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Census Bureau sends Obamacare comparative data into the abyss
on April 15, 2014
12 Comments
Dramatic changes in questions by Census Bureau makes measuring Obamacare (in)effectiveness more difficult...
Why aren’t mainstream Israel critics defending Max Blumenthal?
on April 15, 2014
14 Comments
Max Blumenthal is experiencing what goes around coming around.
Having blamed various critics of radical Islam as well as international Zionism for the 2011 mass murder in Norway, unfairly, Blumenthal now is in focus because the Overland Park shooter was a big fan of Blumenthal's Jewish money and Israel Lobby conspiracy theories. The shooter was a Neo-Nazi and KKK leader for whom Jewish control of the media and international money was a core belief motivating hatred of Jews. That's a shared space for anti-Zionists of multiple political ideologies and religions.
Specifically, the shooter focused on Blumenthal's theory that Jewish campaign donors were trying to buy the 2012 U.S. presidential election for Bibi Netanyahu, as expressed by Blumenthal in a lengthy article and a Russia Today television interview, to which the shooter linked. It's ugly stuff, but the type of ugly stuff for which Blumenthal has become known.
I've been less harsh on Blumenthal than others, The Overland Park murders, anti-Zionist conspiracy theories, and the blame game:
Assuming Cross [aka Glenn Miller] linked to Blumenthal’s conspiracy theories about the 2012 election, would that mean Blumenthal is responsible for the Overland Park shooting? Absolutely not. Is the intersection between neo-Nazi and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories worthy of examination? Absolutely. We have seen in Europe in particular how anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism go hand-in-hand, often based on conspiracy theories about Jewish and Israeli influence. [image omitted] Those types of consipiracy theories regarding the alleged manipulations of Jewish money and interests are as old as hate itself. That is a fair subject of discussion. I wonder if the mainstream media will go there, as it did in the Norway shooting.Others are more direct in drawing the connection between the shooter's adoration of Blumenthal's anti-Zionist conspiracy theories and the shooting, in part perhaps because Blumenthal tried to lay blame on some of them for the Norway shooting (Pipes, Geller):
Voter fraud: is it “significant”?
on April 15, 2014
21 Comments
The left likes to argue that since there's no significant amount of voter fraud there's no need for voter ID laws, and that those who support them are inherently racist. But wouldn't even one case of voter fraud be an abomination that should offend all liberty-loving...
First Night of Passover
on April 14, 2014
29 Comments
By the time you read this, I'll be deep into the first Passover seder, wondering when we're finally going to get to eat thinking about the meaning of the Exodus from Egypt:
For not just one alone has risen against us to destroy us, but in every generation they rise against us to destroy us; and the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hand!These quotes are getting to be a tradition:
Short all-purpose "Jewish History in One Sentence":This seems unfortunately timely: Does it get any better than this?“Quick synopsis of every Jewish holiday: They tried to kill us; we won; let’s eat.”Particularly timely now, Passover Is No Time To Wish For The End Of Christian America:Nothing has changed in thousands of years. They still rise up in every generation to destroy us, but this time the names are not Haman or Adolf, but Mahmoud and Osama. And on this earth, it will be Christian Americans almost alone who will stand with us. I’m reminded of the bumper sticker from the 1960′s: “If you hate cops, next time you are in trouble call a hippie. ” Jews, of all people, should not wish too hard for The End of Christian America. There is no one else to call. So particularly at this Passover time, we should not wish too hard for the End of Christian America. We might just get it.
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Russian fighter jet buzzes U.S. warship
on April 14, 2014
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Adding to tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the situation in Ukraine, a Russian fighter jet made numerous close-range passes near a US Navy ship in the western Black Sea over the weekend. The action came as Ukraine is confronting continuing conflicts with pro-Russian separatists that have recently escalated.
