text:
Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer takes CNN, Erin Burnett to task on Hamas ignorance
Written by Douglas ErnstPosted on July 25, 2014 July 25, 2014 70 Comments
In a sane world, a terrorist organization that hides rockets in schools, hospitals, civilian homes and religious buildings would be condemned for its actions. In a sane world, moral outrage would swiftly flow in the direction of individuals who use innocent bystanders as shields. Unfortunately, there are a lot of confused people out there, which is why cable news viewers must suffer through hours of footage blaming Israel when children die during the course of war.
On Thursday, Ms. Burnett tried to scold Ron Dermer, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., over 16 people who died in a U.N. shelter in Gaza. Mr. Dermer decided it was time to call CNN out on its ignorance, and the result was a smack down of epic proportions:
Erin Burnett: Obviously what happened here is horrific and we don't yet even know the scale of how many children may have died. Initial reports indicate that at least 16 are dead. And the initial reports was that the attack had come from Israeli tanks. As you know, the Israeli military said it may have come from Hamas and a rocket that misfired. Do you know at this point? Do you have any more certainty?
Ron Dermer: I don't know, but I do know who who is responsible for it, and that's Hamas because they're using schools as weapons depots. And I think it would be a disservice to your viewers for a reporter from Gaza not to mention that in the last week we had two different U.N-run schools where we actually had rockets found in the schools and handed over to Hamas. I also think it's a disservice —
Erin Burnett: These are two different U.N. schools, you're saying?
Ron Dermer: That's correct. It's publicly available information. It's kind of an important fact for your reporter to mention. And in addition to that, he may have wanted to mention a statement that was made by — not by the Israeli Ambassador, not by the spokesman of the IDF — but by the U.N. Secretary General yesterday. He said this: "The Secretary General is alarmed to hear that rockets were placed in a U.N.-run school in Gaza and that subsequently these have gone missing. He expresses his outrage and regret at the placing of weapons in a U.N. administered school. By doing so…" (Now listen Erin to exactly what he says) "…by doing so, those responsible are turning schools into military targets and endangering the lives of innocent children, U.N. employees working in such facilities, and anyone using the U.N. schools as shelter." This is yesterday. Do you not think it's relevant to report on CNN that the Secretary General of the United Nations — yesterday — warned against the use of U.N. schools and shelters for rocket missile details of Hamas?"
Erin Burnett: And ambassador, it is relevant. And let me ask you this…
Ron Dermer: Well, I've been listening. I've been listening to two hours of reports on CNN. I have seen split screens — horrible pictures — horrible pictures that any decent human being would be horrified by. I have not heard a single person say what I just said to you now. And I think that does a disservice to your viewers to not give them the context they need to make these judgments. Hamas is placing missile batteries in schools, in hospitals, in mosques, and there must be outrage by the world at Hamas to end this.
Ms. Burnett then went on to harangue Mr. Dermer about the need for Israel to take "time" and "confirm" that there are no children in schools before they are fired upon (as if Israel doesn't already do its best — in war — to avoid civilian casualties). CNN, NBC, MSNBC and other news organizations bend over backwards to avoid mentioning that Hamas hides behind women and children, and then when women and children die the issue is framed as evidence of Israel's moral bankruptcy.
The whole media charade gets even weirder when they take Israel to task for bulldozing homes without ever mentioning that Hamas digs tunnels underneath seemingly innocuous homes. Cable news viewers see a home being razed, but they don't see the intricate tunnel systems under the home that were built with U.S. aid money meant for improving infrastructure.
If you want a glimpse into the Twilight Zone, keep watching CNN's coverage of Israel's military operations in Gaza. If you want a dose of reality, listen to men like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Posted in Politics, Terrorism
Tagged CNN, Erin Burnett, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, middle-east, Ron Dermer, Security, Terrorism
Previous Entry New York Times to Walgreen: You're unpatriotic if you don't love high tax rates
Next Entry Jesse Jackson, Sr. to go after Silicon Valley: Shakedown Rainbows never end
The last thing that the limousine liberal cool kids want is a dose of reality. They will keep watching CNN and parrot the PC party line that Israel is persecuting the so-called "Palestinian people" (a "people" created by the KGB in 1964). Just as they will go on blaming the NRA for crime (including stabbings and beatings). And just as they will go on admiring Emperor Obama's new clothes.
Exactly, Tom. There has never been a Palestinian state. A more accurate term would be Israeli Arabs. The Jews, unlike the Palestinians, have more or less lived in Israel for about 4,000 years and are the only people to worship the same God, have spoken the same language and lived in the same land for that time period. It was Israel's Arab neighbors that refused to allow the Palestinians into their country in the first place, back in the 1940s.
I always shake my head at people (such as Erin Burnett and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters; the latter recently compared Israel to the Nazis, for Christ's sake.) who support terrorist groups like Hamas and demonize Israel. It saddens me that people support them even though they hide rockets in schools, hospitals, homes and other places while demonizing Israel's attempts to fight back against them. We've become a society of villain worshippers, for lack of a better term.
Starfire says:
[i]the PC party line[/i]
RT is right-leaning (I'd say libertarian, personally) and they've been saying the exact same thing. Just the other day Abby Martin brought on Allison Weir to talk about how "dose poor opwessed Palestinians" have had their land stolen by the big bad Israel. Weir is the president of If Americans Knew, an organization which tells Americans what they already know (Israelis are cishet shitlords).
[i]We've become a society of villain worshippers, for lack of a better term.[/i]
It's sad, isn't it? This is pretty much the case for everything, even comics.
Do you think anything is going to come out of this cycle, Doug? Every time something like this happens I keep expecting one side to take action but things always peter out (maybe this is because of Israel's reluctance to do anything or because the world puts massive pressure on it, IDK). The Palestinian death toll is getting disturbingly high but I'm not sure if it will be enough of a catalyst for a ceasefire to be brokered or for Israel to take out HAMAS.
If anything else, my sister told me she wanted to send Netanyahu a sex toy on his birthday so he could stick it in a very unpleasant area. I hope she never has to have a fantasy like that again.
Nothing ever comes of it because Hamas does not want peace. Don't believe me? Then just listen to Hamas: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152255349332689
To Hamas it is "a dream" to live in peace because they must "keep on disturbing the Zionists" for all eternity. A "truce" is only on the table when they're beaten down, and then they begin to prepare for war once again.
If Israel put down all of its weapons tomorrow — if they magically gave them to Hamas — what would happen? If Hamas magically had all its weapons transferred to Israel's hands, what would happen? In the first case Israel would be destroyed. In the second case, you'd have peace. That tells you everything you need to know. One side admits that it wants to "push the Jews into the sea," while the other just wants to be left alone.
UPDATE: Perfect timing on the "push the Jews into the sea" reference. Now even Muslims in Boston are calling for that to happen. You would think guys like this would keep a lower profile given that the Boston terrorist attack wasn't all that long ago. I guess not.
lizard19 says:
collective punishment and disproportionate force are international war crimes. Israel is an apartheid state. Boycott, divest, sanction.
I guess we can add you to the list of radical progressives who equate Israel to "apartheid" South Africa, Lizard. You must've read Jimmy Carter's idiotic book about Israeli "apartheid" one too many times. Or listened to Roger Waters' anti-Semitic ramblings one too many times. It could be either one. I'm not surprised that you think that way, to be honest. Any comparison to "apartheid" is insane to the extreme and if you think that fighting back against Hamas terrorism is "war crimes," I think you might have to get a few things checked out.
I'm glad I live in America where I'm entitled the freedom to express my opinions. Boycott, divest, sanction. Like the Presbyterian church did.
What does that have to do with the post exactly? All you're doing is repeating a progressive meme ("boycott, divest, sanction;" real original there.) and a tired one at that.
I'm glad I live in America where I'm entitled the freedom to express my opinions."
And here I thought you hated America. Looks like I was mistaken! Didn't you once refer to this country as a collection of "political bottom feeders sucking down corporate cash?" Yes, you did. Do you routinely come up with insane conspiracy theories about "neo-cons" and Israel and the CIA, to name just three examples? Yes, you do.
Sure sounds like someone who likes America right there.
Patrick(Denver) says:
"…..You know I would suggest to these Presbyterian organizations to fly to the Middle East, come and see Israel for the embattled democracy that it is, and then take a bus tour, go to Libya, go to Syria, go to Iraq, and see the difference. And I would give them two pieces of advice, one is, make sure it's an armor plated bus, and second, don't say that you're Christians."
This was the end part of PM Netanyahu's answer when asked about the Presbyterian condemnation on Sunday….and he's probably correct about the bus trip if you are Christian. A sad state of affairs for the whole region. If we hypothetically went with Lizard's suggestion and the boycott worked where Israel went back to its 1967 border, would the rest of the region suddenly be peaceful towards Israel? If that answer is 'no', then doesn't Israel have a right to defend itself?
