Below is my column in the New York Post on the Associated Press guideline for reporters to avoid calling Hamas a terrorist organization. Voice of America and other media outlets have made the same decision. This is not about supporting the Palestinian cause. It is about correctly describing a group that commits terrorist attacks as a terrorist organization.
Here is the column:
Confucius once said that “the beginning of wisdom is the ability to call things by their right names.”
That does not appear to be the approach of the Associated Press this week after the media organization told its reporters not to call Hamas fighters “terrorists” after they massacred civilians, raped women, and took a couple hundred hostages from Israel on Oct. 7.
The Voice of America issued its own instruction to avoid calling Hamas “terrorists.”
According to the AP, these fighters are to be called “militants” because the term “terrorist” has “become politicized.”
But there is nothing “politicized” in recognizing that Hamas intentionally targeted civilians, including mowing down unarmed participants at a peace concert.
They burned civilians alive in their homes and raped women.
They intentionally and systemically took civilian hostages, including children and the elderly.
The acts defined the actors. These were terrorist acts and those who committed them were by definition terrorists.
The International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism defines terrorism as “any … act intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to a civilian, or to any other person not taking an active part in the hostilities in a situation of armed conflict, when the purpose of such act, by its nature or context, is to intimidate a population, or to compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.”
The United Nations Security Council specifically includes with this definition “criminal acts, including against civilians, committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages.”
Nevertheless, the Associated Press reportedly issued an “Israel-Hamas Topical Guide,” which noted that “terrorism and terrorist have become politicized, and often are applied inconsistently.” Thus “the AP is not using the terms for specific actions or groups, other than in direct quotations.”
This isn’t the first time the AP has made strikingly artificial language choices.
For example, AP reporters were told to avoid using the word “surge” to describe the record number of migrants crossing the border.
Likewise, when there was violence and looting in various cities after the George Floyd killing, AP told its reporters to use “milder terms” like “unrest” rather than “riots.”
Yet when it came to January 6, AP routinely referred to the riot as an “insurrection” (here, here, here).
Notably, in one article titled “Riot? Insurrection? Words Matter in Describing the Capitol Siege,” the AP noted that other mainstream media were using “riot” but also raised the possible terms “sedition” and “coup attempt.”
For the record, I criticized President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 speech while he was still giving it and wrote that his theory on the election and the certification challenge was unfounded.
I denounced the riot as a desecration of our constitutional process. However, it was not an insurrection, in my view. It was a protest that became a riot.
AP and some other outlets do not want to call it a riot not because it isn’t accurate, but because it is not sufficiently vilifying.
Conversely, the media are often eager to avoid “riot” as too judgmental.
Reporters actually told a chief of police not to use the word “riot” in reference to violence by protesters against police.
Similarly, as billions in property damages were occurring in various cities, Craig Melvin, an MSNBC host and co-anchor of “Today,” tweeted a “guide” that the images “on the ground” were not to be described as rioting but rather “protests.”
He noted, “This will guide our reporting in MN. While the situation on the ground in Minneapolis is fluid, and there has been violence, it is most accurate at this time to describe what is happening there as ‘protests’ — not riots.”
Polls have shown that most of the public view January 6 as a riot.
A CBS poll showed that 76% viewed it for what it was, a “protest gone too far.” The view that it was an actual “insurrection” was far less settled, with almost half rejecting the claim, a division breaking along partisan lines.
Obviously, people can disagree, but this would seem an obvious example where the AP would refrain from using the most loaded term of “insurrection” given the legal and factual contradictions in such usage.
The concern is that AP is showing bias in the use of such terms. Journalism schools now teach young reporters to follow an advocacy model in “leaving neutrality behind.”
Likewise, Stanford journalism professor Ted Glasser insisted that journalism needed to “free itself from this notion of objectivity to develop a sense of social justice.”
Recently, former executive editor for the Washington Post Leonard Downie Jr. and former CBS News president Andrew Heyward released their survey of leading journalists and outlets and also concluded that objectivity is now considered reactionary and even harmful.
Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, editor-in-chief at the San Francisco Chronicle, said it plainly: “Objectivity has got to go.”
Downie explained that news organizations now “believe that pursuing objectivity can lead to false balance or misleading ‘bothsidesism’ in covering stories about race, the treatment of women, LGBTQ+ rights, income inequality, climate change and many other subjects.
“And, in today’s diversifying newsrooms, they feel it negates many of their own identities, life experiences and cultural contexts, keeping them from pursuing truth in their work.”
That view was echoed by Kathleen Carroll, former executive editor at the Associated Press, who declared, “It’s objective by whose standard? … That standard seems to be White, educated, and fairly wealthy.”
The response of the public has been consistent and clear: Trust in the media is at an all-time low.
Roughly 40% of the public has zero trust in the media. Likewise, 50% of Americans believe that the media lie to them to advance their own agendas.
Much of that distrust has occurred over what were viewed as false descriptions.
