Putin Drags Russia Another Step Deeper into the Darkness

Vladimir Putin declares all Russian military deaths 

state secrets

Russian military vehicles at Kuzminsky training ground in the Rostov region,
about 30 miles from the Russian-Ukrainian border. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

President extends secrecy to deaths in peacetime as well as in official wars, raising concerns for those who report deaths of soldiers in Ukraine

Alec Luhn in Moscow
The Guardian

Vladimir Putin has declared that all military deaths will be classified as state secrets not just in times of war but also in peace – a move that activists worry might further discourage the reporting of Russian soldiers’ deaths in Ukraine. "Might"? I don't think there is any question that it will.

The Russian president has amended a decree to extend the list of state secrets to include information on casualties during special operations when war has not been declared, among other changes. Previously, the list had only forbidden “revealing personnel losses in wartime”. He, Putin, has repeatedly denied any involvement of Russian troops in a pro-Russian rebellion in Ukraine.

He, of course, is denying something that the whole world knows to  be true, nevertheless, because he pretends that it isn't, he doesn't have to do anything about it. 

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the changes were not connected to the conflict in Ukraine. Revealing state secrets is punishable by up to seven years in prison.

Of course it is connected to the Ukraine, what else would it be connected to? The amendment probably signals that preparations are underway for a serious invasion of the Ukraine. If Russia can survive the sanctions in the current economic environment, they might as well push their luck as far as it will go. Putin the empire builder is an ambitious man.

Rights advocate Valentina Melnikova, secretary of the Union of Soldiers’ Mothers Committees, said the decree simply legalised the common practice of withholding information on all military losses, which had been done since Soviet times.

“I don’t know what [the new decree] is connected with, but the bolsheviks and Russian authorities never revealed any casualty numbers, except after South Ossetia,” she said, referring to the 2008 conflict during which Russian troops established control of the Georgian breakaway region. “It was always considered a state secret. Now Putin has just made this official.”

It's more than that, Valentina, he is also criminalizing releasing such data.

Sergei Krivenko, a member of the presidential human rights council, said the decree “raises many questions” and could serve to intimidate activists, journalists or relatives who report the deaths of Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine.

“If we lived in a state governed by the rule of law, this decree would only affect officials. Those who have this information don’t have the right to publish it, that’s what this decree is about,” he said. “But in the situation we’re in now … almost any citizen can be punished for revealing information, so long as the authorities decide that this information hurts the country’s interests.” 'Almost'? Who would be exempt? 

Some of the Russian soldiers who aren't in the Ukraine

Earlier this month, one of two Russian men who were captured by Ukrainian forces during a clash with pro-Russian rebels said on camera that he was a member of the Russian special forces. Coverage of Russian soldiers’ presence in Ukraine is virtually taboo on state-controlled television, which portrays Russians fighting there as volunteers.

At least 276 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine, according to a list of names compiled by Open Russia, an organisation started by Kremlin critic and former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Russia readying for major assault on Ukraine

Reuters witnessed Russian troops and hundreds of pieces of weaponry near the border with Ukraine this week, providing evidence of a large-scale military buildup.

Also this month, colleagues of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was murdered near the Kremlin in February, presented a report with evidence of Russian military operations in eastern Ukraine.

Relatives of dead servicemen and returned soldiers have been reluctant to speak out about the conflict. Activist Ilya Yashin told the Guardian that while working on the Nemtsov report he had met relatives of 17 soldiers from Ivanovo who were killed in Ukraine, but they had signed a pledge of secrecy and were afraid to go on record.

Russia planning to cremate dead soldiers in Ukraine?

This week, US congressman Mac Thornberry said the Russian armed forces were “trying to hide their casualties” by deploying mobile crematoria to eastern Ukraine. Putin’s spokesman called the statement untrustworthy, and the US State Department reportedly declined to confirm the report.

Alberta Creationist Discovers Rare Fish Fossils in Basement

Are they 60 million years old as a paleontologist estimates, 

or are they more like 4,500 years as their discoverer estimates?

Fossilized fish found during excavation in Calgary suburb

An Alberta, Canada man who discovered a school of rare fossilized fish while digging up a Calgary basement believes the world was created by God a few thousand years ago.

It's for that reason Edgar Nernberg doesn't think the fossils could possibly be as old as paleontologists are estimating.

"I subscribe to the creationist position, and I believe they were laid down in Noah's flood, about 4,500 years ago. But we agree to disagree."

He's referring to Darla Zelenitsky, the University of Calgary paleontologist who was brought in to examine the five ancient fish.

She says they likely swam in waters about 60 million years ago, which is the age of the Paskapoo Formation, a sheet of rock that lies under the city.

"I would give it a 10 out of 10 for significance," said Zelenitsky.

Creationist Edgar Nernberg

"There's not very many complete fossils known in rocks of this age in Alberta," she said about the fish, which are each about the size of a wallet.

Nernberg helped build the Big Valley Creation Science Museum and said he's good friends with the owner.

According to the museum website, Nurnberg donated "one of the more favourite displays" for visitors — the Evidence from Genealogy exhibit — which features scrolls that trace the genealogy of England's King Henry VI back to Adam and Eve.

While Nernberg hasn't lobbied the Alberta government directly to include creationism in the province's school curriculum, he said he has written opinion letters about the topic and sent them to several newspapers.

Alberta homeschool convention offers creationist textbooks

Nernberg found the near-perfect fossils concealed in a block of sandstone while working at his day job, excavating the basement of a new home in northwest Calgary.

