The recent sexual assault in Cologne of women on New Year’s Eve has shocked the nation. As many as 1000 men, allegedly set upon women and made them run a gauntlet as they were grabbed, their clothes ripped, and their bodies groped. Police sources and witnesses have said that many were refugees — triggering renewed objections over a spate of rapes and assaults of women in the country attributed to recent immigrants. To make matters worse for the government, newspapers are reporting that one man told police “I am Syrian. You have to treat me kindly. Mrs Merkel invited me.” The result has been a rising tide of criticism of Merkel for her open-door policy. Yet, that criticism may now be muted by a move by the government to crackdown on anti-immigration comments as a form of “hate speech.” As we discussed today with the effort to ban Donald Trump, free speech is being rolled back in Europe under hate crime and anti-discrimination laws as an alarming rate. It is particularly worrisome when the government is under attack on an issue like immigration and responds by prosecuting people for such criticism. News reports indicate that 18 of the 31 known suspects from Cologne were asylum seekers, including “nine Algerians, eight Moroccans, five Iranians, four Syrians, an Iraqi, a Serbian, an American and two German nationals.
We have previously discussed the alarming rollback on free speech rights in the West, particularly in France (here and here and here and here and here and here) and England ( here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here). Much of this trend is tied to the expansion of hate speech and non-discrimination laws. We have seen comedians targeted with such court orders under this expanding and worrisome trend. (here and here).
Prosecutors are charging people who are “inciting hatred” in Germany by speaking out against immigrants and their impact on German society. Prosecutors and judges are determining what criticism will be allowed and what will be treated as criminal. In the meantime, the government has reached a deal with Facebook, Google and Twitter to crackdown on Internet speech. It is an effort to create the artificial appearance of agreement and tolerance by denying free speech to critics.
While it is still not clear how many of the Cologne attackers were immigrants (as many as 22 have been identified as refugees), the incident has been a flashpoint as numerous stories of women and girls being harassed about their clothing or assaulted by immigrants. For example, a 26-year-old Berlin man’s home was raided by police, who confiscated his computer and phones after he had posted the image of a dead 3-year-old Syrian boy on a Turkish beach and wrote “We are not mourning, we are celebrating!” A disgusting comment and one that is worthy public condemnation. However, it is also an act of free speech.
Nevertheless, many citizens are celebrating the denial of their own free speech rights. So long as they disagree with the speakers, there appears little concern over the rising tide of censorship and criminalization of speech. People are now unsure what they can say about immigration, which is precisely the chilling effect that governments seek in such measure. The result is a forced silence . . . which is golden for governments like Merkel’s that do not like what they are hearing.
CBS reporter Lara Logan was stripped naked and raped by gangs of men in Tahir Square. The pathology of Muslim men toward women is well established.
Riesling. You know of course that the situation in Koeln is unique for Germany namely that the Hauptbahnhof and the major cathedral are right next to one another. It is fairly easy for a pickpocket or other petty criminal to disappear there quickly. I know of no other major German city where this is the case.
Alicia M, Prego!
There are few cultures, including the US, that do not have varying degrees of problems w/ sexual assault. However, I am a news junkie. I do not find anywhere but in Europe, roving gangs of immigrant males, sexually assaulting strangers. In most cultures, the main problem is sexual assault by someone the victim knows. This is just another example of how Islam is not compatible w/ Western culture. Islam subjugates women. That liberals here and elsewhere pander to this 7th Century mindset is mind boggling.
Interviewing and interrogating people for a living, I am an expert @ finding truth. For the most part, I think the apologists here know that Islam is not compatible w/ our values, but take their talking points from their leaders. There was a surreal news conference in Philly yesterday. The police spokesman gave a concise and articulate review of the FACTS regarding the point blank shooting of a brave Philly cop by a Muslim, dressed in traditional garb. The spokesman gave the FACT the shooter claimed he did so because he is Muslim and has been called upon to strike policeman by the caliphate. Then, the dull/normal Dem mayor got up to the podium, huffed and puffed, and said “This is not about Islam, nobody in this room thinks it is.” Well, on its face, the Mayor, LIED!
What the hell is a “salted witch” and why should we care about it?
John, I agree that women’s careers have led to a decline in the birth rate, but I believe that a more significant factor is materialism. I know upper middle class married women who do not work, yet they only have 1 or 2 children. You can’t have 5 kids if you place more value on a McMansion and two luxury SUVs. Especially among white people, the number of children is limited because they place more value on a high status opulent lifestyle. My youngest sister ended up getting a divorce because her husband was adamantly opposed to having children. He wanted to live as a yuppie in Los Angeles and thought “rug rats” would cramp his style. She married someone else and had 3 kids.