The best example was the “Let’s Go Brandon” incident.
In that case, NBC reporter Kelli Stavast was doing an interview with race car driver Brandon Brown after he won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
During the interview, Stavast’s questions were drowned out by loud-and-clear chants of “F—k Joe Biden.” Stavast quickly declared, “You can hear the chants from the crowd, ‘Let’s go, Brandon!’ ”
“Let’s Go Brandon” has become a type of Yankee Doodling of the media by the public. It reflected an exasperation with framing and revisionism by the media in describing events.
There is no greater disconnect than describing an attack killing hundreds of unarmed civilians and taking hundreds of hostages as the acts of “militants.”
There is wisdom that comes from calling things by the right name. This was terrorism.
Jonathan Turley is an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.
Jonathan: Talk about cognitive dissonance! Did you see DJT’s rally speech in New Hampshire this week? It was a bizarre display. In the Granite State Trump leads his GOP rivals but is trailing Biden 52% to 40% in the polls. In recognizing this reality DJT told his small group of MAGA supporters: “So we have to be careful, you gotta get out there, you got to watch those voters. You don’t have to vote, don’t worry about voting. The voting, we got plenty of votes, you gotta watch”.
Apparently, DJT is trying to repeat his false claims about the 2020 election. If he loses again in 2024 it will only be because of “massive voter fraud”. So DJT is telling his supporters not to bother to vote. Instead, he is calling on his supporters to intimidate and threaten anyone who might want to vote for Biden. That’s not democracy but authoritarianism!
In his NH speech DJT finally had an “ah, hah” moment. He apparently thinks he is the first to discover some basis facts. DJT told his MAGA audience: “I’m for us. You know how to spell us, right? You spell us, US. I just picked that up. Has anyone ever thought of that? I just picked that up”. The audience cheered. Apparently they also didn’t realize “us” can also be capitalized.
Then, DJT went on and blundered about the leaders of Hungary and Turkey. He said: “You know I was very honored–Victor Orban, did anyone ever hear of him? He’s probably one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world. Right? He’s the leader of Turkey”. Sorry, Donald. Orban is the authoritarian leader of Hungary. No matter. DJT adores authoritarian leaders wherever they can be found. He would like to rule like them–suppressing democracy.
Just a few more illustrations of how DJT suffers from narcissistic authoritarian derangement syndrome!
Trump may suffer from Narcissistic Authoritarian Derangement Syndrome but no one would ever think that you have NADS.
Bwahahahahahahaha. Poor Dennis. He’s a legend in his own mind.
Wow, DM, DJT has said some things that anoy you – arguably without good reason.
So you do not beleive the 2020 election was stolen, you probably beleive Trump colluded with Russia in 2016 and that Hillary does not continue to lie about the 2016 election.
You probably think it was OK that as we continue to find – ever larger portions of the US government were actively involved in nefarious activities in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
That it was OK for the FBI and others to spy on congressmen in 2016 and subsequently.
While many of the rest of us grasp that while Trump’s remarks (often deliberately) are not all that precise, they are at the same time correct.
We can disgagree about the many ways in which the 2020 election was rigged – some legal and many not. But if you are still claiming it was not – then YOU live in the same left wing nut Bubble that thinks Hamas Attrocities on Oct 7 were justified while J6 was the greatest attack on democracy ever.
I am finding alot of things interesting – the left wing nut propoganda campaign has been far more effective in some ways than I had imagined.
Interestingly people concurrently beleive that Trump has committed crimes and that DOJ is politically corrupt and has been weaponized by the left.
And a growing portion of those are voting for Trump regardless.
Increasing numbers do not want to hear more of Republican investigations of Biden, they KNOW he is corrupt, The KNOW he is a crook, and increasingly they are not voting for him. Trump has a razor thin edge int he polls – but is ahead in every single swing state often by large margins.
Increasingly no one is paying the slightest attention to what Trump says. No one is paying any attention to Trump investigations. No one is paying attention to Biden investigations. increasingly people are not trying to figure out which candidate is the crook.
More and more they are foccused on what they can see with their own eyes.
Inflation was 1% on Jan 1, 2021, Growth was 6%, today inflation is 6% and the administration is trying to sell us that 2 qtrs of negative growth is no longer a recession.
The world was at relative peace on Jan 20,2021 – substantially more peaceful than Jan 20, 2017. Peace seemed to be breaking out everywhere. The mideast was quite.
Afghanistan was winding down. There was peace in eastern europe, Wages were rising. We had donw well before covid and we could see the light of the end of covid and were ready to return to that growth.
Today in nearly every way the world is worse. And at home we are each worse off.
I can point out the stupidity of your remarks. But increasingly I do not need to. People understand that electing Joe
Biden was a disaster. That if they close their ears that Trump as president was the best 4 years of the 21st century.
I do not need to talk about democrats election rigging, We all know that if 2024 is close – Biden will win, The left wing nut win at all costs, nothing is off the table will carry Biden over the line in 2024 – if the election is close. But there is a limit to the scale of Fraud that you can get away with. Trump is currently winning the Popular vote.