Zelenitsky said that because the fish lived in a time shortly after the extinction of the dinosaurs, they could answer some questions about evolution.

The five fish fossils were encased in a block of sandstone in the Paskapoo Formation,
a 60-million-year-old rock formation that lies under Calgary. (Meghann Dionne/CBC)

"Plants and animals were actually recovering from the extinction at that time, so any fossils, particularly if they're complete, are going to help us reconstruct what was going in the environment after a major mass extinction."

Nernberg said he has come to "accept the fact that we all have different opinions."

The fossils are en route to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alta., to be studied by paleontologists.

"It's quite likely that these could be a new species," said Zelenitsky.

We have the five fishes, now if we just had three loaves we would really
have something to sink our teeth into

If that's the case, Nernberg said, he won't be offended if they're not named after him.

That will be the day, when paleontologists honor a creationist, or even acknowledge his existence. We've come a long way since the Scopes Monkey trial; whether it's all good or bad I will leave up to you.

Personally, I try not to take a firm position on this issue because I could quite adequately debate either side. I don't dismiss the science that makes a recent global flood unlikely; nor do I dismiss the Bible as a source of truth; and I certainly would never put God in a box and say, "this is impossible"! I believe He has some astounding surprises waiting to be revealed to us.

Marine Court-Martialed for Refusing to Remove Bible Verse

This is one of the most ridiculous stories I have done in awhile, well, at least since 

Johnny Depp Deep in Doggy Do Do Downunder

Monifa Sterling (Courtesy Liberty Institute)

By Todd Starnes  
FoxNews.com

A United States Marine was convicted at a court-martial for refusing to remove a Bible verse (taped) on her computer – a verse of Scripture the military determined “could easily be seen as contrary to good order and discipline.”

The plight of Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling seems unbelievable – a member of the Armed Forces criminally prosecuted for displaying a slightly altered passage of Scripture from the Old Testament: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”

Sterling, who represented herself at trial, was convicted February 1, 2014 in a court-martial at Camp Lejune, North Carolina after she refused to obey orders from a staff sergeant to remove the Bible verses from her desk.

She was found guilty of failing to go to her appointed place of duty, disrespect toward a superior commissioned officer, and four specifications of disobeying the lawful order of a noncommissioned officer.

As it now stands – Sterling is unemployed and looking for work. It’s a process made harder because of the bad conduct discharge from the military. Hopefully Liberty Institute will be able to restore this Christian Marine’s good name and expunge the charge.

The Christian Marine was given a bad conduct discharge and a reduction in rank from lance corporal to private. 

Both lower court and the appellate court ruled that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act did not apply to her case because displaying a Bible verse does not constitute religious exercise. 

And so, was there some other explanation for her actions? Apparently, they just decided that Monifa put the scripture on her computer to start trouble. That is one stupid ruling - make that two stupid rulings since it was ruled at two levels of court.

However, a religious liberty law firm and a high-powered, former U.S. solicitor general have taken up her case and have filed an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

“If the government can order a Marine not to display a Bible verse, they could try and order her not to get a religious tattoo, or go to church on Sunday,” said Liberty Institute attorney Michael Berry. “Restricting a Marine’s free exercise of religion is blatantly unconstitutional.” 

Sterling wised up and finally got legal counsel. Now representing her are the Liberty Institute along with former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, also a law professor at Georgetown University.

Clement most recently won a Supreme Court victory on behalf of Hobby Lobby against the Affordable Care Act.

Liberty Institute and Clement plan to argue that the appellate court should have applied the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Sterling’s case – protecting her right to post Bible verses as a form of religious exercise.

According to the appellate court’s decision, they were not convinced “that displaying religious text at a shared government workstation would be protected even in a civilian federal workplace.”

They also considered the fact that Sterling’s desk was shared by other Marines.

“The implication is clear – the junior Marine sharing the desk and the other Marines coming to the desk for assistance would be exposed to biblical quotations in the military workplace,” the court declared. “It is not hard to imagine the divisive impact to good order and discipline that may result when a service member is compelled to work at a government desk festooned with religious quotations.”

Festooned with religious quotations?

Attorney Berry points out that other Marines were allowed to decorate their desks. However, the lower courts refused to allow that evidence to be admitted. And at the time of the incident – Sterling was not sharing a desk.

“This was a conflict between her and her supervisor,” he told me. “Her supervisor clearly said she did not like the tone of the Bible verses.”

What? If I were going into battle and the person beside me quoted that scripture, even if I didn't know it was scripture, I would be grateful to have someone with such an attitude beside me. I think her supervisor needs some help.

Berry said the supervisor cursed at Sterling and ordered her to immediately remove the verses. She refused the order. The following day, she discovered the verses had been removed and thrown in the trash.

The references here are to 'verses' - plural! Were there other verses that aren't being shared with us? Because there is hardly anything offensive in the least to the verse quoted above. It doesn't include the Name of Jesus, nor even of God. What possible way could that offend anyone?

“Adding insult to injury, the government charged her with the crime of failing to obey a direct order because she did not remove the Bible verse,” Berry said.

Which is exactly what she did, and she doesn't have a leg to stand on there, except that the order was frivolous and vexatious and should never have been given in the first place.

According to court documents, the military maintains the “verbiage” – “No weapon formed against me shall prosper” could “easily been seen as contrary to good order and discipline.” How absurd! It would make a great motto for a unit going into battle. I would love to hear an explanation of how this verse could possibly be seen as contrary to good order and discipline. 

