Daily Archives: October 14, 2015

10/14/15

China To Continue Expanding Its Influence In The Oil And Gas Sector

Since 2009, China has been taking a much more active role in its pursuit of international oil contracts. In 2009, for the first time, Saudi Arabia exported more of its oil to China than it did to the U.S. China also made large investments in Saudi Arabia’s oil refining industry as well. But China’s oil investments didn’t stop there; they also pursued oil producing Canadian assets in 2011-12.

When it comes to Chinese energy industry, there are three major state owned companies. One is called China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), which is an oil and gas producer, another is called PetroChina, which is another oil producing company, and its third company is Sinopec, which is primarily a refining company.

Lately though, China’s large investments are being made in the mid-stream sector of the oil and gas industry, the one sector China doesn’t have a national company for. This is the part of the industry that transports oil and gas from producing wells to the refineries, so oil can be turned into liquid fuel.

One of China’s most recent mid-stream deals included building a pipeline from Iran to Pakistan, which is being built despite objections from the U.S. The stated reason though, isn’t to satisfy China’s energy consumption, but to help alleviate Pakistan from its current energy problems.

China’s other recent mid-stream pipeline deal was made with Russia. Unlike the pipeline that will travel from Iran to Pakistan, this pipeline deal was made as a means to satisfy China’s growing thirst for oil. The pipeline will transport crude oil from Russia to Daqing, China.

This may be why China is now on the verge of creating a new mid-stream pipeline company. The state backed China Securities Journal stated that, the government of China will start stripping away pipeline assets from its three largest firms mentioned above, and then they will sell those assets to private investors. The journal states that this move is aimed at reducing the monopoly its state owned enterprises have enjoyed since their creation. It also said that the move will create more competition within the energy sector, and hopefully reduce the corruption that has been brewing in the Chinese energy industry.

While this sounds legitimate on the surface, there are reasons to believe that these actions will have very little effect.

And that is largely because China is only selling mid-stream assets. These state owned enterprises will still have monopolies on its upstream and downstream assets. And the new company emerging will have a new monopoly on the mid-stream sector of China’s oil and gas industry. Instead of competition, it is more likely that this creation of a new mid-stream company will be used as a way for the Chinese government to help monitor and control its transportation and flow of energy.

If China was really concerned about corruption in the oil and energy sector, stemming from the oligopoly that these state-owned enterprises enjoyed, then they would take away all of their assets, and then sell them to the private investors and entrepreneurs. They wouldn’t create a new mid-stream company, which will basically have its own monopoly in the mid-stream sector.

Nevertheless, what we do know is that China will be a major energy player for the foreseeable future. On a demand basis, its crude consumption has increased by 10 percent on a year over year basis (YOY). This summer alone, China has already made two new pipeline deals with three different countries. And China is also actively filling up its strategic petroleum reserves (SPR).

Given China’s large and growing energy sector, there is a degree of logic in the government creating a new mid-stream company, allowing the state to monitor energy flows. But in terms of its stated reason for creating a new mid-stream company in order to reduce corruption, I just don’t buy it.

Article Source: http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/China-To-Continue-Expanding-Its-Influence-In-The-Oil-And-Gas-Sector.html

By John Manfreda for Oilprice.com

10/14/15

Letter From Europe to USA: Do Not Take Refugees!

By: Nicolai Sennels, Denmark
Right Side News

House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul introduces bill to restrain Obama on Syrian refugee resettlement-media-1

Dear North Americans

Rumors have reached Europe that you are about to repeat our mistake of taking in tens of thousands of refugees from the Third World. Having seen my country and my continent radically changed during the last decades as a result of such immigration, here is a friendly, but serious warning.

First I want to stress that taking Third World refugees to the West is not the most compassionate reaction to war and unrest in the Middle East and Africa. Helping people to a life in safety inside a culture, language area, and climate they feel home in – their own geographic region – is much cheaper, and we can thus help more people. On top, we will avoid exposing our own citizens to often criminal and violent individuals, of whom many have radical, religious views. We have an obligation as humanists to help people in mortal danger, but when a culture breaks down, merely fleeing from a dangerous situation does not entitle one to Western standards of living. And we can give safety, medical help, and education to dozens of people within their own environment for the money it costs to maintain a single refugee in the West.

This is not just my own opinion: All parties in Europe promoting such arguments against taking in refugees are rising in the polls.

