ISRAEL Comments turned off

Israeli ex-generals battle over the Iran deal By Ruthie Blum

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/israeli-ex-generals-battle-over-the-iran-deal-opinion-661017

   
Two groups of retired IDF generals, Shin Bet operatives, Mossad agents and Israel Police officers are currently engaged in combat. But the battle is not against the enemies of the Jewish state that the organizations’ members devoted much of their adult lives to protecting. 

No, the war in question is being fought between Commanders for Israel’s Security and Habithonistim-Protectors of Israel. The casus belli in this case is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers from which former US president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018. 
Following clear indications that the new administration in Washington was eager to return to the JCPOA – both as part of its obsession with diplomacy, and to undo as many of Trump’s policies as possible – CIS announced support for US President Joe Biden’s stance.

In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 22, CIS said that it “welcomes the American initiative to get Iran to again transparently follow the guidelines in the JCPOA, as long as it includes an Iranian commitment to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 2231.”

To refresh our collective memory, Resolution 2231, which constitutes an affirmation of the JCPOA, mentions an “implementation structure” for the UNSC to “review and decide on proposals by [member] states for nuclear, ballistic missile or arms-related transfers to or activities with Iran.” 

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Biden’s Pick For Defense Policy Is A Russian Collusion Hoaxer Who Repeatedly Smeared GOP Senators On Twitter By Jordan Davidson

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

https://thefederalist.com/2021/03/04/bidens-pick-for-defense-policy-is-a-russian-collusion-hoaxer-who-repeatedly-smeared-gop-senators-on-twitter/

President Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as undersecretary of defense policy, Dr. Colin Kahl, is a Russia hoax truther who often hurled insults at Republicans in Congress and holds a more than shaky track record on foreign policy.

In addition to his questionable ties to China, Kahl, a former national security adviser for Biden in the Obama administration, repeatedly denounced Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee for amplifying the FISA abuses in 2018 that were used to spy on the Trump campaign. He specifically targeted Republican Rep. Devin Nunes for being “biased and dishonest” about the investigation surrounding then-presidential nominee Donald Trump’s supposed ties to Russia and promoted a House Intelligence Committee Democrats’ memo that he claimed was “a devastating rebuttal to Nunes & his crackpot staff.”

“This is definitely an emerging GOP talking point being pushed hard by Rep. Nunes’ HPSCI staff. Anyone making this argument has obviously not read many CIA products. Which is weird, because you’d think folks on the intel committee would be familiar with them,” Kahl wrote.

Kahl is a longtime defender of the Iran nuclear deal, joining forces with Antony Blinken and other Democratic foreign policy experts to co-author an article arguing in favor of keeping the policy and urging Congress to rescind its support of Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017.

EDUCATION Comments turned off

The Brave New World of Children’s Propaganda By Annie Holmquist

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/the-brave-new-world-of-children-s-propaganda/

The other day I was sent an Instagram video of a little boy having story time on his mother’s lap. The little boy was precious, the time spent on his mother’s lap special, but the choice of reading material was… “woke.”

The selected story was The GayBCs by M. L. Web. “A is for Ally,” repeated the little boy, “B is for Bi, C is for Coming Out, D is for Drag.” His mother praises him after he finishes the book, asking, “Are you a ‘woke’ toddler?” Parroting her words, the little tot proudly proclaims, “I’m ‘woke.’”

Such “woke” reading selections are par for the course as educators, politicians, and society at large seek to lead children through our world’s challenges. The recent release of Renaissance Learning’s “What Kids are Reading” report underscores that educators and authors are now seeking to teach young children about “social equity issues, climate change,” and other political trends. As such, the report promotes “woke” titles like Black Brother, Black Brother, which deals with inequitable treatment people with different skin colors, and other books dealing with charged political issues such as immigration and gender identity, including Come On In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home and Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard.

Judging by these examples, it seems the “woke” steamroller is actively coming for the next generation. But it doesn’t have to run over our children. Knowing its methodology is one of the first steps to preventing its destructive ways.