“Maintaining discipline and morale in the military work center could very well require that the work center remain relatively free of divisive or contentious issues such as personal beliefs, religion, politics, etc.” And a small strip of paper taped to a computer exceeds what you would call 'relatively free'? Does that mean that a Muslim must shave his beard?

Liberty Institute attorney Hiram Sasser told me it was outrageous “that such a small strip of paper could so frighten a drill sergeant.”

“This is a very scary time when you are not allowed to have a very small printed Bible verse in your own personal workspace because it might offend other Marines,” Sasser told me. “Our Marines are trained to deal with some of the most hostile people on the planet. I don’t think they are afraid of tiny words on a tiny piece of paper.” Yea, verily, and Amen!

The Bible verse incident happened in May 2013. A few months later she was accused of failing to wear an appropriate uniform because of a medical condition.

Berry told me he believes the military was trumping up the charge sheet “to make it look that things were worse than they were.”

As it now stands – Sterling is unemployed and looking for work. It’s a process made harder because of the bad conduct discharge from the military.

Hopefully Liberty Institute will be able to restore this Christian Marine’s good name and expunge the charge.

Anything less could jeopardize the standing of every person of faith serving in the Armed Forces. Should that happen – God help us all.

A couple more deductions from this disgraceful story:

It seems to me that everyone involved was wrong in what they did/said, from Monifa, to her superior, to the judges who tried her. Everyone over reacted to what is an absurdly frivolous situation.

Monifa, God bless her for her Christian conviction, should have obeyed the order. Her refusal resulted in the rapid and spectacular escalation of the situation, and she is paying the price now. 

I admire people who stand up for their convictions, but, at the same time a person thoroughly committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ will have yielded their rights, all of their rights, to Him. This is how things get out of control when we Christians insist on our rights. Out of control, and out of the will of God. 

Hamas Committed Horrible War Crimes - and It's All Israel's Fault

Hamas Is Accused of Using Gaza War as Cover to Torture and Kill Palestinians

Gaza - last summer

By ISABEL KERSHNER and JODI RUDOREN

JERUSALEM — The militant group Hamas used last summer’s war with Israel in the Gaza Strip to carry out extrajudicial killings of at least 23 Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel and to torture dozens of others, including political rivals, Amnesty International charged in a report issued early Wednesday.

Air Strikes

In a reminder of the region’s churning tensions, the Israeli military launched predawn airstrikes on Gaza on Wednesday in response to a rocket fired from the coastal territory the night before.

The rocket landed near Gan Yavne, an Israeli town outside the port city of Ashdod, causing no injuries but puncturing the fragile calm that has mostly prevailed since the 50-day war ended last August.

Israel’s defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, said in a statement that the rocket had been fired by Islamic Jihad, not Hamas, the Islamic organization that controls the crowded coastal territory and has generally tried to enforce an informal cease-fire with Israel. But Mr. Yaalon said that Israel viewed Hamas as responsible. “It is in Hamas’s interest to act to rein in any attempt to fire at Israel,” he said. “Otherwise, we will be forced to act with greater force.”

Gaza residents awoke to the familiar sound of heavy bombardments for the first time in months. Palestinian news organizations reported that airstrikes hit mostly in the southern towns of Rafah and Khan Younis, and that training sites for the military wing of Hamas as well as Islamic Jihad were among the targets.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner of the Israeli military said in a statement, “The reality that Hamas’s territory is used as a staging ground to attack Israel is unacceptable and intolerable and will bear consequences.”

Executions

As the exchange threatened to reignite cross-border conflict, the Amnesty report focused on what happened within Gaza. It said that many of those executed in July and August were on trial at the time, having been charged with collaboration, or were awaiting the outcome of appeals against death sentences from a military court in Gaza on the same charges. Two had been convicted and were serving prison terms when they were killed.

“In the chaos of the conflict, the de facto Hamas administration granted its security forces free rein to carry out horrific abuses, including against people in its custody,” Philip Luther, the director of the Middle East and North Africa Program of Amnesty International, said in a statement. “These spine-chilling actions, some of which amount to war crimes, were designed to exact revenge and spread fear across the Gaza Strip.”

Hamas, which has not accepted responsibility for the killings, responded to the report by blaming Israel for creating a “situation of chaos” during the war. Mushir al-Masri, a spokesman for Hamas, said that Israel had attacked the Gaza security services, preventing them from managing Palestinian internal affairs properly.

“The Amnesty report about Hamas needs to be more precise,” Mr. Masri said in a telephone interview. “Hamas did not claim responsibility for the killing of collaborators during the war,” he said. “There was a press release issued by a group of Palestinian resistance factions. Hamas was not part of them.”

In reports published in recent months, Amnesty International accused Israel and the armed wing of Hamas of carrying out war crimes last summer. The human rights organization said that Israel had shown “callous indifference” by carrying out airstrikes on homes that killed many civilians.

Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas’s military wing, fired thousands of rockets and mortars indiscriminately toward civilian areas in Israel, according to Amnesty International, and also endangered Palestinian civilians by reportedly launching rockets from within civilian facilities, including schools and a hospital in Gaza.

We've known this for a long time, but to have it documented by Amnesty and publicized by the news media, has been a long time coming and a genuine surprise.

Nearly 2,200 Palestinians, including more than 500 children, were killed during the conflict, according to the United Nations, and more than 70 Israelis died, most of them soldiers.

On Aug. 22, one day after Israel displayed its intelligence capabilities by killing three top Hamas commanders in Gaza, up to 18 Palestinians were summarily executed in public in what was seen as a warning to the people of the Gaza Strip.

