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Best of the Web: Gab.com And The Continuing Purge of Free Speech

Kit Knightly
OffGuardian
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 09:50 UTC
GAB social media
Gab.com is an alternative social network, set up and launched in 2016. It's founder, Andrew Torba, stated he wanted to create a home for free speech, and counter what he perceived as "liberal bias" on other platforms, such as twitter and facebook.

Two days ago, their website was taken down. This was in response to being blocked by PayPal, and then having their server space taken away by their hosting service. Gab's founder posted this statement on their stripped-down website.

Why did this happen?

Because Robert Bowers, the alleged gunman at the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, had a gab account and posted some things about "the Jews" on it.

Is it right, or sensible to punish a platform for the (alleged) actions of ONE user out of 100,000s? And is that really what's going on?

Robert Bowers also had a Twitter account. And a Facebook page. Neither of these platforms has faced punishment, or censure, from any quarter.

Comment: Power + corporations = fascism.

Their purge isn't 'forthcoming', by the way... it's already here and has been for a while now. Gab is just the latest platform to have been shutdown by the powers that be. However, it's not quite the end of them just yet. One can hope there will continue to be alternative sources ready to fill the void that the social media giants create by their ever increasing censorship. See also:

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Brick Wall

Opinion: Donald Trump is correct about birthright citizenship

Will Ricciardella
The Daily Caller
Wed, 31 Oct 2018 18:46 UTC
trump at wall
© Getty Images
It shouldn't exist in the first place

No single issue can fire up a national debate quite like anything related to immigration - particularly during the Trump era.

When President Trump decried the doctrine of birthright citizenship on the campaign trail in 2015, it sparked a national debate, with many on the Left and Right issuing ad hoc condemnations.

When news broke Tuesday that the president is considering ending birthright citizenship with an executive order, many of these same voices, once again, condemned the president, claiming birthright citizenship is indeed constitutional.

But if that idea were true, why wasn't the 14th Amendment applied to illegal or temporary immigrants prior to the 1960s?
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Bullseye

Nuclear war between US and Russia highly unlikely, but this is what it would look like

Mikhail Khodarenok
RT
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 18:24 UTC
nukes
© Sputnik / Vitaly Ankov
Many believe that the US withdrawal from the INF treaty could heighten the nuclear standoff risks between Russia and America. Some even claim war is inevitable. What are some possible thermonuclear warfare scenarios?

Most political analysts list the sharp deterioration in the military and political situation in various conflict zones as one of the things that could trigger WWIII and an unavoidable nuclear exchange between the US and Russia.

The conflict zones are listed by the experts either in alphabetical order or from the East to the West, making sure not a single potentially dangerous conflict zone is missed. Usually, it goes like this: the Paracel Islands, India and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Israel, Syria, and so on.

Obviously, this is a very superficial approach. Even the sharpest deterioration in the Syrian conflict is highly unlikely to trigger a massive nuclear attack on Moscow or Washington.

Most of the experts fail to provide specific reasons that could force Russia and the US into a nuclear exchange.
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Black Cat

Kavanaugh turns down $600K GoFundMe while accuser Blasey Ford walks with over $1m and book offers - UPDATE

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Wed, 31 Oct 2018 15:41 UTC
brett kavanaugh
© Jonathan Ernst / ReutersBrett Kavanaugh
Brett Kavanaugh - considered to be the poorest Supreme Court Justice on the bench, has declined nearly $600,000 that was donated to him through a GoFundMe campaign amid a firestorm of sexual misconduct charges during his confirmation process, according to Yahoo! News.

"because of judicial ethics restraints, Justice Kavanaugh and his family cannot accept or direct the funds," reads an update to the GoFundMe campaign.
John Hawkins, a veteran conservative blogger who runs a Kavanaugh-inspired "men's website" called Brass Pills, organized the fundraising campaign. On Tuesday, Hawkins posted what he referred to as an "official statement" from Kavanaugh's representatives distancing the justice from the effort:
"Justice Kavanaugh did not authorize the use of his name to raise funds in connection with the GoFundMe campaign. He was not able to do so for judicial ethics reasons. Judicial ethics rules caution judges against permitting the use of the prestige of judicial office for fund-raising purposes. Justice Kavanaugh will not accept any proceeds from the campaign, nor will he direct that any proceeds from the campaign be provided to any third party. Although he appreciates the sentiment, Justice Kavanaugh requests that you discontinue the use of his name for any fund-raising purpose." --Yahoo! News

Comment:

Update: Breitbart reports Brett Kavanaugh will donate his GoFundMe proceeds to charity.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is declining to accept the more than half a million dollars raised in a Go Fund Me campaign during his bruising confirmation hearings, citing ethical concerns. But the North Carolina man who started the effort said the money would go to three Catholic youth programs that Kavanaugh has supported in the past.

John Hawkins updated the GoFundMe page to reflect Kavanaugh's decision and to inform those who donated that they could have their money returned if they did not want to support the charities:
Since they are not allowed to suggest a charity, I did some research on charities supported by the Judge and settled on the Archdiocese of Washington which runs the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO). Brett Kavanaugh rather famously coached girls' basketball there, and if the Kavanaugh family were allowed to support a charity, I feel confident the Archdiocese of Washington would be near the top of the list. After talking to the Archdiocese of Washington about the best way to use the funds to help the sort of kids Brett Kavanaugh has been working with, we're going to split the money between three of their programs: The Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) , the Tuition Assistance Fund, and the Victory Youth Center.

With that in mind, I talked with GoFundMe and explained that I'd like to see the money go to this charity. If for some reason, you don't want your money to go to that charity, you will have a week from today to ask for a refund from GoFundMe. Additionally, GoFundMe, which has been incredibly helpful behind the scenes, provided a list of all the comments people made. After screening out the trolls, I want you to know that all of those have been sent to the Judge's family. So, if they didn't get to read those comments while you were leaving them, they will certainly get to see them now. I'm sure all those kind words will mean a lot to them.