There will be more wins by the various democrat prosecutors targeting Trump, as well as some losses between now and 2024. But they are not effecting voters.
There will be more revalations of Biden corruption in the same time – and mostly that is not moving voters.
What is moving voters is the realities of the world, of the country, of their wallets. And Biden has lost all of those.
The Hamas attrocities have harmed Biden in numerous ways. They occured on his watch. They occured at a moment that Biden policies in the mideast were as anti-israel and pro iran and terrorist as ever.
And while the world gasped in horror as babies were burned and beheaded and women were raped,
The left russhed to the streets – not to defend but to celebrate. And in doing so destroyed their moral authority on everything.
“I do not need to talk about democrats election rigging, We all know that if 2024 is close – Biden will win, ”
Of course he will. Republicans have clearly demonstrated that they can’t govern much less decide how to do the most basic functions of government. They are hopelessly dysfunctional and incompetent.
Trump is winning the popular vote within his base. That’s always been the case. Trump won’t win the popular vote in a real election against Biden. The economy is stable and growth is still in an upward trajectory. Republicans can’t even pass a budget.
– 𝑰𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝑻𝒘𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕’𝒔-𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒐 –
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 (𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐀) has been tracking deaths in the conflict since 2008
Data on casualties – https://www.ochaopt.org/data/casualties#
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢-𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭
By: Niall McCarthy ~ May 12, 2021
https://www.statista.com/chart/16516/israeli-palestinian-casualties-by-in-gaza-and-the-west-bank/
Wikipedia: 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐫
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_casualties_of_war#1948%E2%80%932021
Wikipedia: 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐫
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_casualties_of_war#Regular_conflicts
No Anonymous – it does NOT take two.
This argument is idiocy. When 3000 people where murdered at the WTC on 9/11/2001 – should the US have killed only and exactly 3000 of the terrorists in response ?
When an act of war has been done to a nation – that nation is entitled to do what is necescary to destroy whoever did its ability to ever do that again.
They are NOT limited to equal numbers of casualities.
I would further note there is a massive difference between the casulties inflicted by Hamas and those inflicted by Israel,
But the casualties inflicted by Al Queda and those by the US.
The actions of HAMAS and Al Queda were TERRORISM – which is ALWAYS 100% unacceptable.
Deliberate targheting of civilians is ALWAYS wrong.
WE can and should decry the inadvertant deaths of civilians in a war, We can complain about accepting civilian casualties when there is a legitimate target.
But Both are NOT the moral equivalent of terrorism.
As Golda Mier said long ago – if the Arabs laid down their arms – there would be PEACE. If the jews laid down their arms there would be genocide.
Ordinary people understand that moral truth – even if you do not.
I wasn’t trying to make a point – just post the stats as if they were NFL stats.
But you have illustrated your point so eloquently, that is:
No one can make a point with you John say, can they? Just like an Israeli.
You weren’t trying to make a point ? Really ?
Please give it a rest.
I do not presume to be able to read your mind.
But I do presume that you actually have a mind or should I revise that assessment.
The US produced 50M metric tons of wheat in 2021.
Or how about the civilain casulaties from the US invasions of afghanistant and IRaq was somewhere between 200,000 and 2M – just statistics.
They do not actually mean anything.
The left is whigged out because yesterday a mass shooter killed 18 people. That is about half the number of people who die each day in the US in autoaccidents.
It is about 1/6 the number of deaths from drug overdoses.
All deaths are regretable. All deaths are not the same.
All statistics do not have the same import.
Do you read what you write before hitting post ?
“I wasn’t trying to make a point – just post the stats as if they were NFL stats.
No one can make a point with you John say, can they?”
Make up your mind – either your post had a point or it didn’t, both can not be true.
Of course you can make a point with me. All you need to do is present a well reasoned factually and logically correct argument.
Everything said does not have equal credibility, equal merit. All claims are not equal, all views are not equal. all opinions are not equal.
We weigh the merits of each assertion using facts, l,ogic and reason.
.
It is a slight mistake to compare Hamas to Nazis as if that were the worst that could be said of them.
Hamas, and many, maybe most, Gazans are much worse.
The Nazis recognized evil just enough to try to conceal their crimes, suggesting an awareness of wrongdoing.
By contrast, Hamas, and Gazans, boast of their evil, broadcasting it, bragging of it. And they indulged in hideous torture in a way the Nazis did not. Nazi mass murder tended to have an almost indifferent, industrial quality compared to the glee with which Hamas and many Gazans joyfully tortured and killed anyone they could reach.
I said before I thought it might be a mistake to let the hostages delay an attack on Gaza. So far, it is looking as if it were indeed a mistake.
@Young,
Its no mistake.
You had the Nazis… and there was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.
Hitler forged ties with him to help control the Muslims in Eastern Europe to side w Germany.