From Agence France-Presse (via Yahoo News):
A Russian fighter jet made several passes at low altitude near a US destroyer cruising in international waters in the Black Sea at the weekend, the Pentagon said Monday, branding it "provocative and unprofessional." The incident close to the Romanian coast further heightens tensions already inflamed by Russia's actions in Ukraine, where Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula and stands accused of stoking unrest. The US vessel was sent to the Black Sea on April 10 in a show of Washington's solidarity with its Eastern European NATO allies concerned about Russia's actions. Colonel Steven Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said: "On April 12, a Russian Su-24 made numerous close-range, low-altitude passes in the vicinity of the USS Donald Cook, while the Cook was conducting operations in international waters in the western Black Sea. "The aircraft did not respond to multiple queries and warnings from Donald Cook. The event ended without incident after approximately 90 minutes." He added: "This provocative and unprofessional Russian action is inconsistent with international protocols and previous agreements on a professional interaction between our militaries."Another military official who spoke anonymously to AFP described that during some of its passes, the plane had come close to less than 1,000 meters from the ship. Tensions of course have been high throughout the continuing crisis in Ukraine, especially after recent conflicts in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russia militants had seized several government and security buildings over the weekend. The incidents prompted the Ukraine government to issue a deadline for protesters to disarm and vacate buildings and the announcement of an anti-terrorist operation. But by Monday, pro-Russia forces did not appear to be backing down, with reports of yet another building being taken over - this time in Horlivka - and the continued occupation of other buildings in eastern Ukraine, according to CNN.
Hamas’ attorney, Stanley Cohen, pleads guilty to tax offenses
on April 14, 2014
7 Comments
Stanley Cohen is an activist lawyer most identified with Hamas and other anti-Israeli causes and groups.
Late last month The Jewish Daily Forward had an extensive article about Cohen's political journey to anti-Zionism, including representation of Hamas and Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, who was convicted last month. It appears from the timing that Cohen's plea deal was timed to allow him to finish the al-Qaeda trial:
Cohen was indicted in August 2012 in the Northern District of New York on a variety of tax-related charges. The Indictment is embedded at the bottom of this post, but the gist of the claims is that he ran his law practice off the books, including receiving and paying for services in cash without reporting, and failing to make tax filings and reporting for many years.
When indicted, Cohen was defiant, claiming it was a political prosecution:
.... I am an advocate for many people the government would like to silence or put in jail: Palestinian freedom fighters, Muslim preachers, North American natives living on Indian reservations, marijuana dealers, anti-war protestors, radical squatters, the homeless, "hacktivists", anti-Zionists and everyone in between. I live my ideology in the job I do, and I try to be aggressive in vindicating the rights of clients. I have challenged the state at every opportunity. I'll keep doing this in the Lower East Side, in Washington, DC, in the International Criminal Court in the Hague, in Israel and in the West Bank and Gaza. It is my passion....Yesterday Cohen released a statement via Twitter to supporters that he would be pleading guilty today. Once again, Cohen maintained the prosecution was political. The statement reads in part:
Branco Cartoon – Card Shark
on April 14, 2014
3 Comments
Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source. To see more Legal Insurrection Branco cartoons, click here. Branco’s page is Cartoonist A.F.Branco...
Law Prof Blog Traffic Rankings
on April 14, 2014
13 Comments
TaxProf has released the rankings of blogs run by law professors, for the 12 months ending December 31, 2013. Go to Law Prof Blog Traffic Rankings for the full list, including percentage changes from the prior year. The Top 15 are in the featured image. Plus College Insurrection comes...
The Overland Park murders, anti-Zionist conspiracy theories, and the blame game
on April 14, 2014
13 Comments
While Fraiser Glenn Cross Jr. alone was responsible for the shootings, the intersection between neo-Nazi and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories is worthy of examination....
Fighting the anti-Israel boycott is an honor
on April 13, 2014
14 Comments
Opposing BDS is a satisfaction in itself....
Ukraine launches ‘anti-terrorist operation’
on April 13, 2014
6 Comments
Amid escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists have seized buildings over the weekend, Ukraine’s acting president said the government would deploy troops to launch a “full-scale anti-terrorist operation.”
