Reversing the Reconquista

(Gates of Vienna) Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for uploading this video:The CBN report below examines the ongoing re-Islamization of the Iberian Peninsula, as evidenced by the accelerating immigration of Muslims into Spain — and the exodus of well-educated middle-class Spaniards from the country. Based on recent surveys, most of the new arrivals have no intention of assimilating, but owe their primary loyalty to the Ummah. Absurd Lies about Cordoba Spain - Islamic Inquisition

Arabs boycotted Einstein lecture in Jerusalem in 1923

(EOZ) From the JTA Archives, February 9, 1923:

A very representative gathering of notables, with the exeption of the Arabs, gathered to hear Professor Albert Einstein lecture on his theory of relativity at the Hebrew University House on Mt. Scopus, Wednesday night. Prominent Arab residents declined the invitation presumably because they did not wish to honor the Jewish scientist.
Speaking in Hebrew, M. Ussishkin welcomed the Professor on behalf of the Jewish community. Prof. Einstein began his speech in Hebrew and continued in French evoking great enthusiasm, as he touched on the phases of his theory. Sir Herbert Samuel, the High Commissioner, thanked the Professor for his work in the interests of humanity. He added: "It is a good sign for the Hebrew University that the first lecture is delivered by the greatest physicist in the world".
Zionism is not only a spiritual movement. Its practical work in Palestine is of equal consequence, Prof. Einstein told a Jewish audience at a reception arranged by leading organization here. The address of welcome was delivered by David Yellin, President of the Council of Jerusalem Jews who handed the Professor an illuminated testimonial with the signatures of the representatives of Palestine Jewry.
"The international recognization of Zionism has strengthened my belief in its success", the Professor said in the course of his address.

This was two years before the official opening of Hebrew University in 1925, but it is considered the first lecture ever given there.
According to this book, the lecture was attended by "English, French, Americans, etc., Catholics, Protestants, Templars, and the majority: Jews."

That BDS thingy isn't terribly new

Saudis Sing It Too: Bomb Bomb Iran

(American-Interest) Over at The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg says that the “most consequential news from the Middle East today” is Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s promise to keep oil prices under $100 a barrel. Why does this matter? Argues Goldberg:

Because it clears the way for an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. I’m not suggesting coordination between Israel and Saudi Arabia on this, any more than I would ever suggest that Superpacs coordinate with presidential campaign staffs. I’m merely noting that one factor that inhibits Israel from striking at Iran is fear that an attack will cause Iran to retaliate against Persian Gulf shipping (among other things), which would cause oil prices to skyrocket, which would, of course, generate a fair amount of anger directed against Israel.

The “blame Israel first” crowd continues to interpret the Iran-US crisis as an example of a sinister Israel lobby pushing the US into a war to serve the ambitions of the Jewish state. Not only does this analysis miss the vital US interests at stake in the region and the threat Iran poses to a balance of power the United States needs, it misses the reality that for several years now some of the strongest, most consistent pressures on Washington to act against Iran have come from the Arab world.
The Arab Lobby’s strong pressure for war against Iran is a major factor in French, British and even German hawkishness as well in this crisis.
But the blame Israel firsters don’t care; if we have a war with Iran they will know who to blame.