The Mufti urged Hitler to continue his ‘final solution’ and exterminate the Jews in the Middle East.
Hitler declined and just wanted the Jews out of Europe.
Now you may ask yourself why this historical fact is important?
Because the ‘nephew’ of the Grand Mufti was Yassar Arrafat. ?sp?
He led the PLO which was the precursor to Hamas and the PA.
Now do you start to see the ties ?
What is also often forgotten by those who support Hamas and Palestinians is that there were Jews living in this territory that the British called Palestine. They sided w the British to help stop the Arab rebels. (Which we call Palestinians today) Something that many in UK also don’t want to remember. After all there were many anti-Semites in the UK too.
So yes, Hamas and Nazis go hand in hand.
-G
Gumby,
All true except that as evil as Nazis were it appears that Hamas exceeds them in sheer depravity. We thought modern humanity hit bottom with the Nazis but Hamas has given us a new bottom. Perhaps there is no bottom and greater evil is to come.
“It is a slight mistake . . .”
Never thought I’d read a comment that amounts to: There’s a rung of hell lower than the Nazis.
And, yet, you are right. Your point illustrates a frightening fact about modern murderers and totalitarians: A complete lack of conscience.
Another such example is the two killers who murdered a bicyclist in Las Vegas. Their “thrill kill” was intentional. They didn’t murder for money or out of jealousy. They had no idea who they were killing. They killed just to kill. And their courtroom demeanor shows a complete lack of remorse or conscience.
Non-Hamas Gazans also joined in atrocities in large numbers, with regard to hostages and dead bodies brought back from Israel. I saw much of the video evidence within a day or two of the massacre. There will be deniers, but it is well documented.
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Ffreebeacon.com%2Fnational-security%2Fjust-as-cruel-as-the-terrorists-many-ordinary-palestinians-joined-in-hamass-atrocities-against-israel%2F
First paragraph: As Hamas terrorists carried out a highly choreographed massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, they received a source of support that amplified the horror that took place that day. A mob of ordinary Palestinians spontaneously joined in what became the deadliest pogrom against Jews since the Holocaust, according to videos, eyewitness accounts, and the Israel Defense Forces.
Oldman,
I saw that about Gazan ‘civilians’. I suspected as much and that is why early on I hoped Israel would attack massively and soon without bring restrained by the presence of hostages or civilians [or Biden, we knew he would]. We knew there were American prisoners in Nagasaki but we dropped the bomb despite their presence. It was the only rational choice in a war against evil that will not quit short of death.
. . . a war against evil that will not quit short of death
That sums up what is happening. Broadly speaking civilized humanity is now in a world war with an anti-human snake the head of which is the rulers of Iran. In that struggle Israel is in the trenches at the front. All humans on the side of life, truth, and goodness owe a debt of gratitude to Israel for the job it is doing.
Oldman,
Great post with the clarity so often missing these days.
I’m reposting what I said a couple of weeks back with a minor modification and added thoughts about today’s issue.
Washington Post, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Miami Herald, Boston Globe and on and on including supposed journalist at the Associated Press write and broadcast “Sophistry”. They lack humility, modesty, are intolerable, vain, are discursive with intended obfuscation, lacking in coherence and above all are full of grievances. Their words and action are heard/read by the leftist in this country with Rose Colored glasses and an idealized brain full of mush, having no understanding of history past or current events.
They twist the meaning of the Constitution, laws, and words in hopes their views will be adopted, as exampled that man can be woman, free speech is only free to them, and evil only exists in those they despise. Their product be it, written or verbal has and continues to cause harm and derisive attitudes amongst the population. They refuse facts and project their individual truths to camouflage known’s. These charlatans must be exposed.
The FBI defines international terrorism: “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored),”
This directive by AP can be defined by looking at “Semiology” as proposed by Ferdinard de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce: where texts have cultural meanings above their structural meaning. A concise as I can make it anyway.
I believe Teddy said it best: “One of our defects as a nation is a tendency to use what have been called ‘weasel words’. When a weasel sucks eggs the meat is sucked out of the egg. If you use a ‘weasel word’ after another, there is nothing left of the other.”
George W,
Great comment!
We are looking for firewood in Richmond. Craigslist ads are full of fakes, and I recall an Upstate Farmer saying he had access to wood. Keep the chickens and ammo. Send firewood!
🔥
Laugher is the best medicine, especially when one is out of stock of xanax
Estovir,
Ironically enough, I just fell a dead white ash tree in the front yard a few hours ago. There has got to be at least three cords of wood there.
It was worth repeating George. Well said.
Guy who can’t say Trump (and many others) “lied” about election fraud in the 2020 election is worried that someone else is using euphemisms to describe a situation here.
And yes, January 6 was an “insurrection” which is defined as “a violent uprising against an authority or government.”
Words matter, and you have chosen words carefully to downplay everything Trump does.
