Christopher F. Rufo, How the Radical Left Conquered Everything

At Amazon, Christopher F. Rufo, America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything.

Barry Rubin, Silent Revolution

At Amazon, Barry Rubin, Silent Revolution: How the Left Rose to Political Power and Cultural Dominance.

William Manchester, The Death of a President

William Manchester, The Death of a President: November 20-November 25, 1963.

Nathan Kalmoe and Lilliana Mason, Mapping Political Violence

At Amazon, Nathan Kalmoe and Lilliana Mason, Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy.

Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman, White Rural Rage

At Amazon, Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman, White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy. #CommissionEarned. 

This AI-based beauty contest must've been rigged in more ways than one

An AI-generated Muslim woman became the first winner of an AI-based beauty pageant:

CNN reports that the world’s first AI beauty pageant has concluded with the crowning of Kenza Layli, an entirely AI-generated Moroccan Muslim lifestyle influencer. Organized by Fanvue, an influencer platform for both AI and human creators, the Miss AI contest opened in the spring and attracted entries from approximately 1,500 AI programmers worldwide.

Kenza Layli, the winning AI contestant, was created by Myriam Bessa, founder of the Phoenix AI agency. As the creator of the winning entry, Bessa will receive a $5,000 cash prize, support on the Fanvue platform, and the services of a publicist to raise Layli’s profile. The runners-up in the competition were AI contestants Lalina Valina from France and Olivia C of Portugal.

I'm sure this was no accident. So now AI is being exploited for normalizing the Religion of Peace and pushing its agendas, subtle or otherwise. It only takes the flavor out of such farces, which do not replace real beauty pageants, and only suggest AI is being used for political propaganda instead of fun pastimes.

Pro-Hamas demonstrators in NYC burned American flags on the 4th of July

New York City establishment leaders continue to make an utter embarrassment of the region as their shoddy policies on crime enabled pro-Hamas agitators to perform anti-American acts in addition to anti-Israel acts on what was once a very special day:

Pro-Palestine protesters took to the streets of New York City on Thursday and were seen burning an American flag in Washington Square Park, video shows.

Video footage posted to Twitter by Oliya Scootercaster shows the chaotic scenes from pro-Palestine activists rally on Independence Day in the liberal city. Protesters appeared to begin their gathering in Washing Square Park for their “Flood July 4th for Gaza!” as a large crowd was seen waving Palestinian flags and chanting “shut it down.”

See more at the article. NYC's left-wing establishment sure knows how to drain all the happiness out of a wonderful holiday, all for the sake of the woke directions they've been taking for quite some time now. And the worst part is how they've allowed only so many Islamofascists and their sympathisers to reside in what's now a collapsing metropolis.

NAACP doesn't care about Black Jewish lives

Morton Klein tells how the so-called civil rights organization NAACP refuses to defend the lives of Black Jews in Israel, and doubtless the rest of the world:

Do black Jewish lives matter? How about the lives of non-Jewish black African students and black Jewish Ethiopian-Israelis brutally murdered by Hamas and by Gazan civilians? Or the lives of a black Jew and Bedouin Muslim who Hamas has held in captivity for a decade? Or the lives of any of the dark-skinned Jews that make up about half of Israel’s population? Or any Jewish lives?

Apparently, Derrick Johnson, president of the pro-black civil-rights group, the NAACP, doesn’t think so. When did the NAACP start making foreign policy decisions? Did it ever scream about the hundreds of thousands of truly innocent civilians in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Iran and elsewhere being massacred?

[...] Adding insults to injury, the NAACP president parroted Hamas’ false, grossly overstated casualty figures (whitewashed as “U.N. figures” and already disproved) and mendaciously blamed an Israeli airstrike in which Israel used the smallest possible ordnance to kill two senior Hamas terrorists in Rafah for Gazan casualties caused by a Hamas weapons stockpile catching fire more than one mile away. In addition, Johnson merely called Oct. 7 a “tragedy” while calling the war in Gaza “unspeakable violence affecting innocent civilians, which is unacceptable.”

Johnson has it backwards. He failed to mention that Oct. 7 was the “unacceptable, unspeakable violence against innocent civilians” in which Hamas and Gazan civilians massacred and tortured innocent Jewish babies, children and civilians from several dozen countries in the most horrific manners imaginable. He didn’t even mention the victims or the perpetrators.

On Oct. 7, Ethiopian-Israeli Samuel Golima, a soldier, and police officer Orel Abraham, both Jewish, were killed while fighting Hamas terrorists who invaded Israel. Yet NAACP’s president wants to disarm brave black Israeli soldiers like them—the defenders of innocent people against Hamas.

Moreover, Hamas murdered at least 10 Ethiopian Jews on that horrific day. What about them?

Israeli towns where large numbers of Ethiopian Jews reside, such as Sderot and Ashkelon, have been longstanding, prime targets of Hamas’s tens of thousands of rocket attacks against Israeli civilians in the past 20 years. Yet the NAACP president wants to end Israel’s ability to eliminate the Hamas perpetrators of these terrible attacks.

On Oct. 7, Hamas also took two black Tanzanian agricultural students (Joshua Mollel and Clemence Felix Mtenga) who were on an exchange program in Israel and brutally murdered them. Why doesn’t the NAACP president scream about this? And why does he demand that Biden disarm Israel so that Hamas can do this again?

Hamas also captured Ethiopian-Israeli Jewish hostage Avera Mengitsu a decade ago. Mengitsu is believed to still be in Gaza. Why hasn’t the NAACP president been calling this unspeakable and demanding that Biden reinstate maximum sanctions on the terror group’s funder: Iran?

Hamas also captured Israeli-Bedouin Hisham al-Sayed a decade ago and is believed to be still holding him captive. Again, why the deafening silence from the NAACP when it comes to demands on Biden for action against Iran that could enable his freedom?

On Oct. 7, Hamas also took six Bedouin Arab-Israelis hostage (later releasing two in the innocent-hostages-for-Arab-terrorists exchange) and murdered 21 Bedouin Arab-Israelis. What about them?

The NAACP's ignorance of these horrors practically makes all such activist groups in the USA look bad, biased and worse. Why, it practically suggests they only believe American Black lives matter. If anything, NAACP only demonstrated how corrupt they truly are, and another left-wing movement that doesn't deserve any funding, based on where they're going. For all we know, they may not even care about Blacks living under Ignacio Lula da Silva's rule in Brazil now. Or even Black lives in Cuba, which is still run by communists. What that would suggest is that only in the USA does anything matter to NAACP, until they decide otherwise. What an utter disaster.

Noa Argamani was held hostage in house of al-Jazeera photographer

One of the Israeli Hostages that was Rescued yesterday during the Joint-Operation in Central Gaza, 26-Year-Old Noa Argamani was being held Captive in the Home of Abdallah Aljamal, a Photojournalist and Writer/Editor for both Al-Jazeera and the Palestinian Chronicle. During the… pic.twitter.com/1755PL8X9X

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 9, 2024

According to this information, the now thankfully rescued Argamani was held prisoner in a house run by an al-Jazeera journalist:

According to a report by the Arab media, former Israeli hostage Noa Argamni, who was rescued in a daring raid by the National Counter-Terrorism Unit on Saturday, was apparently held captive for 8 months in an Al-Jazeera cameraman's house. "26-Year-Old Noa Argamani was being held Captive in the Home of Abdallah Aljamal, a Photojournalist and Writer/Editor for both Al-Jazeera and the Palestinian Chronicle, " Open Source Intelligence Monitor said in a recent post on the social media platform X.

Amid escalating tensions with Qatar over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet voted unanimously to close Qatari television network Al-Jazeera's operations in Israel, after Israel's parliament recently passed a law allowing the temporary closure of foreign broadcasters considered a threat to national security during the ongoing war against Hamas.

This continues to speak volumes about what even news "journalists" can be like, and do. If the monster who enslaved Argamani and others was killed in the raid, he's no loss.

In related news, while Almog Meir was rescued, it's sad to learn that his father died before he may have heard the thankful news of his son's rescue:

In a tragic turn of events, Yossi Meir, 59, father of hostage Almog Meir Jan, died just hours before his son was rescued in the daring Israeli raid in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. Almog's parents were divorced, and his father lived in Kfar Saba.

Family members tried to reach him when they learned of Almog's release from Hamas captivity but were unable to make contact. When IDF representatives arrived at his home to deliver the joyful news, they discovered his body.