ELECTIONS Comments turned off

Judge Orders New Election After 78 Percent Mail-In Ballots Found Invalid, Notary Arrested for Voter Fraud BY Jack Phillips

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

https://www.theepochtimes.com/judge-orders-new-election-after-78-percent-mail-in-ballots-found-invalid-notary-arrested-for-voter-fraud_

A Mississippi judge ordered a new runoff election for a local election in Aberdeen after more than three-quarters of absentee ballots cast in the June Democratic runoff election were found to be invalid.

Judge Jeff Weill, in a 64-page order, said that there is evidence of fraud and criminal activity in how absentee ballots were handled, how they were counted, and actions from individuals at polling places during the runoff election held in Aberdeen, Mississippi. As a result, a new runoff election for the Ward 1 alderman seat is necessary, reported WCBI.

The judge ruled that 66 of 84 absentee ballots cast in the election, or around 78 percent, should have never been counted, according to WCBI. Nicholas Holliday was declared the winner of the alderman seat, while challenger Robert Devaull challenged the results in court.

“The court is of the opinion there is probable cause that several individuals involved in the disturbances during election day at the polling precinct ‘willfully and corruptly violated’ one or more of the above criminal statutes.”

“The court will leave to the appropriate authorities to determine whether the actions of Maurice Howard, Henry Randle and S. Nicholas Holliday amounted to prosecutable crimes,”the court filings said, referring to Police Chief Henry Randle and former Mayor Maurice Howard, who Weill said were involved in intimidation and harassment at the polling police on Election Day, according to evidence.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Pelosi’s H.R. 1 Is an Authoritarian Outrage By David Harsanyi

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/03/pelosis-h-r-1-is-an-authoritarian-outrage/

Democrats want to corrode the system because they believe it will help them win.

Democrats like to accuse anyone who doesn’t embrace every one of their brand-new, rapidly evolving, Constitution-corroding positions of being “authoritarians.” It’s often an impressive feat of projection. For a pristine example of the genre, take Jonathan Chait’s recent New York magazine piece alleging that former vice president Mike Pence is laying the “blueprint” for a fascistic GOP state in his new Heritage Foundation op-ed.

What “authoritarian” diktats does Herr Pence have in store for our fragile American democracy? For starters, the former vice president argues that states, as they always have, should conduct their own elections rather than permit a narrow partisan majority led by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to unilaterally nationalize and dictate the rules for every locality in perpetuity — as they did with a House vote on a sweeping measure known as H.R. 1.

To be more precise, Pence writes that he opposes empowering the federal government to:

compel states to count mail-in votes that arrive up to ten days after Election Day.
compel states to allow ballot harvesting.
compel states to ban voter ID laws.
compel states to allow bureaucrats to redraw congressional districts.
compel states to allow felons to vote.
compel states to undermine free-speech rights by imposing “onerous legal and administrative burdens on candidates, civic groups, unions, nonprofit organizations.”

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

The International Criminal Court’s Latest Anti-Israel Salvo By Jimmy Quinn

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/03/the-international-criminal-courts-latest-anti-israel-salvo/

The court’s politicization of war-crimes investigations harms the cause of international justice.

In a move singling out Israel, International Criminal Court head prosecutor Fatou Bensouda declared Wednesday that her office is beginning an investigation into “war crimes” committed in the West Bank and Gaza.

This investigation will ostensibly cover atrocities committed against Israelis as well, but Bensouda has for years shown a single-minded determination to take Israel to court, navigating numerous procedural hurdles to lay the groundwork for yesterday’s announcement.

“Israel has come under attack,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday in reaction to the announcement, calling it “undiluted anti-Semitism and the height of hypocrisy.”

Given the ICC’s record, one would be hard-pressed not to see a political motive to Bensouda’s decision. Even the Biden administration expressed its disappointment, reiterating its opposition to the February court ruling that granted the Palestinians standing to bring the case. “The ICC, as we have said, has no jurisdiction over this matter. Israel is not a party to the ICC, and it has not consented to the court’s jurisdiction,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. “And we have serious concerns about the ICC’s attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli personnel.”

