Iconic London Bridge is not falling and must not fall down, my fair lady. The attack on innocent citizens in the area on June 4, 2017 makes it a symbol of the need for the struggle of civilization against Islamic barbarism to continue. That struggle requires changes in policies of Western democracies. The soft power of humanity so far is not sufficent to eliminate Islamist dominated terrorism, to prevent, detect, and destroy it.
Britain is fully aware of the urgent need for change. It has suffered an attack by vehicle and knives in London on March 2017 when five were killed, the attack in Manchester at a concert on May 22 when 22 were killed, and now the latest manifestation of evil on June 3, 2017 when three terrorists used a van to mow down pedestrians on London Bridge and then stabbed people at random in bars and pubs in nearby Borough Market which is always busy on a Saturday night. The three murdered 7 and injured 48 before being killed by London police. The motive was unmistakable as one of the villains while stabbing an individual shouted, "This is for Allah."
Enough is enough. An Islamic terrrorist is not a freedom fighter, but an evil murderer, seeking the most deadly venue, and must be recognized as such. It is insufficient to respond to these Islamist murderers by limited remarks as did new French President Emmanuel Macron wih "My thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones," and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, "Awful news..we're monitoring the situation." Trudeau, like the character Fagin in Lionel Bart's musical Oliver, is apparently "reviewing the situation to see if a fellow can be a villain all his life."
What is frightening are three things. One is that the murderers were obeying the ideology and instructions of major Islamic terrorists, especially ISIS calling for killing non-believers, "Crusaders," by using weapons, fire, and vehicles in shopping malls, restaurants and clubs. The killers attacked soft targets not with bombs that may need technical skill of some kind or even guns, but by vehicle and knives.
The second is the apparent considerable network of support for the killers; more than 12 people have so far been arrested in connnection with the attack on June 3. The third aspect is that the attack came during Ramadan, giving the lie to the supposed peaceful religious nature of life and faith. In cynical fashion one of the killers even wore an Arsenal shirt, the emblem of the London soccer club perhaps dear to many of the victims.
President Donald Trump may have been too quick to condemn London Mayor Sadiq Khan and perhaps to misunderstand his remark after the attack, "no reason to be alarmed," and his suggestion there were more important things to worry about. But Trump's remark did not deserve a response such as that from CNN's Reza Aslan that Trump's renewal of call for a travel ban was a "piece of s..." and that the President was an embarrassment to the US and to humankind.
The truth is otherwise. One does not have to be in accordance with Trump's tweets to acknowledge certain facts. The Islamist terrorists, a minority of the Muslims in the world, are extremists who are the embarrasment to their own religion and to humankind, and are believers and activists in favor of creating a way of life incompatible with western democracy. They reject systems based on the rule of secular law, and advocate Islamist rule to be established by jihad, holy war and terrorism.
Meaningful action is essential...
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
London Bridge Must Not Fall Down
From Professor Michael Curtis, at the New English Review, "Enough is Enough: The Fight against Terrorism":
Vox Day, SJWs Always Lie
At Amazon, Vox Day, SJWs Always Lie: Taking Down the Thought Police.
Social Justice Warriors have plagued mankind for more than 150 years, but only in the last 30 years has their ideology become dominant in the West. Having invaded one institution of the cultural high ground after another, from corporations and churches to video games and government, there is nowhere that remains entirely free of their intolerant thought and speech policing. Because the SJW agenda of diversity, tolerance, inclusiveness, and equality flies in the face of both science and observable reality, SJWs relentlessly work to prevent normal people from thinking or speaking in any manner that will violate their ever-mutating Narrative. They police science, philosophy, technology, and even history in order to maintain the pretense that their agenda remains inevitable in a modern world that contradicts it on a daily basis. The book is named after the First Law of SJW: SJWs always lie. SJWs ALWAYS LIE is a useful guide to understanding, anticipating, and surviving SJW attacks from the perspective of a man who has not only survived, but thrived, after experiencing multiple attempts by Social Justice Warriors to disqualify, discredit, and disemploy him in the same manner they have successfully attacked Nobel Laureates, technology CEOs, broadcasters, sports commentators, school principals, and policemen. It analyzes well-known SJW attacks as well as the two most successful examples of resistance to the SJW Narrative, #GamerGate and Sad Puppies. Written by Vox Day, Supreme Dark Lord of the Evil Legion of Evil and three-time Hugo nominee who is described as the most hated man in science fiction by Black Gate and the Wall Street Journal, SJWs ALWAYS LIE is a powerful weapon in the cultural war against the thought police.