Family members arrived at his Kfar Saba home after learning of his death. His sister Dina shared, "He died of cardiac arrest, he died from grief. He didn't get to know that his son was released from captivity." His sister-in-law Yaffit added, "He constantly sat by the television to stay updated on what's happening with his son, but sadly he didn't make it. His sister visited him on Thursday, and he probably passed away at night, and we didn't know."

Very sad. And we have Islam and its apologists to blame for all this. On which note, Argamani and the other hostages were forced to read the koran while in captivity:

The hostages who were freed from captivity during Saturday’s rescue operation in Nuseirat told the medical teams that they were emotionally abused while in captivity and that the terrorists forced them to read the Quran and learn Islamic rulings.

It's to be hoped they'll describe all that without reservations in future interviews, because everyone needs to know what the koran says about non-Muslims, sexual violence and jihadism, in example.

Miriam Libicki still retains her far-left positions

I'd noted before that the comics artist Libicki, whom VanCAF had to apologize to for nearly banning from their convention, was far-left, and in the following news from Stir, it appears she's still sticking by her positions that're damaging to Israel, regrettably enough, while promoting another GN she's been working on:

Following the incident, the American-Israeli graphic novelist is using her heightened profile to raise funds for The Mother’s Call, a collaboration of women peace advocates in Palestine and Israel.

Well if this is correct, she - and the magazine - are continuing the notion of legitimizing the fabrication of an Arab/Islamic state called "Palestine", and quite possibly not acknowledging that it's a name the Roman empire gave to the land to belittle it. So, while what VanCAF did was offensive, how beyond this can I really care about Libicki if she's not going to reevaluate her politics and whether it's healthy to take up such ideologies to begin with?

In a phone call with Stir, Libicki explained that she had exhibited at every Vancouver Comic Arts Festival since 2012 until 2022, when two members of the public confronted festival volunteers about her inclusion. “There was no confrontation at my table, but they complained to the show in a very hostile and discomforting manner,” she recalled. “They were complaining that I was a Zionist and it was Zionist propaganda, and I shouldn’t be allowed to exhibit at the show.” Libicki said she was told that the pair would be banned from attending the festival in the future.

On this, a vital point must be made there's antisemites out there who don't give a damn how far-left a person of Israeli descent could lean; they'll consider them scum anyway. That said, people like Libicki most likely don't respect the meaning of "zion", which is simply a synonym for Israel, and even nationalism/patriotism. Interesting how the 2 people spoken of aren't identified clearly. Were they Moslems obsessed with antisemitic viewpoints? If Stir omitted any details themselves, that's wrong, but if Libicki did too, that's also troubling.

In 2023, Libicki said, she missed the initial call for applications, and was turned down for an exhibition table by organizers who said they needed to review the previous year’s incident. This year, Libicki said organizers initially refused her a table, but finally agreed that she could attend if she exhibited only But I Live. “I was okay with that because I do know that this year things are different,” she said.

And what does that mean? That her GN about army service is taboo? Well that too is wrong, because it's also a form of censorship. If she or anybody else wanted to publish and exhibit a GN about Islamic terrorism, all of a sudden, just like that, the subject is completely off limits in virtually every way? There's at least a few GNs from past years since 9-11 like Frank Miller's Holy Terror that're doubtless banned from these festivals, and it won't be a shock if openly right-wing writers are too. For all we know, Will Eisner's last GN, The Plot, will doubtless never be exhibited or spoken about at VanCAF so long as they keep this up, and if Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were still alive and said even one single word considered Wrongthink, they'd be banned too. Something tells me Libicki won't stand up for such folks either.

According to Libicki, this year’s show went without incident until half an hour before its closing, when she was approached by two people who began asking her questions about her work and her background. “They had the briefest interaction with me at my table…and then they enacted basically the exact same scene [as 2022] to volunteers and VanCAF staff and Roundhouse staff,” she said. “It was not a confrontation with me.”

Libicki said that she had no contact with VanCAF before the organization posted its “accountability statement” days later. “They never told us formally that there was a complaint against me. They never told me that I was banned before that announcement went up.”

Libicki said all her communications with VanCAF since May 25 have been through her lawyer: “When they took down the statement on Wednesday [May 29], that was after my lawyer sent them a letter. And when they put up the apology, they did run it by my lawyer first….The apology did not get any more personal to me than that.”

I get it, the attack came from behind the back (or more specifically, the scenes), which is surely even more cowardly. But anybody who thinks Libicki is worth supporting from a common sense perspective would do well to ponder the following, where she puts more of her leftism on display:

Libicki said she is now speaking out not just for herself, but to stand up for other individuals who may find themselves in similar crosshairs. “This could happen to anybody with some sort of identity that is politicized or politically marginalized,” she said. “It means that if somebody else decides your identity is a political problem, then we’re going to ban you instead of them. That could easily apply to, you know, a Palestinian person. It could have been a right-wing pro-Zionist activist who complained about a Palestinian person being there, and created a disturbance. Or, you know, famously in the U.S. and in our country, things like drag queen story hour—trans people and drag performers existing is a political problem for some people. So then they are called a safety hazard, when it's actually not them that is a safety hazard, it’s the people who decided that their identity is a political problem.”

Libicki said she has decided to use the attention the situation has brought her to raise money for peace activists in Israel and Palestine. She is selling a series of five watercolour artworks of seahorses, and will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to The Mothers’ Call, a grassroots collaboration between Women of The Sun in Palestine and Women Wage Peace in Israel.

“What I stand for is peace and justice, and that Israel and Palestine belongs to everyone who lives there, of all religions and backgrounds,” she said. “Maybe with all the added attention, maybe some of the pieces will sell, and I would then be able to send on the money, and it could be a good outcome.”

Wow, this is exactly what led to the October 7, 2023 massacre and the 2015 Bataclan bloodbath in the first place, to say nothing of moral equivalence espoused by somebody who clearly doesn't have the courage to discuss what the Islamic koran/hadith contain about Jews and anybody else considered an "infidel". Also intriguing is how she implies "right-wing pro-Zionist activists" are troublemakers, but not "Palestinians"? Regrettably, it appears she's sticking tight to her left-wing ideologies, right down to how she even drags the drag-queen and transsexual ideologies into this whole mess, and it strongly hints she doesn't have much respect for parents who find it all a horrible influence. Even the part about "peace and justice" is ambiguous, because if the Islamic religion advocates jihadism (religious/holy war), how can you just talk about peace so superficially? Does Libicki even believe in justice for Armenians, considering the tragedy they suffered at the hands of the Islamic Ottoman empire during WW1, and are still suffering now via Azerbaijan? Would she even work with 911 Families to develop a GN about their experiences and what led to the tragedy of the World Trade Center in 2001? Regrettably, if her viewpoints are any indication, chances of that are very slim.

In addition to raising money for The Mothers’ Call, Libicki is hoping that other organizations can learn from what she went through. “I do feel like what happened at VanCAF is something that could be a warning to other arts festivals about not losing their heads when somebody who they might happen to politically agree with has a bullying campaign against them,” she said. “There was a campaign in the week between the festival and when they put out that statement, where they were just being dogpiled by certain people, who were not a lot of people, but were just very loud. And then it was the added temptation of the fact that many of their politics, the people on the board happened to agree with. They couldn’t see that this was bullying tactics, and that the people who were calling for them to do things that were wrong and unfair and illegal. I think that's something that can happen and possibly has and is happening to other arts festivals and nonprofits. And so they should look at VanCAF as an object lesson in what not to do and why not to do it.”

Well is she and/or the festival going to support and invite any conservative/right-wing artists and writers in the future? Unfortunately, I have a sad feeling that won't be the case at all. What VanCAF did was wrong. But beyond that, any support I can offer Libicki will have to stop right then and there, because it's clear she's not willing to reevaluate her ultra-leftist standings, and is continuing with uninformed, narrow visions that have done more harm than good for Israel and other places in danger of Islamofascism. I just hope she's glad some more Israeli hostages have been rescued from Hamas captivity in Gaza. Yet if Libicki's rhetoric is any indication, she won't do any projects with hostages rescued from Islamic jihadists any more than she'd be willing to work with 911 Families and Bataclan survivors in France.