Masked Palestinian gunmen in black T-shirts and pants paraded seven of the suspected collaborators, handcuffed and hooded, to their deaths outside a downtown mosque as they knelt in hoods in front of a crowd of men, women, and children, the report says.

After weeks in which the militants had fought from the shadows, mostly keeping out of sight, the killings were meant to be photographed and publicized. Amnesty International said the killings were part of an operation in Gaza called Strangling Necks, aimed at instilling fear and settling scores.

One of those killed was Atta Najjar, a former police officer under the Palestinian Authority, which was overthrown by Hamas in Gaza in 2007. Amnesty said that Mr. Najjar, who had a mental disability, was arrested in 2009 and convicted of collaborating with Israel, and had been serving a 15-year prison term imposed by a military court when he was dragged out and killed.

In addition, "perceived political opponents" of Hamas were abducted, tortured or assaulted - "particularly members of the rival Fatah party and former members of the Palestinian Authority security forces in Gaza".

"These abuses too were committed with impunity," the report says. "Committed with 'impunity' or with 'approval'"?

BBC Middle East correspondent Kevin Connelly says Hamas exercises undisputed authority within Gaza, and Amnesty's powerful report depicts an organisation responding to the relentless pressure of Israeli military operations with a brutal campaign against its own enemies within.

Amnesty called on the Palestinian authorities to "impartially and independently" investigate the allegations, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Like that's going to happen!

Majd Al Waheidi contributed reporting from Gaza. - Majd - get out of Gaza now!

If I were the Devil - Paul Harvey

And now, The Rest of the Story

What follows is a 3 minute radio broadcast by a man who was an institution in the USA, Paul Harvey.

Paul had a syndicated news broadcast that was unlike any other and a massive following. He also had another radio segment called 'The Rest of the Story'. 

The Rest of the Story might be about almost anything. He often knitted together fascinating facts that seemed unrelated until he tied it all together at the end. Frequently he talked about historical events giving little known but remarkable background vignettes.

His writing was brilliant, his voice was unusual but pleasant to the ear. He had a perspective that is thoroughly lacking in America today. This recording, If I were the Devil, is just such an example. It was recorded 49 years ago:

If I were the Devil

Also, from the cold war era, and dove-tailing nicely with Paul Harvey's story, came this manifesto of Communist strategies for taking over the world, America in particular. It makes fascinating, if not frightening reading.

Cold war 

Johnny Depp Deep in Doggy Doo Doo

Johnny Depp could face 10 years in prison for 

taking his dogs to Australia

Johnny Depp might be heading to prison. Photo: Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP

The Oscar-nominated actor has been threatened with a lengthy sentence after failing to declare his pets when flying to the country

Benjamin Lee

After illegally bringing his two dogs to Australia, Johnny Depp could face up to 10 years behind bars.

That would be something! Johnny Depp in prison. I see remakes of Shawshank Redemption, etc, in the future.

Wonder if he will show up in court as Captain Jack Sparrow? Maybe wrap his arm around the judge and share his rum with him... Probably not!

The actor, who is currently filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, landed himself in trouble earlier this month when he brought his two Yorkshire terriers to the country on his private jet. He failed to declare them and therefore broke the country’s quarantine laws.

On 25 May, an Australian senate committee was told that if it goes to court, Depp could receive a sentence of up to 10 years in prison or a maximum fine of AU$340,000 (£172,000). The pilot could also face up to two years behind bars for his role in the situation.

Officials have referred to the case as “very serious”.

The story originated when pictures of Depp taking his dogs to the local groomer surfaced on social media and authorities warned that the dogs would be put down unless they were flown out of the country in the following two days.

Depp’s wife Amber Heard has since returned to California with the dogs, named Pistol and Boo. Recent reports suggested that Depp had left the set of the fifth Pirates movie to be with them but his publicist has since denied this.

As much as I love watching Depp perform, he is quite extraordinary, I'm happy that he has the opportunity to learn that you are not above the law just because you're Johnny Depp. This is the same privileged attitude used by other 'stars' to justify all sorts of disgusting behaviour. I hope Depp learns that kind of humility quickly; he will be a better actor and a better person if he does.

German Court Upholds Ruling that "Death to Zionists" Really Means "Death to Jews"

Taylan Can

Elder of Ziyon

Last year during the Gaza war there were a number of antisemitic rallies in Germany that shocked even members of Germany's Left.

In January, a leader of one such rally held in Essen, Taylan Can, was convicted of hate speech for saying "Death to Zionists." At that rally, the haters threw bottles at a pro-Israel demonstration, chanted  "Adolf Hitler" and said "F--- Jews" as well as "“Scheiss Juden!” (“Jewish s--t”).

That same leader had been known to chant "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas."

I'm not sure if this video is of that same rally, but it was also in Essen:

The judge said that when demonstrators said "Death to Zionists" they really meant "Death to the Jews." He sentenced the leader to three months probation and a small fine of 200 euros. He emphasized that criticizing Israel is okay but what they did was way over the line and was hate speech and incitement.

Taylan Can appealed the verdict. Observers were skeptical that the ruling would be upheld.

Last week, the Appeals Court indeed upheld the ruling and in fact increased his sentence to ten months probation.

Yes! Good decision Appeals Court. Bless you!

Two More Indian Wedding Adventures

Indian bride elopes with another man on wedding day

Gulf News
BY LATA RANI, CORRESPONDENT

Patna, India: A bride eloped with her boyfriend on the day of her wedding in Bihar, forcing the groom to return home empty-handed.