People like you still insist that Trump was leading “a violent uprising against authority or government” despite the documented FACT that Trump CLEARLY told the crowd listening to him on J6 to protest “peacefully”:
“I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
The people that rioted over at the Capitol Building didn’t hear Trump say that, because they were already at, or on their way to, the Capitol Building along with an as-yet undisclosed number of government agents embedded in the crowd with plans to instigate the “insurrection” and blame it on Trump.
Facts matter.
Legally, morally, and factually a terrorist organization? I would reply with whose law, whose morals, and whose facts.
Let’s start with something you should be familiar with, what constitutes a Federal law, what constitutes a State law, then we can consider what constitutes an international law. All laws are the result of a participation versus compliance agreement between interested parties. That means that the interested parties participate in making the laws that they have agreed to abide by and comply with, meaning that the laws that are made in a legislative assembly, governed by legislative processes to reach a majority consensus for assent, are only binding on the members of the assembly which made the laws. They are not binding on any party or entity outside the discrete membership of that particular legislative assembly.
For example, you cannot make a law which determines who is qualified to vote unless all that are disqualified participate in making the law which puts constraints on their ability to vote. That’s why all civil rights laws are invalid, because an assembly which did not include those whose rights were being determined actually participated in the legislative assembly where their rights were determined. Maybe that’s to complex an argument for you to comprehend, let’s try a simpler form of the same example. Those who are being denied their rights don’t have to beg those denying those rights to give them the rights they are entitled to, that those who are denying rights have absolutely no authority do determine those rights they are denying.
So, with this in mind, what constitutes a Federal Law, what is the extent of the authority to make those laws, and who is compelled to comply with those laws?
This is simple, legislative power is divided into two categories on the federal level, first laws to manage how the States interact with each other to form and maintain the union, and second treaties to manage how the States act together to interact with foreign nations and entities. When we review the last paragraph of the Declaration of Independence we find what the States were seeking by severing their dependence on the State of Great Britain;
[We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.]
And when we review Article IX Clause 6 of the Articles of Confederation we find these rights of an independent State and the requirements for consensus to agree to any matter which concerns the States as the Union, a free and independent state;
[The united states, in congress assembled, shall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of marque and reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof nor ascertain the sums and expenses necessary for the defence and welfare of the united states, or any of them, nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the united states, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of vessels of war to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nine states assent to the same, nor shall a question on any other point, except for adjourning from day to day, be determined, unless by the votes of a majority of the united states in congress assembled.]
The States also agreed to comply with all decisions they made collectively as the Union in Article XIII of the
Articles of Confederation;
[Article XIII. Every State shall abide by the determinations of the united states, in congress assembled, on all questions which by this confederation are submitted to them. And the Articles of this confederation shall be inviolably observed by every state, and the union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them, unless such alteration be agreed to in a congress of the united states, and be afterwards con-firmed by the legislatures of every state.]
These clauses form the participation versus compliance agreement, where the participation is established by
Article V of the Articles of Confederation;
[Article V. For the more convenient management of the general interests of the united states, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislature of each state shall direct, to meet in Congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a power reserved to each state to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their stead, for the remainder of the Year.
No State shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor by more than seven Members; and no person shall be capable of being delegate for more than three years, in any term of six years; nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the united states, for which he, or another for his benefit receives any salary, fees or emolument of any kind.
Each State shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the states, and while they act as members of the committee of the states.
In determining questions in the united states, in Congress assembled, each state shall have one vote.
Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any Court, or place out of Congress, and the members of congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests and imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendance on congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace.]
Now getting to the point, the Republican assembly of the Federal Legislature established by Article 1 only makes laws, i.e. all aspects of domestic policy, and the Confederate assembly of the Federal Legislature reestablished by Articles 2 and 3 concern all matters of foreign policy and managing the operation of the Federal Government through forming executive departments under the direction of the States assembled in the Senate as the Union.
In conclusion, the federal legislature only makes laws which are binding on the States that participate in making those laws, that’s why there can not be a federal law for murder, because a State can’t murder another State, and federal laws only govern the interactions of the States as the Union. That is also why there are no federal laws which concern anything inside a State, because the laws only manage the interactions between States. The same is true of a State, the State legislature is an assembly of the counties, or defined districts, within the State, and therefore only make laws concerning the assembly of the State and the interactions between those districts. Treaties, on the other hand, only manage how the States as the Union interact with foreign entities, which are outside our Union, which is also why the States don’t need that functionality, because they have the Republican assembly of the Federal Legislature to manage those interactions between the States. But the same is true of a treaty that is true of a law, only the parties which participated in forming the treaty are compelled to abide by and comply with that treaty.
By now you should understand that Hamas doesn’t have to comply with international law and international laws are not binding on them because they did not participate in the process to make those laws, and they did not agree to comply with those laws, the same is true of Russia, how can they be determined to be violating international laws of humanity if they did not participate in making, and agreeing, to those laws, that’s like one HOA making rules for the owners in their association, then trying force an adjacent HOA to comply with their rules.
You can’t judge those who are fighting their enemies by your laws, morals, and facts!!!