4 hostages rescued in Gaza

Some very fortunate news has just come up, as at least 4 hostages were rescued from the Gaza area:

On Saturday morning, in a joint IDF, ISA and Israel Police (Yamam) complex, special, daytime operation in Nuseirat, four Israeli hostages were rescued.

Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40), were kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organization from the 'Nova' music festival on October 7th.

The hostages were rescued by the IDF, ISA and Yamam counterterrorism forces from two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat.

They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the Sheba Tel-Hashomer Medical Center for further medical examinations.

"The security forces will continue to make every effort to bring the hostages home," the statement stressed.

Thank goodness and the Lord for bringing about this rescue. Now, let's hope others will turn up alive and be saved from captivity as well.

Update: more information to consider:

Argamani, has been one of the most widely recognized hostages since she was abducted from a music festival in southern Israel. The video of her abduction was among the first to surface, images of her horrified face widely shared — Argamani detained between two men on a motorcycle, one arm outstretched and the other held down as she screams “Don’t kill me!”

Her mother, Liora, has stage four brain cancer and in April released a video pleading to see her daughter before she dies.

Let's hope that now, she can see her daughter and have a good reunion.

Marjorie N. Feld, A History of American Jewish Critics of Zionism

At Amazon, Marjorie N. Feld, The Threshold of Dissent: A History of American Jewish Critics of Zionism. #CommissionEarned

VanCAF apologizes to artist Miriam Libicki for blacklisting her over her Israeli army service

A few days after the disgusting news that the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival in Canada banned artist Miriam Libicki over her service in the Israeli army, her left-wing positions notwithstanding, the Times of Israel/JTA now reports the convention's apologized for their abominable behavior, which did as much a disfavor to WW2 Holocaust and 9-11 victims as it did to victims of the Hamas on October 7, 2023:

A Vancouver comics festival apologized to a Jewish artist it had banned over her past Israeli military service and a Seattle museum announced it was recommitting to an exhibit on antisemitism that prompted a staff walkout, in two reversals of North American arts-world sanctions connected to the Israel-Hamas war.

Both the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival in Canada and the Wing Luke Museum in the United States had faced significant backlash over the actions they took because of pro-Palestinian activism.

“VanCAF has lost and continues to lose the trust of many we have sought to serve,” the Vancouver festival said in a social media apology late Sunday, days after announcing that it was banning American-Israeli comics artist Miriam Libicki following activist complaints over her past IDF service.

The festival didn’t name Libicki in either its initial statement banning her — which it quickly removed from social media following backlash — or its lengthy new apology. But the ban referenced Libicki’s previous IDF service, which she has turned into a comic, while the apology referenced another specific work of hers: “But I Live,” a collaboration with Holocaust survivors.

After criticism from both Libicki and leaders of major Canadian Jewish institutions, VanCAF said in its apology that “the vast majority” of people involved in the ban have resigned from its board. The group said it was entering a new “transition period” as a result of the fallout, and added that it has no full-time staff and it is entirely volunteer-run.

Those who left the convention's board are no loss, and do not belong in the entertainment business in any way, shape or form. Yet even now, much like Bud Light's transsexual scandal a few years ago, maybe anybody planning to boycott VanCAF should continue to do so, and definitely sit out this year's festival, which, for all we know, could end up being the last, if sponsors wise up and pull funding for them.

“Conflating the political with the practical safety of those attending our festival was the wrong stance to take,” the apology noted. VanCAF said it had issued the ban as a result of safety concerns after deeming that pro-Palestinian backlash to Libicki’s presence at its last two festivals had created a “volatile atmosphere.”

(A synagogue in Vancouver was targeted in an arson attack last week, elevating alarm after shooting attacks on Jewish sites in Toronto and Montreal. Authorities in Vancouver are investigating the arson as a hate crime.)

VanCAF is one of a growing number of arts institutions to face turmoil over the war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack, which has left some Jews feeling uncertain about their place in the arts world.

In Seattle, the Wing Luke Museum, an Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander heritage museum in Chinatown, will move forward with an exhibition on how the region’s Asian, Jewish and Black communities have all jointly responded to hate. The announcement came days after several museum staffers walked off the job, objecting to what they said were “Zionist perspectives” in the exhibit; the museum had temporarily shuttered following the walkout.

“We remain committed to the exhibit’s core message of confronting hate,” the museum said in a joint statement with the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, an exhibit partner, and the Black Heritage Society. “We acknowledge the complexity of this deeply challenging work. We understand that the bigotry, bias, and racism that affects our communities goes well beyond us to touch many. Though recent events have caused significant harm, we are undeterred.”

The three groups also said they would make some unspecified changes to the content, “offering additional framing on its genesis, the initial public reaction, and the history of our communities working together” before the exhibit reopens June 30. Staff had objected to some of the exhibit’s descriptions of modern-day antisemitism, including the inclusion of campus protests over October 7, and had demanded that the museum make changes including acknowledging a lack of Palestinian perspectives. The exhibit had been in the works since before October 7.

If the aforementioned pro-palestinians who caused a ruckus were to antagonize early comics contributors like Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (one of whom was Canadian-born), were they still alive today, would that sit well with VanCAF's management, which committed an act of cowardice if the above news is correct? What they should really be doing is hiring security to keep out any and all of these obsessed troublemakers, and should be vetting all workers they hire to make sure they're not obsessed with censoring anything positive in regards to Israel, and/or censoring any objective and critical view of Islam. There's a cartoonist named Bosch Fawstin, who's a former Muslim from regions like Albania, who's bravely criticized the Religion of Peace which he left, and people like him, tragically, are blacklisted by these pretentious festivals. All this cowardly panic is not helping to defeat jihadism at all, and the failure to seriously confront issues like Islamic terrorism have the effect of making movies and comics about the Holocaust look like a joke. If modern showbiz writers won't confront a modern issue, how can we believe they really care about a past one? Also consider issues like the Korean and Vietnam wars practically vanished from entertainment nearly 3 decades ago, are rarely discussed since, and WW1-related issues like the Armenian Genocide by Turkey's Islamic Ottoman empire, are also banned from study, in film, comics and other mediums in the west. This is exactly why the war against terrorism's been lost for many years.

For now, it remains to be seen if the "unspecified changes" the aforementioned groups announced they'd make will be honest ones. And if they continue to tiptoe around serious issues, they've effectively failed their mission, and VanCAF should continue to be boycotted to boot.

Armenian government selling out homeland and citizens to Azerbaijan, who may have incited riots in Nouvelle Caledonie

This news may be a few weeks old, but it's still very chilling, whether it already happened or not:

In early March 2024, Azerbaijan demanded that Armenia hand over eight villages along the two countries’ borders. To avoid a new war, Yerevan agreed to transfer four villages to Azerbaijani control; the border delimitation process is now underway. Local residents, however, oppose the decision; they want Armenia to refuse to concede any territory and have appealed to international human rights organizations for help. Photographer Egor Kirillov traveled to the border village of Kirants, which is still Armenian territory, to photograph residents’ fight against the transfer. [...]

“We’re losing our homeland. Every Armenian needs to understand: our old enemy, the one who committed genocide against us, could come knocking on any door at any moment,” local resident Mariam Simonyan told Meduza. Even if the protests don’t change anything, she wants her descendants to know that she opposed the land’s transfer to Azerbaijan.

Yikes. This is similar to how the Israeli Labor party originally surrendered parts of Judea/Samaria to the PLO over 30 years ago, and look where that got Israel on October 7, 2023. Now, Armenia's government is acting in pure cowardice, with the worst part being much of the world's turning a deaf ear and blind eye to this atrocity. This will lead to a horror story sooner or later. And the aforementioned coward Rachel Avraham will doubtless sugarcoat this awful news too.

Also eyebrow-raising is this news of France accusing Azerbaijan of being involved in riots on New Caledonia:

Days of clashes between demonstrators and police in French-controlled New Caledonia are fueled by foreign interference, Paris declared on Thursday, as local officials vowed to restore order in the South Pacific territory.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that the violence, which has claimed the lives of three indigenous Kanak people and a police officer, had been actively supported by Azerbaijan.

“This isn’t a fantasy,” he insisted on Thursday. “I regret that some of the separatists have made a deal with Azerbaijan.” However, “even if there are attempts at interference, … France is sovereign on its own territory, and so much the better,” he added.

Speaking to POLITICO, a French intelligence official granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues of national security, said that “we’ve detected activities from Russia and Azerbaijan in New Caledonia for weeks, even a few months. They’re pushing the narrative of France being a colonialist state.” [...]