Chrystia Freeland's a Bloody Idiot
Canada's reorienting its foreign policy, claiming that the U.S. is no longer the leader of the free world.
Oh boy, I'd love to let Ottawa have a piece of my mind. No extended deterrence for you!
At Blazing Cat Fur, "Good Manners Backed by Muscle Mark Canada’s Approach to the World, Chrystia Freeland Says."
Oh boy, I'd love to let Ottawa have a piece of my mind. No extended deterrence for you!
At Blazing Cat Fur, "Good Manners Backed by Muscle Mark Canada’s Approach to the World, Chrystia Freeland Says."
So, #Canada's gonna "lead the world"? That's a laugh riot alright. https://t.co/MXsJeJvRcl
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 6, 2017
Key section of Canada foreign minister's speech: we'll work with the US wherever possible, but the US might not lead the world anymore, so. pic.twitter.com/LOwEH8SBs3
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) June 6, 2017
Islamic State Claims Deadly Attacks on Iranian Parliament and Khomeini Shrine (VIDEO)
Now this is some kind of development!
At the Guardian U.K., "Iran: 12 dead as Islamic State claims attacks on parliament and shrine":
At the Guardian U.K., "Iran: 12 dead as Islamic State claims attacks on parliament and shrine":
At least 12 people have been killed and dozens more injured in Tehran after gunmen and suicide bombers attacked the Iranian parliament and the mausoleum of the founder of the Islamic Republic.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks on the highly symbolic sites, publishing a brief video that purported to show the assailants inside the parliament. If an Isis role is confirmed, this would be the first attack conducted by the terror group inside Iran.
The parliament assault began when four gunmen armed with rifles burst into the building complex. One of the attackers reportedly blew himself up inside as police surrounded the building.
Gunfire could be heard from outside as police helicopters circled overhead, entrance and exit gates were closed, and mobile phone lines from inside were disconnected.
“I was inside the parliament when shooting happened. Everyone was shocked and scared. I saw two men shooting randomly,” one journalist at the scene, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
*****"
ran’s leaders sought to play down the attacks, with neither President Hassan Rouhani nor supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei making a statement by early evening.
Attacks are highly rare in Tehran and other major Iranian cities, although a Sunni militant group named Jundallah and its splinter group, Ansar al Furqan, have been waging a deadly insurgency, mostly in more remote areas, for almost a decade.
Isis, which adheres to a puritanical strain of Sunni Islam, considers Shias heretics and has carried out numerous attacks against Shia civilians, in Iraq in particular. But this assault, which appeared to have a higher degree of coordination and planning than recent Isis-claimed attacks in Europe, would be a significant escalation...
Conservative Student Lexie Kaufman Flees Emerson College After Year of Harassment
It's sad she had to flee. Folks need to stand up and fight back, but it's hard.
At Legal Insurrection, "Conservative Student Flees Emerson College Over Harassment."
At Legal Insurrection, "Conservative Student Flees Emerson College Over Harassment."
After #LondonBridge Jihad, Security Debate Sharpens in British General Election (VIDEO)
I guess the polls are tightening, and it's possible Britain could have a hung parliament after tomorrow's election.
Whatever happens, Islamic jihad should be the top priority, but as always, expect nothing to change. Indeed, if Corbyn's able to win, expect things to get worse. Much worse.
But see the Telegraph U.K., "FINAL DAY OF CAMPAIGNING: General Election 2017 Tories on course for majority of 100 after latest forecast - the eight charts that show how Britain will vote."
