended only 8,725 illegal aliens in the Southwest region, an astounding 93% decrease from the previous year.

Nationwide, there was a decrease of 88% of “border encounters” from the last year of the Biden administration. Even more remarkable, last month zero illegal aliens were released into the country by USBP.

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Zohran Mamdani’s progressive intifada will be a disaster for New York His Democratic mayoral primary win speaks to a party and a city in terminal decline. Joel Kotkin

By on June 27th, 2025

https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/06/26/zohran-mamdanis-progressive-intifada-will-be-a-disaster-for-new-york/

Whoever is elected New York City mayor in November, Zohran Mamdani’s impressive win this week in the Democratic mayoral primary marks a breaking point in the party, the city and US society as a whole.

New York, where my family settled 120 years ago, is special. It is America’s capital of intellect, art and, most importantly, capitalism. New York’s financial elite have largely tolerated the ‘progressive’ excesses of the Democrats in recent years, but the prospect of a self-described ‘socialist’ running the city may be a bridge too far. We can expect them to renounce the Democrats altogether or join the mass migration south.

Yet while the financial elites might be reeling from the result, Mamdani’s win was no working-class uprising or revolt of the lower orders. His main rival, former New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, did best in heavily black and ethnic white enclaves, many of them quasi-suburban, as well as some elite precincts in Manhattan. Mamdani won most convincingly in the far-from-impoverished hipster belts of Brooklyn, Queens, the Upper East Side and Lower Manhattan. These precincts now dominate a Democratic Party once driven by white ethnics and working-class African Americans.

The key element here is the younger, mostly white, economically marginalised new proletariat – sometimes called the ‘precariat’. They are most lured by Mamdani’s propositions like frozen rents, free buses and childcare – all funded by higher taxes on the wealthy. Their angst reflects the realities of today’s New York, which works for the wealthy elites but suffers very high levels of inequality. Job growth has been weak and concentrated in low-wage sectors like hospitality and tourism. While incomes for most have stagnated, housing costs have not – rising to record levels this year.

The New York these young people have inherited is no longer the epicentre of economic opportunity. It flourishes largely as a hub for trustafarians, top-tier professionals, globe-trotting elites and cultural creators. While New York’s overall population has declined, the number of ultra-wealthy residents has continued to grow. There’s nothing like the job prospects that earlier generations of New Yorkers had – neither in manufacturing nor in business or financial services.

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MEDICINE AND HEALTH Comments turned off

RFK Jr. Axes ALL Funding For Bill Gates’ Global ‘Vaccine Alliance’ Benjamin Bartee

By on June 27th, 2025

https://pjmedia.com/benbartee/2025/06/27/rfk-jr-axes-all-funding-for-bill-gates-global-vaccine-alliance-n4941219

Whereas the general modus operandi in legacy media is to smear RFK Jr. as an “anti-vaxxer” within the first sentence, the Washington Post courteously waited until the second paragraph to label RFK Jr. a “vaccine misinformation” spreader on its way to condemning him for cutting federal funding to Bill Gates’ global “vaccine alliance,” GAVI.

Via Washington Post (emphasis added):

The United States will halt its contributions to Gavi, the global alliance that works to expand access to vaccines for children in some of the world’s poorest countries, said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wednesday — a move that public health experts said would have deadly consequences.

Kennedy, who has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation, announced the decision in video remarks made to a Gavi summit in Brussels, during which he accused the group of neglecting “the key issue of vaccine safety.”…

In his remarks, Kennedy cited a study linking the DTP vaccine — for diphtheria,a highly contagious bacterial infection that kills 5 to 10 percent of those affected, as well as tetanus and pertussis — to increased child mortality. Kennedy also said Gavi should “consider the best science available,” and “re-earn the public trust.”

The Bezos paper didn’t actually cite or quote the DTP study referenced by Kennedy, so I went and found it.

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Successors to Khamenei A tyranny’s move to survive. by Christine Williams

By on June 27th, 2025

https://www.frontpagemag.com/successors-to-khamenei/

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei has declared that Iran “isn’t a nation that surrenders”:

Those very words from Khamenei are reflected in the regime’s move to survive, as it now seeks likely candidates to succeed Khamenei. “Iranian officials consider removing Ali Khamenei in plot to replace supreme leader – report,” Jerusalem Post, June 22, 2025:

Iranian officials are considering removing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the Supreme Leader of Iran after the country endured airstrikes by Israel and the United States, two sources involved in the discussions told The Atlantic in a report published on Sunday.

The plot to replace the supreme leader is being planned by a group of businessmen, military and political figures, and relatives and high-ranking clerics, the report said.

“Ours is just one idea,” a source told The Atlantic. “Tehran is now full of such plots. They are also talking to Europeans about the future of Iran. Everybody knows Khamenei’s days are numbered. Even if he stays in office, he won’t have actual power.”…

Discussion about Khamenei’s ill health, ability to rule and whom his successor would be were happening well before the recent escalation, pointing to a likely longstanding determination by the regime to install a successor. A few days ago, The Atlantic reported about an inside plot to remove Khamenei as the Supreme Leader after the debilitating airstrikes by Israel and the US. The plotters, comprised of businessmen, military and political figures, and high-ranking clerics “agreed that a leadership committee consisting of a few high-ranking officials would take over running the country and negotiate a deal with the United States to stop the Israeli attacks.” Of course Iran must never be trusted to make any lasting deal; it only manipulates to buy time.

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Dem Congressman Tells Jewish Stephen Miller to Go Back to ’30s Germany This is who the Democrats are. by Mark Tapson

By on June 27th, 2025

https://www.frontpagemag.com/dem-congressman-tells-jewish-stephen-miller-to-go-back-to-30s-germany/

To paraphrase the late Freedom Center founder David Horowitz: scratch a tolerant, inclusive, compassionate “liberal” and just underneath the surface you’ll find a raging, totalitarian racist and antisemite. Wisconsin Democrat Congressman Marc Pocan is the latest example of this ugly truth.

On Wednesday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller tweeted in regard to New York City Democrats embracing Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani, a Ugandan immigrant, as the city’s mayoral candidate: “NYC is the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration.”

In response to Miller’s suggestion that America needs to quit importing people who are actively seeking to undermine our nation and civilization, Rep. Pocan, 60, tweeted this intemperate message: “Racist fuck. Go back to 1930’s Germany.”

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