Monday, February 10, 2020

Hunter Biden is a nepotistic slouch compared to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2020/01/28/hunter-biden-slouch-compared-ivanka-trump-and-jared-kushner/4594904002/


Opinion: When it comes to using a family connection to rake in the dough, Biden is a sad and sorry slacker compared to the president’s daughter and son-in-law.


 

Moral equivalence and Donald Trump

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/09/10/moral-equivalence-and-donald-trump/

It was Kirkpatrick who in 1985 wrote an essay revered on the right called, “The Myth of Moral Equivalence.
To encourage more conservatives to speak out, I offer a few excerpts from Kirkpatrick’s essay:
“To destroy a society it is first necessary to delegitimize its basic institutions so as to detach the identifications and affections of its citizens from the institutions and authorities of the society marked for destruction.”
“An alliance among democracies is based on shared ideals. The process of delegitimization is, therefore, an absolutely ideal instrument for undermining an alliance, as well as for undermining a government. The NATO alliance among democracies simply cannot survive a widespread conviction among its members that there is no difference between the superpowers. It is not necessary to demonstrate that the Soviet Union is flawed, or deplorable. To destroy the alliance, it is only necessary to deprive the citizens of democratic societies of a sense of shared moral purpose which underlies common identifications and common efforts.”
 

Aharon Ramati, suspected cult leader, insists he 'didn't hold anyone by force'

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/275799

 In an interview with Kikar Hashabbat, Ramati discussed both the money laundering charge, as well as the charge that he ran a cult.
"There is a G-d in the world, and He's in charge," Ramati said. "Every idiot understands that everything happening right now is far from normal. Now, all of a sudden, they remembered something from five years ago, when all the others involved have long since been tried."
He added that "it's clear to everyone" that he is being persecuted.

Sunday, February 9, 2020

They've got to go': Alan Dershowitz blasts Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/275757

Prominent American jurist and member of President Donald Trump’s legal defense team Alan Dershowitz excoriated congressional Democratic leaders on Sunday, saying the top Democrats in the House and Senate “have to go”.
Speaking on John Catsimatidis’ radio show Sunday, Dershowitz, a life-long Democrat who joined President Trump’s legal defense team during the impeachment proceedings, said his party was in need of new leadership, adding that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY-D) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (CA-D) should be replaced.
“I think they need new leadership. I think Schumer and Pelosi have to go. Schumer because of his history of lying. You know, Pelosi actually called for me to be disbarred ... because I had persuaded some senators” said Dershowitz.

Rick Wilson: Trump Deserves The Title Of Traitor | The 11th Hour | MSNBC





https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/traitors-donald-trump-republican-party-922194/

Steve Bannon and Bill Maher Go Head-to-Head | Real Time (HBO)


Gaetz reacts to Trump firing impeachment witnesses Sondland, Vindman


Rick Wilson - Being an Anti-Trump Conservative and “Running Against the Devil” | The Daily Show


Sunday Reading: All the President’s Men

https://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/sunday-reading-all-the-presidents-men

 In 1972, the journalist David Halberstam published his classic work “The Best and the Brightest,” which chronicles the missteps of a group of White House advisers who, against the advice of career State Department employees, advocated dubious foreign-policy strategies and ultimately helped lead America into a lengthy war in Vietnam. When both the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations appointed their foreign-policy staff, Halberstam writes, the process came down to “a search not for the most talent, the greatest brilliance, but for the fewest black marks, the fewest objections.” The judgment and wisdom of those within a President’s inner circle are often crucial not only to the health of the Presidency but to the progress and stability of the nation. This week, we’re bringing you a selection of pieces about some of Donald Trump’s most influential advisers. In “Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of Trump,” Susan B. Glasser describes how the evangelical Pompeo became one of the President’s loyal soldiers, and, in “Audience of One,” she explores Lindsey Graham’s position as Trump’s advocate and examines how flattery has played an increasing role in guiding the President’s foreign-policy decisions. In “William Barr, Trump’s Sword and Shield,” David Rohde writes about the Attorney General’s push to expand executive power, and recounts Barr’s role as a protector and warrior for Trump. Jeffrey Toobin reflects on how Rudolph Giuliani transformed from “America’s mayor” into an aggressive peddler of the President’s mix of falsehoods, exaggerations, and half-truths. In “John Bolton on the Warpath,” Dexter Filkins examines Bolton’s role when he was the national-security adviser and the measures he pushed during that period. Finally, in an excerpt from her new book, Andrea Bernstein chronicles Jared Kushner’s family history and considers his current role in his father-in-law’s Administration. Taken together, these pieces offer an illuminating portrait of the President’s inner circle.
 

IDF BLACKMAILING Jewess Into 6 MON.Jail!

BS"D

Israeli Army Now BLACKMAILING Lital bas Miriam:

Accept SIX MONTHS of Military Jail Without a Fight -- or Face Years in Jail in Without A Fair Trial


The Crusade to Terrorize Girls Into Army Enlistment Escalates Dramatically


14 Shvat, 5780 °°  Feb. 9, '20 

(This update is a revised and updated version of a previous post circulated last Thursday in the weekly email of the Coalition for Jewish Values.)