And at the Los Angeles Times, "With British election looming, security debate sharpens as two bridge attackers publicly named":
Whatever happens, Islamic jihad should be the top priority, but as always, expect nothing to change. Indeed, if Corbyn's able to win, expect things to get worse. Much worse.
But see the Telegraph U.K., "FINAL DAY OF CAMPAIGNING: General Election 2017 Tories on course for majority of 100 after latest forecast - the eight charts that show how Britain will vote."
And at the Los Angeles Times, "With British election looming, security debate sharpens as two bridge attackers publicly named":
Three days before a British general election in which security concerns have surged to the fore, Scotland Yard acknowledged Monday that the extremist Islamist views of one of three slain attackers who carried out a weekend terrorist strike had been known to investigators.
On the first weekday after the ramming-and-stabbing attack on and near London Bridge that killed seven people and injured dozens more, Londoners and visitors held a moment of silence amid a solemn vigil on the banks of the Thames — but they also resumed their workaday routines.
Commuters streamed on foot past police barricades and heaps of memorial bouquets. The bridge itself reopened, though some streets near the attack scene remained closed off.
Police for the first time publicly identified two of the three dead attackers — Pakistan-born Khuram Shazad Butt, 27, and Rachid Redouane, 30, who had said he was of Moroccan and Libyan extraction. News outlets scrambled to learn more about them, redoubling questions about the plotting that preceded the attack, and whether it should have come to authorities’ attention.
With an increasingly hard-fought general election set Thursday, fallout from Saturday’s attack took on ever-growing political significance.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party was still favored to win the largest share of seats in Parliament, but a poll published Monday by the organization YouGov suggested her party would fall 21 seats short of a 326-seat majority, while the rival Labor Party stood to increase its share.
For the last month, May has attempted to cast as the election’s centerpiece the terms of Britain’s exit from the European Union and her ability to provide stable leadership during fraught negotiations with the EU. Instead, she found herself forced to defend having presided over the cuts of thousands of police jobs during her six-year tenure as home secretary, the top security job.
Her chief rival, Jeremy Corbyn, said the prime minister should resign over the police cutbacks — a position he walked back somewhat by urging voters to let Thursday’s election be a referendum on that.
May, for her part, pointed to beefed-up security already in place, with more measures to come. “This was an attack on London and the United Kingdom, but it was also an attack on the free world,” she said Monday.
Max Abrahms, a political scientist at Northeastern University who has studied the impact of terrorist attacks on elections, said both Conservative and Labor leaders “are trying very hard to seem tough on terrorists,” adding: “There’s no question the attack in London will affect the election.”
Both candidates have also had to deal with another unexpected factor: President Trump. On Sunday and Monday, the president sharply criticized London’s Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, with whom he previously feuded.
Corbyn denounced the presidential tweets; May defended Khan but refrained from directly criticizing Trump, who is highly unpopular in Britain...
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
#LondonBridge: Sadiq Khan Should Be Ashamed
From Katie Hopkins, at London's Daily Mail, "No wonder they didn't want us to know who the London Bridge Butchers were. The more we find out, the more ineffectual the people who are supposed to protect us from the killers look":
The more we find out, the scarier it gets. READ: https://t.co/r1v8g21W8k
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) June 6, 2017
I commend Piers Morgan. There's something I never thought I would hear myself say.
I watched him interview Sadiq Khan on GMB this morning and he was 100% more professional than I would ever have been.
I can imagine coming round to find Sadiq lying on the floor with camera three lying across his limp body, and me wild-eyed, legging it down the South Bank.
He appears to show no conception of the horror our capital city is facing, keeps repeating London is the safest city in the world, and refuses to connect the glaringly obvious dots between Islamic Extremism and the attacks on our children.
He said he could not comment about the 23,000 individuals identified as 'subjects of interest' still at large because this is an ongoing investigation.
He would not answer why we did not do more to the lock up the attacker - Khuram Butt - who went on to be the Butcher of London Bridge because the police operation was still live.