For decades the world has taught that anti-Semites are to be denounced, Nazis were evil for killing Jews and a global hunt was pursued to seek and imprison former SS Nazi Officers who aided in the slaughtering of Jews at concentration camps. Photos of Auschwitz usually left people with heavy hearts.
Democrats have vehemently denounced their dark and sinister past in enslaving, beating and lynching blacks, passing Jim Crow laws to deprive blacks of their human dignity and they have pursued a relentless crusade to call out racists in America today. Biden has gone as far as to accuse blacks of not being black enough like him.
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Apparently climate change has melted the hearts and minds of Democrats, leftists and liberals in academic and news institutes, and even the United Nations. Climate change? Yes, climate change is to blame. Who knew that climate change would cause the winds throughout the planet to suddenly stop in their tracks, do a 180 degree turn, and blow in the opposite direction and blow away the virtue signaling masks off of the fickle, spineless Democrats. Of course, we all know that a leopard can not change its spots, the United Nations has always been a feckless organization, and Democrats will be true to their history of bigotry. It is in their DNA
The gullible West is falling for Hamas’s fictitious death figures:
Believing the terrorist group’s blatant untruths is sowing havoc in the real world
In normal times, it would be obvious that a group that beheads babies may also be liable to lie. But these are not normal times, and Israel has never been treated as a normal country.
It is true that Hamas was elected by the Palestinians to succeed Yasser Arafat in 2006. It is also true that – after ousting the Palestinian Authority from Gaza in a brutal coup – its officials now control all the mechanisms of state in the enclave, from the judiciary and education sector to the Health Ministry.
But the international community has accepted this veneer of respectability with astonishing alacrity. After all, these are the people who cut a baby from its mother’s stomach and decapitated it in front of her before subjecting her to the same fate. If there were illusions before, there should not be any now.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/25/the-gullible-west-is-falling-for-hamass-fictitious-death-fi/
Estovir, Dan Bongino routinely asks, in reference to what will finally wake Americans up to this regimes destruction of our country, “are things bad enough yet?” The answer is always, “apparently not.” Tragically, what will finally wake people up is a terrorist attack in our own country.
There is nothing like adversity to bring most people to their knees and beg for divine intervention. The Old Testament is full of historical accounts of the Jews and their enemies doing just that.
Behold the United Nations chief who evoked whataboutisms regarding Hamas slaughtering Jews on Oct 7:
The UK Telegraph reports:
Israel demands UN chief resign after ‘horrible’ Hamas attack comments
António Guterres backed calls for a ceasefire, as he suggested the Oct 7 massacre was linked to ‘56 years of suffocating occupation’
Not to be outdone in our own backyard, look at the train wreck comments on here, e.g. the one above mine authored by nfpnone. It is comments like these that lead some people to conclude that nothing short of a sizable meteor hitting the USA will spare us from these idiots. Or maybe we should all possess a handy dandy duplicate of Medusa’s head to freeze the Kraken among us.
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Jonathan: When I began reading your column I thought you would be faithful to Confucius. I was sorely disappointed. Yes, Hamas targeting civilians and took hostages was a violation of the laws of war and international humanitarian law. But so too is Israel’s continuing bombing of Gaga that has destroyed civilian infrastructure and killed over 6,500 civilians. The Biden administration has sided with Israel’s own form of “terrorism”. You seem to agree. Never thought you would endorse anything coming out of the Biden administration. But when it comes to Israel’s apartheid treatment of the Palestinians you apparently side with the Washington consensus.
When it comes to the Washington consensus nothing better illustrates how it works than during the Reagan administration. In the early 1980s Reagan conducted a campaign to oust the elected government of Nicaragua–calling it “Communist”. Reagan financed a “terrorist” group called the “Contras”. They burned villages, sabotaged the Nicaraguan economy and killed 43,000 Nicaraguans. Reagan described the Contras as “the moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers” and said they were “freedom fighters”. From Nicaragua to Israel every US administration has labeled those who oppose its policies as “terrorists”.
It is interesting but DJT now wants to wear the mantel of Nelson Mandela. DJT says he, like Mandela, is willing to go to prison for his cause. For years Mandela and the ANC were labelled “terrorists” because of their armed struggle against South Africa’s apartheid regime that terrorized and killed innocent Black South Africans. For years, the Nixon/Ford administrations opposed economic sanctions against the S. African government to try to dismantle its apartheid system. The Biden administration is doing the same thing re Israel. It continues to endorse Israel’s apartheid treatment of the Palestinians and refuses to endorse a truly independent Palestinian state.
And you still cling to the fiction that Jan. 6 just a “protest that became a riot”. That would cause Confucius to roll over in his grave! DJT’s speech encouraged his followers to attack the Capitol. They followed his orders, broke into the Capitol and used force to try to stop the Electoral College vote. Their intent was to overturn an election–to change the government to keep DJT on power. That is the very definition of an “insurrection”. That is how the House Special Committee described Jan. 6 in their report. No amount of dissembling on your part can change the facts!
