Saturday 19 August 2017

Police Stand-Downs When Violence Erupts at Protests: Are We Starting to See a Pattern Here?



It happened in Berkeley back in February; it happened in Charlottesville last weekend; and it happened in Durham, North Carolina just this past Monday–police standing by doing nothing as protestors engage in acts of violence and vandalism. Another famous case took place at a Trump rally in San Jose, California in June of last year in which a mob attacked Trump supporters attending the rally. Some of the Trump supporters have filed a lawsuit charging the San Jose Police with failure to act. The attorney representing them is interviewed by Tucker Carlson in the video above.
The young woman who got hit with eggs at the San Jose rally last year is named Rachel Casey. Here is a bit from an article about her published by Breitbart in October 2016–just a few months after the incident took place:
When asked to describe what happened to her that fateful evening when the progressive protesters targeted her with eggs and other violent tactics, Casey portrayed a horrific scene.
“When they started following me, I guess at that time I felt no fear at all,” she said. “I just turned around and I flexed my arms and I showed them the Trump name on the back of my jersey. It made them more mad and I had more things thrown at me, more eggs, a tomato hit me in the head, somebody threw a water bottle at me — a couple of them. It happened so fast, and it must have been an adrenaline rush because I did not know I was smiling until I saw videos of me afterwards.”
She continued, “I knew that if I was to touch one of them or I was to grab one of the flags they were waving in my face that they would have attacked me or beaten me with those flag poles that were metal. I just kept a straight face, I don’t know how. I just knew if I touched one of them I would get hurt. Luckily someone let me in that hotel, finally, someone finally opened the door.”
Casey also told Breitbart News that her reaction to the Project Veritas video is that it confirmed what she suspected all along.
“I actually was not surprised because, when I saw those people, it was a mob,” Casey said. “They just looked like someone paid them to be there. They were not like normal protestors. It was a group, and they were kind of young. I had thought from the beginning because of Craiglist ads I had seen myself, Craiglist ads saying, hey we will pay you this or that to go protest this rally. I was not surprised at all and it just shows the proof now. That was something we were trying to figure out with the whole class-action lawsuit in San Jose. You know, who was behind all that stuff because someone was. I believe they were paid to come attack Trump supporters.”
How does one go about starting a riot and blaming it on white males? Greg Bacon offers an answer:
First, contact a company run by Adam SWART, called, “Crowds on Demand” that supplies all the actors thugs one needs to stir things up–This kind of business must do well, since they’re located in one of the richest communities in the USA, Beverly Hills, CA.
Adam will post ads looking for actors thugs in outlets like “Craigslist” offering actors thugs $25 bucks an hour to stir things up, like in Charlottesville.
The post goes on to quote an actual ad that appeared on Craigslist. Click here to view.
Perhaps now we are getting an inkling of an understanding of why police seem to be standing down so often these days.
Back in the old days when leftists were genuine leftists–that is to say when we protested such things as wars or global trade deals–the police were not nearly so bashful. If you were participating in a march, the slightest little infraction, such as venturing off the sidewalk into the street, could get you arrested. A favorite police tactic back then was to allow a protest march to proceed up a city street until, at a pre-designated point, the cops would suddenly lay a trap–by sealing off the block at either end and simply mass-arresting everyone caught inside. It wasn’t uncommon for 200 or so people to be loaded in paddy wagons and hauled off to jail.
Funny how we don’t seem to see the police doing things like this any more.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
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Saarwellingen Jazz Workshop/Festival - German TV's report

Our annual music gathering in Saarwellingen was a great success. We packed the room night after night. We had many new students and some new teachers. For some of us this workshop  is a very consuming and demanding  job, yet a precious time. I am proud to be the art director of this project – it feels like a family gathering. I would like to use this opportunity to thank the team, Conni, Gudrun, the students, the community and the many supportive music lovers.
Gilad

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
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Syrian Army, Hezbollah split ISIL’s Lebanese border pocket, terrorists besieged

BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:50 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Hezbollah are rolling through the dense mountainous region along the Lebanese border, today, liberating several sites from the Islamic State (ISIL) terror organization.
Syrian Army Republican Guard units and Hezbollah commandos began the day by liberating much of the Jarajeer Barrens, paving the way for their entry into the strategic Qarah Barrens that are located at the northern tip of the Qalamoun Mountains.
Not long after entering the Qarah Barrens, the Syrian Arab Army and Hezbollah liberated a number of sites along the Lebanese border, including the Mosul Point that overlooks the Zamrani Crossing.
As a result of this advance, the Syrian Army and Hezbollah have imposed fire control over the Lebanese border, splitting up the Islamic State’s Qalamoun pocket after less than 48 hours of intense fighting.

HEZBOLLAH, LEBANESE ARMY, SYRIAN ARMY LAUNCHED FINAL PUSH AGAINST ISIS AT SYRIAN-LEBANESE BORDER (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)

19.08.2017
On Saturday, Hezbollah and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched the “Operation If ye revert, We shall revert” to liberate the Western Qalamoun region from ISIS terrorists at the Syrian-Lebanese border.
According to the Hezbollah media wing in Syria, the SAA and Hezbollah captured the following areas in Jorud Qara and Jorud al-Jarajir in the Western Qalamoun region: Wadi Massud, -Wadi Abu-Khadir, Sha’abat Surur, Qabr al-Arsali, Khirbat al-Ayilah, Harf Wadi farah heights, Ras Sha’abat al-Magharah, Qurnat Shumes, the Khanjar roundabout, Saha’abat al-Sauki, the Wadi Khanjar roundabout, Shumies al-Zamrani, the Thanayah al-Hariq height, the Abu Khadej height, Shaluf al-Zamrani.
Hezbollah, Lebanese Army, Syrian Army Launched Final Push Against ISIS At Syrian-Lebanese Border (Videos, Photos)
Click to see the full-size image
Hezbollah, Lebanese Army, Syrian Army Launched Final Push Against ISIS At Syrian-Lebanese Border (Videos, Photos)
Click to see the full-size image
Hezbollah, Lebanese Army, Syrian Army Launched Final Push Against ISIS At Syrian-Lebanese Border (Videos, Photos)
Click to see the full-size image
Hezbollah, Lebanese Army, Syrian Army Launched Final Push Against ISIS At Syrian-Lebanese Border (Videos, Photos)
Click to see the full-size image
Hezbollah, Lebanese Army, Syrian Army Launched Final Push Against ISIS At Syrian-Lebanese Border (Videos, Photos)
Click to see the full-size image
Hezbollah, Lebanese Army, Syrian Army Launched Final Push Against ISIS At Syrian-Lebanese Border (Videos, Photos)
Click to see the full-size image
Furthermore, Hezbollah and the SAA captured the strategic Mosul mount in the Jurod al-Brig area. The SAA and Hezbollah also captured the Zamrani crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
At least 3 ISIS fighters have surrendered to Hezbollah and the SAA in the Western Qalamoun region so far. One of them is the ISIS field commander in al-Zamrani area, Ahmad Wahid al-Abd.
From its side, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) launched “Operation Dawn of Jorud” to capture Ras Balbak and al-Qa’a areas. LAF spokesperson Nazih Jurais announced that the LAF captured 30 square kilometers from ISIS and killed 20 ISIS fighters so far.
On Saturday also, LAF General Ali Qansuh revealed that there are at least 600 ISIS fighters on the Syrian-Lebanese border controlling 120 square kilometers from Ras Balbak to Western Qalamoun. Moreover, Qansuh denied any coordination between the LAF and the SAA.
Lebanese sources claimed that many ISIS fighters surrendered to the LAF in Ras Balbak. Sources also claimed that the Lebanese Intelligence may have found the bodies of LAF soldiers executed who been by ISIS in 2014, this claimed is yet to be confirmed by Lebanese officials.
Speculation even appeared that 200 ISIS members have surrendered. However, no video or photo evidence has appeared to confirm these claims.
اللواء  للميادين نت: موكب للأمن العام اللبناني توجه إلى  بمواكبة الصليب الأحمر و  في مهمة سيعلن عنها لاحقاً
 Many sources expected that the operations against ISIS on the Syrian-Lebanese borders won’t last long as ISIS fighters there are poorly armed, and unwilling just like Haya’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters in Arsal area before.
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Stonewalling Washington: Trump pushes leftist view of US racism further than Obama or Clinton