Refugees – Integration Imposssible

Integrating people from especially Islamic cultures into our European societies has proven impossible. Of course there are always individuals who manage, but integration of immigrants and refugees from these countries has been a huge failure. A recent study from Denmark shows that immigrants from Islamic countries are all at the very bottom of the list when it comes to getting jobs in their own countries. This Muslim inability engage in employment in their home countries carries over when the Muslims immigrate to Europe (Islamic countries in bold font.).

Employment rate 30-59 year-olds (2013)

Men Women Combined
Country of origin  Percentage Percentage Percentage
Holland 86.4 77.5 83.1
Sweden 73.9 74.8 74.4
Germany 76.3 72 74.2
Lithuania 75.7 70.9 73.1
Finland 72.4 72.7 72.6
UK 75.1 66.2 72.5
Norway 73.1 71.9 72.4
France 76.5 65.3 72.2
Poland 76.4 67.4 72.1
Hungary 76 67.3 71.4
Rumania 74 66.8 70.6
Latvia 75.7 64.2 68.7
Ghana 67.7 68.4 68
Thailand 62.2 67.8 67.4
Canada 71.8 62.5 67.1
Macedonia 75.6 56.2 66.3
Italy 69.5 58.4 66.1
Iceland 66.6 64.4 65.5
Bulgaria 68.2 62.4 65.4
Philippines 73.9 63.4 64.9
Ukraine 72.9 59.3 64.5
USA 67.5 60.2 64.3
Vietnam 67 61.3 64
China 66.9 60.4 62.9
Spain 64.9 58.8 62
Sri Lanka 66.1 57.6 61.8
India 69.2 47.4 60.9
Brazil 59.9 58.9 59.1
Russia 54.4 57.2 56.6
Turkey 63.2 42 53.1
Pakistan 67.3 36.2 52.7
Yugoslavia* 55.8 45.5 50.7
Iran 50.9 47.5 49.6
Bosnia-Herzegovina 51.1 46.9 49
Morocco 59.3 39.1 49
Afghanistan 49.6 28 39.1
Iraq 38.8 25.4 32.8
Lebanon 39.5 19.4 30.4
Somalia 31.8 23.1 27.6
Syria 27.9 17.3 22.8
Denmark 83.7 81 82.3

 

An experienced integration senior official described how “Refugees see work as a punishment. They see social welfare as money they get anyway, and work as a punishment that comes afterwards, unless you find a way to avoid it.” A German study of Muslims in Germany concludes that almost all of them want to keep their own culture instead of integrating into German culture: “94 percent agreed with the statement that immigrants in Germany should keep the culture of their country of origin.”

MIGRANTS

Importing people from these countries will thus not save us from the economic challenges of not having enough children ourselves to maintain a demographic population replacement rate. On the contrary, large numbers of immigrants on welfare will leave even less money for our own young, elderly, and sick. Allowing Muslim immigration to sustain a nation’s economic workforce to compensate for below-replacement birthrates is a hope that is not based on reality.

Refugees – Crime Waves

The failed integration has led to the creation of hundreds, if not thousands of parallel societies around West Europe.

Many of these areas are already developing into so-called no-go zones. In a leaked report, Swedish police characterize these areas like this: “It’s no-go-areas … a police car that is alone does not stand a chance. …there are 55 such areas in 22 cities in Sweden. 

In these areas there is serious violence, crime, extortion gangs, and attacks on police, firemen, and journalists. … there are areas in Sweden where Swedish law no longer exists.”

In Denmark an ice-cream company, out of security reasons, had to hire policemen as salesmen in order to be able to continue their business in such areas.

A report from Germany gives several examples like this one from the German city of Duisburg: “Duisburg, which has a total population of around 500.000, is home to an estimated 60,000 mostly Turkish Muslims, making it one of the most Islamized cities in Germany. … 

“There are districts where immigrant gangs are taking over entire metro trains for themselves. Indigenous residents and business people are being intimidated and silenced. People taking trams during the evening and nighttime describe their experiences as ‘living nightmares.’ … 

“Experts have warned for some time that problem neighborhoods could become no-go areas. The president of the German Police Union, Rainer Wendt, told Spiegel Online years ago: ‘In Berlin or in the north of Duisburg there are neighborhoods where colleagues hardly dare to stop a car — because they know that they’ll be surrounded by 40 or 50 men.’”