Relations between France and Azerbaijan have hit rock bottom in recent years as a result of French military and political support for the South Caucasus country’s neighbor and historic rival Armenia — a situation only intensified by Baku’s military seizure of the ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh last year.

And no surprise Russia could be involved in this distraction either. This is similarly repellent news, and coupled with how Azerbaijan's even had jihadists coming from their territory, not to mention associated with the late Ebrahim Raisi, and Russia's made use of Iranian-manufactured weapons, it makes clear both countries are a very bad influence.

Peter Longerich, Holocaust: The Nazi Persecution and Murder of the Jews

At Amazon, Peter Longerich, Holocaust: The Nazi Persecution and Murder of the Jews. #CommissionEarned

Alan E. Steinweis, The People's Dictatorship

Alan E. Steinweis, The People's Dictatorship: A History of Nazi Germany. #CommissionEarned

One of the abductees was an advocate for "palestine"

As some horrifying footage of what Hamas terrorists did to women they'd abducted came out, a writer at the Jerusalem Post points out that one of the women who was taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza was a far-left advocate who supported the "palestine" fabrication:

"I have friends in Palestine." These words, spoken by Naama Levy, an Israeli soldier and peace activist, that were uttered to her Hamas captors while her face was covered in blood, underscored the tragic irony of her abduction. Levy, who dedicated her young life to promoting peace and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians, was brutally kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

At 19 years old, Levy should have embodied the hope for a future in which Israelis and Palestinians could coexist peacefully. But this did not come true; on the contrary. Raised in Ra’anana near Tel Aviv, she became deeply involved with Hands of Peace, an organization committed to fostering dialogue and mutual understanding among young people from both sides of the conflict. Through this program, she participated in workshops, dialogues, and activities aimed at breaking down barriers and building bridges between communities long divided by hatred and violence.

The absurdity of Levy’s situation is heart-wrenching. Here is a young woman who, despite the profoundly entrenched conflict, chose to extend a hand of friendship and understanding to her Palestinian peers. Her dedication to peace and justice was not just theoretical; it was deeply personal and active. She fought for the rights of Palestinians, believing in a shared humanity and a better future for all.

Yet, on that fateful day in October, this same dedication was met with unimaginable violence. Levy was abducted from the Nahal Oz kibbutz military base. Footage of her abduction showed her in distress, injured, and forcibly taken by Hamas terrorists. In a cruel twist of fate, the very people she fought to understand and support became her captors, not because of her actions or beliefs, but simply because she was Jewish.

Something to consider: she could've been attacked even she weren't Jewish, and there have been tons of women in the past of different ethnicities who went miles out of their way to advocate for adherents to Islam, only to be betrayed in the worst ways possible. Most disgusting is how such propagandists emphasize moral equivalence, and worst, completely obscure the Religion of Peace being a motivating factor behind Arab violence. This is exactly what led to the tragedy, and the paper's writers predictably don't have the courage or the honesty to bring that up. Does that mean they see nothing wrong with taqqiya (deception) either? That's another problem nobody like her ever considered. She probably never even championed the cause of Arab women who were threatened with honor murders for doing something unacceptable under the Religion of Peace.

This whole issue also reminded me of advocate Ysabella Hazan, who, it was reported a few months ago, was supporting Islamic causes:

She is also an advocate for non-Jewish causes and people. Hazan was part of a planning committee that organized a vigil for Muslims to honor the victims of the 2019 mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand that killed 51 and injured many others.

She also spoke on behalf of the Uygur Muslims outside the Chinese consulate in Montreal.

Now I don't think it's good what China's been doing to the Uygurs, and the shooting in NZ was a bad thing too, but it's awfully dangerous to associate with followers of the Religion of Peace, when one considers its hostility to Jews and women, and to think the Uygurs are any different is being naive. There have been times in the past when Uighers and their supporters did some very offensive things, and to ignore atrocities committed by Muslims in China will only prolong a terrible issue.

And has Hazan ever advocated for Armenians who've been harmed by Islamofascism? If not, she's only making a joke out of her advocacy job. It should noted the imam at the Christchurch mosque even blamed Israel for the shooting, and the whole notion they're going to literally change based on Hazan's support only perpetuates naivity. Seriously, I think Hazan has some reevaluation to do, and tragically, she probably won't.

ICC threatens Israeli leaders with arrest warrants, uses moral equivalence as justification

The Intl. Criminal Court's again proving useless by threatening to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, and it's entirely possible that by sharp contrast, they won't do the same with Hamas leaders, no matter what moral equivalence they're using to shield their plans for Israeli politicians:

Prosecutor Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court (ICC) formally requested arrest warrants on Monday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and several leaders of the genocidal Hamas terrorist organization.

Khan equated Israel’s self-defense operations against Hamas in Gaza to the widespread atrocities committed in Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, explicitly calling the self-defense operation to uproot Hamas from Gaza, a territory it has controlled since 2007, “criminal.”

[...] Khan requested warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant as well as several high-ranking Hamas terrorists: terror chief Yahya Sinwar, “political” leader Ismail Haniyeh, and the “commander-in-chief” of Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri.

Despite what's stated above, it's unlikely they'll actually follow through seriously on warrants against Hamas overlords. This is offensive in the extreme how differences are being blurred between Israel and the Islamofascist enemy, and all via a man who may have visited the site of the tragedy last year, yet clearly was not changed one bit by what he saw. Khan should not enter Israel again if this is how he behaves.

His positions have already drawn condemnations for the damage they've caused millions of years ago:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision by International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan on Monday to seek warrants against him and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the war in Gaza.

Khan also announced that he would pursue indictments against three Hamas leaders. Still, the unprecedented prosecution would place Israel on a morally equivalent level with Hamas and delegitimize defenes against terror.

Netanyahu posted videos in Hebrew and English. The English version follows below (via Prime Minister’s Office):

Mike Pompeo's also responded:

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that President Joe Biden should restore President Donald Trump’s 2020 sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), which Biden reversed soon after taking office, in April 2021.

The sad thing, however, is that not all foreign governments are opposing this kangaroo court act, and even the USA's under Joe Biden can't be trusted to actually oppose this convincingly, even though the ICC's more than willing to go after American military officials over similarly trumped up accusations. What the European governments supporting this move are doing hurts European citizens too by extension. That aside, this all makes clear why the ICC is worthless, and has doubtless been for a long time. No sane person should support them in any way, and it's entirely possible the ICC could go after 911 Families too, given the chance.

Sebastian Junger, How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife

Sebastian Junger, In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife.

Helmut Walser Smith, Germany: A Nation in Its Time

Helmut Walser Smith, Germany: A Nation in Its Time: Before, During, and After Nationalism, 1500-2000.

Chris Rufo, How the Radical Left Conquered Everything

At Amazon, Chris Rufo, America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything. #CommissionEarned

OneFamily, much like 911 Families, is something Europe needs

This article talks about the Israeli support group OneFamily, which has a similar purpose to movements like 911 Families for a Safe and Strong America:

On Monday, May 13, sirens will sound again in observance of Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Remembrance Day for the fallen soldiers and victims of terror, reopening the wounds of the thousands who are reeling in the aftermath of the horrific October 7 massacre and ongoing war with Hamas. For Shira Mark-Harif, this day symbolizes the endless cycle of loss and pain that she has endured for more than eight years.

In 2016, at the age of 24, Shira was a new mother of two living in Har Hevron, surrounded by her large, enveloping family, 9 siblings and loving parents, when her entire world came crashing down. On July 1, 2016, Shira’s father, Rabbi Miki Mark was driving his car along Route 60, along with his wife and two of his children, when terrorists opened fire, killing Miki and injuring Shira’s mother and two siblings. Her mother suffered extensive brain damage, leaving Shira, the second oldest child, to assume the role of the primary guardian for her younger four siblings.

With her life shattered and faced with the impossible task of now caring for six children, along with her mother, Shira began to lose herself.

“My father was my entire world, but because I was over the age of 21, I fell through the cracks,” Shira shares, just ahead of Yom Hazikaron, adding that aside from basic support as a foster parent and emotional therapy, she was not entitled to any other support from the Israeli government, “It was through the support of OneFamily that I felt that there was somebody to check on me, to feel connection and that community has helped me build strong lifelong friendships.”