By Binyomin Feinberg,

FeinbergBinyomin@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~

To check for updates, on first view of this article, as well as throughout the week,  please visit https://saveHischildren.blogspot.com -

or/and see updates for month of Shvat '80:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lddXuWtrhFZxLVA4__PVS7Zo53zNRPk8Cz7nIfxSXBE

*********************
Refusenik Updates: 
*********************

LITAL BAS MIRIAM: 

1.  We've reported several times on Lital bas Miriam. She is a religious bas-Cohen from Tel-Aviv, who has been literally persecuted in Military Prison Four for four weeks, in the wake of her arrest at the airport on Jan. 13, '20. See:

https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2020/01/when-criminal-justice-is-truly-crimina.html


https://savehischildren.blogspot.com/2020/01/bascohen-resists-hegmonist-draft.html

http://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2020/01/when-criminal-justice-is-truly-criminal.html

http://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2020/01/from-behind-israeli-iron-curtain.html *

{* Rivka No'ah bas Yehudis is the name of the religious French immigrant girl in Prison Six.}


~~~

2.  Last Tuesday, Feb. 4, Lital had yet another military court hearing. Chillingly, the prosecution (i.e., the Army) wanted to hit her with an extraordinarily brutal sentence. Just how long? Judging from the "compromise" that the Judge reportedly directed the prosecution to consider, the Army wanted to imprison Lital not - G-d forbid - for days, weeks, or even months -- but for YEARS!  We are informed by someone in the know that this is no ploy; the Army is apparently "out for blood."  It is our duty to ensure that it's not her blood - or that of any innocent person - that they get.

3.  An important question here is: why is the Israeli Army trying to impose such a draconian punishment on this non-violent, 26 y/o "threat to national security?"  Granted, according to the Army, Lital is long-term "draft-dodger," [sic] -- being "absent for years" from the military - in which enlistment is strictly prohibited by Jewish Law, to the extent we are all required to give up our lives to ensure girls are not drafted. But why a sentence so extraordinary brutal?

4.  Clearly, the extraordinary length of the desired sentence appears to be indicative of the Army motivation operative here. It's not that they're prosecuting and persecuting this young lady IN SPITE OF of her dedication to the Torah prohibition against enlistment in the notoriously promiscuous Israeli military. In that case, they would temper their vindictiveness with a veneer of token lucidity. Rather, it's precisely BECAUSE of her steadfast dedication to safeguarding her purity and her religious values that the Israeli Army is persecuting Lital.

[Be aware that perhaps over a fifth of the roughly 55-60 girls(!) now incarcerated in Israeli military prisons are conscripts imprisoned because they wanted to shift to alternative positions in the Army.  When they finish their sentence, they often get what they want. Contrast that treatment with the antireligious abuse of girls who are religious objectors.]

5.  Moreover, not only does the Army aim to break Lital, they also want to terrorize many other girls and women standing up to the Army's crusade to force women into the immoral, exploitative military. Clearly, this young lady  has been targeted to serve as a sacrificial lamb, a "Korban," to "Maitav" (the Draft Office), in order to strike terror into the hearts of even some of the strongest, most devoted girls and women resisting the Army draft.

6.  That's not all. Last Tuesday, the Judge directed the prosecution to strike a "compromise" with the defense. That "compromise" reportedly involves imposing a "settlement" on Lital - that requires she agree to a staggering SIX MONTHS in Military Prison, without even allowing her a chance to fight for her religious and human rights in court.

7.  In essence, this "compromise offer" itself is judicial blackmail: either agree to a half a year without fighting for your rights, or else face the tyranny of years in Military Prison, all without the chance to a fair fight in court (see posts above). Or else, give up and enlist to serve the male officers in the IDF as "Mizron Tzahali."

Moreover, the litany of illicit and illegal actions of the Draft Office, and the Prison System, all provide additional clarification as to why the government is blackmailing Lital into giving up before even beginning her legal battle in earnest: they don't want all of their illegalities and corruption involved in this case to be exposed to the Free World. In other words, the government is acting like guilty bullies normally act: they terrorize the victim commensurate with their guilt, in order to cover it up. (This pattern of malfeasance should be familiar to those who've dealt with child molesters and similar criminals.)

Plea-deals often make sense - for guilty people. But this is plain judicial tyranny.

8.  Above all, this travesty is a clear case of the Army terrorizing an innocent religious woman for remaining steadfast in her adherence to the Torah prohibition against enlistment in the immoral, exploitative military.  If this abomination would be perpetrated anywhere else in the world, we'd call it what it is: Jew-Hatred, of the worst sort.

It's noteworthy that Lital is a "Bas-Cohen" (the daughter of a Cohen, descending from priestly lineage). The last time the precursors of the ruling antireligious Hellenistic Establishment tried forcing a Bas Cohen into a similarly repugnant arrangement  - with a Greek officer ("Hegmon") - over 2,100 years ago - we procured a new Holiday (Chanukah). That occurred in the wake of the bloody Civil War triggered by the priestly brothers of Yehudis. Her brothers, and the many Jews who joined them,  opted to fight, and ultimately defeat the enemy, rather than let their sisters and daughters be treated as "Mizron Yevani."

9.  As explained in previous posts, all of this torment struck Lital in the wake of her naively submitting to a Religiosity Interview ("Rayon Dat") over seven years ago, around the the time she finished school. At that time, the (female) Draft Officer tripped Lital up on a question about the Reading of the Torah, something from which women are generally exempt, by Jewish Law. It was a question that should not have even be asked. At this time, it appears that under the pretext of that, and perhaps some other similarly irrelevant questions, Maitav (the Draft Office) refused to provide Lital the religious exemption to which she was entitled. (See also: 

10.  Subsequently, Lital reportedly got mixed messages, and never got a conclusive picture of her final draft status. Like thousands of other girls, she never got any documentation to clarify her draft status one way or the other. Additionally, Lital was apparently misled by Border Police. Her family claims that immediately prior to her surprise-arrest at the airport in mid-January, she repeatedly checked with Israeli Border Police. They told her that she's ok to travel, without concern of her name being on the list of non-exempted girls. When she arrived at the airport, they arrested her, to the shock of her parents.

Did Israeli Border Police intentionally give Lital misinformation to ambush her? If so, that would explain why the Army consistently refuses to comply with the government requirement that the Army notify the girls shortly after they submit their religiosity certification.  This way, they can entrap girls anytime the opportunity presents itself, and then use the threat of extended incarceration in the brutal military prison environment as blackmail - to force religious girls into the Army, all in flagrant violation of the Torah.

11.  Lital's next hearing is set to be held this coming Monday, Feb. 10 (Parshas Yisro). Prior to that, Lital is expected to make a THIRD visit to an Army officer who could potentially help arrange for a military-service exemption.  The previous two visits failed to help her, however. It's quite apparent that they're all playing games, with her life on the line.

12.  In addition, it was reported that her right of communication (already severely limited) has been [illegally] impeded by the prison authorities, on multiple occasions. How can Lital possibly ensure a semblance of a fair hearing and a proper arrangement of an exemption - especially when the stakes are so monumental - without the ability to communicate with whomever she needs to? 

13.  This barbaric, anti-Jewish abuse of an innocent young lady cannot be allowed to pass quietly. For instance, Gedolim in the past had helped organize womens' demonstrations against the government, over the drafting of girls.  It is so much more necessary, and so much more technically feasible nowadays.