August 18, 2017
Stonewalling Washington: Trump pushes leftist view of US racism further than Obama or Clinton
I feel sorry for Americans – they have such lousy leaders they feel compelled to defend.
I don’t mean Trump or Obama or Clinton or even JFK – I mean George Washington.
It’s really gotta be a blow to the national pride when Americans have to admit, if only to themselves: “Trump makes a fair point: the father of our country, George Washington, was a slave-owning bastard, just like Confederate leaders Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.”
LOL, Trump deserves some sort of leftist medal: “Unwitting Service to the Advance of Leftism Despite Overwhelming Idiocy,” or something, because his recent statement has done more to push a truly leftist analysis of American history than anyone could have hoped.
Racist, imperialist, bourgeois, repressive, anti-worker, pre-modern…this describes all of the US leaders Trump mentioned . A true leftist must be a wall of stone on this point, so…kudos to Trump, no?
It’s just that Washington, Lee, Jackson and Thomas Jefferson have previously only been lumped together by modern leftist leaders like Ho Chi Minh, Castro, Khomeini, etc.
So what’s America to do? They can’t admit the truth: “It’s not George’s fault he had slaves!” And Trump – he can’t be right even if he finds a cure for cancer.
Like I said – I feel sorry for Americans: they know their emperor has no clothes…that weren’t made by slaves.
How much can an American truly identify with slave-owning George Washington? “No taxation without representation” still holds up, but what about his demand that a slave overseer be “vigilant” because, “I expect to reap the benefit of the labour myself.”
LOL, and we all know there’s much, much worse out there from dear, honest George! But it’s “bad form” to say such things out loud.
Contrarily, it’s going to be a very, very long time before Mao’s “Serve The People” slogan is outdated.
And the flustered response of the US media is just too, too priceless!
But Trump has broached the unresolved issues in American culture which Obama’s speechwriters worked with every breath to sidestep. When it was claimed that Obama’s election meant that the US was now a post-racial society, all us leftists just laughed. But how many Baby Boomers actually agreed, and patted themselves on the back for what a great job they’ve done?
The victory of Hillary would have certainly just continued Obama’s whitewashing: She would have never, ever called George Washington out as a racist, and certainly not with the blunt, irrefutable logic of Trump.
So Trump has, as predicted, has not only undermined the presidency but he has undermined all presidents, as well as the American elite’s revision of their own history.
Trump admitted you can’t explain away the reality of American Gangsterism
The reality is that only when America admits that their 18th century Founding Fathers are bourgeois, racist, anti-99%, false idols – only then can they advance to true leftism.
There’s no way around that, but there are many in the way. “American Salafists”, as I call them: People who think the US Constitution is perfect and that all we need to do is to return to living exactly as those living centuries ago originally intended.
Before I get to the hilarious way the media is trying to spin this issue, the impact goes even deeper than just media spin: How can American parents explain to their kids that Trump is totally, completely wrong?
They can’t, is the answer.
I was reminded that this very same issue was superbly handled by the greatest American dramatic TV series of all-time: The Sopranos. The scene goes like this:
It’s Columbus Day, which is mainly a day for Italian-American pride.
Tony Soprano’s weak, Millennial teenage son (named A.J.) is at the kitchen table and reading from the indispensable “A People’s History of the United States” by the leftist Howard Zinn.
A.J. doesn’t know what to make of Columbus’ written admiration of the Native Americans’ potential to…make good slaves.
A.J. – “That doesn’t sound like a slave-trader to you?”
Carmela (the Mom) – “George Washington had slaves – the father of our country.
A.J. – “What’s your point?”
Tony (the Dad) – “So you finally read a book…and it’s bulls—t!”
(LOL at Tony, he’s hilarious, and I hate gangster movies. But it’s not surprising that this sociopathic capitalist gangster waxes sympathetic for the slave-trader…)
Tony – “Look, you had to walk in Columbus’ shoes to see what he went through: They thought the world was flat, for cryin’ out loud. And he lived on an island with a bunch of naked savages and – that took a lot of guts. You remember when we went to Florida – the heat!? And those bugs?!”
A.J. – “Like it took guts to murder people and put them in chains!”
Carmela – “He was a victim of his time.”
A.J. – “Who cares? It’s what he did!”
Tony: “He discovered America, is what he did!!! He was a brave Italian explorer and, in this house, he’s a hero! End of story!!!!!”
Today, at kitchen tables across America, the always-idealistic younger generation certainly sees the truth of Trump’s comparison.
And this TV scene is exactly how the US media has responded to Trump’s statement: “George Washington was a hero and Stonewall Jackson was the real racist! End of story!!!!!”
It might help you to imagine CNN anchor, journalism industry joke and African-American Don Lemon as “Tony Soprano”. Don is trying to stifle the justified teenage outrage of “Deplorable/99%-er” A.J. And you can maybe picture MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow as Carmela, with her misplaced moral relativism and idiotic jingoism.