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

House Passes Sweeping Bill to Roll Back Election Integrity Measures By Zachary Evans

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/house-passes-sweeping-bill-to-roll-back-election-integrity-measures/

The House voted largely along party lines late Wednesday to pass a sweeping electoral reform bill known as H.R. 1.

The bill, which passed 220-210, would roll back a number of election integrity measures, including by weakening voter ID laws and mandating automatic voter registration and at least two weeks of early voting. Additionally, H.R. 1 would make it difficult to purge voter rolls and gives voting rights to former felons. A proposed amendment that would lower the voting age from 18 to 16 was defeated in the House and was not included in the final bill.

“This reminds me of what it must have felt like at Valley Forge,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) told reporters on Wednesday before a House-wide vote on the bill. “Everything is at stake. We must win this race, this fight.”

Pelosi added, “At the same time as we are gathering here to honor our democracy, across the country over 200 bills are being put together, provisions they’re putting forward, to suppress the vote.”

A nearly identical bill was passed by the House in 2019, but was not considered in the Senate, which was controlled by the GOP at the time. With the Senate currently tied 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris giving Democrats the tie-breaking swing vote, it is likely that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) will bring the measure up for a floor vote.

ANTI-SEMITISM Comments turned off

MORE HEADLINES MARCH 4, 2021

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

Joe Biden Has Not Held Solo Press Conference in 42 Days, Setting 100-Year Record https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2021/03/03/joe-biden-has-not-held-solo-press-conference-42-days-setting-100-year-record/

 
So far, Biden is all gloom and no sunshine http://www.jewishworldreview.com/michael/reagan030121.php3

Banned Dr. Seuss Books Selling for Hundreds of Dollars on eBay https://www.theepochtimes.com/banned-dr-seuss-books-selling-for-hundreds-of-dollars-on-ebay_3719454.html

 
Flashback: Obamas Hosted Special Events at WH — ‘Dr. Seuss Books Still Inspire Children Throughout the World’ https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/03/03/flashback-obamas-hosted-special-events-at-wh-dr-seuss-books-still-inspire-children-throughout-the-world/

‘Too Radical for Obama’: Crenshaw Makes Observation About Dr. Seuss Critics https://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2021/03/03/more-dr-seuss-books-to-be-discontinued-n2585560?

  
Just What You’ve Been Waiting For: Obamas to Produce All-Muslim Podcast for Ramadan https://pjmedia.com/culture/robert-spencer/2021/03/01/just-what-youve-been-waiting-for-obamas-to-produce-all-muslim-podcast-for-ramadan-n1429234 
 
Conservative actors speak out on ‘cancel culture’ in Hollywood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i56iOVLjrpE

 
108 Illegal Immigrants Released by Border Patrol in Texas Tested Positive for COVID-19: Officials https://thejewishvoice.com/2021/03/108-illegal-immigrants-released-by-border-patrol-in-texas-tested-positive-for-covid-19-officials/

 
Texas A.G. Paxton: Biden Is Letting ‘More COVID’ into U.S. Through Border, Texas Is Allowing Personal Choice https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/03/03/texas-a-g-paxton-biden-is-letting-more-covid-into-u-s-through-border-texas-is-allowing-personal-choice/

 

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Arabs Warn Biden: We Do Not Want Another Obama by Khaled Abu Toameh

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17138/arabs-biden-obama

The Biden administration, some Arab writers have said, “has adopted a policy of “antagonizing allies while appeasing enemies.”

[Syrian journalist Abduljalil] Alsaeid said he believed that former Obama administration officials, who are now part of the Biden administration, are intentionally trying to damage US-Saudi relations.

“The Obama wing inside the ruling Democratic Party accepts the Iranian regime and turns a blind eye to Iran’s terrorism in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.” — Abduljalil Alsaeid, Syrian journalist, Al-Ain, March 2, 2021.