South African apartheid was against 88% of its own citizens with no outside threat (there was uneasiness with civil war in Angola, but apartheid was going on before that) , they seem two different situations to me.
Doug tells us to listen to men like Netanyahu. well, it's now known that Netanyahu knew that the 3 kidnapped teens were killed shortly after being abducted, and he knew it wasn't Hamas. but instead of disclosing this, weeks of searching and weeks of public incitement occurred, and now here we are watching Israel's disproportionate use of violence against a captive civilian population.
Israel's actions are not justifiable. Israel's actions constitute war crimes, and the US is complicit. I don't want one penny of my tax dollars siphoned to the apartheid state of Israel.
Instead of expending his energies on the terrorist organization that has vowed to push the Jooooos into the sea at all costs, Lizard19 expends his time going after Netanyahu. Odd.
Israel pulled out of Gaza years ago. If the people there are captive, it's only because Hamas uses them as shields and uses aid money to build weapons-caches and tunnels instead of schools and hospitals. And the schools and hospitals that are in existence are used to hide weapons.
so Netanyahu lying about Hamas being responsible for the murder of the 3 teens doesn't matter to you?
"What did Netanyahu know and when did he know it? Lizard19 wants to know!"
See, you're doing the Lizard19 thing again — the post is about Israel and Hamas (and Netanyahu's crystal clear understanding of who they are and what they represent), and instead of talking about that, you want to make the conversation about the search for kidnapped Israeli teenagers, whether Hamas' leadership was responsible, whether they were just Hamas members acting alone, etc. As usual, you want the conversation to veer off into what you want to talk about. No thanks.
Even more comical is that you just throw out claims without providing any links, probably because you know that the truth is much more nuanced than "Liar! Liar! Liiiiiiar!"
the fact Hamas wasn't responsible for the event that sparked this most recent slaughter of mostly civilians is all over the media today. the fact reporters were gagged from reporting this is also undeniable. I'll provide some links when I get back around a computer.
"The fact" that Hamas lobs rockets into Israel on a daily basis has nothing to do with the military operation. It's all about the dead Israeli kids. And the dead civilians have nothing to do with the fact that Hamas uses them as shields and uses hospitals, schools and mosques as weapons depots. Got it.
From the Jerusalem Post:
"Hamas has turned tunneling into a national profession. They lean on highly-skilled engineers to do this. We're dealing with all of these threats through close-range combat," the source added.
Working with the Artillery Corps, the infantry brigades, and the air force, the source said the Maglan unit is helping to tear apart Hamas's infrastructure, describing the process as "peeling an onion, layer after layer."
Hamas has built "defensive layers around the tunnels. They have attack positions in mosques, in the homes of operatives, and tunnels that allow terrorists to approach our forces," he said. "That requires very accurate and sometimes aggressive counter-measures by us. I know that all of the IDF's units are accomplishing this mission, even though there are casualties. We understand that if we do not deal with these threats, they will come to our home front. If you talk to members of our unit, it is clear to all of us that we don't take care of this, if we don't destroy these threats and thwart them, they will reach us in a much more aggressive way, and they will harm Israeli civilians and soldiers." …
"I have not entered one civilian home that did not have weapons, suicide belts, or booby traps in it. You can see the booby traps from the outside," the source said. Any home found to be containing women and children leads to an immediate halt of the raid, he added. "We hold our fire, there's no question. We don't take chances with children and women. We allow them to leave, and then continue the raid. That's who we are, and this is the source of our strength," he added.
Facts don't matter to Lizard, Doug. They destroy the narrative about Israel being an "apartheid" state and Hamas "not being behind the kidnappings." Odds are the links will be to far-left websites like the HuffPo, Counter Punch, the Daily Kos, etc. And maybe the UK Guardian (an anti-Semitic rag if there ever was one) thrown in for good measure.
As Doctrine Man says, "Poke the badger enough, and the badger pokes back." Israel has bent over backwards to live in peace, but Hamas doesn't want peace. One needs to just listen to what Hamas officials say to their own people. One needs to just look at its charter. They don't want peace — they want the destruction of Israel.
The "it wasn't Hamas" and "Netanyahu lied" memes apparently started with tweets by Sheera Frankel (Buzzfeed) and/or Jon Donnison (BBC) quoting an Israeli police officer as saying that a lone (Hamas) cell was responsible. "Lone cell" morphed into "rogue cell." Then New York Magazine printed an article with the headline, "It Turns Out Hamas Didn't Kidnap and Kill the 3 Israeli Teens After All." Then Daily Kos jumped on the band wagon with, "Israel Admits Hamas Didn't Kidnap the 3 Israeli Teens After All."
The NY Magazine article contradicts its own headline, and admits that the kidnappers were a Hamas cell. In the West Bank area, Hamas operates in loose cells, as opposed to Gaza, where Hamas is more centralized, and controls the entire territory. The Israeli police spokesperson denies using the term "lone" (or "rogue") cell, and, anyway, it's a stretch from "a lone cell" to saying that Hamas had absolutely nothing to do with it.
And the media are trying to make it sound as if Netanyahu used the kidnappings as a pretext to attack Gaza. In fact, the current Israeli operation against Hamas is in response to rocket attacks, not the kidnappings.
You are a more patient man than I am, Tom. Thanks for breaking it all down. 🙂
That goes back to the "poke the badger long enough" quote from earlier in the thread. Israel didn't need some sort of magical excuse to go into Gaza militarily. The rocket attacks and the tunnels are reason enough alone. The more that comes out on those tunnels, the weirder it gets. How much U.N. aid was used on concrete for tunnels instead of concrete for schools, apartment buildings, hospitals, etc.? The whole situation is sad, but as was said earlier: as long as Hamas believes that it can only live with the complete destruction of Israel then nothing will change.
We also know rockets were fired into Israel. We also know weapons caches and tunnels have been found. The tunnels didn't just appear since the three teens were murdered; what are they for?
It looks like Hamas was building up during the last truce, and are complicit also for this latest round of fighting.
Patrick, the tunnels are a reaction to Israel's blockade. Here is a list of some of the banned items:
sage,cardamom, cumin, coriander, ginger, jam, halva, vinegar, nutmeg, chocolate, fruit preserves, seeds and nuts, biscuits and sweets, potato chips, gas for soft drinks, dried fruit, fresh meat, plaster, tar, wood for construction cement, iron, glucose, industrial salt plastic/glass/metal containers industrial margarine, tarpaulin sheets for huts fabric (for clothing), flavor and smell enhancers fishing rods
here's a link regarding Netanyahu's exploiting the dead teens to whip up Israelis into a frenzy. From the link:
From the moment three Israeli teens were reported missing last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's military-intelligence apparatus suppressed the flow of information to the general public. Through a toxic blend of propaganda, subterfuge and incitement, they inflamed a precarious situation, manipulating Israelis into supporting their agenda until they made an utterly avoidable nightmare inevitable.
Israeli police, intelligence officials and Netanyahu knew within hours of the kidnapping and murder of the three teens that they had been killed. And they knew who the prime suspects were less than a day after the kidnapping was reported.
Rather than reveal these details to the public, Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency imposed a gag order on the national media, barring news outlets from reporting that the teens had almost certainly been killed, and forbidding them from revealing the identities of their suspected killers. The Shin Bet even lied to the parents of the kidnapped teens, deceiving them into believing their sons were alive.
this "war" is not to destroy tunnels. it's an attempt to destroy the recent alliance between Fatah and Hamas.
Patrick, remember: Israel will not allow "fresh meat" into Gaza, but "rotten meat" is okay.
The tunnels also have nothing to do with smuggling in weapons. It's all about chocolate bars, seeds and dried fruit. These are not the drones you are looking for…
Yep, a link from the rabidly anti-Semitic (not to mention anti-American) Guardian. I called it.
It does have to do with smuggling weapons. Whoever wrote that article is living in an alternate reality.
According to Tabletmag.com, Hamas used 800,000 tons of cement (one of the banned items) to build the tunnels. BTW, they used child labor to do the construction work, and 160 children have been killed while working in the tunnels.
I was channel surfing earlier today, and Wolf Blitzer was in one of the tunnels; the Israelis told him that the cement used was allowed thru in cooperation with the UN and ment for schools/hospitals and things of that nature. Part of the tunnel had the leftover bags for the cement mix, which is how they knew its origin.
It seems any raw material is used against Israel, which explains the "why" of the blockade. Lizard had mentioned the natural gas field. The article states that a team of British geologists "found" it quite a while ago, it's actually in the sea off Gaza's coast. I can't blame Israel for trying to get the contracts for it if all the proceeds would otherwise fund acts against Israel. Gaza's leadership has shown it will not use assets to help its own innocent civilians, that is where the problem lies.
I said earlier, a bad situation all around, for Jews, Muslim, and Christian alike. Cheesy as this may sound, I find it heartbreaking Palestinian kids can't play soccer and have a coke/candybar with their friends and enjoy things many of us took for granted growing up. Yet another generation lost.