The media can try to completely use the whole incident as a way to discredit Trump – just as Tony can bully A.J. into silence – but the damage is already done.
Capitalist, private media can only spin in circles – it’s not socialist, state media, after all…
George Washington’s slaveholding is not an “irony” of history, nor a “paradox”, nor any other of the endless moral backflips American media is doing. I’d say they are blinded by bloodlust to discredit Trump with every teleprompted word, but it goes deeper than that.
Ever notice that you never hear the phrase “anti-imperialist” from the mouth of a mainstream American journalist?
But…isn’t that the big difference between Washington/Jefferson and Jackson/Lee?
That’s all that really divides them: Both had slaves, both upheld the system of slavery – but the former fought against British imperialism while the latter sought to divide America.
But because the US media establishment is terrified of, and probably even unequipped to properly discuss, the issue of imperialism, all they can do is hysterically act like Trump has single-handedly invented White Nationalism in 7 months.
Absurd….
Racism is indeed a key part of the foundation of America, but any leftist knows – and maybe even young A.J. now sees as well – that imperialist capitalism is the truest bedrock. America used racism to serve capitalist interests, not the other way around.
But the US media never wants to delve honesty into such realities. They don’t even want to acknowledge that imperialism exists, and they work tirelessly to fool the 99% into believing it. Just look at the very opening paragraph from a New York Times op-ed on Venezuela the day after Trump made his comparison: “No one should be worried about American military action anywhere in Latin America. The notion is risible.”
What’s laughable would be the idea that nearly ALL of Latin America doesn’t have reason to be worried about American military action, and not just Venezuela!
But…c’mon, let’s be content that Trump has unwittingly forced the US to deal with their racist idols and whitewashed history – let’s not ask for the moon and have him call into question American imperialism.
Thanks to Donald, Confederate statues are coming down!
You know that so many Blacks are DYING to say: “Trump is right! Washington was a racist bastard!”
But how many are foolishly holding their tongue in order to score points against Trump, who is already getting beaten so badly they should invoke the slaughter rule?
However, I wouldn’t recommend that an African-American back up Trump out loud in the lunchroom…if they want to keep their job. “Silent but dignified” – same old survival tactic….
For talking heads like Don Lemon, the cognitive dissonance resulting from lauding Washington and denigrating of Robert E. Lee results only in a pathetic knee-jerk nationalism. Don said that anyonesupporting Trump’s words is “complicit in racism”.
Whatever Don…you’re so far behind you actually think you’re in the lead. Go cash your paycheck – you’re doing a great job for the 1%!
The only way out for everyone – not just Blacks – is true leftism: total denunciation of both Washington and Jackson, and demanding socialism’s ethnic solidarity, which capitalism has never provided. It also can never provide it, despite the propaganda efforts of people like Lemon.
For true leftists – I don’t see how Trump’s comments can’t be seen as a major positive! The idea that Trump is fomenting White Nationalism in America is like being worried about rain falling in the ocean.
And hey, a lot of Confederate statues are being hauled down! You can actually close your eyes in 2017 America and imagine its 1917 Russia! Isn’t that amazing?! This type of unreflective ancestor worship is exactly what Mao and Chinese communists fought against!
So enjoy yourself! Maybe even get a backpack together and pretend a Long March is around the corner!
But this incident proves in a serious way that the true leftists who were not browbeaten into supporting Hillary were right: Do you think one fascist statute would have fallen under Clinton II?Of course not.
Trump will always represent an advance by a retreat, which only the most rabid Pentagon warmonger could fail to understand.
But this incident proves the predictably positive leftist effect of Trumpism: Americans are increasingly forced to openly question the system, to create grassroots movements, to take an open political and moral stand, and to deal with the horrible aspects of American society that would have certainly been swept under the rug with a Hillary victory.
I’m still waiting for my predicted “Mexican Power” movement to happen, but it’s early, after all.
It’s seven steps back, one step forward with the Donald..but Hillary would have just turned on her pumps and walked away from the very start.
And Trump’s comments did another thing many people thought was impossible: it got the media off Russophobia for a few days.
Enjoy the silence and the falling statutes!
Ramin Mazaheri is the chief correspondent in Paris for Press TV and has lived in France since 2009. He has been a daily newspaper reporter in the US, and has reported from Iran, Cuba, Egypt, Tunisia, South Korea and elsewhere. His work has appeared in various journals, magazines and websites, as well as on radio and television.