Speaking of sexual assaults…
“Sexual Assault Reports Spike at Military Academies in US
“By Associated Press, 08 January 16
“Reports of sexual assaults at the three military academies surged by more than 50 percent in the 2014-15 school year, and complaints of sexual harassment also spiked, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.
“A senior defense official says the sharp increases were due largely to students’ growing confidence in the reporting system and expanded awareness programs that over the past several years have included training, videos and information sessions for both students and leaders. The programs have been aimed at making victims more aware of the reporting process and more comfortable seeking help.
“But the dramatic increases raise nagging questions about whether criminal assaults and harassment are on the rise or if the numbers actually reflect a growing willingness of victims to come forward.” (Emphasis added)
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/34503-sexual-assault-reports-spike-at-military-academies-in-us
The article doesn’t address the religious orientation(s) of those committing the assaults, nor what percentage of them, if any, consisted of refugees from other countries.
OK. Try it this way. It’s a grand cycle.
Women stop having babies and start having “careers.” The birthrate falls and workers are obtained from foreign cultures. The foreign workers increase the birthrate. Foreign workers and their brand new babies begin to dominate the populations. Next thing you know, Germany is gone.
In America, feminism enters the stage with the 19th amendment and the nation begins a “death spiral” as a diminishing birthrate.
The “ruling class” forcibly imports foreign workers to fill the gap created by the declining birthrate.
Foreigners, encouraged by the “ruling class,” can’t possibly assimilate and go about having their way with the country, including the women.
Instant “culture clash.”
The good part is that this too will pass; it will be temporary.
Soon enough the Germans, Americans and Westerners will be diluted out of existence.
“…to ourselves and our posterity,…”
“I don’t know, Olly, naming a religion of 2 billion people a virulent disease sounds very bigoted to me!”
Actually Po I was labeling a Muslim, one that used an extreme interpretation of Islam to justify terrorizing unbelievers as a virulent disease. If telling the truth about Muslims that follow this extreme interpretation of the religion of Islam is bigoted then I proudly wear that title. It’s too bad you have such a disease invading western cultures that even you have no rational defense. Instead you are left trying to use some lame-ass bigot label for anyone that speaks the truth about what is going on. You are not fooling anyone; you believe in natural rights, horseshit!
Olly, this is verbatim:
——————–
“Which brings me to the question, which I keep asking but get no answer for.
Who/what is a Muslim?”
It is the brand name of the most virulent disease currently ravaging Europe and beyond. There. Now, let’s assume our past foreign policy was equivalent to us being a smoker. Would you advise the patient to stop smoking and ignore the disease until they quit? Would you defend the disease as a punishment and again, ignore any treatment?
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Does not seem in the above you were referring to one person in particular, you were talking about Islam as the coalition of Muslims, or a Muslim (to be a Muslim) as the brand name…virulent disease…””
I think your statement is pretty clear…trying to walk it back then attacking me for reacting to such bigoted statement is duplicitous at best. If there is some credit to be given bambam, it is he is quite open about his bigoted sentiments…unlike you and karen.
The only one, between the two of us who does believe in natural rights is obviously me. I am yet the only one to give EVERYONE the right to their life, liberty and property without accounting for ethnicity, religion or origins.
Your claim to support natural rights is very biased in favor of some and against others. You are pro-Christian, pro-Western and pro-White…which is all fine as long as you allow others to be pro-whatever hey are. But you don’t.
It is why the government is necessary to protect those of us in the minority from those of you in the majority, who get all the rights yet keep crying about discrimination.
If your natural rights mean the taking away of others, then you do not deserve your natural rights, for they have become unnatural.
po – you do not believe in natural rights since you cannot define them. You throw the term out there like it should mean something, however you use it incorrectly. Was that the term of the day from CAIR/Muslim Brotherhood?
The Cologne police chief resigned this morning. The interior minister, Ralf Jaeger, made this statement: “What happened on the right-wing platforms is at least as offensive as the acts against the women”.
The (current) German government has clearly stated its priorities. Don’t know if Angie Baby has sewn up her Noble Peace Prize. yet.
Best line of the thread: “Baghdad Bob lives.” Thanks, Nick, it made me smile. I needed a smile today. Sometimes I wonder if Merkel and other Western “leaders” have had partial lobotomies, and it worries me 🙂
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran!
–Saturday Night Live song of 30 plus years ago.