“President Biden has the right to talk about America’s democratic values, but why have these values ​​not been expanded to hold Hezbollah accountable for the recent killing of [anti-Hezbollah Lebanese publisher] Loqman Slim or the slaughter of thousands of thousands of Syrians by pro-Iranian groups?” — Abduljalil Alsaeid, Al-Ain, March 2, 2021.

The Biden administration was “rewarding Iranian despotism while punishing Saudi Arabia.” — Emad El Din Adeeb, a prominent Egyptian businessman and famous political television show host, elsharkonline com, March 3, 2021.

The Biden administration was dealing harshly with Riyadh “because of one crime, the killing of Khashoggi, while rehabilitating Tehran, which has carried out a million crimes worse than Khashoggi’s crime.” — Emad El Din Adeeb, al-ain.com, March 3, 2021.

Adeeb pointed out that Iran was continuing with its human rights violations while Saudi Arabia has in recent years embarked on large-scale reforms.

According to al-Sawafi, the release of the report on the slain Saudi journalist was a sign that the Biden administration “stands against the aspirations of the Saudi and Gulf people in achieving reform and stability.

“Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was right when he asserted that the Iranian regime understands only the language of force.” — Zuhair Al-Harthi, Saudi columnist and political activist, Al-Arabiya, February 27, 2021.

The last three years of the Obama presidency were “catastrophic in every sense of this word,” al-Harthi said. “Will Biden fall into the same trap? Washington’s standing declined during the Obama presidency. Will Biden repeat Obama’s fatal mistakes? The US dealings at the time with regional issues were a source of ridicule, as Washington delivered Iraq and Afghanistan on a golden platter to Iran and supported the Muslim Brotherhood.” — Zuhair Al-Harthi, Al-Arabiya, February 27, 2021.

Prominent Arab political analysts and commentators are dumbfounded that the Biden administration has chosen to appease Iran and Islamists instead of working with Washington’s traditional and long-time allies in the Arab world.

BOOKS Comments turned off

How Wokeness Captured Big Business For those looking to understand how we got here, Stephen Soukup’s new book is the best place to start. By Rupert Darwall

Posted By on March 4th, 2021

https://amgreatness.com/2021/03/03/how-wokeness-captured-big-business/

A review of “The Dictatorship of Woke Capital: How Political Correctness Captured Big Business” by Stephen R. Soukup (Encounter Books, 208 pages, $25.99)

During the 2019 shareholder season, Justin Danhof, general counsel for the National Center for Public Policy Research, tabled a shareholder proposal at Amazon’s annual meeting. “Diversity in board composition is best achieved through highly qualified candidates with a wide range of skills, experience, beliefs, and board independence from management,” it read. Uncontroversial, one might think, but Danhof was booed and heckled throughout his presentation.

Afterward, a representative for Arjuna Capital (which “works with high net-worth individuals,” its website says) told Danhof that he was simply trying “to protect white males.” A representative of the Nathan Cummings Foundation (with $424 million of cash and investments, on its most recent balance sheet) made clear that Danhof was unwelcome and should hasten, lest he be late for his next Klan meeting or book burning.

The incident is recounted in Stephen R. Soukup’s The Dictatorship of Woke Capital. What explains the greening of Wall Street and corporate CEOs becoming woke and dissing the system that made them rich? In part, it is a cheap way of buying protection—especially when shareholders are paying, as is the case with Marc Benioff, multi-billionaire CEO of Salesforce. “Capitalism, as we know it, is dead,” Benioff declared in the New York Times. Described as “one of the modern-day robber barons,” Benioff earned his billions from a series of acquisitions of profitless software companies and constant stock sales. Benioff’s schtick is “a confidence game in the true sense of the term,” says market analyst Ben Hunt.

Wokeness is not a system of morality with universal applicability. “With every breath we take,” Apple CEO Tim Cook declared in the wake of George Floyd’s death, “we must commit to being that change, and to creating a better, more just world for everyone.” Well, not for everyone—not for the tens of thousands of Chinese workers at Apple’s Foxconn iPhone factory at Longhua. In 2010, a spate of suicides led Foxconn to install nets outside many buildings to catch falling bodies.