Founded in 2001 by Marc and Chantal Belzberg and inspired by their daughter after the Sbarro Suicide Bombing, OneFamily steps up where others do not bring together Israel’s victims of terror into one, national, self-supportive family. For Shira, like the more than 7,200 families supported by the organization since 2001, it helped her find herself again.

Understanding the emotional complexities of the families of the victims of terror, OneFamily took the initiative to gradually reach out to Shira and her siblings, first attending the shiva of her father, and then over time developing a budding relationship that has turned into the central force that has allowed the Mark family to continue living.

“At first, it is just chaos,” she recalls. “I had no idea what I needed, but OneFamily continued to reach out and provide us with everything we needed.”

“My mother and I began to attend ceramics classes in Jerusalem and group activities with other families of victims of terror,” Shira explains, adding that her mother continues to travel two hours to Jerusalem from their new home in the Golan Heights each week just so she does not miss a single ceramics class. “They truly see you, and give us strength, the ability to breath and a connection with the larger community.”

But unfathomable tragedy struck again, just two and a half years after the death of her father, as Shira’s oldest brother, Shlomi, was killed in a traffic accident while on his way to work at the Prime Minister’s office in 2019.

That's absolutely terrible more tragedy occurred. And people like her should have the backing of the government considering what they've been through.

While OneFamily has created a model for national support in the face of terrorism, a stark reality that many Western countries do not share, more than 60,000 Israelis have joined the list of victims of terror will statistically leave thousands to fall through the cracks, just as Shira would have without the immediate response of the organization.

Well this is something European countries need to emulate, not to mention Latin American and Asian countries that could've been struck by similar tragedies too. So let's hope somebody in said countries will draw some ideas from this, since there's only too many there who've suffered enough and need a good movement's backing for a change.

Johann Voss, Black Edelweiss

Johann Voss, Black Edelweiss: A Memoir of Combat and Conscience by a Soldier of the Nazi Waffen-SS.

Peter Longerich, Wannsee

An absolutely stunning book.

At Amazon, "Wannsee: The Road to the Final Solution."

Humza Yousaf resigns as Scotland's first minister

Some thankful news coming from Scotland, as the first Muslim to serve as premier at the north end of the UK is resigning, following controversial leftist policies that only caused a lot of justified outrage:

Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, resigned on Monday after just 13 months in office following a series of muddled progressive policies that culminated in him torpedoing his own governing coalition.

Yousaf, who became the first Muslim leader of a Western democracy, stepped down on Monday after his decision to rip up an agreement between his Scottish National Party and the Green Party, known as the Bute House Agreement, cost him a working majority.

[...] In the aftermath of Yousaf’s decision, a vote of no confidence was called for this week. And although he gave no indications he would resign last Friday, he changed his mind over the weekend.

[...] He became leader of the SNP and first minister in March 2023 after longtime party leader Nicola Sturgeon stepped down. Her resignation came during a police investigation into alleged misuse of campaign funds. Her husband, former SNP treasurer Peter Murrell, was charged with embezzlement earlier this month, while Sturgeon herself was questioned and released without charge last year. Both deny any wrongdoing.

Yousaf’s short-lived tenure will be remembered, however, for controversial legislation that would make it easier for people to change their gender, which was at odds with the Conservative-led Westminster government.

His party also introduced a hate crime law that made transgender identity a protected characteristic. The law generated criticism from the likes of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who lives in Edinburgh, and even X owner Elon Musk.

In the end, Yousaf’s tenure was made untenable after he scrapped the Bute deal with the Greens over climate change policy disagreements.

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives who tabled the motion of no confidence, told STV that Yousaf was “forced … out of office for repeatedly failing Scotland.”

Not mentioned, and likely because these papers have regrettably succumbed to PC, is that Yousaf's policies would doubtless be employed in the future to enforce Islamic sharia, and not just LGBT ideology. Admittedly, it's interesting that an Islamist would approve of something like that, but surely because most Muslims couldn't give a damn if transsexuality ends up hurting "kuffar", so long as Muslims aren't affected.

Yousaf's departure from the role of First Minister in Scotland is most fortunate, and now, we must hope better yet, that the conservative party in Scotland will be able to win an election, if one is to be held soon.

Abigail Shrier, Bad Therapy

At Amazon, Abigail Shrier, Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up.

Did the Biden regime approve of ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu?

According to Robert Spencer, it looks like a recent report is warning that approval could've been given by Biden for what even the ICC could be planning:

If a Wednesday report in the Israeli media is accurate, this is one of the most, if not the most, craven betrayal of an ally in American history, and in the entire world’s history.

The Israeli journalist Amit Segal published a Hebrew-language story in the popular Israeli news outlet Mako that reveals an American betrayal of Israel of stupefying magnitude. “Very senior officials associated with the International Criminal Court in The Hague,” wrote Segal, “have spoken about Israel’s fear of arrest warrants for senior officials in the context of the war in Gaza. The officials told N12 [Mako’s broadcast channel] that the intention to issue such orders would not have been possible without American consent.”

The threat of arrest from the International Criminal Court is not hanging over the heads of minor officials only. “Last week,” Segal reports, “the Prime Minister’s Office held an urgent discussion on the issue, in which serious concerns were raised about allowing the issuance of arrest warrants against senior Israeli security and political leaders, including against Netanyahu himself.” This could all happen quickly: “Reports that have recently arrived in Jerusalem,” Segal continues, “indicate that the chance of issuing arrest warrants has increased dramatically, possibly as soon as next month.”

Segal noted that this was happening with American approval: “Regarding the intention to issue arrest warrants for senior Israelis, the sources at The Hague said that it is impossible that the chief prosecutor would have decided on such a dramatic step, in a war that is still ongoing, with very little evidence, if he had not at least had a ‘green light’ from the Americans. If this is true, this is another and unprecedented low in relations between Israel and the US, at a very sensitive time, on the eve of the ground entry to Rafah.”

Let's also remember Biden's "administration" refused to oppose a UN resolution against Israel a number of weeks ago, so this is no shock either. It's just another disgusting moment in a world that's eroding under political correctness and Orwellianism.

Update: foreign minister Yisrael Katz warns there'll be a wave of antisemitism if the ICC issues arrest warrants.

Update 2: Meir Ben-Shabbat makes clear the planned raid on Rafah must take place, even without the approval of the USA and the ICC.

Harald Jähner, Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955

At Amazon, Harald Jähner, Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955.

Christopher R. Browning, The Origins of the Final Solution

Christopher R. Browning, The Origins of the Final Solution: The Evolution of Nazi Jewish Policy, September 1939-March 1942.

Also, Browning, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland.

Peachy Keenan, Domestic Extremist

Peachy Keenan, Domestic Extremist: A Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War.

Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men

Christopher Browning, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland.

BONUS: Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust.

Yaroslav Trofimov, Our Enemies Will Vanish

At Amazon, Yaroslav Trofimov, Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence. #CommissionEarned

Volker Ullrich, Eight Days in May

At Amazon, Volker Ullrich, Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich. #CommissionEarned

Michael Burleigh, The Third Reich

At Amazon, Michael Burleigh, The Third Reich: A New History.

50 creators who worked on Batman call for release of Israeli infant hostage whose family wore T-shirts of the Masked Manhunter, & Doonesbury cartoonist depicts Hamas properly

Something most remarkable was performed by quite a few comics contributors, old and new, who've had writing/art/editing credits on Batman over past years, as the Times of Israel reports:

Fifty creators of the iconic Batman superhero character signed a petition urging the governments of Egypt and Qatar to press for the release of Yarden and Shiri Bibas along with their two red-haired sons, Ariel and Kfir. All four family members have been held hostage in Gaza since October 7.

The family was kidnapped from Nir Oz by Hamas terrorists on October 7, a day that saw 3,000 terrorists infiltrate southern Israel to massacre 1,200 Israelis — most of them civilians — and kidnap 253 people into the Strip. Mother Shiri and her sons were captured separately from her husband Yarden.

One of the iconic images of the family that has been circulated since their capture shows the four wearing Batman apparel. Ariel, 4, is a dedicated fan of the Gotham City protector.

The petition was sent to Egyptian and Qatari ambassadors in Washington, DC, on April 12. The effort was organized by Dr. Rafael Medoff, historian and director of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies.