Necklacing?
“respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their wives,”—Confucious
Which Confucious? The one who though children should respect their elders? Or the one who thought wives should respect their husbands, as children respecting an elder?
You step in doo doo EVERY time you run that trap, bro.
Dennis: thank you. And, don’t forget that the Proud Boys planned the invasion in advance–they did reconnaissance, according to a foreign reporter who was embedded with them. They had military gear and planned for how to divert the Capitol Police away from one location so they could attack another. There wre also planning meetings at the Willard Hotel and a cache of weapons kept at a Virginia hotel across the Potomoc, waiting for Trump to lead the insurrection. So, those who think it was just a “protest” are wrong–but they get their “news” from Fox, News Max, Breotbart and other alternative soruces. They didn’t watch the J6 hearings, either, or if they heard about them, they got the pro-Republican filtered version of facts.
Dennis – the J6 protestors were by and large PROTESTING the rigging of the 2020 election, a conspiracy of the Democratic Party, the “Deep State”, and the media. None of the protesters believed that they could keep DJT in power by commiting acts of violence. Not a single protester even brought along a handgun. It appears that the violence was, by and large, committed by the authorities. It further appears that persons who encouraged violent actions by the J6 protestors actually worked in some way for the FBI. It was an exercise in political propaganda.
While I agree with much of what you say, I do not think it all is correct.
But that does not matter. The actions of the worst of protestors on J6 fall short of those on almost any day in 2020 in portland.
Fall short of any BLM riot. Fall short of Pro-Palestinian riots int he capital days ago.
The entire purpose of this left wing nut charade is to assure that Republicans never challenge an election, that they never protest.
Why ? Because protest is the exclusive domain of left wing nuts, and most importantly because protests by 2teenagers change nothing.
But when 50 year olds start protesting – regimes topple.
Democrats are not affraid of an insurrection – they are affraid of a Berlin Wall moment.
J6 Protesters were there to have their Grievances Redressed by Congress because the Courts refused all attempts to investigate very questionable federal election results. Those two branches of government failed then (and continue to fail today) The People’s confidence their own government isn’t working against them.
You’d think the Dennis’s of the country would welcome an open, public, forensic audit that proves beyond any doubt their candidate legitimately won, but the mere mention of ‘wait, what happened in those five or six counties overnight?’ sends them into such a tizzy they lose all self-control.
“For the record, I criticized President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 speech while he was still giving it and wrote that his theory on the election and the certification challenge was unfounded.”
“For the record” — LOL LOL LOL — Man, I guess Turley can’t say that too many times (sarc). It feels like I read that here (or at Fox or NY Post) at least once a week. Of course, what the Professor FAILS to mention is that Trump’s J6 speech had ZERO to do with the Capitol “insurrrection,” since (1) the J6 riot started WHILE Trump was still speaking, so the people involved in the protest or riot were NOT listening to or taking orders from Trump, (2) if the rioters would have actually been paying attention to Trump, they’d have heard him urge them to protest “peacefully,” and (3) from available information, it appears that it was the CAPITOL POLICE and apparent FBI or other government operatives embedded in the crowd that intentionally turned the protest into a riot.
That point — that the evidence indicates that the riot was PLANNED and instigated by anti-Trump agents of the government — is no small matter. It would be the whole POINT raised by a responsible journalist or lawyer when repeatedly referencing the J6 riot.
But STILL, regardless of ridiculous irrelevance, Turley keeps repeating and repeating and repeating his reminder that he opposes Trump, and uses the J6 riot to do it. I guess it must be in the Professor’s contract with anti-Trump Murdoch media (D).
Newsflash, Professor: People so addled as to need the constant reminder that you oppose Trump probably don’t read your columns. They’re too busy scraping spilled pudding off the shirts with a spoon while watching reruns of The Price is Right or the Rockford Files to READ (assuming they know how to read). And people that read your columns and have brains that aren’t infested with terminal dementia know that you’ve reminded them about this more times than they can count, unless they’ve been keeping score the way hardcore baseballl fans count strikes, balls, and walks on a scorecard during a game.
I imagine that if GW University has an English Department — and apparently that’s a big “IF” — there must be someone there who could remind you that there ARE rules of good writing, just like there are rules of court, and one of the most important rules is to not assume that your reading audience is SO stupid that you have to keep repeating and repeating yourself over and over and over and over and over and over …
So where are the heroes of the 1960s protests, where are the youth who take time to read between the lines of what a coordinated media narrative tells them to think? The 1960s generation, those who took to the street, who dared write songs, poems, drew cartoons of “The Man” or did anti-government skits have sold out to big Pharma, large corporations and the big media organizations who have an agenda. If a person does not tow the line, they are slapped down, cancelled, or sidelined. Woe to a young journalist who would dare question the present administration! They are told what to write and what to ask. They do not have the freedom to relentlessly go after the truth. Just like the words of the Jackson Brown Song, “The Pretender” says, “He started out so young and strong, only to surrender” they have sold out.