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Bad Guys

Flashback Best of the Web: Soros leak shows his foundation viewed refugee crisis as opportunity to be exploited

Peter Hasson
The Daily Caller
Mon, 15 Aug 2016 16:37 UTC
george soros
© Luke MacGregor / ReutersBillionaire George Soros

Comment: This is probably as close as we'll get to proof of what everyone (should) already knows: Soros and fellow Western billionaires are working the crises they created (whether accidentally or deliberately) to manipulate Western governments and keep them in line with the US, and as far away from cooperating with Russia and China as possible.


A leaked memo from left-wing financier George Soros's Open Society Foundations argues that Europe's refugee crisis should be accepted as a "new normal," and that the refugee crisis means "new opportunities" for Soros' organization to influence immigration policies on a global scale.

OSF program officer Anna Crowley and program specialist Katin Rosin co-authored the May 12 memo, titled "Migration Governance and Enforcement Portfolio Review." The memo focuses on an OSF program called the International Migration Initiative, which aims to influence immigration policy.

The nine-page review makes three key points: OSF — which doles out millions to left-wing causes — has been successful at influencing global immigration policy; Europe's refugee crisis presents "new opportunities" for the organization to influence global immigration policy; and the refugee crisis is the "new normal."

Comment: Further reading:

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Bad Guys

Tanzania governor launches 17-member anti-gay squad to 'hunt down LGBT community'


RT
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:54 UTC
Gay pride flag
© Wikimedia Commons
Tanzania's gay community is living in fear after the governor of Dar es Salaam called on citizens to report gay people, and announced an anti-gay squad that will hunt them down by tracking social media.

Paul Makonda announced the 17-member squad at a press conference this week, promising it would "get their hands on them."

"These homosexuals boast on social networks," Makonda said, AFP reports. "Give me their names."

By Tuesday, Makonda claimed to have received over 5,763 reports from the public, and more than 100 names.
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Broom

Senior Saudi prince, uncle to MBS, flies home to tackle his ouster: 'MBS has become toxic'

David Hearst
Middle East Eye
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 17:53 UTC
Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz
© Agence France-PressePrince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz at a press conference in Mecca in 2012.
Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz returns to Riyadh with UK and US security guarantees and a brief to cut the crown prince down to size

Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, has returned to Saudi Arabia after a prolonged absence in London, to mount a challenge to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or find someone who can.

The septuagenarian prince, an open critic of bin Salman (MBS), has travelled with security guarantees given by US and UK officials.

"He and others in the family have realised that MBS has become toxic," a Saudi source close to Prince Ahmad told Middle East Eye.

Comment:

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Info

Taliban appoints Afghan peace negotiators: Ex-Guantanamo prisoners


RFE/RL
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 18:08 UTC
bergdahl taliban exchange
© ReutersThe 2014 prisoner exchange of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners at a U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
The Taliban says it has appointed five militants who spent more than a decade in the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay to be members of its political office in Qatar, where they will take part in any future Afghanistan peace talks.

The five former Taliban commanders -- Mohammad Fazl, Mohammed Nabi, Khairullah Khairkhwa, Abdul Haq Wasiq and Noorullah Noori -- were settled in Qatar following their release from the U.S. detention center in Cuba in 2014, but until now had not been directly involved in political activities, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on October 31.

The men were released as part of a prisoner exchange in return for former Taliban captive, U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl.

The Taliban announcement came amid gathering momentum for talks to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.
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Bad Guys

Theresa May madder than 'Mad Dog' Mattis - refuses to support US calls for Saudi Arabia-Yemen ceasefire


RT
Wed, 31 Oct 2018 16:56 UTC
May and MbS
© REUTERS/Simon Dawson
PM Theresa May has refused to back calls from key US figures for a ceasefire in Yemen - where UK ally Saudi Arabia carrying out an air campaign partly with UK bombs - instead backing a 'de-escalation' of the conflict.

During PMQs on Wednesday, May was encouraged to back a United Nations resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire in the war-ravaged country, after the US increased pressure on the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis said all parties must come to the negotiating table within 30 days, while Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State went further, telling them to immediately end the airstrikes.


Comment: Why should Theresa May be motivated to save the lives of innocent Yemenis when her husband stands to lose money with peace?

Theresa May's husband's company owns shares in firm that made the Yemen school-bus bomb

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Better Earth

Syria to open checkpoints with Iraq on common border


Sputnik
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 18:00 UTC
syria iraq border
© AP Photo / Bassem Tellawi
Syria is ready to open checkpoints on the border with Iraq, as it sees no security threats, and waits for the neighboring state to solve logistics issues, Syrian Transport Minister Ali Hammoud told Sputnik in an interview.

The checkpoints on the Syrian-Iraqi border have been closed since 2014 due to the territory being seized by the Daesh terrorists. Damascus and Baghdad have discussed the issue of opening the border earlier in October.

"During the last visit of Iraqi Foreign Minister [Ibrahim Jaafari] to Syria, one of the main topics discussed was opening the border. The Iraqi side promised that it would be done soon. We are ready as soon as logistics issues are solved on the Iraqi side," the minister said.


Comment: The US has been using the threat of ISIS as a pretext for keeping the borders with Iraq closed, thus depriving Syria of a large source of revenue. While the border crossing in the east is now clear, the U.S. is still occupying the other crossing in al-Tanf. And that's pretty much the only reason they're holding it: to spite the Syrian government and prevent Syria from reinvigorating its economy by trade with its neighbor.

See also: US pretends to support independence of Syria and Iraq - just can't admit defeat

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