“These comics creators have spent decades developing a hero who fights for the innocent and stands as a beacon of hope for his community, and we’re trying to channel that spirit through this effort,” Medoff told The Times of Israel. [...]

Some of the Bibas petition’s high-profile signees include Mike Carlin, DC’s head of animation; longtime DC publisher Paul Levitz; and former president of Warner Animation Sander Schwartz.

The petition was also signed by some of Batman’s veteran writers, including Chip Zdansky and Mark Waid. Leading artists from the franchise who signed include Mark Bagley, Dan Jurgens, Denys Cowan and Amanda Conner, the celebrated artist behind the Joker’s girlfriend, Harley Quinn.

“As members of the community of Batman writers and artists, we are contacting you concerning the young Batman fan who was taken hostage by terrorists and held in Gaza since last October 7,” said the creators.

“Moved by the many anecdotes of Ariel’s affection for the iconic character who has become a symbol of hope and justice for so many, we implore your governments to exercise all possible leverage on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to immediately release the Bibas family, and all the Israeli hostages, from captivity,” said the petition.

Well this definitely is amazing, considering how quite a few of these same creators, even the veterans, have taken such a lenient position on Islam in the past, and on that note, maybe it'd be a good idea to remind everyone why they still have fences to mend, and not just in the sense they've acted as apologists for the Religion of Peace in some way or other.

For example, Levitz, when he was in charge of DC comics, vehemently refused to greenlight Frank Miller's story that later became Holy Terror, yet Levitz had no issue going ahead with a collaboration with the Kuwaiti publishers of a propaganda comic called The 99. Waid was once involved in the writing of the storylines that led to Age of Apocalypse in X-Men, which drew a bizarre moral equation between Israel's officials and the PLO. Zdarsky's quite a woke leftist ideologue himself, as is writer Andrew Farago, the museum curator who attacked Comicsgate and blocks even Jewish X posters who could support the hashtag. Jurgens once wrote an apologia tale for Islam in the pages of Superman, as did Mike Grell in Iron Man during the early 2000s, and should it be mentioned it's ludicrous and offensive how a lethal villainess like Harley Quinn is being depicted with a Jewish background? After all, chances they'd do something similar with a Moslem character are next to nothing.

The writers who signed onto Wyman Institute's petition who do impress me more are Chuck Dixon, Ann Nocenti and even Steve Englehart. The latter 2 are leftist, to my knowledge, but unlike a lot of modern ones, seem to recognize the advantage of avoiding divisive statements, on social media or otherwise.

No stranger to Batman lore, Medoff penned an essay for a book called “Theology and Batman.” One of the book’s central themes is the theodicy — or sense of redemption — Batman brings to the world by vindicating goodness over evil.

Many of the creators of Batman, Superman and other superheroes were of Jewish descent. Quite a few books and essays have been written about how these creators were influenced by Jewish history while at their drawing boards.

Yes, but whatever the background of the creators, those of more recent times aren't exactly helping matters, if the latter of these 2 examples says something:

Earlier in 2024, an issue of DC’s “The Penguin” remembered that Bruce Wayne — Batman’s alter-ego — is Jewish. The moment came when Bruce Wayne referenced his handkerchief as being a Hanukkah gift from his father to his mother.

In a “Batwoman” reboot released in 2006, the character Kate Kane — Batwoman’s alter-ego — was reintroduced as a Jewish, lesbian cousin of Batman, demonstrating how comic artists both shape and reflect their times.

And they don't think this is even remotely insulting to the intellect the Kane character's depicted as lesbian solely for woke brownie points? And implying Wayne could have some Jewish ancestry (in some past renditions, it was established his ancestry was from Scotland), will not work if the writing is as woke as it's become lately. To imply Bruce is even bisexual only damages the character's image/reputation all the more, and is an embarrassment to Bill Finger and Bob Kane's legacy. Let us be clear. Those writers and artists who've joined Dr. Medoff's petition did the right thing. But unless they can prove they're repentant, and writers like Jurgens and Grell won't boomerang back on apologia for Islam tomorrow, what good is this project going to do in the long run? Add to this the unlikely scenario any of these creators will show the courage and altruism to work on a comics project tackling Islamic terrorism, and that's another frustrating issue right there.

Besides the above news, Dr. Medoff tells on Israel National News how Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Truedeau's acknowledged that Hamas is evil, and mocked them in his newspaper strips:

One of America’s most beloved newspaper comic strips has dared to poke fun at Hamas. Get ready for controversy!

In the latest Sunday installment of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Doonesbury strip, a fictional anti-terrorist fighter—known as “the Red Rascal”—bursts into the bedroom of an actual Hamas leader, Ismail Haniye, who is living in Qatar.

The cartoon shows Haniyeh enjoying luxurious accommodations, and identifies him as “one of three Hamas leaders worth billions, who enriched themselves with donor money intended for impoverished Gazans!”

Garry Trudeau, the writer and artist of Doonesbury, has dared to acknowledge a fact about the Hamas leadership that most of the mainstream news media prefer to ignore. [...]

What makes this Doonesbury strip even more interesting is that Trudeau has been strongly critical of Israel in the past. His view of Hamas is not motivated by any kind of built-in pro-Israel bias.

Not only that, but Trudeau has been extra sensitive concerning Muslim reactions to controversial cartoons, such as the one about Mohammed that was published in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015. Islamist terrorists responded to that cartoon by massacring twelve members of the magazine’s staff.

Trudeau accused Charlie Hebdo of engaging in “hate speech.” He argued that the magazine's publication of the cartoon was unjustified because it constituted "attacking a powerless, disenfranchised minority."

But the Doonesbury creator can’t count on any of his past statements to protect him from a furious reaction to his criticism of Hamas. Pro-Hamas extremists in the United States are not known for their ability to calmly and rationally discuss differing points of view—especially when somebody reveals uncomfortable facts about their heroes.

Obviously, it's to be unfortunately expected Islam's sympathisers will react poorly and horrifically. Why, they could act the same way towards any and all of the above Batman contributors, and that too will be terrible, if God forbid it happens. Of course, one must wonder at this point if creators like Trudeau are repentant for the harm they caused by blaming the victims in horrible incidents like that in France. If not, then while it's amazing on the surface he'd attack Hamas as the evil entity they are, any failure to acknowledge he was wrong to blame Charlie Hebdo and other victims of Islamofascism in France ruins everything. I do vaguely recall at least a few Doonesbury strips that were negative to Israel, and so it sure has taken Trudeau a lot of time to show the courage to acknowledge that jihadist organizations like Hamas and PLO are barbaric evil incarnate.

So far, if there's one notable name connected with Batman stories whom I couldn't find on the Wyman petition, it's Frank Miller. How odd. Is he really that stupidly regretful for penning Holy Terror back in 2011 that he doesn't have the guts to participate in a project like Medoff's now? Well it's honestly disgraceful, IMO. Come to think of it, when even far-leftists like Kurt Busiek, Ron Marz, Dan DiDio, Joe Quesada, Gail Simone and Axel Alonso can't even contribute, that too has got to be saying something. This isn't just something that should involved Batman contributors, but all sorts of comics creators, even those more into independent productions. I'd strongly suggest Medoff try to contact them as well, and try to convince them to put aside all their vehement leftism and recognize why the message he's sending here is important for all to uphold, not just anybody who's worked on the Masked Manhunter. Calling for release of the hostages - many of whom have doubtless been subjected to torture and sexual violence - is surely the most important part of this whole tragedy.

Timothy Ryback, Takeover

A new and important history. 

At Amazon, Timothy Ryback, Takeover: Hitler's Final Rise to Power.

Heinz Höhne, The Order of the Death's Head

At Amazon, Heinz Höhne, "The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS."

Peter Longerich, Wannsee

An absolutely stunning book.

At Amazon, "Wannsee: The Road to the Final Solution."

Muslim no-go zones turning up in Philadelphia

A writer living in Philadelphia warns that what began in Europe is now turning up in the USA, and in the city where I was born:

What appeared to be an unsettling foreign problem has jumped the Atlantic, invading America with a concomitant rise in anti-Semitism, personal attacks on American Jews and synagogues, and has resulted in a dangerous foothold in many American cities, with accompanying thuggish, disruptive behavior. Recent examples are the pro-Palestinian demonstration in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, and the two nights of vandalism at a prominent synagogue (where the author is a congregant) in the Main Line outside of Philadelphia.