From Reuters:
Ukraine has given pro-Russian separatists a Monday morning deadline to disarm or face a "full-scale anti-terrorist operation" by its armed forces, raising the risk of a military confrontation with Moscow. Angered by the death of a state security officer and the wounding of two comrades near the flashpoint eastern city of Slaviansk, acting president Oleksander Turchinov gave rebels occupying state buildings until 0600 GMT to lay down their weapons. "The National Security and Defense Council has decided to launch a full-scale anti-terrorist operation involving the armed forces of Ukraine," Turchinov said in an address to the nation. He blamed Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea region when Moscow-backed former president Viktor Yanukovich fled after months of pro-Western protests, for being behind the rash of rebellions across Russian-speaking towns in eastern Ukraine. "We will not allow Russia to repeat the Crimean scenario in the eastern regions of Ukraine," Turchinov said. Russia's foreign ministry called the planned military operation a "criminal order" and said the West should bring its allies in Ukraine's government under control. "It is now the West's responsibility to prevent civil war in Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement.In the eastern Ukraine town of Mariupol, there were also reports that separatist protesters had seized control of city hall earlier Sunday, according to another Reuters report. Sunday’s developments follow the seizures of several buildings by pro-Russia forces in other eastern Ukrainian cities Saturday.
Shootings at Jewish locations in Overland Park, KS
on April 13, 2014
6 Comments
When these types of shootings take place, initial news reports often are inaccurate, so caution is urged.
Tweets about "Overland Park"
Three dead, teenager critical after shootings at Jewish facilities - Los Angeles Times http://t.co/0wEmU5p20H
— Google News Team (@GoogleNewsTeam) April 13, 2014Three people are dead following multiple shootings reported at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park and Village Shalom. Overland Park Police confirm multiple shots were fired at the center, which is located at 5801 W 115th St. and Village Shalom, a retirement home located at 5500 W. 123rd. Both areas are currently on lockdown. Police took one man into custody at the Valley Park Elementary at 123rd and Nall. The man was heard yelling "heil Hitler" as he was taken into custody. A 41 Action News photographer on the scene spoke with a man who says another man pointed a gun at him and shot the windows out of his car. That person was not injured.
Tweets about "Overland Park"
Iranian U.N. Rep denied visa — will it stick?
on April 13, 2014
6 Comments
UN pick "not viable" because part group that took over American embassy in 1979....
Stand with Chloé Simone Valdary
on April 13, 2014
8 Comments
We have featured Tulane University student Chloé Simone Valdary before.
We highlighted a great video Valdary produced for a pro-Israel event to be held at Tulane.
For that effort, Valdary was attacked by the usual suspects like Max Blumenthal, as being an Israel Lobby paid stooge. As Lori Lowenthal Marcus reports, the event Valdaray promoted took place with great success in late March, attended by over 400 pro-Israel students.
But there has been a more sinister angle to the attacks on Valdary, as we highlighted in out post about The ugly, repugnant attack on a pro-Israel black American student, including a series of nasty racialized tweets by Richard Silverstein, like this one:
Is race behind the attacks on Valdary? Yes, says an op-ed column in The NY Post by Anthony Hardy Williams, the Democratic whip in the Pennsylvania state Senate, whose father worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and broke the color barrier at Penn State, The racism of the Israel-bashers:
Is race behind the attacks on Valdary? Yes, says an op-ed column in The NY Post by Anthony Hardy Williams, the Democratic whip in the Pennsylvania state Senate, whose father worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and broke the color barrier at Penn State, The racism of the Israel-bashers:
Ukraine: Battles with separatists escalate
on April 13, 2014
3 Comments
The crisis in Ukraine again further escalated this weekend after a group of armed men seized the police station and a security services headquarters in an eastern Ukrainian city.
From Reuters:
Armed men seized official buildings in a city in eastern Ukraine on Saturday and hoisted the Russian flag, deepening a stand-off with Moscow which, Kiev warned, was dragging Europe into a "gas war" that could disrupt supplies across the continent. At least 20 men armed with pistols and rifles took over the police station and a security services headquarters in Slaviansk, about 150 km (90 miles) from the border with Russia. Officials said the men had seized hundreds of pistols from arsenals in the buildings. The militants replaced the Ukrainian flag on one of the buildings with the red, white and blue Russian flag. On a road leading into Slaviansk, other members of the group, armed with automatic rifles, set up a roadblock and checked vehicles entering the city, a Reuters reporter said.Ukraine is in the process of recapturing the buildings as of this writing, according to reports. The Associated Press offered some additional details about the individuals involved in the incident.