Unfortunately the tunnels are being used to store weapons now. These tunnels emanate from or lead to homes, why are the Palestinian side putting kids at risk? They are the ones who dug them in these locations.
I actually agree that the Fatah/Hamas deal plays a huge part in this. But I get back to my earlier question, will they leave Israel alone if they go back to previous borders? As linked above with the charter and "push back to the sea" sentiment, the answer seems not. If that is a Fatah/Hamas goal, then that is why the "war" is waged.
I'd be curious to see a "banned product" list from around the region that ban things from its own citizens.
Patrick, I'm sure there are weapons moving through the tunnels. but why is there even a blockade? because the people in Gaza VOTED for Hamas, and since then they have been collectively punished for that expression of democracy.
Israel wants more settlements, they want the natural gas in Gaza and they want to dismantle Hamas for good.
what Israel is doing is incremental genocide on a population trapped in an open concentration camp.
anyway, thank you for having a reasonable conversation with me.
because the people in Gaza VOTED for Hamas, and since then they have been collectively punished for that expression of democracy.
When you vote for an organization that openly states that its end-game is the destruction of Israel, then you shouldn't be surprised when Israel acts to protect itself from that threat. When the guy you voted for uses the emergency room in the local hospital to store rockets, then you shouldn't be surprised when the hospital is eventually destroyed by the Israeli Air Force.
Very interesting question. 🙂
I would also ask why Israel bans certain goods. For instance, say a certain company is found out by Israel to be smuggling weapons in crates typically used for "food x" or "material x." Israel could then ban anything from that company going into Gaza, but the end result would be a guy like Lizard saying, "Israel is so mean it doesn't allow canned olives into Gaza!" There has to be a reason why "x" is banned; it's not just a bunch of Jooooooos sitting around a table saying, "Heh. Heh. Heh. Let's see how they like it if we cut off crunchy peanut butter…"
hey Doug, what would you do if someone tried to forcefully remove you from your property? would you fight back?
You mean that desert wasteland that the Jews built into a bustling nation? Is that what you're talking about? Why do you continue to ignore the fact that Hamas' stated goal is the complete destruction of Israel? It's kind of weird, unless you agree with its members that Israel should be wiped off the planet. Is that your stance?
PS: I see Hamas is now doing business with Kim Jong-un, because everyone knows that when you have the moral high ground that you resort to arms deal with the guy who oversees the world's worst police state.
Hamas militants are attempting to negotiate a new arms deal with North Korea for missiles and communications equipment that will allow them to maintain their offensive against Israel, according to Western security sources.
Security officials say the deal between Hamas and North Korea is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and is being handled by a Lebanese-based trading company with close ties to the militant Palestinian organisation based in east Beirut.
Hamas officials are believed to have already made an initial cash down payment to secure the deal, and are now hoping that North Korea will soon begin shipping extra supplies of weapons to Gaza.
"Hamas is looking for ways to replenish its stocks of missiles because of the large numbers it has fired at Israel in recent weeks," explained a security official. "North Korea is an obvious place to seek supplies because Pyongyang already has close ties with a number of militant Islamist groups in the Middle East."
so you support incremental genocide because of rhetoric? Nice. could you provide a link where Hamas has explicitly stated its intention to wipe Israel off the map?
I already provided on link earlier in the conversation, where a Hamas member of parliament says peace is just a Zionist "dream" and that any "truce" is just a temporary pause until its ready for the next engagement. My goodness, man. Really? Use Google. It works. Hamas is quite open about its desire to push the Joooooos into the sea. Heck, I even linked to our good Muslim friends in Boston saying the exact same thing. I guess you didn't watch that link, either.
Here we have our Saudi friends talking about the "deviant" country of Israel that must be "eradicated." But hey, you tell me it's all about dried fruit, so who do I trust — Lizard19 or Hamas members and its religious allies?
then I guess they all need to be exterminated…is that Israel's final solution?
Interesting use of "final solution" and Jews. I'll take that as a clear sign that you have nothing left to add to the discussion. Your time in this thread is just about up.
Update: I normally wouldn't add this, but the since Lizard19 wants to couple "final solution" and Jews together in the very specific way he did, I'll make an exception. His comment within the context of this discussion already telegraphs what type of guy he is, but I want to hammer it home just a tad more.
Here's the deal: Even his fellow bloggers out in Montana can't stand him. I highly suggest reading James Conner's piece on why he took Lizard19 off his blogroll. I'll give you a few excerpts:
For me, the last straw is the set of posts and comments on the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over the separatist held Ukrainian areas that abut Russia. There's no doubt in my mind that the Boeing 777 was brought down by a surface-to-air missile, very little to no reasonable doubt that the launch button was pushed by the separatists, possible with Russian help, and every reason to believe that the shootdown was an accident (but still a war crime).
Lizard and JC disagree, which is their right — and a right that I'll defend. But their arguments verge on hysteria. They don't trust the mainstream media, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, or the Guardian. They seem to see a conspiracy behind every sunflower. They hate the United States and its government with a black bile that corrodes their judgment. …
4and20blackbirds has become an alternate reality blog, a realm of conspiracy theories and rants by angry leftists driven by hatred of their nation and soured on humanity. Once an oasis of fact and reason, it's now a well poisoned by fury and anti-Americanism. I can no longer in good conscience keep it on Flathead Memo's blogroll.
And just in case you're wondering if Mr. Conner is my ideological clone, I think it's safe to say that he is not. His "about" section states:
Flathead Memo is not a mouthpiece for anyone else or any organization. I'm the sole funder, writer, editor, and designer-webmaster. I'm a Democrat, but not a Democratic blogger. Democrats and Republicans alike tend to toss down a stiff bourbon to steel themselves for what they sometimes consider my latest outrage.
Note: Emphasis added.
nope, there's not much more for me to add. you seem to think Israel is justified to commit any atrocity it feels necessary to "defend" itself.
Notice, dear readers, how the word "defend" is in quotation marks — because rockets and missiles lobbed into cities and stored in hospitals, mosques, schools and civilian homes does not constitute a threat to Israel…or something.
Since we're both in agreement about your contribution to the discussion, perhaps I'll see you in another thread.
Mr. "final solution" is now officially done in terms of comments that will show up in this post.
Wow. Even his fellow Montana bloggers- and a fellow liberal, no less, can't stand him? I had no idea, but then I'm not familiar with the blogosphere of that state.
Yes, a reader filled me in on that post and then after the "final solution" crack I was like, "You know what, I'm going to highlight this thing. It really is quite telling."
And I agree- the violation of Godwin's law (comparing Israel to the Nazis by bringing up the term "final solution" really telegraphs his true nature.
It is very telling. That, and the disgusting "political bottom feeders sucking down corporate cash" comment from last year really shed light on who he is. Not to mention the "I wish you never procreate" comments as well. I haven't forgotten that, especially since it was directed at me personally.
I've been trying my best to let him turn the page, but when a guy busts out with very peculiar references to the Jews and a "final solution," it becomes difficult. I point to multiple instances where Hamas and its supporters openly discuss the desire to wipe Israel off the face of the map, and his comeback is to make a Nazi reference and then link in to the Israelis in bizarre fashion. Totally inappropriate.
Sadly I've personally known people who exhibited similar views. One liberal clown I knew from high school (who would later join the military just so he could collect benefits; he was, I believe, what they call a "Blue Falcon"\") claimed that "Jewish masters" were "using mind control to beam your conservative views into your head." I kid you not.
In 2010 a guy commented on one of my blog posts and said that I took "marching orders" from the Jews because I was a "Neocon." You gotta love it.
LOL. Wow. These people definitely out there.
The Jews built a wasteland "into a bustling nation." If it had been the other way around-that is, if Palestine had been a garden, and if the Jews had taken it over and allowed it to deteriorate into a wasteland-then the coffee shop intellectuals in the US and Britain would probably be militant Zionists, sympathizing with the Israelis and demanding that the US provide them with unlimited aid. Especially if the Jews blamed their poverty on us, and had a stated goal of destroying Western civilization.
Of course, criticism of Israel is not necessarily anti-Semitism, just as criticism of Obama is not necessarily racist. Israel allows freedom of speech, and you can probably find more criticism of Israeli government policies in the Israeli media than you can find criticism of Obama administration policy in the American media.
But Natan Sharansky's "3D test" helps to distinguish between legitimate dissent and anti-Semitism. 1. Delegitimization (denying Israel's very right to exist). 2. Double standards (condemning the IDF for shooting back at terrorists, but condoning or ignoring aggression by Hamas, the PLO, Russia, and Red China). 3. Demonization, comparing Israelis to Nazis. Like calling Gaza a concentration camp, and accusing Israel of seeking a "final solution."