It would be prudent for all Americans to remember that Muslims attacking Jews is just their first step. The real goal is Islamic global hegemony. One only has to inspect the myriad extant Muslim countries to confirm that not only are they devoid of Jews, not many Christians remain either.

A phenomenon known as Islamic controlled “no go” zones is steadily growing in Philadelphia. A stealth and increasingly overt Islamic takeover is occurring in Philadelphia and suburban area public school systems, libraries, and universities. The area was shocked when it popped out into the open with the University of Pennsylvania’s Palestinian Writes symposium which was an anti-Israel advertisement disguised as a literary symposium. This takeover includes pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel/anti-Semitic rhetoric.

According to the writer, these Islamists have even been doing prayers on the street by City Hall. And mayoral incumbent Cherelle Parker is fine with that? This is terrible, and another sign of the bad omens to come, even in a city where, from what I know, the Democrats minding the store are even allowing sanctuary for illegal immigrants, whom you can be sure include plenty from Muslim countries. Philly is tragically falling victim to evil in more ways than one.

Israel may have to consider not relying on the USA anymore

Fraud-in-chief Joe Biden continues to do what he and the Democrats can to damage Israel's ability to rescue hostages:

President Joe Biden, in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanded that Israel enact an “immediate ceasefire” in its war against Hamas and threatened that the U.S. would change its support for Israel if it does not meet the administration’s demands.

Biden attacked Israel for the humanitarian situation inside Gaza, calling it “unacceptable,” even though Israel has worked to allow aid to flow into the area, but has had to do so in a manner that prevents weapons from entering.

“[Biden] made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers,” the White House said in a readout of the call. “He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”

“He underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home,” the statement continued.

White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby confirmed at the White House press briefing shortly after the readout was published that Biden did threaten Israel if it did not meet his demands.

He also seems to blame Israel for the hostages' continued situation. And that's reprehensible. Joel Pollak says Israel may have to consider whether becoming a pariah is for the best:

Biden, like Barack Obama before him, is trying to appease the Iranian regime that funds and arms most of the terror groups in the Middle East. He also believes a Palestinian state is the key to peace, despite evidence to the contrary.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes these policies, as do most Israelis, from right to left. So Biden is trying to do everything he can — overtly and covertly — to push Netanyahu aside and hope for a more pliant leader.

The result is that Israel finds itself alone. Biden is emphasizing Israel’s isolation by using tragedies like the World Central Kitchen deaths to accuse Israel, falsely, of being responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Biden, like Hamas, is demanding an “immediate ceasefire,” and may let the UN declare a Palestinian state.

If Israel wants to defeat Hamas by destroying the last Hamas battalions in the city of Rafah in Gaza, it may have to do so without U.S. support.

Likewise, if Israel takes on Iran — directly, or in Syria and Lebanon — it will be on its own. The White House is hinting that Israel can claw back support by dumping Netanyahu, but Israel would do so at the cost of its independence.

That's simply unacceptable terms. So, Pollak has a point.

Joe Rogan's not worth listening to

It appears podcaster Rogan's abused his welcome among the conservative movement by attacking Israel, and obscuring much of the issues involved when it comes to the Hamas:

Addressing video footage on social media purporting to show Palestinians being killed by Israeli bombs, Joe Rogan told the millions who listen to his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” on Tuesday that Israel was committing genocide.

“If you can’t talk about that, if you can’t say that’s real, then you’re saying that genocide is okay as long as we’re doing it,” he said.

Then he brought the Holocaust into the discussion.

“You’re saying that from the perspective of someone who literally went through the Holocaust or your people, your tribe. You went through the Holocaust and now you’re willing to do it?” he said, apparently directing his statement at Israel.

Democratic Majority for Israel called the prominent podcaster’s statement “wholly false and dangerous.”

“Joe Rogan accuses Israel of genocide. Compares the war in Gaza to the Holocaust. He’s just plain wrong, and he really ought to have someone on his podcast who disagrees with him for some enlightening, informative conversation,” wrote Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman from Illinois. “Instead of just tossing that ugly charge out there.”

It was bad enough when Rogan made it sound like it's bad Jews have money, or that they're swindling it all from everybody else. Now, he has to compound the damage with this obscene drivel that obscures the horrors the Hamas inflicted upon over a thousand innocent people on October 7, 2023. Many Israelis murdered and raped on that horrible day, and this is how Rogan approaches the whole subject? This is truly repulsive, and he should be ashamed of himself. Joel Pollak notes that:

Israel allows thousands of tons of food and other essential goods to enter Gaza every day, and has helped Palestinian civilians evacuate areas where there is fighting betwen Israel and the Hamas terrorist group.

And Rogan's obscured such data. Well, he's abused any and all sympathy one could've had for him after left-wing attempts to censor him. Time to turn off the radio player program if this is how he's going to behave. Rogan's regrettably the kind of creep who can't rise above anti-Israeli sentiments.

Government approves memorial day for October 7, 2023

The Israeli government unanimously approved a rememberence day for October 7, 2023, when the Hamas committed their horrifying bloodbath and sexual violence last year:

The government unanimously approved a National Day of Remembrance to be held every year on the 24th of the Jewish month of Tishrei, to commemorate the October 7th massacre and the Sword of Iron War.

On the first anniversary, a ceremony will be held also on the secular date – October 7th, 2024.

The National Day of Remembrance will be marked annually with two state ceremonies: a ceremony at 11:00 a.m. in memory of those killed in the war, and a ceremony at 1:00 p.m. in memory of the civilians murdered in hostilities.

This year, in light of the fact that the 24th of Tishrei falls on Saturday, the ceremonies will take place on Sunday, the 25th of Tishrei, and so forth every year that the 24th of Tishrei falls on Shabbat (Saturday).

Those who voted in favor did the right thing. It's terrible, of course, that the horrifying incident had to happen, and now one more antisemitic tragedy's been scarred into history. But that's exactly why it's vital to remember these horrible incidents in order to try and prevent more from happening in the future.

Schools in Virginia allow opt-out from Holocaust lessons

The school board of Fairfax County, Virginia, is doing something terrible they won't do with LGBT ideology:

Virginia’s largest school district will let students skip a presentation from a Holocaust survivor, saying the diverse district includes students with “different experiences.”

“We understand that all students have different experiences. If you prefer to opt your child out from participating in this presentation, please email your child’s history teacher and they will be provided an alternate assignment. Please email your child’s history teacher with any questions that you may have,” a letter from Cooper Middle School said.

The letter referred to a scheduled presentation from a Holocaust survivor to seventh-graders, according to Adele Scalia, a mother of one of those middle schoolers.

[...] Scalia said on social media that she is drawing “less charitable (but more likely) conclusions.” The Left has been pressured by Islamic extremists to demonize Israel following Hamas’ terrorist attacks on the Jewish nation on October 7, and liberals have used the same language of “colonization” and “oppression” that they apply to whites in the U.S. to Israelis.

“If the email had said ‘We understand that some students are very sensitive and Mrs. X’s stories my be disturbing and traumatizing to them…’ I would have given them the benefit of the doubt. But it didn’t,” Scalia wrote.

Fairfax County contains a hotbed of Muslim extremism. A mosque there, attended by several 9/11 hijackers as well as the Fort Hood terrorist, was presided over by the father of Abrar Omeish, who until this year was a member of the Fairfax County school board. Omeish voted against an FCPS resolution offering a moment of silence for victims of 9/11 and another for victims of October’s Hamas attacks on Israel, said the decisive World War II victor at Iwo Jima was “unfortunate,” and gave a graduation speech encouraging students to “remember your jihad” and reject capitalism.

This definitely says quite a bit, right down to how the manager of a mosque is allowed on the school board, and even desecrated the memory of 9-11 victims. This also makes clear the sad path the USA is regrettably headed on if something isn't done to put a stop to this indoctrination.

The opt-out of the Holocaust lesson in FCPS, whose school board is entirely Democrat, is a reversal from the Left’s position on opt-outs on topics like transgenderism and anti-racism, which typically holds that hard truths are often uncomfortable, that it is the role of a school to instill certain values, and that on some issues, there are not two sides, but only good and evil.

[...] With some people claiming that the Holocaust did not even occur, the lesson is one of the last chances to hear from someone who survived it first-hand, as survivors are perishing of old age.