The wave of refugees has thus also resulted in a wave of crime. We have all seen the videos of violent attacks on the police and border facilities at Europe’s outer borders. It does not stop here. On their way through Europe, hoping to reach the countries with the largest social benefits, there are scenes of pure havoc. Here is an excerpt from one eye-witness report: “This great mass of people — sorry that I write this, but it’s an absolute horde. Vulgar words, thrown bottles, loud cries of ‘We want Germany’ — is Germany at present some kind of paradise? I saw how they surrounded the car of an older Italian lady, pulled her out by her hair and wanted to drive off in that car. The coach I was on they attempted to overturn. Excrement was thrown at us. They banged on the doors, so that the driver would open them. They spat at the window… I ask, for what purpose? How can this wild horde assimilate into Germany? For a moment, I thought I was in a war… cars arrived containing humanitarian aid — first and foremost, with food and water, yet they simply overturned these cars…”

The chief of the German Police union describes the violence committed by these people among fellow refugees like this: “In our asylum camps all hell has broken lose; at the border in South Germany, and in Bavaria especially it is hell too. Our colleagues are so busy that they have no time to take off their boots. That is not just since last week or last month, but all year. Our federal police and the Bavarian county police especially, and also police from other countries have for months now been heavily overwhelmed, and now the politicians act as if they are totally surprised, but it can not be. Nobody is surprised, and they should have reacted a lot sooner. There are mass brawls in asylum camps, robberies in grocery stores, which further strain the police. … Criminality among the refugees, meaning rapes of women and children, massive use of violence, and crime such as sexual exploitation and slavery. We see it all there. Those are not just little squabbles caused by living in cramped spaces; these are territorial conflicts and dominance struggles. And it results in fanatical groups that can not be separated easily. Our private security personal are completely overwhelmed. We do not have enough and they are not qualified enough. … The foreigners do not respect our rule of law. They instinctively know that our laws are weak. … This is not about family squabbles. We are talking heavy crime, that is, extreme criminal offences…”

The below chart from the Danish state’s department for statistics shows crime rates for the biggest population groups (indexes are corrected according to income, employment, age, and education). The plus or minus deviation from the 100 baseline indicates the percentage of likelihood that an immigrant from a particular country will become a criminal in the nation to which he immigrates.

Crime index among immigrants (2007)

(adjusted for social-economic status)

Lebanon: 208

Yugoslavia: 198

Pakistan: 188

Morocco: 187

Turkey: 184

Somalia: 167

Iran: 155

Iraq: 142

Vietnam: 90

Thailand: 76

Philippines: 59

China: 37

If you import large amounts of people, you also import culture, and our societies and laws are very often simply too lenient for these people – our societies are too vulnerable. We can toughen the laws for our societies, but is this what we want in our countries?

Refugees – Jihad, Intended Consequences

High crime rates in ghetto areas are nothing new, also not in North America. But ghettos with an Islamic population are different. Being almost hermetically sealed from the surrounding democratic, secular society, the literal interpretation of the barbaric Islamic scriptures flourishes unchallenged by humanistic values and Western norms. A cross-European research project documented that 75 percent of Muslims in Europe thus think that the Quran must be taken literally. This is most likely the reason why a majority of young Muslims in Europe today sympathize with the Islamic doctrine of jihad, spreading the teachings of Muhammad, including the barbaric sharia laws, by means of violence against “infidels”: 80 percent of young Turks in Holland see “nothing wrong” in waging Jihad against non-Muslims. 27 percent of all young French and 14 percent of all young British under 25 sympathize with the genocidal terror organization, the Islamic State.

The violence potential in these areas is thus not just limited to participants of rival drug gangs. It stretches into the surrounding society because it has a political aim that involves all of us: the implementation of Islamic law, Sharia. Until now, police have been able to foil most attacks, but experts estimate that in Europe there are “So many potential terrorists being tracked [that it is] hard to track them all.”

Europe is Changing

Inviting thousands of refugees and migrants from Islamic countries to Europe has proven a catastrophe. It is destroying our economies and we are seeing how still larger parts of our beautiful cities are being dominated and ruined by a religious, violent counter-culture. On top of the cultural ruin comes the treat of terrorism.

Europe is famous for our open and tolerant culture, where we willingly pay a very high share of our income in taxes in order to maintain the weak and needy in a social safety net. But today most Europeans are experiencing just how Islamic immigrants and refugees are changing and challenging our way of life, in so many ways. Our children and youths are confronted by it in schools, on the street, and in discotheques. We all read the news daily about the increased violence, rape, and jihadist terror on our streets, while our welfare system and economic competitiveness are being eroded. The faces of our cities and societies are changing and becoming less and less recognizable for the indigenous Europeans.