The woman had been in love with her relative for a long time, but her family members had arranged a marriage to someone else against her wishes, reports said.

The bizarre incident took place at Hajipur town in Vaishali district, some 50km north of Bihar capital Patna, on Sunday but was reported in local media on Tuesday.

Reports said the daughter of a police officer was expected to marry Jitendra Kumar, son of Niranjan Das, from the central Indian state of Chhatisgarh.

As per the scheduled programme, a marriage procession reached a hotel in Hajipur town on Sunday for the solemnisation of the marriage. Most of the guests and relatives had arrived at the venue and the preparations were on for garland exchange ceremony. In the meantime, power at the marriage venue suddenly went off for a moment. Taking advantage of the situation, the girl dressed in her bridal attire fled with her boyfriend, identified as Prince, an engineering student, on a bike.

Patna, India

As all efforts to locate her went in vain, the groom eventually rushed to the local Hajipur town police station and reported the matter to the police. He registered a case against three people, charging them with helping his would-be bride to flee.

Acting on his complaint, the police launched extensive search operations in the area and were finally found the eloping couple.

On Monday, the girl appeared in a local court where her statement was recorded. The two lovers were still in police custody. In her statement, the woman said they loved each other and wanted to live together.

Her boyfriend gave a similar statement.

“We love each other very much and want to marry,” her boyfriend told the police.

I wonder what charges could be brought against them? 

These are the fourth and fifth Indian wedding adventures I have brought to you this year. These tragi-comic stories help prevent India from becoming a destination for weddings. 

The first story was about the groom who had a seizure at the altar and so his bride married a guest; there was the rejected bride on a hunger strike outside the grooms family home; there was the bride who rejected her groom at the altar for being illiterate. And now, this unfortunate piece...

Patna

In another related incident, a groom was shot dead by unidentified criminals in Buxur district of Bihar on Tuesday evening just when the preparations were going on for garland exchange ceremony.

He was rushed to a local government hospital where the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Belgium: Jihadis Threaten to Kill Antwerp Mayor if He Doesn’t Convert to Islam

Bart De Wever - Mayor of Antwerp, Belgium

BY ROBERT SPENCER

Well, you see, he provoked them. If he had just kept his mouth shut, all would be well…wouldn’t it?

(Yes, folks, that is sarcasm. The idea of tiptoeing around so as not to offend Islamic jihadists is a recipe for surrender and subjugation.)

“Convert to Islam or Die! 

Mayor of Antwerp Given Ultimatum by Extremists,” 

Sputnik International

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – Islamic extremists in Belgium have publicly threatened to kill the mayor of the Belgian city of Antwerp, Bart De Wever, if he does not convert to Islam, local media reported Monday.

A sign written in French stating threats against de Wever, who is also the head of the nationalist political party the New Flemish Alliance, was placed on one of the main squares of Antwerp. Experts are currently assessing the seriousness of the action and the message.

“I always warned that we will not get rid of the threat from Islamic extremists in the near future. This was ignored for years. This wound became apparent now with [the current developments in] Syria and will fester for a long time before we will get rid of it,” de Wever said.

Throughout his political career, De Wever has repeatedly received threats. The Belgian government has provided him with security guards at state expense.

In the light of advance of the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist group in the Middle East and a number of ISIL-inspired terrorist attacks in Europe, the European Union is currently seeing a surge in anti-Islamization sentiment.

How big a surge? I would like to hear more about this. Is there yet a glimmer of hope for Europe?

According to September 2014 statistics from Belgium’s Ministry of Interior, between 300 and 350 Belgians have gone to fight alongside the ISIL in Iraq and Syria since 2012.

Young, Mentally-ill Druggie Burns a Few Papers - Muslims Go Nuts Again

Pakistan: Muslims set Christian colony ablaze over 

new blasphemy charges

MAY 25, 2015 12:47 PM 
BY ROBERT SPENCER

PAKISTAN_Christian
Those who are saying that non-Muslims should never intentionally provoke Muslims don’t realize that Islamic supremacists in places like Pakistan, where they have the upper hand, seize on even the most innocuous actions as provocations, and commit violence accordingly. 

If non-Muslims start to pattern their behavior 

according to what does not offend Muslims, 

before too long they will find themselves 

submitting to Sharia altogether.

2012 Anglican church and school burning in Madan, Pakistan

“Lahore, Muslims set Christian colony ablaze: new charges of blasphemy,”
by Jibran Khan, Asia News,

Lahore (AsiaNews) – Churches looted and vandalized; houses looted and then set on fire; residents threatened with death.

Late yesterday afternoon an angry mob of Muslims attacked the Christian colony Dhup Sarri Lahore (Punjab province), after rumors  spread of a young Christian having committed an act of blasphemy. The fate of the accused, Humayun Masih, is unknown. The police tried to contain the riots, but many police officers were injured. A team of rangers is on site to control the situation.

Rev. Riaz Arif, from the Protestant church of St. Joseph Sanda, said: “Yesterday afternoon some Muslims saw Humayun Masih burn some papers containing sacred verses. The youth is mentally unstable and a drug addict, but a group of people took him and brought him to the police station of Gulshan Ravi to file a complaint. Given his condition, the officers did not take the issue seriously. ”

At that point, the pastor continued, “some Muslim religious leaders gathered a crowd and spread the news. The situation became increasingly tense: Muslims blocked the road in protest against Christians demanding  Humayun be burned alive. The attack took place between 5-6pm”

The police intervened to stop the riots, using tear gas, but with little success. Even the deputy inspector general of police was injured.