It's a mantra we keep hearing from any of the people who are supposed to be keeping us safe. The Met Commissioner said it yesterday. Boris Johnson repeated it this morning.
How convenient.
Well I'm calling them on this.
I'd like to believe there are good operational reasons for taking over two days to tell us who the killers were.
But I can't help suspecting that it's more about dodging difficult questions and managing the flow of news that is bound to make people bloody angry.
Waiting until our initial horror and rage at the original attack dissipates before releasing information that will make us furious all over again.
And giving themselves time to get their stories straight before the sh*t hits the fan.
Similarly, whenever I hear a top cop or a politician start an interview with a paean of praise to the courage of the rank-and-file officers who helped stop Saturday's massacre, I can't help feeling they are being treated as human shields.
Nobody admires our ordinary police officers more than me and the courage of those who faced down the three maniacs in Borough Market – armed sometimes with just a baton – leaves me in awe.
This is not about the brave officers on the ground. Uniformed, on duty or off. Changing into riot gear on the sidewalk behind their vans. Dancing with our little girls to bring some reassurance to our fear. They are warriors. They should be rewarded. One and all.
But equally if the people at the top were doing their jobs properly, the brave bobbies on the street wouldn't need to be quite so much in harm's way. Sadiq Khan, the investigating officers, MI5, Theresa May - I've lost confidence in all of them.
As a twitter user - Sam White commented; 'Jihadis are cleverly evading the authorities by appearing in documentaries about jihadis with the word jihadi in the title'.
We now know the London Bridge, Manchester and Westminster attackers were all known to counter-terrorism agencies.
The mostly recently named of the three attackers on London Bridge, Youssef Zaghba - even told the Italian authorities why he was flying to Turkey in 2016. 'I'm going to be terrorist,' he said. Police were called and he was prevented from flying.
Authorities confirm complete dossier on him would have been forwarded to MI5 in April 2016 after he travelled to the UK.
His London accomplice Khuram Shazad Butt, 27, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, was well known to authorities and reported repeatedly by members of the public, now frustrated nothing was done.
Band of Brothers at the Eagle's Nest
I think that's Major Dick Winters fourth from the right.
Either way, phenomenal photo, and some of the greatest Americans.
Either way, phenomenal photo, and some of the greatest Americans.
PREVIOUSLY: "D-Day 73rd Anniversary."Dick Winters and Easy Company (Band of Brothers) at the Eagle's Nest, Hitler's residence pic.twitter.com/PfS25k0WNk— History In Pictures (@HistoryInPix) June 6, 2017
Shop Books on D-Day
At Amazon.
Also:
More blogging tonight.
Also:
* Jonathan Gawne, Spearheading D-Day: American Special Units in Normandy.Thanks for your support!
* John C. McManus, The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach.
* Cornelius Ryan, The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Day.
More blogging tonight.
D-Day 73rd Anniversary
At the Department of Defense homepage, "Ceremony Marks 73rd Anniversary of D-Day Landings."
Also, at the Heavy, "D-Day 2017: 73rd Anniversary Photos of Normandy Beach Invasion."
And watch, "President Reagan's Address at the Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-Day at Point-du-Hoc - June 6, 1984":
Also, at the Heavy, "D-Day 2017: 73rd Anniversary Photos of Normandy Beach Invasion."
And watch, "President Reagan's Address at the Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-Day at Point-du-Hoc - June 6, 1984":
James Holland, The War in the West
At Amazon, James Holland, The War in the West: A New History Volume 2 - The Allies Fight Back 1941-43.
Also from Holland, The Rise of Germany, 1939-1941: The War in the West, Volume One.
Also from Holland, The Rise of Germany, 1939-1941: The War in the West, Volume One.
The State Department's a 'Hotbed of Resistance' Against President Trump
Um, bureaucratic officials are supposed to be nonpartisan. This is wrong. Extremely wrong.