Therefore today a majority of Europeans have a negative attitude towards Islamic immigration and religion. A recent poll showed that 63 percent of the otherwise tolerant Germans, many of them still burdened by a bad conscience from the Second World War, now think that Islam does not belong in Germany.

So, dear Americans, please do not make the same mistake that we Europeans have made. Learn from history, learn from our sorry example.

And yes, it is still possible to help refugees in real need with vital assistance. One example is the Kilis camp in Turkey (click for very a interesting article on “How to Build a Perfect Refugee Camp,” plus great photos).

As an example of what is effectively possible, the yearly international aid to developing countries was120 billion US dollars in 2007. For this amount alone, 70 million people could have conditions like in the Kilis camp for a whole year. If we add the money that is spent for accommodating refugees here in the West, I would think that the problem would be solved. Furthermore, the West would benefit from not having to accommodate terrorists, criminals, and un-integratable refugees flooding our countries.

We want to help. We should help. But not at the expense of our culture, our rule of law, and especially not at the expense of the safety of our women.

10/14/15

#LoudonClear: The False Collapse of Communism

By: Brent Parrish
The Right Planet

Trevor-Loudon-LoudonClear

In the latest installment of the LoudonClear radio show, Trevor Loudon interviews “Jimmy from Brooklyn,” who has been a regular radio guest around the country for years, particularly New York. He has been following and studying communism for the past 40 to 50 years. Jimmy grew up on the lower-eastside of Manhattan among a large immigrant population, many who had emigrated from Eastern Europe. At around the time of the Vietnam War, Jimmy started to see communists renting storefronts, displaying the communist flag, and collecting money for the enemy.

Their is a common belief among many Americans and Westerners that communism collapsed following the fall of the Berlin Wall. But for some of us who study and research communism and Marxist ideology, we are of a very different mindset. Not only has communism not been defeated, it has only increased and strengthened since the alleged collapse of communism. In every region in the world, there are problems. And these problems often times have a common thread—collectivism.

Granted, communists, for the most part, no longer refer to themselves as “communists.” Instead, they use what I call “lovable labels,” preferring to refer to communism as liberalism, progressivism, economic democracy, democratic socialism, etc. The communists have simply given up a word (i.e. “communism”), in order to strengthen their position. As the former director for the Institute for the Study of the United States of America and Canada, Georgiy Arbatov, once said, “We took away the image of the enemy.”

Communists have long used “collapse as a strategy of attack.” As Jimmy explains, the Soviets collapsed the American Communist Party twice.  There was the false collapse in the Soviet Union during the 1920s called “the Trust.”  The Soviets collapsed the Communist Party in both Egypt and Algeria.

The strategy of collapse is based on the maxims of the ancient Chinese military philosopher Sun Tzu—meaning: when strong, feign weakness.

Via The Art of War by Sun Tzu:

All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him…. Pretend to be weak, that [the enemy] may grow arrogant.

During Trevor’s interview with Jimmy, the topic of left-wing radical Francis Fox Piven came up. Piven’s name is tied to what is known as the “Cloward-Piven Strategy”—the intentional collapsing of the “system” by overwhelming the bureaucracy with impossible demands, mainly through systematic abuse of the welfare rolls. The goal is to break the “system,” then declare “capitalism” a failure, in order to bring about a “new system.”

Francis Fox Piven has been closely allied the Institute for Policy Studies, a tax-exempt  communist front group. Jimmy claims Piven spoke at another KGB front group, the Brecht Forum, and stated that President Barack H. Obama, under the radar, “placed plenty of good people throughout the government.” According to Jimmy, Francis Fox Piven said, “We’re going to get the changes we want, largely through minorities and immigration.” Obama has brought in a number of people from the Institute for Policy Studies as advisers.

Jimmy draws a disturbing parallel to what occurred in Czechoslovakia, in 1948, when the country was taken over by communists, to what President Obama might be attempting to do here in the United States. When the communists took over Czechoslovakia, they did it over time, little by little (i.e. progressively), without firing a shot. They worked from the top-down at the government level, and from the bottom-up via “community organizing” efforts at the street level. The communists took over all the various law enforcement agencies of the government; they squeezed out and neutralized the opposition. This is the strategy Barack Obama’s mentor Frank Marshall Davis might have taught Obama.