Tom, you never cease to amaze me. You just got major cool points for reading Sharansky. "The Case for Democracy" was a great book and every day I walk past my bookshelf I look at "Defending Identity." 🙂 I think I have the former at my parent's house in my old bedroom somewhere. I need to find that thing…
That's definitely someone whose books I'll have to search for sometime. I'd definitely say that many anti-Israel people fall into the last two categories, including Mr. "Final Solution."
As for the Arabic presence in Israel, that only goes back to the seventh century. They took the Holy Land by force. The Palestinians claim they're descended from the Jebusites, a Canaanite tribe and the original inhabitants of Jerusalem prior to King David's reign, but the truth is Muslims didn't show up in the region until the seventh century.
"The Case for Democracy" is a really great book. I highly recommend it.
And Carl…very impressive with the history there. Nice!
Thanks. Ancient history is very interesting. I've always subscribed the theory that the Bible does paint a mostly accurate history of the region, contrary to the current trend toward "Biblical minimalism" (or revisionism) that downplays the 4,000-plus year Jewish presence in Israel.
Sort of related: the other day when my sister was over, she flipped out when my dad and I were talking about the Israel-Hamas conflict and apparently later wrote "Anyone who has a problem with Muslims will have me to answer to!" on Facebook. Ironic, since she doesn't have a problem with bashing Christians and comparing them to Islamist extremists and implying that religious people "are mentally ill." Except Islamists, of course. Also ironic: her boyfriend is a secular Jew, albeit one with strong pro-Hamas sympathies if his comments about wanting to "collect Israeli scalps" were any indication.
Carl, my friend…your sister is something else. Has your sister seen any of the ISIL beheading videos? I doubt it. I have. They're not pleasant. I don't "have a problem" with Muslims; I have a problem with people who chop of heads when they're angry, fly airliners into large metropolitan areas, and strap on underwear bombs on Christmas day while flying over Detroit.
Historical fun fact: Umar Abdulmutallab's underwear bomb failed because he wore the same underwear for two weeks!
That was beyond monstrous. My God. I don't "have a problem" with Muslims, either; I do have a problem with monsters who chop off people's heads for simply believing in a different faith.. And these are the people my sister and her loser boyfriend support over the Israelis. I personally doubt that she has seen the video; I imagine that she would claim "it was made up by white right-wing Christians to demonize a legitimate political movement." She's more concerned with demonizing Christians and the IDF (she also called Bar Rafaeli a "whore") and throwing tantrums about Sea World.
Sorry to share that. I wasn't sure if you'd watch or not. I've seen those sorts of videos before (you have to know as much about your enemy as possible in order to defeat him), but that one made me rather uncomfortable. These are some sick and twisted souls.
It's alright. I watched it primarily for the reasons you stated: to know your enemy. Plus, it gives me ammunition against my sister.
And Bar Rafaeli and Gal Gadot both tweeted support for the IDF, and Bar gets labelled a "baby killer" and was told "the Nazis should've finished what they started" by Hamas supporters. And they were mocked for speaking out about it. Gee, they're both attractive, successful Israeli-born women who support their country's fight against terror. What a concept!
As for my sister's boyfriend's "Israeli scalps" comment, I can't remember exactly when he said it, but it was fairly recently. I overheard him telling her how "my people have Palestinian blood on their hands, and I feel guilty for that. I'd love to go over there, fight for the Hamas and collect some Israeli scalps." Even though he's way too much of a coward and would probably squeal like a baby if he was anywhere near a gun, that just further cemented my dislike of this clown
Haha. Yes, my experience has always been that guys who talk tough like that are usually the ones crying like a baby or running for the door when they're actually faced with the possibility of real pain or danger.
My first experience with that actually came during basic training. During a training exercise we were "ambushed," and the Drill Sergeants gassed us. You're suppose to stop what you're doing, put your mask on, clear it, and then resume firing, bounding toward the enemy, etc. Well, I started to return fire and suddenly realized, "Wait a second…I'm all alone!" The rest of my team literally ran for the hills when the gas canisters popped off! It scared the heck out of me to think that I might have to really fight next to them one day. Hopefully, they became better soldiers.
The second experience came when I was in Macedonia. We were on a Q.R.F. (Quick Reaction Force), and there were reports of gunfire along the border with Serbia. It could have been anything, and our team was sent to check it out. Yes, this was pre-911, but the fact remained that there was real gunfire and we didn't know what we'd find when the helicopter landed. As we were getting into the helicopter, all the guys who always "talked shit" about how awesome they were and how "hard core" they were … had tears in their eyes. They were crying or they looked like they might soil themselves at any second. It was a very, very eye-opening experience.
It turned out that it was a farmer who was hunting deer and other animals with an AK-47! Who the heck hunts with an AK-47?
Holy cow! Go to work and out with friends for a while, and I miss a lot! Guess that took a turn for the worse.
I think it clear that the issue is Hamas' stated goal of eradicating Israel. I don't think anyone here is against "John Q Public Palestinan", unfortunately Hamas is against every Israeli, and until that changes, there will be conflict.
Truthwillwin1 says:
Wow, that got bad fast. I think Lizard does not even realize how offensive he is. I mentioned that very thing in another discussion in blog a while back because the other blog writer did not seem to see anything wrong with his posts. I think that some people cannot see past their own ideas to see their own cognitive dissonance.
The conflict with Israel is a continuation of people's hatred and intolerance of anyone not bowing to their particular brand of Muslim belief. Israel is a civilized nation with Western values that is surrounded by Islamic fanaticism. Israel deserves the right to not only exist, but to triumph over our common enemies. Israel deserves the support of all civilized Peoples in the West and throughout the world.
The question is do we have the courage to stand with them anymore? Does the president really care?
Life under Hamas: If you have the wrong cell phone provider, you die. No trial — just death.
And another thing about my sister: she pretends to be tolerant of people, but when it comes to Christianity or opposing views, she's about as intolerant as you can get. Apparently my cousin is converting to Mormonism after being raised Catholic. Which is cool, and I've no problem with it, as long as it makes her happy. But my sister indirectly mocked her for it (via a text message with my mom) and said, "she may be happy, but she's an idiot because I don't know why anyone would believe in something so transparently false and in a racist religion."
Which shows how little my sister knows about Mormonism; I know a little due to knowing a few in high school. I also know that Mormons faced some persecution when they first appeared. As for the "racist" part, apparently my sister has never heard of Mia Love or Gladys Knight, both of whom are black Mormon women.
Every Mormon I have ever met has been extremely nice to me. When I worked at Heritage I had quite a few Moron interns pass through, and they were always good kids. I have nothing bad to say about any of them. With that said, I have been told that "Under the Banner of Heaven," by Jon Krakauer is a good book that isn't very friendly towards certain aspects of the faith. I have not read the book, but a friend of mine told me it was a very interesting read. Take that for what it's worth.
My guess is that your cousin (whether Catholic or Mormon) is probably a lot further on, spiritually, than your sister. From what I've heard about your sister, it seems as though she is filled with pride, envy, jealousy and wrath. Perhaps I'm wrong…but that is what has come across in the stories you've shared with me in the comments section thus far.
"Every Mormon I have ever met has been extremely nice to me. When I worked at Heritage I had quite a few Moron interns pass through, and they were always good kids. I have nothing bad to say about any of them."
Same here. Every Mormon I've known has been extremely friendly. There is actually an LDS church in the adjacent county, less than 20 or so miles from where I live. The aforementioned Mormon classmates of mine from high school attended church there. I always got along with them well.
I would say that my cousin is. That side of the family (my mom's side) has always been pretty religious. My mom was raised Catholic, although she converted to Lutheranism (my default religion) after marrying my dad. Like I said, I have no issue whatsoever with my cousin converting to Mormonism. If it makes her happy, I don't care. And really, what my cousin does with her life is none of my sister's business.
As for my sister, your assessment of her is spot-on. For someone who has lectured me (and my dad) for being "hateful" simply because I disagree with her on various issues, she sure has no problem hating people she deems inferior, such as religious people (except Muslims, because people "will have her to answer to."). I can't fathom being that full of hate. It's especially ironic when you consider our Lutheran upbringing, the fact that her and I both attended Lutheran school initially, (although we stopped going to Church regularly in 2002) and the fact that in high school she regularly attended church every Tuesday or Wednesday with a couple of her basketball teammates.
It doesn't help that my liberal relatives (name and her loser boyfriend help encourage her bad behavior, motivated largely by their hatred of my dad, the only person who has ever had the guts to stand up to them. When my parents kicked them out of the house after two days, back in March, her boyfriend yelled at my dad when he was calling them out, telling him in part, "leave her alone, you f***ing fascist." My dad gave him a pretty epic verbal beatdown. Although, if I had been in the room at that particular moment, I would've probably lost my cool and punched her idiot boyfriend for being rude to my dad, although I know that would've caused further problems.