At the New York Times:
At the New York Times:
Important @MarkLandler read on State Dept as "hotbed of resistance," as career diplomats start speaking out on Trump https://t.co/xs8p2LR8yY
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) June 6, 2017
Breitbart's Katie Mchugh Fired for Politically Incorrect Tweets
I don't know Katie McHugh. Frankly, I barely recollect her name. But she's been fired from Breitbart, for tweeting that London wouldn't have terrorism if not for Muslims. (Which is an accurate statement, as far as I'm concerned. When was the last time we had an IRA bombing in Britain?)
I did notice that intrepid Twitter scavengers dug up some of the woman's old tweets, and indeed she posts some whack stuff. For example, she tweeted in favor of repealing the 19th Amendment as a method of rolling back welfare programs? I doubt I'd go for stripping women of the suffrage to get a handle of welfare, but it's not a fire-able opinion.
Whatever?
I think I noted yesterday that I'm not really into getting people fired for their views. Kathy Griffin's a special case. I don't feel sad for her, and as Ace noted, sometimes it's necessary to become the left to fight the left. But be careful what you wish for: the revolution always eats its own, and what goes around comes around. This kind of boycott-attack-character assassination and recrimination-style of politics will leave very few survivors. I've been down this road myself (Scott Kaufman and Carl Salonen come to mind).
In any case, via Twitter:
I did notice that intrepid Twitter scavengers dug up some of the woman's old tweets, and indeed she posts some whack stuff. For example, she tweeted in favor of repealing the 19th Amendment as a method of rolling back welfare programs? I doubt I'd go for stripping women of the suffrage to get a handle of welfare, but it's not a fire-able opinion.
Whatever?
I think I noted yesterday that I'm not really into getting people fired for their views. Kathy Griffin's a special case. I don't feel sad for her, and as Ace noted, sometimes it's necessary to become the left to fight the left. But be careful what you wish for: the revolution always eats its own, and what goes around comes around. This kind of boycott-attack-character assassination and recrimination-style of politics will leave very few survivors. I've been down this road myself (Scott Kaufman and Carl Salonen come to mind).
In any case, via Twitter:
Wow - Breitbart’s Katie McHugh is out at Breitbart after making horrible remarks after London attack https://t.co/03XAiQunMB— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) June 5, 2017
A Breitbart News editor said she was fired for the anti-Muslim tweets she made after a terror attack in London https://t.co/TRHrRtuFvK
— NYT Business (@nytimesbusiness) June 5, 2017
The old Katie McHugh tweets I'm seeing float by are astounding. Happy I wasn't following her but my god, what an awful person.
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) June 5, 2017
'Wonder Woman'
I love this movie.
The reviews were pretty enthusiastic, but then, you have to see it for yourself. Gal Gadot is lovable, but the movie itself is coherent and refreshing. I hope she stars in a whole bunch of sequels. Now that Wolverine's retired, I'll need something to keep me into the genre.
In any case, some links:
The reviews were pretty enthusiastic, but then, you have to see it for yourself. Gal Gadot is lovable, but the movie itself is coherent and refreshing. I hope she stars in a whole bunch of sequels. Now that Wolverine's retired, I'll need something to keep me into the genre.
In any case, some links:
WONDER WOMAN, reviewed. She's quite a Gal. https://t.co/nwGE1bIFQA
— Justin Chang (@JustinCChang) June 1, 2017
Diana Prince, we’ve been waiting for you. https://t.co/r5ixmX0sec
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 2, 2017
The NYT review of "Wonder Woman," a blockbuster that lets itself have fun https://t.co/VqqYHQ4M04 pic.twitter.com/crJmHzotgq
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 31, 2017
Wonder Woman is the rare — and most successful — female-led film in an overwhelmingly male superhero landscape. https://t.co/3mlnosEVp1
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 4, 2017
The turnout for "Wonder Woman" over the weekend was one of the best ever for a nonsequel superhero film https://t.co/9EEUCodmXW
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 5, 2017
I want to send out the deepest and sincere THANK YOU to all of you who made this so. YOU have helped us make change. Amazing!! #wonderwoman pic.twitter.com/vQQQfOzPyM
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) June 5, 2017
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