I’ll have a lot more on a number of the topics covered here in an upcoming article that  examines, in detail, the “double-game” or “scissors” strategy (i.e. dialectics) communists employ to herd the “masses,” from both the left and the right, toward their ultimate goal of worldwide socialism.

Related:

10/14/15

Our Watcher’s Council Nominations -Totally Un-Chocolate Edition

The Watcher’s Council

http://plnami.blob.core.windows.net/media/2014/06/EricAllie2.jpg

No, it definitely ain’t chocolate, no matter how long the True Believers ignore the stench.

Welcome to the Watcher’s Council, a blogging group consisting of some of the most incisive blogs in the ‘sphere and the longest running group of its kind in existence. Every week, the members nominate two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council. Then we vote on the best two posts, with the results appearing on Friday morning.

Council News:

https://a4-images.myspacecdn.com/images03/35/b05f0bc3c2ef4466b5f08b93003a496d/300x300.jpg

Our dear friend Marion Algier of Ask Marion passed away Monday, after a long battle with uterine cancer. She was an amazing person, with the rare combination of strongly held principles and convictions and a sweet and giving nature, and we will miss her a great deal.

During her battle with cancer, she never once gave in or lost her faith and I will always be proud to have known such a brave, heroic woman.

She is now at peace and may her memory be a blessing.

Selah.

*******************************************************************************

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton of the Noisy Room enjoyed yet another milestone on her way to blogging superstardom. She got one of her superb articles linked to and quoted by VodkaPundit over at PJ Media, from whence it went viral. Congrats, M’Dear… Council Akbar!

****************************************************************************

We have a brand new Council member, someone I’ve been a fan of for some time along with some of my fellow Council members. We’re all delighted to welcome Fausta to our group as she makes her Council debut this week.

If you haven’t read her before, you’re in for a superb treat, trust me on that.

*****************************************************************************

This week, The Pirate’s Cove, Gates Of Vienna, Simply Jews and Seraphic Secret earned honorable mention status with some great articles.

You can, too! Want to see your work appear on the Watcher’s Council homepage in our weekly contest listing? Didn’t get nominated by a Council member? No worries.

To bring something to my attention, simply head over to Joshuapundit and post the title and a link to the piece you want considered along with an email address (mandatory, but of course it won’t be published) in the comments section no later than Monday 6 PM PST in order to be considered for our honorable mention category. Then return the favor by creating a post on your site linking to the Watcher’s Council contest for the week when it comes out on Wednesday morning.

Simple, no?

It’s a great way of exposing your best work to Watcher’s Council readers and Council members while grabbing the increased traffic and notoriety. And how good is that, eh?

So, let’s see what we have for you this week…

Council Submissions:

Honorable Mentions:

Non-Council Submissions:

Enjoy! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter… ’cause we’re cool like that! And don’t forget to tune in Friday for the results!

10/14/15

Ammo Ambassadors: Growing the Shooting Community

AmmoToGo1

As Tuesday’s Democratic Presidential debate made painfully obvious, the non gun-owning American public has very little idea what owning a firearm is all about and what goes on when a legal, responsible gun-owner goes to a shooting range.

It seems the only way for someone who doesn’t grow up around guns to get an accurate picture of what gun culture means is to be introduced to firearms by someone who owns guns, respects the 2nd Amendment and understands how an individual can responsibly own and operate firearms in a way that isn’t threatening to other law-abiding citizens.

With that in mind, AmmoToGo.com and Magtech launched an initiative called “Ammo Ambassadors” that’s offering free 9×19 ammo to established shooters who take a new shooter to the range. The goal is simple: introduce people who don’t know much about guns to shooting and the way responsible American gun-owners use their firearms.

Here’s how it works:

  • Download the Magtech/AmmoToGo.com target on the 9mm ammo page at AmmoToGo.com.
  • Find a new shooter without experience around guns to bring to the range.
  • Safely introduce the new shooter to firearms and have them take aim at the target you downloaded.
  • Upload the target back to AmmoToGo.com and you’ll receive two boxes of 115 grain, 9mm Luger Magtech ammunition for free.