This French reporter just had an eye-opener…


text:
The UAPA law
Retreat of democracy: The terror of laws
Venkitesh Ramakrishnan Divya Trivedi
Print edition : April 09, 2021 T+ T-
Accused in the Akshardham case (from left to right), Mufti Abdul Qayyum, Maulvi Abdulla, Adambhai Ajmeri, Mohammed Salim and Mohammed Altaf, at a press conference in Mumbai in May 2014 after being acquitted by the Supreme Court. Photo: PTI
Ajmeri Abdul Rashid, one of the accused in the 2002 Gandhinagar Akshardham temple terror attack case, after he was arrested by the crime branch of the police in Ahmedabad. A file photograph. Photo: PTI
National Security Guard personnel at the Akshardham temple complex after the night-long operation against terrorists in September 2002 in Gandhinagar. Photo: PTI
Police produce one of the suspects in the Akshardham attack case in a POTA Special Court in Ahmedabad. A file photograph. Photo: PTI
Umar Khalid, former JNU student and activist, is detained by the police for defying prohibitory orders imposed by the Delhi Police during a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, near Red Fort in Delhi in December 2019. Khalid was arrested in September 2020 under the UAPA for his alleged role in the North East Delhi riots of February 2020. Photo: PTI
Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) and part (b) of Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1830 (see page 9 for the question) for March 10, 2021.
The democratic space is shrinking in India as the government uses anti-terror legislation indiscriminately, leading to prolonged incarceration of innocents and dissenters.
Three international studies based on indices of freedom and democracy by renowned global research institutions were published in the months of February and March 2021, and all three of them contained one common observation − that India's democracy is backsliding, leading to a rapid and alarming deterioration of political and civil liberties. The three institutions, which came to similar conclusions on India's freedom and democracy record in 2020, are the Sweden-based Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, the United States-based non-profit organisation Freedom House and the Intelligence Unit of The Economist magazine. Specifically categorising the Indian situation, the V-Dem Institute study said India had become an "electoral autocracy", while Freedom House downgraded India from a "free democracy" to a "partially free democracy". The Democracy Index published by The Economist Intelligence Unit termed India as a "flawed democracy". All three studies emphasised the role of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in causing this backsliding of democracy. The studies have pointed out that the Modi regime is characterised by widespread attacks on human rights groups, intimidation of journalists and activists, and rampant assaults on minority communities, especially Muslims.
The response from the Indian ruling establishment was predictable. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the reports showed the "hypocrisy of self-appointed custodians of the world who find it very difficult to stomach that somebody in India is not looking for their approval, is not willing to play the game they want to be played". "You use the dichotomy of democracy and autocracy. You want the truthful answer…it is called hypocrisy … So they invent their rules, their parameters, they pass their judgements and then make out as though this is some kind of global exercise." Jaishankar's denunciation was supplemented by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson's statement, which asserted that India had "robust institutions and well-established democratic practices" and did not "need sermons especially from those who cannot get their basics right". It added that the political judgements of the Freedom House report were "inaccurate and distorted". Rajya Sabha Chairperson Venkaiah Naidu did not allow attempts by a clutch of opposition members to raise queries on the V-Dem Institute report in Parliament saying countries that were talking about India should first look inward.
Also read: 'We are seeing a culture of intolerance'
The reports state that they were prepared in accordance with well-defined guidelines, procedures and rules. The V-Dem Institute claims that it measures "hundreds of different attributes of democracy" with almost 30 million data points, involving more than 3,500 scholars and country experts. The Economist's Democracy Index is self-professedly based on measuring electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties. Freedom House states that it uses a two-tiered system consisting of scores and status and that each country is awarded points for each of its political rights and civil liberties indicators. The Freedom House claims that it has taken into consideration developments in 195 countries and 15 territories, while the V-Dem dataset apparently covers the track record of 202 countries. The Economist Intelligence Unit claims to cover 165 independent states and two regions.
Executive excesses & the Surat case
A number of developments in the country in recent times have indeed highlighted a colossal democracy deficit and an absence of institutional credibility that permeates diverse segments of the political and administrative systems. Some of these developments unfolded in the judiciary and the legislature, but the central theme in all these instances was the excesses of the executive in its various arms, including the political leadership, the administrative apparatus and the security machinery.
One of the most striking manifestations of this came with the judgment of the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Surat on March 6. The court acquitted as many as 122 persons stating that the investigating agencies were not able to prove the charges relating to jehadi terrorist activity against them. Shockingly, the accused had spent 19 years in jail. All of them were arrested in December 2001 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for participating in a meeting organised by the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). In fact, there were five others who were arrested at that time; they died at various junctures of this 19-year internment as undertrials.
Also read: UAPA: India's anti-India Act
Chief Judicial Magistrate A.N. Dave's acquittal order stated clearly that the prosecution had failed to link the accused to SIMI with any "cogent, reliable or satisfactory" evidence. The accused were from different States — Gujarat, where the case was registered, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in southern India, West Bengal and Bihar in the east, Maharashtra in the west, and Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the north. The accused maintained throughout the trial that they were not members of SIMI and had gathered for a seminar under the banner of the All India Minority Education Board. But the investigating agencies kept them under confinement for nearly 20 years without being able to gather any substantive evidence of their culpability. Clearly, an extreme case of undemocratic, anti-human excesses by an arm of the executive.
Akshardham temple attack case
But the Surat case is not the only instance where such excesses were committed on innocent and hapless people in the name of "security operations against terrorism". The Akshardham temple attack case, registered in 2002 following an attack on the temple in September that year, was also strikingly similar. The attack resulted in the death of 30 people and caused injuries to 80. The case dragged on for nearly 12 years through various courts, but finally the Supreme Court on May 16, 2014, acquitted all the six accused, emphasising that innocents were framed through shoddy investigations. The court expressed its anguish over the incompetence with which the investigating agencies probed such a grievous case involving the nation's integrity and security.
The court said: "Instead of booking the real culprits responsible for taking so many precious lives, the police caught innocent people and got imposed the grievous charges against them which resulted in their conviction and subsequent sentencing" (by the lower courts.) Another damning observation was: "Here, we intend to take note of the perversity in conducting this case at various stages, right from the investigation level to the granting of sanction by the State government to prosecute the accused persons under POTA [Prevention of Terrorism Act], the conviction and awarding of sentence to the accused persons by the Special Court (POTA) and confirmation of the same by the High Court. We, being the apex court, cannot afford to sit with folded hands when such gross violation of fundamental rights and basic human rights of the citizens of this country were presented before us."
Also read: A case of intelligence failure?
The two cases are similar in terms of the excesses of the investigating agencies. But the Surat case stands out by the sheer scale of the number people who were incarcerated. The way in which the case dragged on for two decades also points to the monumental lack of accountability of security agencies in cases registered under anti-terrorism laws. After both the Akshardham and Surat verdicts, human rights activists called for monetary compensation and social restitution for the innocents who were kept in jail for crimes they did not commit. However, neither the judiciary nor the executive has responded adequately to these demands. Even more importantly, no member of the investigating agencies was called to question for illegal police custody, fabricating and concealing of evidence or committing torture, serious offences all.
The Supreme Court observed in May 2014 that the process adopted by the prosecution in the Akshardham case was flawed. It also pointed out that the sanction granted to the investigating agencies and the prosecution was "void". It added that the process was illustrative of "clear non-application of mind by the Home Minister in granting sanction". At that time, the person in charge of the Gujarat Home Ministry was the then Chief Minister, Narendra Damodardas Modi. His Minister of State for Home was Amit Shah.
Referring to the manner in which anti-terrorism laws were being formulated and advanced, the Supreme Court observed in the Akshardham case that "it was conscious that Parliament has placed the judiciary and the citizen in a situation that borders on the theatre of the absurd". The court pointed out: "POTA was repealed in 2004. Yet, the trials, its implementation has entailed, are continuing till date. POTA was repealed for the gross violation of human rights it caused to the accused persons due to abuse of power by the police. This is an important aspect to be kept in mind while deciding this case and hence, it was pertinent to mention this in the beginning to say that we are wary of the abuse the provisions of this Act might bring."
UAPA: rooted in insecurity
Such strong observations notwithstanding, implementation of anti-terrorism laws have continued unabated. Almost all State governments and most of the parties that have held power in Union governments over the last two and a half decades or so have contributed to this process, which is marked by gross misuse of authority. The history of the UAPA is a stark case study in this regard.
The very creation of this Act is deeply rooted in the Indian nation's insecurity with regard to its sovereignty and integrity. While the UAPA is touted as an anti-terror law, the political climate in which it was first passed as a Bill amidst an ongoing Emergency in 1967 betrayed its true anxieties not about any foreign power but about the nation's own people who may "in any manner whatsoever" be perceived as questioning the status quo of the nation-state. Thus, with this law, "reasonable restrictions" were imposed on the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, specifically on the freedom of speech and expression, the right to assemble peaceably and without arms, and the right to form associations or unions (see separate story on anti-terror laws).