Kudos to the Lahore police who, courageously, 

did all the right things. You are my heroes today.

The Catholic church in the area was attacked; Bibles and religious books were burned. Some Christians have fled, others are still locked in their homes.

Fr. John Arshad, a priest of the Dhup Sarri Catholic church, explains: “I was doing my regular rounds after Sunday mass, when I received the news of a Christian man assaulted and taken to the police station. Together with Rizwan Paul and Malik Jahangir I went there, but when I arrived I saw Muslims vandalize and destroy everything that was in the church. I also heard gunshots. From what I know Humayun Masih is mentally unstable and in the custody of the police. ”

In the hours after the attack news that the Christian had been killed spread. However, the priest adds, “I cannot confirm anything, the situation is still uncertain.”

On 15 March in Lahore two bombers blew themselves up at the entrance of two Christian churches in the Youhanabad colony.

First, Afghanistan Muslims go berserk when a Muslim scholar was wrongly accused of burning a Quran and subsequently murdered with astonishing brutality. Now Pakistani Muslims react with similar insanity to the actions of a mentally disturbed drug addict, and trash a good part of a Christian community. In this case religious leaders incited the crowd. They must be held accountable for all the destruction they caused.

Afghanistan and Pakistan represent well over 200 million people, almost all of whom are Muslims and almost all of whom are living on the edge of sanity. A lie, a mere suggestion, is all it takes to push them over the edge. 

Western countries are importing these potential lunatics at breath-taking rates. It's like pulling the pin on a hand-grenade then hoping it doesn't go off. It will go off! It's just a matter of time and a tiny spark.

Who Actually Won the Cold War? And Can We Lose It Again?

A most extraordinary book has recently been brought to my attention by a reader. The book examines what the author presents as a communist blueprint for overcoming all non-communist countries. The book is genuine, was read into the Congressional Record in 1963, and reveals the staggering effectiveness of Soviet strategy in America.

It also may reveal just how vulnerable the west is to such clandestine activities. Communism was rampant in post-McCarthy universities, that was obvious to the naked eye. But political correctness in the desire of not being seen as McCarthy-like, allowed communists to effect many of the goals set out in the manifesto.

From Wikipedia

The Naked Communist is a 1958 book by an ex FBI agent, United States author political theorist Cleon Skousen.

The Naked Communist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Naked Communist
The Naked Communist.jpg
Author W. Cleon Skousen
Country United States
Language English
Genre Non-fiction
Published 1958, 2014 (Izzard Ink Publishing)
Pages 398
ISBN 978-1630720797
Dewey Decimal 335.4 22
LC Class HX44 .S5585 2009

The author posits and seeks to describe a geopolitical strategy by which the Marxist–Leninist Soviet Union was attempting to overcome and control all the governments of the world that were not members of the Communist bloc. At the time that the book was published, during the Cold War, fear of communism was common among people in non-communist nations.

Skousen's list of communist goals contained in the book was read into the Congressional Record by U.S. Congressman Albert S. Herlong, Jr. of Florida, on January 10, 1963.

President Ronald Reagan said of the book: "No one is better qualified to discuss the threat to this nation from communism. You will be alarmed, you will be informed and you'll be glad you heard him (W. Cleon Skousen)."

As you read the remarkable list below, consider replacing the word 'Communist' with 'Muslim'. You will find, to your horror, I expect, that most of them have not only been accomplished by Communism, even long after the Cold War, but that many of them are currently being accomplished by groups like The Muslim Brotherhood, The Muslim Students Assoc., The Muslim Teachers Assoc., etc., etc.

I suspect Muslims read this book and thought, "what a great idea! Let's do this in America and all across Europe!" Meanwhile, our political correctness plays right into their hands. Islam may well conquer all of the west without firing a shot and with our help. Our consolation will be that at least we didn't look intolerant while handing our country over to Islam. Good night America.

The following is the list of Communist goals contained in 
The Naked Communist:

U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

Develop the illusion that total disarmament by the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces.

Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

Do away with all loyalty oaths.

Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

Gain control of all student newspapers.

Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

Control art critics and directors of art museums.

Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture—education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat.

Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity, masturbation and easy divorce.

Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use "united force" to solve economic, political or social problems.

Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

Internationalize the Panama Canal.

Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.

The Goering You Never Knew

Accidental Talmudist

A Tale of Two Brothers, or Proof that Heredity is Not Destiny

My hero of the week - Hermann Goering's brother

Hermann Goering was Hitler’s right-hand man and the founder of the Gestapo - may that monster suffer true justice for his deeds.

Albert Goering was Hermann’s younger brother. While his maniacal sibling was killing Jews, Albert worked tirelessly to save them.

The Goering brothers, only two years apart, grew up in a Bavarian castle. From an early age, the two were obviously different. Hermann was bold, confident and obsessed with war games; Albert was shy and thoughtful.

Later, Hermann would tell a psychiatrist from his Nuremberg cell, “Albert was always the antithesis of myself."

In the 1930’s, ruthless Hermann rose in the ranks of the Nazi party to become Hitler’s top military commander.

Albert was strongly opposed to Nazism and left Germany in protest. He moved to Vienna, where he worked in the film industry and counted Jews among his closest friends.

As Hermann's campaign against the Jews intensified, so did Albert’s determination to help them.

In Vienna, Albert once came upon a group of Nazi thugs, who had put a sign around an old woman’s neck proclaiming “I am a Jewish sow.” A crowd gathered to mock the woman.