“I shot a couple rounds first so she could understand guns are loud and see the recoil and muzzle rise. Then, I handed the gun over to her and she fired her first round,” Tony, a seasoned shooter near Columbia, Missouri who took a friend to the range as part of the program said. “After a few rounds and switching guns she found her groove very quickly. Her nerves settled down and a smile appeared!”

In all, Magtech and AmmoToGo.com have set aside 100,000 rounds for the initiative. That should be enough to introduce 1,000 new shooters to the joy of firearms!

Ammo Ambassadors who have already taken advantage of the program are having great experiences.

“I took my girlfriend Lizzie shooting at Sharpshooters in Lorton, VA for the first time when she was home over fall break,” Justin, an ammo ambassador said. “She shot my S&W M&P 9mm and was a natural… It was a great day! She said she is definitely going to be back at the range again.”

There is no expiration date on the campaign. It will run as long as there are rounds left as part of the pool of 100,000 set aside for this unique initiative. Because the prospect of free ammunition is an enticing one, AmmoToGo.com does suggest you move quickly if you’d like to take advantage of the Ammo Ambassador program.

AmmoToGo2

10/14/15

Situation Impossible

Arlene from Israel

As I begin this post in the late afternoon in Jerusalem, with the sounds of helicopters circling overhead, this is what we’ve seen today:

There were two simultaneous attacks in Jerusalem.  One was in Armon Hanetziv (east Talpiot).

Two terrorists from Jabel Mukaber – an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem right next to east Talpiot – boarded an Eged bus in east Talpiot, armed with a gun and a knife, and began attacking passengers.  Two were killed and nine others were injured, either with gunshot or stabbing wounds – two seriously.  It appeared that the terrorists intended to take over the bus.  One terrorist was killed by security, the other wounded.  They would have had Jerusalem residency, at least, if not citizenship.

A scene from that attack here:

The scene of the attack in Jerusalem's East Talpiot (Photo: Shlomi Cohen)

Credit: Shlomi Cohen

~~~~~~~~~~

The second attack took place on Malchei Yisrael street in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem.  The terrorist plowed his car into a bus stop, killing one – Rabbi Yeshiyahu Krishevsky – and seriously injuring another. He then leaped out of the car and began stabbing people before he was shot dead by security.  A scene from the second attack:

Credit: kooker

~~~~~~~~~~

The terrorist in Geula was Alaa Abu Jamal (I believe also from Jabel Mukaber).

And here is the shocker:  He was an employee of the Israeli phone company Bezeq, was wearing his uniform when he attacked, and used a company car.  In the picture above you can see the Bezeq “B” logo.

Bezeq put out a statement:

“Bezeq would like to express its deep outrage over the attack on Jerusalem’s Malchei Yisrael Street and over the terrorist action of one of its workers…We are stunned and repulsed by the criminal act, and the deep hurt he has caused to the families of those killed. We are praying for the quick recovery of the wounded victims.

“We emphasize that there were no warning signs, and there were no clear changes in the worker’s conduct that could have prevented the act of terror.  We will continue to follow the developments, and our hearts cry out to the victims and their families.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/201808#.Vh0GrpuhfIV

~~~~~~~~~~

Not for a second do I question the sincerity of the distress registered by Bezeq – representatives and executives within the company had to be been exceedingly horrified.

But it is not quite the case that there was no way to know this man was a potential terrorist: He was a cousin to the monsters who committed the atrocity in Har Nof last year, and when interviewed about it on television said, “Thank Allah, when someone dies as a martyr, that’s a great thing.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/201823#.Vh0QuZuhfIU

~~~~~~~~~~

I am, of course, not implying that Bezeq had any clue about this.  The question raised here is what sort of vetting of Arab employees is appropriate.  The implications are vast and can seriously impact the Arab community in Israel, with regard to their ability to readily secure employment.  In situations such as the one we are in now, innocent Arab Israelis are likely to pay a price.

~~~~~~~~~~

There has been a great deal of talk about the lone wolf, and people acting on their own initiative after having been incited.  But security officials are now suggesting this is not the case any longer (if it ever was): The simultaneous timing of the two attacks in Jerusalem suggests something else (emphasis added):

”A security source said that the two terrorist attacks that killed three people and wounded several others in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning seem to be ‘a planned and timed assault.’

“’There is no doubt that the source of incitement of the sequence of terrorist attacks this morning is east Jerusalem,’ the source added.”

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Security-source-Jerusalem-attacks-seem-like-a-planned-and-timed-assault-423806

Once there is an address for the source of the attacks, it certainly seems it should become easy to put a stop to it.  See more below on this.