The UAPA was amended repeatedly—in 1972, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2019—and kept alive as terrorism became a global concern, with the Muslim turning into a bogeyman. The fact that the law is vague works to the advantage of the government of the day, no matter what its ideology. Any organisation or individual can be termed "unlawful" if she/he is perceived as a "potential threat" to the country. "Unlawful activity" is defined as any action by an individual or association which intends to bring about cession/secession or aims to disrupt or question the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India or intends to cause disaffection against India.
Also read: POTA reinvented
For a long time, the UAPA existed as a dormant, less proactive piece of legislation alongside other severe anti-terror laws such as TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act, 1985) and POTA, 2002. TADA was a precursor of sorts in undermining the safeguards provided in the Constitution and, to some extent, the Criminal Procedure Code. TADA was allowed to lapse in 1995 in the face of criticism of misuse.
The state chose to frame a more stringent law in the wake of the hijack of the flight IC-814 in 1999 and the Parliament attack in 2001 soon after 9/11. It enacted POTA. When POTA was repealed in 2004, its features were incorporated into the UAPA, which was a medley of clauses dealing with terrorist acts and unlawful activity. Both TADA and POTA had been used mainly against the minorities. Thousands of Sikhs were detained in Punjab during the TADA years, while Gujarat invoked POTA against hundreds of Muslims. The UAPA, over the years, has followed a similar trajectory by charging groups widely diverse in their ideology and composition. Tribal people and political dissenters are often labelled as Maoists while Muslims are mostly accused of being members or activists of SIMI, which was banned in September 2001.
Alarmingly, even though TADA and POTA have lapsed, several people arrested under TADA continue to languish in jails across the country. It is to be noted that TADA and POTA had a sunset clause—a time limit of two years, after which they would lapse unless renewed by Parliament. The UAPA does not have such a clause and there is a sense of permanency about it.
While all the anti-terror laws, including TADA, POTA, AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act), the Disturbed Areas Act and the National Security Act, reiterate the power of the state to curb the rights of the citizens, each successive law has become more draconian than its predecessor. In that sense, the UAPA is the worst of all pieces of anti-terror legislation. It bars the grant of anticipatory bail and makes it impossible for the accused to get a regular bail. If a court certifies that the charges against an accused are prima facie true, they cannot be released.
Also read: Reign of terror
In its 2012 report "Terror of Law: UAPA and the Myth of National Security", the Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations explained how the provision for denial of bail was misused to keep the accused indefinitely behind bars.
"The law cannot be separated from the manner of its use… The purpose of the UAPA is to allow the government to outlaw opponents or those who question the status quo. The extraordinary nature of the UAPA is clearest in the time taken between arrest and bail or acquittal. The fact that the UAPA overturns one of the fundamental principles of jurisprudence—the presumption of innocence to the presumption of guilt—makes the possibility of a fair trial for the accused very rare. Even if the judiciary grants a reprieve, laws like the UAPA allow the authorities to promptly implicate the person in another case and re-arrest him. The entire period of detention itself, therefore, amounts to punishment."
Brazen amendments
The amendments that the Modi regime has introduced to the UAPA are by far the most brazen. The amendment brought in August 2019 literally empowers the government to designate individuals as "terrorists" without providing them any effective redress. It also gives powers to the government to ban organisations branded as "terrorist" even if it merely "believes" that the organisation is involved in terrorism. The amendment states: "Under the Act, the Central government may designate an organisation as a terrorist organisation if it commits or participates in acts of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes terrorism, or is otherwise involved in terrorism. The Bill additionally empowers the government to designate individuals as terrorists on the same grounds." It does not define clearly which activities would constitute "participation" or "preparation" or "promotion" or "involvement" in terrorism. This leaves the field wide open to misuse. In such a context, the law has the potential to criminalise even ideas that may not lead to any violence or public disorder.
Also read: New Act UAPA: Absolute power to state
Under the Act, 42 organisations have been banned as terrorist, along with all their "formations and front organisations". But there is no clear explanation of who can declare an organisation as a front or on what basis an organisation can be declared as such. Similarly, the 2019 amendment enables declaration of an individual as a lone wolf terrorist without trial and transfers all the provisions used to ban an organisation to an individual. It is silent on many critical aspects of the application of the law. Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia and members of Pinjra Tod (a Delhi-based women's movement for protecting women's rights against hostel regulations imposed on women inmates) were booked under it for protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. It was also invoked against those who were protesting against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam; members of Fridays for Future, a non-governmental organisation campaigning against the draft Environmental Impact Assessment notification; those who used the Virtual Private Network (VPN) in Kashmir; 11 people in the Bhima Koregaon case and many people who were accused of being behind the Delhi riots of February 2020.
Arrests and acquittals under UAPA
In 2019, there was a jump of over 72 per cent in the number arrests under the UAPA compared with those in 2015, according to data that the Ministry of Home Affairs provided in the Lok Sabha. Around 1,948 people were arrested in connection with 1,226 cases registered across the country in 2019. Between 2015 and 2018, the total number cases registered under the Act stood at 897, 922, 901 and 1,182 in the successive years, and the number of arrests were 1,128, 999, 1554 and 1421 respectively. In 2019, a large number of cases were registed in Manipur (306), Tamil Nadu (270), Jammu & Kashmir (255), Jharkhand (105) and Assam (87). Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 498 arrests. While the number of arrests is higher under the UAPA than under other anti-terrrorism laws, the rate of acquittals is also pretty high. In 2016, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 67 per cent of the trials ended in acquittal. This means that only a third of all cases registered led to conviction. Over three years ending 2016, around 75 per cent of the cases ended in acquittals or discharge, according to NCRB data. In most cases, prolonged incarceration of the accused has acted as the punishment, with the prosecution failing to provide any substantive evidence against the accused. Observers say that judicial redemption for victims after the lapse of many years, and sometimes decades as in the Surat case, cannot be considered as real delivery of justice.
In their acclaimed 2018 book How Democracies Die, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt delineated the manner in which new autocracies have emerged in the world in recent decades. They observed: "Democracies still die, but by different means. Since the end of the Cold War, most democratic breakdowns have been caused not by generals and soldiers but by elected governments themselves…. Many government efforts to subvert democracy are 'legal', in the sense that they are approved by the legislature or accepted by the courts. They may even be portrayed as efforts to improve democracy—making the judiciary more efficient, combating corruption, or cleaning up the electoral process. Newspapers still publish but are bought off or bullied into self-censorship. Citizens continue to criticise the government but often find themselves facing tax or other legal troubles. This sows public confusion. People do not immediately realise what is happening. Many continue to believe they are living under a democracy."
Levitsky and Ziblatt did not refer specifically to contemporary India. Yet the India of laws that go against the letter and spirit of the Constitution make it fit for the description 'backsliding democracy'.
All eyes on Nandigram
Interesting contests are on the cards in the tribal belts of West Bengal in the first and second phases of the election, and the fight for Nandigram assumes huge importance for Mamata Banerjee who is engaged in a straight showdown with the BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in the constituency.
In Tamil Nadu it's a two-horse race, still
The State is all set to witness an intense fight between the two fronts led by the AIADMK and the DMK with smaller players seeking to break the Dravidian 'duopoly'.
Interview: Sunny JacobSunny Jacob: 'Prejudice or vendetta'
COVER STORY: PM's 'Security Breach'The Sangh Parivar's sympathy mantra
Farmers' MovementLakhimpur Kheri could prove to be BJP's Achilles heel
Credit policy and corporate plunderCreating oligopolies? The pitfalls of neoliberal banking and agri-credit policy
Caste arrogance in U.P. Atrocities on Dalits in Uttar Pradesh for inter-caste marriages
Constitutional perspectivesAbrogation of Articles 370 and 35A: Assault on the Constitution
Dismissing a Chief Minister

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
GEORGIA NOTT, THE VENUS PROJECT (PHOTO: CATIE LAFFOON)
The Venus Project's Georgia Nott on stripping back and getting personal
Jogai Bhatt | Guest writer
Jogai Bhatt talks to Broods' Georgia Nott on her all-female produced solo project The Venus Project, gender representation in the music industry, and why this time she's gone for a more stripped back sound.
Georgia Nott will be familiar to most as one-half of synth-pop sibling-duo Broods. With their signature sounds making waves globally and becoming synonymous with a vibrant new age of music in New Zealand, it's safe to say the Notts have no intention of slowing down, together or alone.
On March 8, Nott announced a new solo side venture. A softer, dreamier, more vulnerable body of work entitled The Venus Project: Vol I – an album entirely created by women.
Earlier this year, a group of us got to sit in the sunny lounge of Universal Music's sleek wooden interiors with antipasto aplenty to hear the first few tracks off the album. With a simple acoustic guitar, Nott began to play those first chords. Any hint of nerves melted away and a soft yet resilient sound filled the room.
In the week leading up to the release of the album, I sat down with Nott again for a chat about gender representation, #MeToo, and the general goings-on of the New Zealand music industry.