Or should we bambam Iran?
bambam? What would you do?
bambam?
Karen S
1, January 8, 2016 at 10:48 am
You don’t think thousands of people being murdered by their leader, Assad, would drive people to seek asylum? Assad killed almost 8,000 people between January and February alone, while ISIS killed less then 2,000 in the same time period. That’s one of the reasons why our efforts to help Syria have been so tepid. Whom do we support? Assad? ISIS? The other extremists? It’s hard to pick a side when Syria is such a vat of extremism. If you GOOGLE “terrorist trained in Syria” you will get an overwhelming number of hits. The actual, good people are sandwiched between murderous extremists on all sides.
The crux of the matter is that prior to 2011 and the start of the Western backed terror war in Syria the Bashar al-Assad government was one of the most stable/secular governments left standing in the Middle East. The other stable/secular/wealthy nations Libya and Iraq had already been destroyed by US government extremists called neo-cons and humanitarian interventionists (who insanley believe in using bombs to bring aid).
Tens (hundreds?) of thousands of Western backed terrorists/mercenaries are terrorizing the people of Syria in an attempt to force the Syrian government to abdicate it’s authority. If the Syrian people wanted to dump the Assad government they had every opportunity in 2014 when 73% of eligible Syrian voters participated and selected Bashar al-Assad overwhelmingly in an election monitored and ratified by observers from over 30 countries.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/06/04/Assad-readies-for-Syria-vote-count-victory-.html
The ability of the Western backed terrorists/mercenaries to fight two nations states (Syria, Iraq) and their large modern/trained armies simultaneously exposes the terrorists/mercenaries Achilles heel: their chain of supply. The logistics involved is beyond the capacity of simple terror/mercenary organizations which implicitly means the involvement of a nation state that has developed the capacity to move thousands of tons of material/supplies long distances in short times daily for months and years on end. There is only one nation with this type of military airlift capacity in the world and it is the US which operates hundreds of large military cargo aircraft 24hrs a day with global range.
How do tens of thousands of Western backed terrorists/mercenaries transverse international borders enter/leave Syria seemingly at will?
Where do the thousands of tons of munitions needed by the Western backed terrorists/mercenaries daily to wage a multi-front war against two nation with modern armies originate?
Who provides the Western backed terrorists/mercenaries communication gear?
Where do the Western backed terrorists/mercenaries obtain their medical supplies?
Where do the Western backed terrorists/mercenaries get the tons of food needed to keep tens of thousands of fighters fed?
Where have the Western backed terrorists/mercenaries been trained?
What actions would the US government take if US militia groups (with or without foreign government support) used an armed terror campaign and attempted to overthrow the government?
I agree that good people are sandwiched between extremists in Syria.
I have zero interest in discussing even the weather with Po. This is not avoidance of rational discussion. When someone calls you vile names 100% of the time you engage in a discussion with him, it’s self destructive to get sucked in.
Po routinely lies about my opinions, what I’ve posted, and makes insane statements, like I want women and children to die. He also has called me everything from a bigot to lazy, to my place in a harem.
Not interested.
karen, that is called avoidance…as is your wont…it is called a refusal to stand behind the claims you made…that’s called avoidance…and intellectual dishonesty…and amoral behavior… some call it lying, just not me!
Nice move bringing in the ISIS reference…pretty slick…I mean, that’s the trump all card…ISIS…gays…building…
By the way, I never called you lazy or a bigot, I said your statements frame you as… or your comments are…I know you ain’t!
As you have said plenty of times, you support the rights of women and children, BUT you also think it justified that Israel massacres Palestinian women and children in retaliation for some rockets.
Did I misunderstand you?
If only you would condemn them so we can clearly tell that you condemn all terrorism, just not some!
po – she nailed you. Her answer describes your response perfectly.
Po I am astounded at your lack of honesty in your posts. In reply to Karen you mention the innocent Palestinians who have been killed by the IDF as though the IDF DELIBERATELY targeted them. Then you go on and admit that they do this just because of some ROCKETS, as though such rockets matter not. One has to remember that those rockets are DELIBERATELY AIMED at civilians of Israel, while the IDF attacks are aimed at legitimate military and political targets. BIG DIFFERENCE there. There have never been any war crimes trials for unwanted civilian casualties. In FACT, Hamas admitted that they DO seek civilian deaths to produce more “martyrs”. Now THAT is a WAR CRIME.
Randy, really, are you back for more?