~~~~~~~~~~

Also this morning, there were two stabbing attacks in the city of Ra’anana, a city in the central plain, near Herzliya.  In the first attack, at a bus stop outside of city hall, the terrorist stabbed someone, causing light wounds; he was restrained by passers-by until the police arrived. He was from eastern Jerusalem.

In the second attack, less than two hours later, a terrorist began stabbing people on the street, injuring one critically and three others lightly. A motorist, seeing what was happening, rammed his car into the terrorist.  He was from eastern Jerusalem.

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Initial-report-Attempted-stabbing-attack-in-Raanana-423789

~~~~~~~~~~

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who has come off during this spate of terrorism with a tougher line than Netanyahu, at least up to this point, called for the closure of the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

There were calls, as well, for the international community to stop funding the PA, because it is a major source of incitement.

“Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) said after the attacks that the Palestinian Authority had lost its right to exist (a mouthful if this is taken seriously – of course she is correct), adding that PA President Mahmoud Abbas bears responsibility for the ongoing terror…

“’The blood of Israeli citizens is on [Abbas’s] hands, and of those of his men who incite children to go out and murder.’” She was referring to Abbas spokesperson Nabil Abu Roudeineh, who reportedly praised the 13-year-old Palestinian who stabbed an Israeli teenager yesterday on his bike.

“”The Palestinian Authority has lost the right to exist. Instead of preventing violence, it is a hothouse for radical Islam that hurts Israelis on a daily basis,’ she said.”

Credit: Times of Israel

http://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hotovely-says-pa-has-lost-right-to-exist/

“Science Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) lambasted the international community for failing to condemn the current wave of terror.”

“’There is no excuse in the world to justify the murder of innocent children. The silence of the international community is regrettable and worrying. The fact there no one condemns the Palestinians spreading lies that increase murderous terror is a warning signal to the entire free world.’” (Emphasis added)

http://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/science-minister-slams-worlds-silence/

~~~~~~~~~~

My friends, the world’s silence is, for most of us here in Israel, more than “regrettable and worrying.”  Minister Akunis, normally a very forthright man, was being a bit polite.  It is, as we see it, horrifying and deeply disturbing. I would suggest a serious moral deficit. There is a disconnect, a reluctance to confront what Israel is coping with.

We see that the Palestinian Arabs continue to tell the most outrageous lies, pretending to innocence and pointing fingers at Israel. And we know that much of mainstream media are happy to transmit the skewed version of events – focusing on what Israel has “done” to poor Arabs.  I will return to this.

~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of the international community, Netanyahu requested that the Quartet not come now, and they agreed.  One less pressure. Can you imagine them looking over our shoulders as we respond to the terror?

~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday, as the Knesset opened its winter session, Netanyahu made a forthright statement (emphasis added):

“Terrorism does not come from frustration because there is no peace process. Terrorism comes from a desire to annihilate us.”

We have faced terrorism repeatedly over the last 100 years, he declared.  “What always wins is the recognition that this is our homeland. Our will to live trumps our enemies’ desire for death.  There is no way to stop the Zionist enterprise.”

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Netanyahu-Terrorism-comes-from-a-desire-to-annihilate-us-not-from-Palestinian-frustration-423728

~~~~~~~~~~

This afternoon, he called a lengthy Security Cabinet meeting to discuss the way to handle the current outbreak of terrorism.  Subsequently he made a statement (emphasis added):

”Israel will settle its account with ‘murderers and those who want to kill, and anyone who helps them. Not only won’t they have any rights, but we will extract the full price from them’

”The prime minister said that he was sure that the actions Israel will take will bring about a realization on the other side that ‘terror does not pay.’”

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Netanyahu-Israel-will-settle-scores-with-those-killing-civilians-423836

He addressed a number of specific problems – particularly PA incitement and veneration of terrorists, and the complicity of certain Arab MKs.  I will return to examine these.

Although when he spoke he was not specific about what actions would be taken, for the first time, I began to have genuine hope that my government was, at last, ready to get serious. And sufficiently tough.

~~~~~~~~~~

After he spoke, the Security Cabinet reconvened in order to pass a number of measures.  Most significant, I think, is the bolstering of IDF forces in city centers, with Arab neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem to be surrounded by security forces.