Albert pushed through the mob, and punched two Gestapo officers to save the woman. His life might have ended right there, as the crowd turned on him. The SS men demanded to see his papers.

When they saw his name, they escorted him to safety in deference to Hermann.

When Albert’s Jewish friends in Vienna were arrested by the Nazis, Albert again used his unique position to save them.

He forged documents, using his brother’s name, to help longtime pal Jacques Benbassat escape to Switzerland, and used his influence to get his former boss Oskar Pilzer, and Pilzer’s entire family, freed. Again and again, he saved Jewish lives.

Whole families owe their present existence to Albert. He saved many Jews by sending trucks to Nazi concentration camps with requests for workers. Once aboard, the trucks would take them into a forest and allow them to escape.

After the war, Albert was imprisoned at Nuremberg and interrogated for fifteen months. Nobody believed his story until 34 Jews he’d rescued submitted sworn statements on his behalf.

He was freed, but soon found that his name made him an unemployable pariah. Albert sank into depression and alcoholism, surviving on a small government pension and food packages sent by Jews he had saved.

He died in obscurity in 1966.

Albert’s wartime heroism was unknown until documents were recently unearthed in British archives showing that he saved hundreds of Jews.

For proving that it is our choices that define us, and not our relatives, we honor Albert Goering as this week’s Thursday Hero at Accidental Talmudist.

He is also my hero of the week. You deserved a better end, Albert; I hope you got it eventually.

God Outlawed at Vegas School

My hero for today, God bless you Mackenzie

Mackenzie Fraiser

Check update at bottom

Todd Starnes 
Fox News & Commentary

Mackenzie Fraiser is 12-years-old. She’s a sixth grader at Somerset Academy, a charter school in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Mackenzie is also a Christian.

In February, she was instructed by her technology teacher to create a PowerPoint demonstration about her life. One of the requirements was to include a slide with an inspirational message.

So Mackenzie decided to use a Bible verse – specifically John 3:16. That familiar passage reads: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

But the teacher had a problem with Mackenzie’s inspirational message.  She explained to the class that none of the students would be allowed to use any Bible verses or quotations from the Book of Mormon.

The message was clear – you cannot be inspired by religion.

Mackenzie, whose father is a pastor, told me she was terribly disappointed and concerned.

“When I was told I couldn’t use a Bible verse, I was afraid I was doing something wrong,” she said.

So Mackenzie obeyed the teacher’s edict and settled for a mundane secular saying.

A few months later, the little girl received another assignment. This time, she was told to address the topic of self-esteem.

She discussed the assignment with her parents, Tim and Kate Fraiser. They suggested she acknowledge she derives her self-esteem from having been made in the image of God.

It was at that point, Mackenzie said she would not be allowed to mention the Almighty. Her teacher had once again barred any reference to faith in the technology classroom.

Tim thought his daughter must have been mistaken. Perhaps she misunderstood the teacher’s directive? So he fired off an email to the school seeking clarification.

The message he received was jaw dropping. The school confirmed that that teacher told students to refrain from using religious references. They said she was simply following “school law expectations.”

“The U.S. Department of Education states that students have the right to engage in voluntary prayer or religious discussion free from discrimination, but that does not include the right to have a captive audience listen or compel other students to participate,” read the email from Assistant Principal Jenyan Martinez.

“When Mackenzie created the project with the expectation she would present the Biblical saying to the class, the matter became one of having a captive audience that would be subject to her religious beliefs,” she added. “Had the assignment been designed to simply hand in for a grade, this would not have been an issue.”

The Fraisers contacted Liberty Institute, a religious liberty law firm that specializes in these sorts of legal disputes.

“Government officials telling little girls they can’t mention God is not the law,” said Liberty Institute President Kelly Shackelford. “It’s unlawful discrimination and it’s morally wrong.”

Liberty Institute attorney Jeremy Dys is representing the family. He said the U.S. Department of Education clearly permits students to use Bible verses in class assignments.

“If a school official tells students that their beliefs cannot be expressed in class assignments, it teaches them that religion is bad,” Dys told me. “This case really demonstrates why it is important to protect religious liberty."

They’ve given the school 10 days to remedy the situation – and that includes an apology and a promise not to censor religious content in assignments.

So here's what needs to happen. Somerset Academy needs to follow the law. They need to allow Mackenzie to redo her assignment with the Bible verses. And they need to apologize. If they fail to do so, the federal government should revoke their funding.

A few weeks ago the Department of Education threatened to withhold funding for any public school that did not protect the rights of transgender students. I believe schools should be held to the same standard for religious students.

UPDATE: Somerset Academy issued a formal written apology to 12-year-old Mackenzie Fraiser late Friday for denying her the right to use a Bible verse in a class assignment.

School officials have now agreed to allow the sixth-grader to resubmit her original project, this time with her favorite Bible verse -- John 3:16 -- included.

Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is "God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values." Follow Todd on Twitter@ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook. 

Alberta MPP Suspended After Just 17 Days

Deborah Drever is suspended from the NDP caucus just 17 days after the provincial election.

Latest 'homophobic' social media blunder is one too many for Alberta's new government

Pictured is a portion of the Deborah Drever Instagram post objected to by Alberta
premier-designate Rachel Notley. (Instagram)

CBC News 

Deborah Drever, the recently elected Alberta member of the legislature for Calgary-Bow, has been suspended from the NDP caucus after another controversial social media post emerged.