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IRAN THREATENS TO QUIT NUCLEAR DEAL WITHIN HOURS IF NEW US SANCTIONS IMPOSED

Written by Darius Shahtahmasebi; Originally appeared at theantimedia.org
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned this week that Tehran may abandon the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), within hours if the U.S. continues imposing new sanctions.
Iran Threatens to Quit Nuclear Deal Within Hours If New US Sanctions Imposed
In a speech to parliament on Tuesday, Rouhani said Donald Trump was “not a good partner.”
“Those who try to return to the language of threats and sanctions are prisoners of their past delusions,” Rouhani also said in a televised address. “If they want to go back to that experience, definitely in a short time, not weeks or months, but in the scale of hours and days, we will return to our previous situation very much more stronger.”
Despite Iran’s reported compliance with the JCPOA, the U.S. legislature recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of slapping further sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Donald Trump is also looking to derail the nuclear deal, already alleging that Iran is noncompliant with the JCPOA despite the fact that he certified its compliance just last month.
As the New York Times explained, the U.S. is trying to force Iran out of the nuclear deal:
“That would be an outcome welcomed by the Trump administration. Top officials like Mr. Tillerson and Mr. Mattis have expressed concern about the effect on American relations with European allies if Mr. Trump were to unilaterally pull out, especially after he already announced his intention to back out of the Paris climate change accord that Europeans strongly support.”
“But some advisers to the president argue that if they can provoke Iran into being the one to scrap the nuclear deal, it will leave the United States in a stronger position.” [emphasis added]
It appears this is the provocative policy the Trump administration is currently pursuing. Analysts examining this current news story should necessarily pose the question: why derail the nuclear agreement if Iran is complying? And to what end?
Regardless, Rouhani said Iran would still prefer to stick with the nuclear deal, calling it “a model of victory for peace and diplomacy over war and unilateralism.” As an apparent realist, however, Rouhani warned there were other options.
Iran is already preparing for the collapse of the JCPOA. The country’s parliament recently voted overwhelmingly to increase spending on Tehran’s ballistic missile program and the powerful Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for the new sanctions the U.S. has slapped on the country. According to Al-Jazeera, some politicians even chanted “Death to America” as the vote results were announced.
“The Americans should know that this was our first action,” said speaker Ali Larijani after announcing the majority vote in favor of the package on Sunday.
The JCPOA does not account for Iran’s missile tests, and many media outlets agree that Iran is not violating the agreement by testing and developing its missile technology. To date, the country has only launched one missile into another country’s territory — unlike the United States, which is currently bombing at least seven countries and considering bombing at least three or four more. Earlier this year, Iran launched a missile strike in Syria in response to a terrorist attack on its own soil ( one should note that Iran’s military presence in Syria is authorized through Iran and Syria’s mutual defense arrangements).
The U.S. has been looking to invade Iran for decades, and Iran has no desire to turn into the next Iraq. Regime change has become an official policy of the Trump administration even though Iran is regarded as one of the only politically stable nations in the region.