We are going to hear a great deal about deprivation of Arab rights now. Watch.  I think the gov’t is prepared to withstand this onslaught, likely to come from international sources and certain Arab MKs.

More to come as the situation unfolds.

Please do take note of the bravery of Israeli citizens who have been involved in stopping or capturing terrorists.

~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s good news:

In August, Israeli charity Ezer Mizion’s Bone Marrow Donor Registry facilitated 25 lifesaving transplants.  They included stem cell donations by five IDF soldiers that saved the lives of five desperately ill patients.

http://www.ezermizion.org/blog/because-of-you-16/#more-3176

10/14/15

THIS MUST GO VIRAL

Arlene from Israel

Dear friends,

I did not intend to post today, but – as has happened before – I realized that I must.

Yesterday, I wrote about Sheikh Mohammad Abu Rajab, who, during a sermon in the Al Abrar Mosque in Rafah, Gaza, demonstrated the way to stab a Jew.  I knew there was a video of his “sermon,” but it seemed to be unavailable – I couldn’t access it and so put up a still photo.  Bad enough, to see a member of the Muslim “clergy” brandishing a knife from the pulpit.

Now I have located the video, which comes from MEMRI.  It was broadcast via Internet, and Abu Rajab himself makes note of this, because the message goes far and wide this way.  Internet, and social media, have been used extensively in inciting during the current violence.

Here is the video from MEMRI.

http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/5098.htm

I truly hope you can access it.  I watched it, not once, but twice. I was stunned and shaken, for the hatred he expresses is so obscene.

You must watch it to the end, my friends, to understand what we are dealing with.

~~~~~~~~~~

And then, do your part for Israel: make sure this goes viral. Send this short posting to everyone. Or simply duplicate the URL for the cleric’s “sermon” and put it out, to everyone on your list, and on your Facebook pages and your websites.  Put it out on lists for discussion groups.  Include your own brief comment telling people that this is what Israel is dealing with and asking them to spread the word. Do EVERYTHING you can to make certain that millions in America see it.  This not only educates people to our reality, it refutes the horrendous lies being told about us.

~~~~~~~~~~

There were more, and worse, attacks today. See:http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/201766#.Vhu7SJuhfIV. There are calls for the attackers to come out in groups to be more effective. We have at least two people in critical condition, fighting for their lives. The attackers aim for their chests and their throats.

~~~~~~~~~~

And so what do I read?

Security Minister Gilad Erdan is thinking that we might refuse to return terrorists’ bodies.

That will really stop them.

The security cabinet on Sunday discussed possible legal measures to outlaw the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel for incitement to violence.

That’s it? “Possible” measures?  “A senior official in Jerusalem said following Sunday night’s meeting that the ministers would continue their debate on the issue in the coming days.”

And worst: At a meeting of the Likud faction today, Netanyahu said: “We will complete the surrounding of the State of Israel’s borders with security fences.”

No! This is not an announcement that demonstrates needed strength. Strength is the only thing they understand.

~~~~~~~~~~

Just in case you imagine that it is only the radical jihadists in Gaza that are supporting terror, I share this as well – which also needs to be publicized widely (emphasis added):

“The Palestinian Bar Association — which receives major funding from the United Nations and European Union — has decided to award an honorary law degree to Muhammad Halabi, the 19-year-old Palestinian [Arab] law student who stabbed two Israelis to death in Jerusalem’s Old City on Oct. 3 before being killed by Israeli security forces, according to a report published by the Middle East Media Research Institute on Sunday.

“The Palestinian Bar Association decided in its meeting today [Oct. 10] to award an honorary law degree to the martyred hero Muhammad Halabi and to hold its next [bar] swearing-in ceremony in [his] honor,” a Palestinian Bar Association statement said.”

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=28833

~~~~~~~~~~

With it all, I will end with good news, as I have been doing now.  I told a reader last night that there is always good news, if we look for it. So much for Israel to be proud of, day in and day out.  With all that is done to us, and all that we are defamed, we truly are a blessing to the world.  And these blessing too should be shared widely:

Here I share a link to an extensive article by David Hazony in The Tower, “How Israel Is Solving the Global Water Crisis.” (emphasis added):

“Israel could not have made the desert bloom without its incredible innovations in water technology. As the world becomes more aware of the importance of conserving water, they are turning to Israel for exports and expertise.”

http://www.thetower.org/article/how-israel-is-solving-the-global-water-crisis/

Credit: Yonaton Sindel/Flash 90