The photo, posted on Instagram, features former premier Jim Prentice and interim Alberta PC leader Ric McIver. Underneath the image, a user with the name drevfever posted the comment "Gay boyz."

Deborah Drever is featured being sexually assaulted on the album cover of the metal band Gatekrashor. (Gatekrashör/Facebook) Sorry. I cannot lower myself enough to post this picture.

"I apologize to all Albertans for the homophobic statements contained in this image, which are completely contrary to the views of our party and our future government," said premier-designate Rachel Notley in a statement.

Drever's troubles started almost immediately after winning her northwest Calgary seat in the May 5 election, when photos emerged of her posing next to a T-shirt emblazoned with marijuana leaves, and another from her Facebook account of someone giving the finger to the Canadian flag.

Soon after, a heavy metal album cover emerged featuring Drever posing as a victim of a sexual assault.

"I hope Ms. Drever will take to heart our conversation earlier this week about her responsibility to speak out clearly on issues of violence against women, and homophobia," said Notley in her announcement of Drever's suspension.

"If she does so as part of her duties to her constituents, I'll review this matter in the coming year and consider whether she has a future in our caucus."

Alberta politics is amazing

For you non-Canadians, the NDP - New Democratic Party is Canada's left wing party in both federal and provincial politics. This is the first time the NDP have ever been elected, or have even elected more than a few MPPs in Alberta, which has had a Conservative government for 40 years. 

Another small-c conservative government was waiting in the wings to take over, but the charismatic leader of The Wild Rose party, Danielle Smith, abandoned her party with a few friends and crossed the floor to the Conservatives just a few months before the election. Had she not displayed that spectacular error in judgment, she would be the Premier designate today. She is now completely out of politics having lost her own seat.

Drever has, in just over two weeks, managed to make Danielle Smith look good. Her judgment is way beyond questionable, it is non-existent. If she had any real decency, she would resign and crawl into a hole somewhere. But, if she had any real decency, she wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

I have little hope for an NDP government to lead Alberta effectively without destroying its character. But Rachel Notley has a good pedigree and presents herself very well. Her suspension of Drever is quite encouraging and gives me some glimmer of hope for the future of Canada's richest province.

Drever will sit in the legislature as an Independent. 

ISIL Members Decry Nepotistic Suicide Bomber Wait-list

They demand equal opportunity to blow themselves up

In the 'Is Islam really that insane?' category...

A soldier stands at the site of a suicide attack in Irbil, capital of the semi-
autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq that took place near the city's
historic citadel on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014

If you are prone to dark humour, you may find this article hysterically funny.

Davide Mastracci
National Post

Saudi militants in ISIL are using nepotism to ensure friends and family members get bumped to the top of suicide bombing wait lists, according to a frustrated Chechen militant.

In a recent post on a website believed to be linked to a Chechen ISIL battalion, Kamil Abu Sultan ad-Daghestani complained that Chechens are being robbed of their hard-earned chance to blow themselves up because of the Saudis.

Abu Sultan noted that connections are the only way to skip the line to become a suicide bomber. This non-merit based process, according to Abu Sultan, has resulted in ISIL fighters issuing complaints to their leaders.

Abu Sultan wrote that one of these fighters told his leader, “Those Saudis have got things sewn up. They won’t let anyone in. They are letting their relatives go to the front of the line using blat (connections).”

A recent ISIL guidebook explicitly mentioned the high supply of suicide bombers, telling potential “martyrs” to be patient after their training period, as they’d have to deal with a waiting list.

Abu Sultan said the lengthy waiting list, which can reach up to several months, leads to some ISIL fighters dying before getting the chance to kill themselves.

So, apparently, there will never be any shortage of suicide bombers in Islam. Those of us who had been hoping they might run out one day can forget that dream. The propaganda of the demonic leaders of ISIL is so easily and completely accepted by a hapless, deluded people, that suicide bombers will be with us until Jesus comes, literally.

One of the great ironies of Muslim suicide bombers is that they believe they are martyrs, when in fact, they will wake up in Hell, and the people they just murdered will be the real martyrs.

Another irony is that one way of countering suicide bombing is to tell the poor fools the truth (see preceding sentence). However, that can't happen without insulting Islam. No government in the world is prepared to insult Islam by stating the obvious - 

Islam is Satanic!

Some of these militants have become so desperate to get to the top of the list that they’ve travelled to different areas of the battlefield in hopes of speeding up the process, according to Abu Sultan, who was told one of these stories by the head leader of Chechen ISIL militants, Abu Omar al-Shishani.

“Amir (leader) al-Shishani told me about a young lad who went to Iraq for a suicide mission, and he went there because in Sham (Syria) there is a very long queue (of several thousand people).”

The fighter, Kabir Ahmed, was in Syria during the time of the interview, and told the BBC that he was trying to “get his name pushed up the list.”

Ahmed’s efforts were successful after a move to Iraq, where he killed himself and a senior police official during a suicide-bombing mission in November.

A death by suicide bombing is in high demand for tactical reasons, not theological ones, according to Thomas Pierret of the University of Edinburgh.

Pierret says that while death on the battlefield or by suicide bombing are both perceived to be martyrdom operations by ISIL fighters, suicide bombings are preferred due to the amount of damage they can inflict.

“In my view, the tactical advantage of suicide VBIEDs [vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices] largely outweighs their symbolic or propaganda value, hence (ISIL)’s heavy reliance on them,” Pierret said in an interview with Radio Free Europe.

VBIED’s played a role in ISIL’s recent takeover of Ramadi.