Prior to the election of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a video promoted by Virginia’s state Department of Education, then presided over by Democrat Atif Qarni, sought to dampen the emotional resonance of 9/11, advising teachers not to call it “terrorism” and to focus on “anti-Muslim racism” while making sure not “to reproduce what’s understood as American exceptionalism.”

This is the most terrible part about Virgina, how, Youngkin's election notwithstanding, there remains a considerable amount of far-left influence, and now it's resulted in a truly awful situation. It's clear Virginia has a serious problem with misogyny, anti-Semitism, and the Religion of Peace is really going to make things awful soon enough. Maybe most grating about the whole matter is that, if LGBT ideology is cleared away from schools in Fairfax, it'll only be due to Muslim influence, not because Judeo-Christians, Hinduists and Buddhists ask for it to stop. That's one of the worst things about "protected class" statuses.

October 7, 2023 massacre by Hamas could be a prelude to what could happen in the rest of the world

In this interview with a woman who grew up in a Muslim family, she warns that the Hamas bloodbath on October 7, 2023 is a horror that can happen in the rest of the globe:

"I feel that since October 7, humanity has been in a very delicate and dangerous transitional state. Everything I've been shouting and warning about for years has suddenly come out all at once for the whole world to see through the GoPro cameras of the Hamas terrorists," says Yasmine Mohammed, one of the world's leading activists for the rights of Muslim women and support for ex-Muslims.

"If the West sobers up and realizes who it is up against and how the worst versions of Islam entered the most important Western institutions, and if it then proceeds to tackle it at the core, then there could remain a chance to correct course," she says, "but if Western liberals continue to play the role of useful idiots for Muslims who use them to promote their ideology, then things will get much worse. The massacre that took place in Israel may be just a prelude to what awaits the whole world."

She does not disclose her current place of residence, and even her exact age is confidential. These security measures, along with various other precautions she takes, stem from the fear that radical Muslims will try to harm her. Given the fate of not a few Muslims or ex-Muslims who dared to publicly criticize Islam, she certainly has something to fear. Just two years ago, the world was shocked when, during a conference in New York, a Lebanese-American stabbed and wounded author Salman Rushdie. In his 1989 bestseller "The Satanic Verses," Rushdie presented unflattering depictions of the Prophet Mohammed and Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution. Since then, he has become a target for radical Muslims worldwide.

Naturally, Mohammed does not want to enter these bloody statistics, "especially for the sake of my two daughters." Nevertheless, she gives interviews and acts with a sense of urgency, warning in harsh terms about the dangers posed by Muslim civilization. "The West is facing an obstacle called Islam," she states. "If we are afraid and do not say this truth, the price is that we will lose the free world. The risk is certainly worth it, even my personal risk."

This should by all means be an outrage that followers of the Religion of Peace would threaten her over an Orwellian thoughtcrime. Tragically, there's only so many scumbags in the west who'd rather cowardly ignore it all.

The videos disseminated by Hamas of the massacre in the communities surrounding Gaza affected her on a very personal level. "The first thing I saw was a few seconds of the video of Shani Louk, how she lay on the truck of the Hamas terrorists who abducted her from the nature rave. I closed it immediately, I simply couldn't continue. I got flashbacks within seconds: the abuse I endured as a child from my stepfather because I didn't memorize verses from the Quran verbatim; Iranian women being raped and murdered because they refused to wear the hijab; and Algerian women murdered because in their husbands' opinion they did not behave modestly. I saw generation upon generation of women whom extremist Muslim men treated as subhuman. It made me realize that the voice I am raising is more important than ever."

Alongside the personal outrage, Mohammed demonstrates extensive knowledge of both Islamic scripture and research, as well as an understanding of the prevailing sentiments in Muslim countries around the world. As someone familiar with the Muslim world from the inside, she feels her testimony is of paramount importance. The organization she founded, called "Free Hearts, Free Minds," provides support and psychological assistance to "Muslims who dare to think freely" in Islamic countries and the West. She is interviewed by media outlets and forums around the world, unraveling her story of leaving the Muslim world, and criticizing the lack of understanding in the Western liberal world of the true intentions of Islamic leaders.

In 2019, Mohammed warned about the dangerous connection between the progressive Left and Islam, in a book she published called "Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam." In addition to criticizing Western liberalism and its naivete in the face of Muslim ideologues who cunningly exploit it, she extensively recounts her personal story there.

The journey she had to go in order to publish the book also teaches a lot about the fear of what the message is trying to convey. "All the publishers refused to publish it for fear that its message against Islam would pose a security threat to them," she recounts. "Even Neil Blair, J.K. Rowling's agent, who thought the book was worthwhile and tried to convince publishing houses to publish it, couldn't help me." She decided to self-publish the book. The book sparked discussion in many forums, and to her surprise, it was translated into some 15 languages. "I wasn't prepared for that, because I didn't know how much people in places like Sweden and Germany would identify with my personal story and with my insights on Islam. I thought I was alone in this battle, and it turned out I clearly wasn't."

When I raise the possibility that in her book she predicted what is happening today, she demurs. "I'm no prophet. I just described what was happening from my perspective, as someone who was inside the Muslim world, for my Western liberal friends. Unfortunately, they suffer from severe blindness, which could end up costing Western culture dearly. Unfortunately, people who didn't listen to me at the time, or who dismissed me and saw me as 'crying wolf', are now forced to see hordes of pro-Palestinians marching through the streets of every Western capital. I took the risk of being Cassandra [a figure in Greek mythology that no one heeded; ] and I will continue to be one until my voice is heard."

She must definitely continue, without fear. But it's definitely atrocious how all these decades, the west virtually enabled much of the abominations we're seeing today, and never truly made an effort to reeducate masses not to embrace barbarism. And the double-standards are another serious issue:

Q: Can you really envision something similar happening in America?

"Certainly, it's already happening. The city of Hamtramck in Michigan welcomed a large Muslim community, as many there felt that the Muslim minority in America was feeling threatened during Trump's presidency. Many Muslims responded to the call and came to settle there. Today there are so many Muslims there that they dominate the city council. One of the first steps they took upon gaining a majority on the council was declaring that LGBT flags would not be allowed to be flown in the city. Liberals reacted with shock and a sense of betrayal. That didn't help them. All I could think was 'What on earth did these liberals think in the first place.' What's toxic about this whole affair is that if Christian parent organizations, for example, spoke critically of LGBTs, it would be dreadful and terrible and condemnation would come from all sides. But while the radical Right struggles to thrive because it is under consistent surveillance and criticism, Muslims are held to a different standard.

"Add to that what is already known to all, how with Qatari money organizations that are mouthpieces for Islamist movements have become dominant in institutions of higher education in North America, or another group, which has a growing lobby within the American government – and you get the full picture. Many have warned that this is how Islam is strengthening its hold in the West. I warned some time ago that the barbarians are at the gates. This time they didn't have to fight over Rome: They came in through the main gate, and in the name of free speech we have all surrendered to them."

While there's certainly a valid argument that the LGBT movement was naive about the Islamic movement, it's still entirely possible quite a few of the wokeists are fully aware of what Islam is like, and would bizarrely enough forfeit their practices once the Religion of Peace takes over. Suggesting it's something like what Winston Churchill called "crocodile feeders".

This is vital info, especially following a very troubling statement made by one of the released hostages, who's taking a bizarrely lenient view of the Religion of Peace that led to the horror of October 7, 2023:

Agam Goldstein, released from Hamas captivity during a November 2023 prisoner swap, spoke Saturday night at an International Women's Day rally demanding that 19 women held hostage in Gaza be released from captivity. [...]

"From what I was taught about Islam, it is a religion that believes in bringing good into the world and opposes injustice. There are verses in the Quran that explicitly say - treat women well. There is also a verse about holding prisoners, about the way it is permitted by religion to hold them. And all we can hope for is that some humanity exists within you, or at the very least that you received a mission to keep them alive.

This is stupefying when you consider it doesn't sound like she quoted any verses from the koran. I realize Goldstein may have been raised under a leftist education system, to the point she runs the gauntlet of alluding to Stockholm Syndrome, but even so, this is a huge disappointment that she's taking such a devastatingly cliched path, concealing koranic verses like 2:223, which are exactly what led to the bloodbath last year. Goldstein's statement will not solve the crisis, and will only prolong it. Much like the terrible incident Lara Logan went through over a dozen years prior, it's regrettable Goldstein is also being naive about the Religion of Peace.