McCain was right

Twitter Goes “Establishment” On Free Expression

(Brian Cuban) Twitter has announced they will begin deleting tweets at the request of certain countries.  This has caused an uproar from free speech advocates.  In reality, it simply brings Twitter in line with other major social media sites whose content interacts with the borders and laws of other countries who may not view free expression the same way we do here in the United States.
Note that in my title I used the phrase, “Free Expression” instead of “free speech” or “freedom of speech.”  I did this because there is a major difference in application.  Whether Twitter does or does not censor content in this country is  not a First Amendment  issue.  The First Amendment only applies to goverment restrictions on speech. Twitter is a private company and can restrict speech in any way it sees fit.   It is frankly surprising that Twitter has taken so long to recognize that speech does not occur in social media in a “free expression vacuum”
Prior to this announcement and after, Twitter will continue to be the most liberal platform in terms of free expression. It has virtually no restrictions on speech in it’s Terms of Service. Users are  allowed to be as racist, hateful and to a degree threatening as they like as long as the tweet does not constitute a “true threat” as defined by Twitter.
Conspicuously missing are the rules against certain types of “hate speech” that you see on Facebook, YouTube and other major sites even under the most vague definition of such content.  This has lead to a wild west atmosphere of ethnic, racial and pretty much any type of vile speech that can be imagined allowable as long as no U.S. laws are being broken and no true threat is made.  The problem Twitter  faces is that what is legal and allowable here may not be allowable if the tweet originated from another country that has hate speech laws in effect.  The must now strike a balance between growth in these countries and free expression. This is not a new dilemma.
eBay and Yahoo banned the buying and selling of Nazi memorabilia world wide even though it is not illegal in the United States but illegal in several countries in Europe.   For the last few years Facebook has blocked Holocaust Denial and other content in countries which such expression is illegal even though it is not illegal in this country under First Amendment principles
This was not a morality move nor a judgment on the nature of hate speech or other expression that may be illegal in other countries.  Twitter did not care about that before the decision and does not care now.  Twitter  simply wants worldwide growth and for it’s executives to stay out of foreign courts.   In order to accomplish that they have to take world wide morality and legal standards into account.  This move was inevitable and necessary to achieve that.  Welcome to the “Free Expression Establishment.”

The self righteous can now use the U.S postal service as a social network. It's a culture. One network isn't better then the other. It's what I've said for a while. Still, it is quite upsetting that twitter thinks an account from some Jihadist group is free expression, but are willing to muffle the expression of people in third world countries. From the start twitter didn't respect their own terms. They actually don't give a lot of energy towards justifying their arguments (yes I put them to the test... twitter thinks using twitterfeed is "architectural abuse")... but like you say... it's their network. right? so if that is the way it is... then perhaps we need to take the technology rights away from them. It would appear their innovation is getting in the way of the rights of others. Anti-Trust is the way to go.

The Palestinian refugees of 1936 were...Jews

(EOZ) Here are photos of Jewish houses in Tel Aviv  destroyed by Arabs of Jaffa at the outbreak of the "non-violent" riots in 1936:

Thousands of Jews were forced to flee their homes:

Some Jews were forced to move their belongings to a public park in Tel Aviv:

Here is a refugee camp near Rishon LeZion for the Jews who lost their homes during the riots.

All these photos were done by Zoltan Kluger.
(EOZ) found them at this Israeli photo archive website that just became public - although the website was created in 1998, and it shows.

US threatens to withhold aid to Egypt over NGO charges

(Fayza Abul Naga)

From WaPo (EOZ):

(Ray and Sam LaHood)