~~~~~~~~~~

14.  Shockingly, there are currently approximately 55-60 girls and women imprisoned in Israeli Military Prison. True, not every imprisoned girl is necessarily in jail for refusing to serve in the Army. Some are incarcerated for other reasons (including seeking to be shifted to an alternative position in the military). But, regardless, the Israeli government has no right to enlist females; therefore they has no right to impose Army regimen on them. All the more so, they have no right to impose military incarceration.

15.  Ta'i ["Ta-ee"] bas Oshrah has been imprisoned in Military Prison Six in the North for over a week for her refusal to enlist in the Army.

16.  Another girl, Mai, was reportedly just released from Military Prison Four about a week ago, B"H.

17.  Another religious girl, Tal-Yah bas Liz, continues to languish in Military Prison Four for her refusal to serve in the Army. So far, she's been suffering there for an outrageous amount of time, about EIGHT weeks total.

18.  Another religious girl, an immigrant from France, Rivka No'a bas Yehudis, has been similarly incarcerated for an outrageous amount of time, (also) approaching TWO MONTHS, in Military Prison Six. She was notified that she will get an exemption from Army service, BE"H. However, despite that exemption, they insist on keeping her imprisoned until she completes the 12-day punitive sentence handed up Jan. 30.

Bear in mind that even though she ostensibly submitted her religiosity certification late, there is additional reason to have waived that minor technical infraction: she is much needed to care for her disabled father. Her father was severely injured in a car-crash two years ago, and still cannot walk or properly function on his own.

This persecution of girls with seriously ill parents or siblings is a consistently recurring theme in the narrative of female military incarceration in Israel. It's frequency really warrants a dedicated expose, perhaps entitled "Government Klinghoffer Syndrome."
~~~

19.  One of the outstanding questions here is:

Where are the ostensibly rightwing and religious Knesset members? Even just prior to a high-stakes election (a third consecutive election at that), they cannot muster the self-interest-impelled gumption to raise a massive alarm over these blatant and unrelenting evils, assaults against Jewish girls that threaten the very future of the Jewish People?

20. Another is: Is this genre of  anti-religious persecution of  Jewish women the price that righteous Israeli women must pay to ensure that ostensibly "rightwing" and religious "representatives" continue to hold seats in the Knesset? 

~~~
21.  Also see:

CREEP STATE:  Sexual Exploitation - Via Escalation of Religiosity-Interrogations

http://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2020/02/creep-state.html

Trump, Inc. Live


FULL The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 2/8/20 | MSNBC News February 8, 2020


My mom asked for a divorce. My dad made his mother his pension beneficiary — then killed himself. Now my mom and grandma are feuding. Who is right?