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Lebanon army discovers US-made weapons cache left by Nusra terrorists

This Photo purportedly shows a discovered weapons cache left behind by Takfiri Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militants in northeastern Lebanon.
This Photo purportedly shows a discovered weapons cache left behind by Takfiri Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militants in northeastern Lebanon.
Press TV – August 19, 2017
The Lebanese army has discovered a weapons cache left behind by defeated militants from the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terror group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, in the northeast of the country.
The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), citing an unnamed official from Lebanon’s General Directorate of General Security, reported on Friday that a patrol of the intelligence agency had found an ammunition and missile cache in Wadi Hamid Valley east of the border town of Arsal, without providing further details.
However, Reuters quoted an unnamed security source as saying on Friday that the cache contained at least a surface-to air missile (SAM) and a number of US-made TOW anti-tank missiles as well as plenty of other types of shells and rockets.
The following photos of the cache were provided by the security source.
On July 29, commanders of Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement said the group had successfully concluded a week-long military offensive against al-Nusra on the outskirts of Arsal and the adjacent town of Flita in Syria, seizing land in the rugged, mountainous area and killing about 150 terrorists.
In August 2014, the al-Nusra and Daesh Takfiri terrorist groups overran Lebanon’s northeastern border town of Arsal, killing a number of Lebanese forces. They took 30 soldiers hostage, most of whom have been released.
Since then, Hezbollah and the Lebanese military have been defending Lebanon on the country’s northeastern border.
Friday’s development come as the Lebanese army has been targeting Daesh hideouts along the Syrian border over the past several days, regaining more areas from the terror group. It also comes after Syria accused the US and the UK of supplying chemical weapons to terrorists in the country.
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SUHEIL ‘THE TIGER’ AL-HASSAN RECEIVES AWARD WEAPON FROM RUSSIAN HEAD OF GENERAL STAFF (VIDEO)

19.08.2017
Suheil 'The Tiger' al-Hassan Receives Award Weapon From Russian Head of General Staff (Video)
A screenshot from the video
Brigadier General Suheil ‘The Tiger’ al-Hassan, Commander of the Syrian Arab Army Tiger Forces, has received an award weapon from Head of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, at the Hmeymim air base.
The Tiger Forces commander has also received a grateful letter from Russian Defense Minister, Sergey Shoygu.
“For the successful offensive along the Euphrates river, for participation in the liberation of the strategically important settlement Sukhna, as well as for command of the landing and the liberation of El-Kder, the Russian Defense Minister, Army General Sergei Shoigu awards you for the courage,” the Russian Defense Ministry quoted Gerasimov in a statement.
On Friday, the Syrian Arab Army and its allies made large gains against ISIS terorirsts in the province of Homs and now are working to neutralize a large ISIS grouping in the area of Uqayrabat. This became possible due to the successful air landing operation in El-Kder and the  liberation of Sukhna.
More about the Tiger Forces:

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