Nineteen Americans will face criminal charges as part of a probe of the funding of pro-democracy groups, Egyptian officials announced Sunday, a provocative move that could deprive Egypt of crucial aid from the United States and upend one of Washington’s most important bilateral relationships.
The development added pressure to an already strained relationship between Egypt’s ruling generals and the Obama administration. The targets of the investigation include well-connected A
merican groups, among them one led in Cairo by Sam LaHood, son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Sam LaHood reportedly was among those facing charges.
U.S. officials have sternly warned Cairo in recent days that the roughly $1.5 billion in aid earmarked for Egypt this year could be withheld if the politically charged investigation isn’t resolved quickly. But the tone of Sunday’s announcement suggested the Egyptian government is doubling down on what has become a high-stakes diplomatic dispute.
Fayza Abul Naga, Egypt’s minister for international cooperation, who is widely seen as the mastermind of the probe, said Sunday’s announcement should leave no doubt about the “government’s seriousness about discovering some of these groups’ plans to destabilize Egypt,” the state-owned newspaper al-Ahram reported on its Web site. The minister is among the few Mubarak loyalists who remain in the Egyptian cabinet.
Egypt has banned a number of non-government organizations’ workers, including LaHood, country director for the International Republican Institute, from leaving the country. Fearing they could be arrested, at least three of the Americans under investigation have sought shelter at the U.S. Embassy.
In response to pressure from Washington, Egyptian officials have said in recent days that they were unable to meddle in a judicial matter.
Local news reports said that in addition to the 19 Americans, 14 Egyptians, five Serbs, two Germans and three Arabs will stand trial. Egyptian officials have not indicated when formal charges will be handed down, and no trial dates have been set.
Pro-democracy groups have worked openly in Egypt for years, although the government has long refused to grant them operating licenses. The groups were buoyed last year when the government allowed them to monitor parliamentary election, the first time foreign monitors were allowed to observe polls in the country.
Hopes that Mubarak’s fall a year ago would be a boon for pro-democracy activists were dashed on Dec. 29 when Egyptian authorities raided the offices of 10 NGOs and seized files and computers. The current investigation, led by two investigative judges who were state prosecutors, is predicated on a 2002 law that bars organizations from accepting foreign funding if they are not licensed by the state.
U.S. officials have long sought to make assistance to Egypt conditional on democratic reforms. Experts on the country said the ruling generals might be assuming that the latest threats from Washington will prove to be empty. Similar warnings linking reforms and aid, dating back at least two administrations, have not been pressed.
The Egyptian government has long seen its yearly aid package from Washington as payback for signing a treaty with Israel in 1978.
The generals don’t “see this aid as being aid,” said Shadi Hamid, an Egypt expert at the Brookings Doha Center. “They see it as their birthright. They see it as a bribe, and they feel they are undertaking their side of the pact.”
But LaHood’s involvement in the case could leave Washington little recourse, Hamid said. “Threatening to arrest and try the son of a top U.S. official is a red line, and they’ve crossed it,” he said.

Is it me, or is anyone else bothered by the idea that the US would only consider acting when one of those threatened is politically connected?

the reality is this will be like the UNICEF financial halt. Symbolic.... with a lot of strained egos and a bunch of hugging at the end of it. Disgusting... and it will work in Obama's favor.

So called Israel Firster: Anatomy of an Antisemitic Smear

(cifwatch.com) Beginning in 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, approximately 2800 Americans fought in Spain on behalf of the Republican cause, in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and elsewhere. Most were members of the Communist Party or other leftist organizations. They served without the support of the U.S. government, were treated with suspicion after the war, and in some cases were even prosecuted by the Roosevelt Administration for recruiting volunteers into the Brigade. These volunteers into a foreign army are universally regarded with respect and even reverence by American liberals and the broader left. (image via alba-valb.org)(MORE)

Change! Obama reverses his position on Super PACs, urges supporters to donate to his "Priorities USA" Super PAC

Obama has previously been a staunch opponent of so-called "super" PACs because they can spend unlimited amounts of cash to influence elections.
Now he is a staunch supporter of them and is encouraging the hated 1%-ers to make generous donations to his Super PAC.

(NYDN) On second thought, President Obama would like that Super PAC money after all.
The Commander-in-Chief is doing a 180 and asking top fundraisers to support an independent political action committee backing his reelection.
The President has previously been a staunch opponent of so-called "super" PACs because they can spend unlimited amounts of cash to influence elections.
But Team Obama argued Monday night that it cannot allow for "two sets of rules" in which the GOP presidential nominee benefits from "unlimited spending and Democrats unilaterally disarm."
Obama's campaign encouraged top donors in a conference call to donate to Priorities USA, a super PAC spearheaded by two of the President's former aides.
A huge disparity was revealed earlier this month when Super PAC financial filings were made public. The Republican's American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS — groups affiliated with George W. Bush architect Karl Rove — reported a jaw-dropping $51 million last year.
That's in comparison to major Democratic groups, which collected $19 million during the same timeframe.
"We decided to do this because we can't afford for the work you're doing in your communities, and the grassroots donations you give to support it, to be destroyed by hundreds of millions of dollars in negative ads," the President's campaign manager Jim Messina wrote in an e-mail to supporters.
Republicans immediately seized on President Obama's reversal, calling the move "hypocritical."
"This is a brazenly cynical move by Barack Obama and his political handlers, who just a year ago had the chutzpah to call outside groups a threat to democracy," Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for American Crossroads, told The Associated Press.

via the-eyeontheworld.blogspot.com

ah... politics!