When I spoke to you last, you kind of summed up this feeling that I think is all too familiar with being the only woman in the room. At what point did you realise: 'Hey, this is kind of fucked up?'
I think when I started to be surprised every time I saw a woman. I would be like, 'Oh wow, you do that? That's your job?' And then I was like, 'Wait, why am I surprised?' I was annoyed at myself for feeling that way because I know women are capable of doing all these jobs. I didn't want to be surprised every time I saw a woman behind the scenes, on tour, or in the studio engineering.
Doing this full female record and working with solely women on the creative aspects – right down to the mixing, mastering, artwork, promotion, management, everything – it feels like that was the most positive thing that I could do to actively be the change that I want to see in the industry. I want it to be normal and I want to expect to see women around me. There's always this uneven ratio between men and women, especially when you go past the mainstream pop industry. You know, the indie industry's run by men and boy bands – and I love listening to them – but it's frustrating that it's kind of seen as a guy thing. I've worked with a lot of producers that are women but I guess in the back of my mind I'm always expecting to work with guys.
With pop music, you're almost better off because it's at least marginally more welcoming. You look at something like prog rock and it's suddenly a very exclusive thing.
Exactly, but they're not the only ones who have something to say. I don't want my two sisters who love music and are so talented to feel like they only fit in the industry in a certain way. I want them to feel like they can fit into any shape or form they want without being limited by genre. I know when I first started out, I felt like I could only make a career if I was a singer. I couldn't have made a career being a producer or a writer. It felt like that was the only way I could do music, and I didn't think twice about it at the time.
And this feels like kind of a radical move, right? Having an all-women production team is such a rarity that it almost becomes this political statement.
Yeah, and it is. Not that it should be seen as politically radical because I'm just asking to celebrate women and have them be valued in the industry.
Why did you feel now was the time for this project?
Oh, the time was years ago. It just so happens that it hasn't really been a conversation that people have had until the last few years, especially in the industry. People are starting to call out this imbalance of men and women in music and call out the fact that women are really undervalued, seen as less capable, or not being up to the standard of men when truly, maybe, the creativity we have is what they're missing. It's gonna be exciting to see how people react.
You nervous?
I'm nervous, but I've also gotten to the point where I've done everything I can to make it into the thing that I believe in and the thing that I can present with conviction. If people don't like it, then I hope it's because it's not their kind of music. I hope people are welcoming to an all-women cast in an album.
GEORGIA NOTT, THE VENUS PROJECT AND BROODS (PHOTO: CATIE LAFFOON)
You were touching on this idea earlier about women kind of being undervalued. A common theme that runs through many creative industries for us is this idea of being silenced or dismissed. Do you have any experience of that?
I feel like I've always been told to be really grateful every time I get a compliment. To be surprised about it. I've almost been trained – and I guess that's also a real Kiwi thing – to be overly humble. I've been trained to wait for people's approval, but I don't think that way naturally. I believe in myself and I like what I create. Otherwise, I wouldn't give it out to the world. I write music that I love, music that means something to me, and I don't think I should feel ashamed of the way I represent myself. I shouldn't feel like I have to fit into this box of what a woman is, and that's something I have to really consciously decide. It was important not to change myself too much on this project.
Tell me a little bit about the transition of working alongside your brother and your cousin and having Joel Little produce your stuff, to working exclusively with women.
The whole process was all over the place because I was doing it in between other stuff with Broods. I was on tour with the idea of trying to work with other women, but everyone else had their jobs and trying to align everything so I could actually make it come to fruition wasn't always easy. Trying to find someone to mix the album took a while too. Finding someone to do the video took some time, mostly because of timing. But when we finally made it work it was so exciting. Every time we were struggling to make it work it was so motivating. It's made me feel like I'd grown so much in my capability and my capacity for my own self-respect. My own creativity's been broadened. What I've gained from it, even though it's been really difficult at times, has been more than I've ever gained from anything else I've ever done.
What are the implications of a project like this where you're in control of all the production elements, but it's released by a label where men still hold a lot of the executive roles?
That's a huge thing as well, yeah. My manager's a man and he's been incredibly supportive of this record. He knows that it's something that needs to happen, so he assigned Sherry Elbe to manage this project. This is such a vulnerable album to me, where what I'm speaking about and singing about is so personal that, to be able to share that with another woman who is so nurturing and easy to be in that space with, it made me a little bit less nervous about exposing that side of myself. It made me way more fearless about being honest about things that are sometimes hard to talk about, and sometimes things people don't want to hear.
In that way, it's been great to have all these women being like, 'yeah, no, yeah, we can do it!', all amping each other up and rallying together to make sure that our voices are heard and that we're not holding back on the things that we think are important for the sake of somebody's ego. And sure, some of the songs are about moments that are a little bit sadder and some of the lyrics – like the voice memo on the album – are all really vulnerable, but that's a part of being human. When you can own that side of yourself, you have so much more energy and time to be proactive and self-assured and creative. That's the most important thing that I can say through this record is, 'Yeah, I felt like that. But look at this! I can also do this.' It's important to acknowledge that these emotions come hand-in-hand. You can't have one without the other. It's not too emotional. Women aren't too emotional.
Is there such thing as being too emotional?
Nah. If you're not emotional then you miss out on so much. If you don't let yourself experience every part of the spectrum, you miss out on what it means to be human.
Completely. And of course we know you as one-half of Broods and you've explored the whole edgy electropop thing, but this record is quite stripped back. What inspired this particular sound?
I wanted the sound to reflect what I was feeling.
The sound of your soul, eh.
Yeah. Every song is very exposed and what I'm singing about is all very personal and raw and uncensored. I wanted the music to complement everything I was feeling when I was writing the songs. Some of them are still demos, I just didn't want to change them because it felt like that was the most honest way they could ever be presented. With some of them, I went back and I was like, 'This needs to be more aggressive and this needs to be more industrial and this needs to feel more cinematic'. Because the things that I'm singing about, that's how they felt in that moment. I feel angry and larger than life and self-reflective. All the songs are supposed to embody the whole vibe and it's been such a cool change from doing all the pop stuff. I've always wanted to write this kind of music and to be able to release it is so exciting. It's crazy, a few years ago I never thought I'd be able to do this kind of music. Never thought I'd have the opportunity.
Did you draw inspiration from any other female artists during the process?
So many. A lot of different artists for different reasons, and it wasn't all people in the music industry. A lot of women that have spoken out about their views and not apologised for where they stand on feminist issues, they were all really inspiring. But on the music side, I love Bat For Lashes. Her essence as an artist is something that I find really inspiring and Lykke Li, I love how dark she is. That's something that I always connect to. Pretty much every artist that I listen to kind of works in this style of being real mellow and emotional. That's the music I like, it's the music I listen to, and it's been really exciting to finally do that myself.
Tell me about 'Won't Hurt' and 'Need A Man'.
'Need a Man' is the third song on the record and it's kind of this almost erratic world of questions and emotional vomit of, 'Why, why, why?' It's this whole thing of, 'Why is it my fault if I get yelled at on the street by a guy? Why is it this person's fault that they got roofied and dragged home? Why is it always the victim that seems to get fault laid on them?' And I think, it seems so simple to me that it's not their fault. It seems so obvious to me that they shouldn't be left with this blame. But we still see it all the time. We still see cases that are in the public eye and have an expectation to be addressed, yet many men still aren't held accountable. I always found it really frustrating that I was the one that always had to watch my back and worry all the time. I was the one that had to clench my fist when I walked past a group of guys, and imagine how I would defend myself. I'm the one that has to carry pepper spray. It's like, why am I the one that has to frantically worry and prepare? Why am I preparing for the worst all the time?
You're constantly in defence mode.
Constantly. But I don't want to have to live my life pre-empting the worst. It's a shitty way to live. It seems obvious to me and so I wanted to say that. Why is the problem the woman? Why is the problem me? Because I don't see it.
We're currently in the wake of these two massive global movements #MeToo and Time's Up, where those who felt previously silenced are beginning to break that silence, and those who did the silencing are finally being held accountable. What does that mean to you?
I think the things that are coming out and the things that have been said can't be unsaid. Now that the floodgates have metaphorically been opened, people can't pretend that it's not happening anymore. But I hope it's not just a woman-led fight. I hope men get behind us as well and fight with us for safety, security, opportunity, equal rights, and equal value. That's going to be the thing that makes the fight quicker and a little bit more easy on us – when men that allegedly love us, fight for us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwm3lfNt3rU
One hundred percent. Did you have any reservations while making the album?
Yes and no. It just happened that I'm at a time and place in my growth as a person that I feel like there's no point in not saying what I'm thinking. It's going to do more damage to me as a person to be quiet. It's going to do more damage to my career to not stand up for what I believe in. I do believe that people will be welcoming to this, and of course, there's going to be some people that think it's unnecessary. But I hope it changes the way men and women see each other. That men see women as their equals in all industries, not just the smallest of female jobs, and women see men as people they can trust – that they don't have to clench their fists when they walk past.