Have you already forgotten the long debate we had quite recently about his topic exactly, where I offered statements by doctors on site, by UN personnel on site, but non-combatant Palestinians on site, by Israelis themselves, by IDF personnel themselves, and by Israeli political and religious leaders themselves, all of whom testified to the fact that the IDF was “mowing the lawn”” in gaza by trying to destroy as much as they could, including civilians while claiming they weren’t?
Yes, the IDF deliberately targeted them, that is no longer in doubt. Unless you are trying to deceive and be deceived.
Are you saying that a rocket is comparable to a missile fired from a F-15?
In what world? Is a rock comparable to a tank? A slingshot to a M16?
What kind of circular logic is this? All of Gaza is a military and political target but Israel is not? How do you explain that?
Matters little, I acknowledged that targeting civilians is a war crime and terrorism, but in order to refuse that characteristic to the IDF, you had to work extremely hard at making the IDF either justified in killing civilians because Hamas was elected or you refused that they not target civilians, ending up making both arguments simultaneously.
Which is what karen does by the way.
Look, if you want to revisit this topic and possibly get a chance at earning back your chips, I’ll gladly give you another go at it. Let us establish the ground rules.
1-You cannot dismiss the international laws that cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without offering something else in its place (international law.)
2-Your unlearned opinion does not suffice to counter the legal brief of an international law scholar.
3-The view of an Israeli journalist and/or IDF soldier who was present weighs more than yours.
4-You cannot quote Hamas’s chapter without quoting the Likud party chapter.
5-You cannot claim Gaza is no longer occupied unless you can prove it logically, legally and physically.
6- You cannot make Hamas illegal because it has been legitimately elected, and you cannot then conclude that Palestinians civilians are fair game because they elected Hamas.
I neglected to mention that one of the most salient aspects of this situation is that women claim this has been going on for quite some time, but it has been hushed up by the media and government. They fear a backlash against immigrants and public policy.
But this is allegedly not the first time this has happened.
Do you recall that disturbing article about ISIS tossing gay men off a building to execute them for their sexuality, under Sharia Law? Can you imagine if those same murderers emigrated here?
It’s difficult to properly vet refugees. We are barred (for some insane reason) from reviewing their social media postings. We basically ask them if they plan to commit terrorist acts. But the FBI is understaffed and overwhelmed. It has the current capacity to watch about 70 people 24/7, but we’re talking about bringing in 10,000. How can they possibly comb through all the data? Verify identities? Keep watch to ensure they do not link up with extremist organizations? Where do the refugees stay during the long process? We’ve already seen a failure in our current procedure, as Tafshin Farook should never have been allowed into the country on a finance visa because of what she wrote on Social Media alone.
None of this inspires confidence.
I win again, karen declines to offer proofs…which I called!
What do I win?
But, since she made another false claim, I have no choice but to help her in her difficult work distinguishing the lies she accidentally states from the truth.
——————————————————–
Oliver compared the GOP’s xenophobic posturing to back when, in 1939, the U.S. turned away the MS St. Louis—a boat filled with 937 mostly Jewish refugees seeking asylum from Nazi Germany. The U.S. turned the boat away in what later became known as the “Voyage of the Damned,” when over a quarter of them—roughly 227—ended up being killed during the Holocaust.
“It is absolutely fair to be concerned about safety in the wake of these attacks, and it’s fair to wonder who we’re letting in and what sort of screening system is in place. Unfortunately, many of the people talking about it this week don’t seem to have the first idea of what we’re doing,” said Oliver, who then cut to a montage of Republicans complaining how “easy” our vetting process is for Syrian refugees.
Then Oliver walked the ill-informed GOP through America’s very stringent vetting process for Syrian refugees.
“If you’re a refugee, first, you apply through the United Nations High Commission of Refugees, which collects documents and performs interviews. Incidentally, less than 1 percent of refugees worldwide end up being recommended for resettlement, but if you’re one of them, you may then be referred to the State Department to begin the vetting process,” said Oliver. “At this point, more information is collected, and you’ll be put through security screenings by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security, and if you’re a Syrian refugee, you’ll get an additional layer of screening called the Syria Enhanced Review, which may include a further check by a special part of Homeland Security—the USCIS [United States Citizenship and Immigration Services] fraud detection and national security directorate.
The host of HBO’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ ran through the very, very difficult vetting process Syrian refugees must endure to make it to America.
“And don’t relax yet, because we’ve barely even started.”