George Galloway flatters Assad's media advisor | FP Passport

((blog.foreignpolicy.com) Posted By David Kenner Monday, February 6, 2012 - 6:28 PM) As my boss Blake Hounshell noted this morning, Syrian activists are having a field day trawling through the hacked e-mails of officials in President Bashar al-Assad's regime. One particularly interesting note was sent by former British parliamentarian George Galloway to Assad advisor Bouthaina Shaaban.Galloway was writing to request the Syrian government's help in organizing a convoy to the Gaza Strip. The plan was for vehicles to travel over land from London and the Gulf to the Syrian city Latakia, at which point they would board the Mavi Marmara - which had been the scene of a deadly raid by Israel Defense Forces solders only months earlier, as it tried to breach the Gaza blockade -- and travel to the Egyptian port city of al-Arish. From there, they would enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing. While the convoy did complete its mission, the Mavi Marmara does not appear to have ultimately taken part. In securing Assad's help, Galloway recited the Baath Party's own rhetoric back to Shaaban. "Syria is as I have often said is the last castle of Arab dignity," he writes.

Von: b.shaaban@mopa.gov.sy
Reply-to: b.shaaban@mopa.gov.sy
An: buthainak1@hotmail.co.uk
Betreff: Fwd: IMPORTANT - private and confidential
Datum: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 06:03:38 +0300 (14.08.2010 05:03:38)
Your Excellency Dr Bouthaina Sha'aban
Special Advisor to President Bashar al Asad
President of the Syrian Arab Republic
Your Excellency, dear Dr Sha'aban
 
I hope this letter finds you well. Please be assured of my warmest fraternal greetings always. I am writing on behalf of Viva Palestina whose world-wide family of solidarity organisiations and registered charities will soon be setting out for beseiged Gaza again with our fifth convoy of aid. You will recall the outstanding assistance afforded us in Syria on previous occasions over the last period. I am writing once again to ask for Syria's co-operation although I do not doubt it for one moment. Syria is as I have often said is the last castle of Arab dignity. My only regret is to have to ask for your help again.
This convoy sets out simulataneously on September 18th 2010 from London, from Casablanca and from the Gulf. The London and Gulf columns of vehicles would like to converge on Latakia and sail from there to Al Arish. The Casablanca column hopes to join us in Al Arish and we hope all three columns - hundreds of vehicles strong - will enter Gaza through Rafah without hinderance.
The aid on board the vehicles will be 50% medical equipment and 50% educational, construction and other aid. The organisers of the convoy are Viva Palestina UK, Viva Palestina USA, Viva Palestina Arabia, Viva Palestina Malaysia, Viva Palestina Ireland, the Turkish NGO IHH,the International Committee to break the Seige on Gaza, Kia Ora - the Viva Palestina sister organisation in New Zealand, Viva Palestina Australia, Viva Palestina South Africa, Viva Palestina Spain, Viva Palestina Italia, and Viva Palestina France.
It is intended that the vehicles and passengers should sail to Al Arish on board the Mavi Marmara, which as you know is owned by IHH. If His Excellency the President Bashar al Asad and his government can accept this proposal in principle perhaps you could nominate partner organisation(s) and individuals with whom my colleagues could liaise about the practical details? The liaison from our side would be Mr Kevin Ovenden and Mr Zaher Birawi of Viva Palestina UK (as we believe 2 is enough).
In any case please convey my respect and my admiration to His Excellency the President.
 
With all good wishes
George Galloway

more will come out later.