Tell me a little bit about the other women that were involved in this project.
A lot of these connections were just made through friends. Camila Mora, who's one of my best mates, she plays keys for Broods and we basically worked on the whole album together. Ceci Gomez I met at a party and we co-produced 'Won't Hurt' together. The artist, Ashley Lukashevsky, is my best friend's friend.
You've got all the resources.
Yes! Especially since I moved to LA where it's such a creative hub. It kind of seemed like it would be a waste of time living there and not using all these awesome people to make these amazing things. But yeah, for the most part I just met everybody through friends or through past collaborations, like the woman that mastered it (Emily Lazar), mastered the last Broods record. It was sometimes hard to find a few people. It took us a while to find someone to mix the album. But when we found her, it was amazing. It was the first time I'd actually had a personal relationship with someone that was mixing our album. Every time it's been a man, it's been this critically-acclaimed mixer that wouldn't have time to talk to me. But I've had emails and been to dinner with her and she's been so supportive, more than just in a collaborative way, she's the kind of person where she's like, 'yes I love this song!' It's just a different bond. I've been able to have personal relationships where I wouldn't usually, which has been so special. That's why it's so personal and why I'm so much more invested in this project.
You've toured with Ellie Goulding, Haim… you could've worked with the big mainstream artists if you'd wanted to. Why was it important for you to work with relatively unknown talent?
I wanted to make something that wasn't pop or mainstream. I'm working with people who are at the beginning of their careers and people who have been in namely independent industries. I didn't want it to be this big wank-fest of, 'these are my famous friends!'. I wanted it to be more like, these are the people that I believe in who are flying under the radar, that aren't getting recognised for all the talent they have, and people who are at the beginning of their careers who I know are going to be incredible if they're just given the chance.
No wank-fest, no sausage-fest. I love it – and I get the feeling it's something much larger than yourself.
Exactly. I didn't want to call it Georgia Nott. I didn't want it to begin and end with me. It's not about me. The music is from my brain and soul and heart, but it's about a bigger movement and a bigger celebration than just my own artistry. I do want it to carry on without me one day and that's the way I kind of started it. Maybe one day there'll be a Volume II and it will have no input creatively from me. It'll be run by somebody else that makes a different kind of music, that would be the ideal situation. Sure, The Venus Project is drawn from this idea of 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus' thing, but I remember sitting on the beach and when I saw the first star – which is always Venus and it's the first light at night too – it felt kind of poetic to me. I felt like, 'This is what women can be. Give us the opportunity and we'll be the light in this darkness.'
On the Rag
Women and stuff
On the Rag: Let's talk about media representation
Little Women was more than a story. It was the house I grew up in
Alie Benge


Susan Pickett's Marion and Emilie Frances Bauer: From the Wild West to American Musical Modernism delivers exactly what the title suggests: adventures of two women in an exciting era of classical music. It follows them from their beginnings in Walla Walla, through European adventures, lives as musicians, critics, composers – and, for Marion – a career as a music teacher in New York City. The book is packed with letters, articles, music samples and reviews from and about the sisters, offering a clear idea of the classical atmosphere in the late 1800s to middle of the 20th century.
Emilie Frances, the eldest of the seven Bauer children, spent much of her life reviewing recitals, new works and the classical music community. As a keen observer and commentator on the state of classical music, she criticized its failure to accept and promote female artists. Emilie Frances also took a dim view of the American musical community's lack of support for works by its own members.
Pickett includes interviews Emilie Frances conducted with Debussy and Puccini, and gives us a glimpse into Emilie's broad and deep musical knowledge. Both Bauers' views on the composers of the day – including Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky and Beach – are passionate and eloquent.
Though both sisters were published composers during their time, it is Marion's music that is better remembered today and was more frequently performed in their day. Marion too had several European adventures, putting her in touch with another pair of sisters – Nadia and Lili Boulanger, who had an extraordinary impact in classical music internationally. Several of her works, such as Up the Ocklawaha for violin and piano (1912), received quite a bit of attention from reviewers and musicians alike.
To round out the portrait of Marion, Pickett includes the reminiscences – both positive and negative – of several of her students.
Emilie Frances and Marion Bauer lived during that fascinating time between the Romantic and Contemporary eras of classical music, so the book offers much in the way of historical material for anyone interested in both periods. Between the samples of their musical criticism, compositions and reviews, Susan Pickett provides a commentary and modern-day perspective on the Bauers, particularly on their strong feelings on American and women composers.
Susan Pickett is a violinist and professor at Whitman College and has devoted much of her time to performing, uncovering and writing about female composers throughout the centuries.


text:
Q: Explicit heap dynamic variables What are explicit heap dynamic variables and how does the binding property in them implemented? (not for a particular language I want to know about the overall functionality of these variables). I came to know that they are bound during run time what is the meaning of this?

A: Explicit heap-dynamic variables are nameless memory cells that are
allocated and deallocated by explicit run-time instructions written by the programmer.
These variables, which are allocated from and deallocated to the heap,
can only be referenced through pointer or reference variables.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Windows.Forms;

using LibSystem;

namespace RoboteqControllerTest
{
    static class Program
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// The main entry point for the application.
        /// </summary>
        [STAThread]
        static void Main()
        {
            Project project;

            try
            {
                project = new LibSystem.Project();
                new LibSystem.Tracer();	// writes first line in trace file
                LibSystem.Tracer.TraceVersions();
            }
            catch { }

            Application.EnableVisualStyles();
            Application.SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);
            Application.Run(new ControllerTestForm());
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Where to specify FocusVisualStyle="{x:Null}"? I have checked and tried most of the answers involving this question but could not get it working.  I have the following XAML:
<Grid>
    <ListView Margin="10" Name="lvDataBinding" >
        <ListView.ItemTemplate>
            <DataTemplate>
                <WrapPanel>
                    <TextBlock Text="{Binding Name}" FontWeight="Bold" />
                </WrapPanel>
            </DataTemplate>
        </ListView.ItemTemplate>
    </ListView>
</Grid>

In order to remove the dotted ("marching ants") border around ListView items, I tried adding FocusVisualStyle="{x:Null}" to the TextBlock element, to the WrapPanel and to the ListView.  None of them worked.  Any suggestions?

A: Dotted line is for ListViewItem so you have to set that null for ListViewItem which you can do in ItemContainerStyle:
<ListView>
    <ListView.ItemContainerStyle>
        <Style TargetType="ListViewItem">
            <Setter Property="FocusVisualStyle" Value="{x:Null}"/>
        </Style>
    </ListView.ItemContainerStyle>
    <ListView.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <WrapPanel>
                <TextBlock Text="{Binding Name}" FontWeight="Bold" />
            </WrapPanel>
        </DataTemplate>
    </ListView.ItemTemplate>
</ListView>


Easy Ways that anybody can use to Save on Coitsville, OH Home Insurance. Online tools include quote comparison & then requesting discounts after getting back rates.
House Details: 3 Beds, 1 Baths 1,310 sqft home near W Boardman St, Coy St, Lincoln Park Dr, Jackson St, S Hazel St, Harding St, Rose St, E Front St, Misty Woods Ct, N Pearl St, Heights Ave, Sackville St, Struthers Liberty Rd, Lawn St, S Phelps St, N Phelps St, Federal Plz W, Emily Aly, N Center St, W Washington St.


Orbit Alliance is a real estate company in Sahl Hasheesh and Hurghada Egypt, which has been assisting clients to purchase their dream homes whether they be for the investment, lifestyle or second home purchases and is also a part of the Orbit Group collection of companies. Orbit Alliance is the master selling agent for the Orbit Group collection of companies and their developments in Sahl Hasheesh and Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt. Orbit Group have been constructing and delivering projects in Egypt since 2005. It is our ethos at Orbit Alliance that we always over-deliver on promises made and ensure the highest levels of customer service.
Along with the developer we believe in helping our clients to find luxury properties and resorts in the very best locations in Egypt.
Abrim Residence is designed for clients to utilize as lifestyle residences, second properties or holiday homes in Hurghada.
Malaki Club located within Samra Bay. Samra Bay is a beachfront resort in Hurghada, it has a mixture of hotel managed units and private residences.
Malaki Residence designed as luxury lifestyle residences, holiday homes or second properties.
Ocean Breeze Apartments and Villas have been designed for lifestyle and family living.
Sun Gate Residence is a collection of lifestyle, holiday apartments and second residences in Sahl Hasheesh.
Sara's Residence is a residential development featuring just 50 units, the apartments and duplexes which were built for permanent living.
El Andalous was completed in the second half of 2008 and consists of 148 luxury one and two bedroom apartments.
Palm Beach Piazza featured just 100 units and finished in 2007. It features a hotel reception with concierge desk, freshwater swimming pool with children's area, shops.