He continued: “Then, you finally get an interview with USCIS officers and you’ll also be fingerprinted so your prints can be run through the biometric databases of the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. And, if you make it through all that, you’ll also have health screenings which, let’s face it, may not go too well for you because you may have given yourself a stroke going through this process so far. But, if everything comes back clear, you’ll be enrolled in cultural orientation classes—all while your information continues to be checked recurrently against terrorist databases to make sure that no new information comes in that wasn’t caught before.
“All of that has to happen before you get near a plane!” Oliver continued. “This process typically takes 18 to 24 months once you’ve been referred to the UN by the United States. This is the most rigorous vetting anyone has to face before entering this country. No terrorist in their right mind would choose this path when the visa process requires far less effort.”
karen you really don’t get tired of being corrected?
po you are precious. You have such faith in the US Govt. to do its job correctly. You just have not been here long enough.
Baghdad Bob lives.
Agree with you, karen…
Let’s start right here…the Muslims in the US military
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In his documentary The Invisible War, Oscar-nominated director Kirby Dick exposes an epidemic of rape within the US military, with some 22,800 violent sex crimes alleged in 2011 alone. The harrowing testimony of the victims contrasts with the systemic cover-up of these crimes by military authorities and a long-standing refusal to take decisive action. The extracts here show victims suffering twice: at the hands of both the attacker and the military justice system. Authorities insist they take this seriously
• For more on the film and campaign visit invisiblewarmovie dot com
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Regarding beating women who do not follow religious law…I agree with you there too
Is there really abuse in the Jewish community?
Abuse does not favor one religious, economic, religious, or ethnic group over another. It is found in all groups—including the Jewish community. It also does not favor more conservative or more liberal groups—it is found across the spectrum of Jewish affiliations (and lack of affiliation). We do not have good numbers as to the incidence of abuse in the Jewish community; many Jews and Jewish groups are uncooperative in identifying the problem. Many involved in the field suggest that the incidence of abuse is on par with that of other communities. – See more at: faithtrustinstitute dot org/
And how do you justify this karen?
For many years there has been a myth that domestic violence among Jewish families was infrequent. However, there is much data demonstrating that domestic abuse is a significant and under-recognized behavior in Jewish communities in Israel and the Diaspora. Jewish women typically take a longer time to leave abusive relationships for fear that they will lose their children and because they are aware of the difficulties in obtaining a get, a Jewish divorce document. .myjewishlearning dot com/article/domestic-violence-in-jewish-law/
And then this, which I am sure you will make your cause celebre.
I wonder how bambam feels about it:
jta dot org/2015/10/21/life-religion/the-only-safe-place-for-battered-orthodox-jewish-women-in-israel
And how do you justify this, karen?
The Silent Epidemic
Countless Christian women are battered every day. Here’s how to respond if you or someone you love is abused.
Corrie Cutrer
The Silent Epidemic
Her husband’s comments were so routine that for 20 years, Brenda Branson didn’t realize she was a victim of verbal and emotional abuse.
“You breathe too loud,” her husband would tell her. “Your smile is silly. You look terrible. Don’t you have anything better to wear?”
It wasn’t until Brenda realized his comments weren’t true that she approached him. And that’s when he picked up a chair and hit her with it. Brenda knew she had to do something, so she went to her pastor. Unfortunately he wasn’t equipped to handle domestic abuse; his suggestions about submitting to her husband only made her home life more difficult. “Our church didn’t know what to do with us,” Brenda says. “They just wanted the problem to go away.”
@bam bam
1, January 8, 2016 at 7:53 pm
“Seems like po has taken to his religion quite well, if you ask me. His response to the barbaric behavior? Why, it’s none other than the ole–YOU DESERVE THIS. YOU’RE GETTING THIS BECAUSE YOU DROVE ME TO THIS.”
Your evident (from this and other posts) unconsciousness of the exponentially more accurate applicability of this tirade, but against the Israeli government’s monumentally and lethally barbaric behavior toward the Palestinian people, strongly suggests that you have taken to your religion quite well, bam bam, which religion (whatever it may be) in your case seems to involve a peculiarly intense hatred of some 1.6 billion people.
I’m trying to follow the logic of those who excuse these attacks based on the fact that these are not the only people in the entire country who assault women.
To clarify, if we hypothetically allowed in asylum seekers from countries that severely abuse women’s rights, beating them for not following religious law, and gangs of these asylum seekers start attacking women in Los Angeles, we would NOT have to revise our asylum process because there are others who also assault women in LA for unrelated reasons?
That is false logic.
We want to rescue women, for example, from the hands of the extremists who beat them and keep them prisoner in their own homes, not roll out the red carpet for their abusers.