One of my family members worked on the infrastructure of a large Google facility. One of the buildings was surrounded in fence and guards. Draw your own conclusions. The workers on the project knew who they were. One can gather facts and truth using Wikipedia and Google, but one must also be aware that they have subtle ways of controlling where that information will appear or if it will appear, especially topics of controversy. And….they are always watching, gathering information. Perhaps they cannot use it now or ever, but if circumstances change, what a person says or thinks could cost them their careers or even worse.
Just like the old ditty, “Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink” we are drowning in an ocean of information and misinformation. It takes much effort to gather the facts, sift through the rubble and cobble together a semblance of truth. What a strange and bizarre time we are experiencing in this unrestful world.
As to the nature of Hamas, they are terrorists and what they did and what they intend to do is murder and they must be obliterated, until the next terrorists come along. They have only one goal in mind, just like the SS, they want to exterminate Jews.
E.M.
I would say the young who protested in the 60s went on have to get jobs and support themselves and newly forming families. Then, the heady days of the 80s came along and they discovered they could get rich. And many did.
As to what you said about Hamas, well said and I agree.
Sorry folks…..but as a Supreme Court Justice once stated he did not know what was pornography but he knew when he saw it. (Or words to that effect).
The same applies to terrorism and terrorists.
There is but one cure for rehabilitating a Terrorist who has committed a terrorist act…..hunt them down no matter how long it takes and do them in without mercy or quarter.
It is not pretty, it is not polite, it takes Good Men who will do violence to rid society of those that kill, rape, maim, innocent people in a vain evil pursuit of some foul ambition.
Nothing about is for the weak or soft hearted who seek to mitigate the crimes against humanity terrorists perpetrate.
No matter the cause or the “cause” announced for the terrorist act…..committing terrorism must draw exactly one response from society.
No Gitmo’s, no long federal prison sentence, no half way houses…..just an express bus to Hell where they belong.
Israel and the rest of the World must come to grips with the problem extant….Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and every other group and Nation beginning with Iran who support, fund, assist, encourage terrorist acts.
We have no other choice and we need strong leadership which shall stand up and do the right thing in going after those engaged in Terrorism.
I have little faith or hope that leadership is in place now, not only in the White House but in the Pentagon and in Congress.
The current administration refuses to secure the Border and rid our Nation of those that should not be here, it. has drained the Strategic Oil Reserve for purely political advantage at a time it should be filled to capacity, over seen a failing economy with runaway inflation due to out of control spending, the political parties are either under the control of Leftist Radicals or being disrupted by Conservative groups, our military is being transformed into a leftist fairy tale, and the media refuses to tell the truth about it all.
It is time to gird our National Loins and prepare for War…..not talk about it but do it. Step one is preparing the public for what might happen and at the same time prepare our military forces to be ready and capable of conducting the necessary actions when it happens.
A Nation never got attacked because it was seen as being too strong….it has always been when we were seen as being too weak and unprepared.
Decide for yourself what condition we are in under the current administration.
Are we ready and prepared? Really? Truly Ready?
If Iran shuts off the flow of oil through the Straits of Hormuz……what happens to you when you hit the gas pump?
What happens if you hit the grocery store?
What happens when you try to drive to work?
What happens in the Middle East directly affects us…..should we not are prepared should the current situation in Israel turn into a real War in the Middle East?
Do you see effective leadership in Washington by either Party or the White House…..we sure do not have it in the Pentagon.
Identify politics does not work here in. the USA and darn sure not in the rest of the World.
It is time for Warriors…..do we have them?
We sure are going to need them and a lot of them and the support for them should this turn into a real War that forces the US to be a belligerent.
Ralph,
Great comment.
As to your questions of,
“Are we ready and prepared? Really? Truly Ready?”
“It is time for Warriors…..do we have them?”
I would have to answer, No.
As you point out we are only as strong as we are as a nation. And we are far from strong. Been going on for decades. The break down of the nuclear family. The loss in pride as a nation. The break down of society with social media, ironic. The attempt to bring DEI to our military. Even our diet.
Do we have warriors? No. That one anonymous who always posts about the Ukraine/Russian war, always wants someone else to do the fighting. Never him, or his family. He always wants to send someone else to die. And that is what we have now. Oh, they will #StandwithUkraine, or fly or tweet the Ukrainian flag. But ask them to step up and do the actual fighting? Heck no.
And then listen to them cry if we get WWIII, the one they have been pushing for but wont fight, when gas at the pump, if there is any to be had, spikes to $10 a gallon. And the prices at the grocery store reflect those fuel prices. Oh, will they cry.
Then, and only then, will this nation of soft hands truly know what it is like to actually suffer.
There’s been a conscious decision to spread a barbaric Jew/infidel murdering totalitarian government in the guise of religion throughout the western world.
No problem labeling Hamas as terrorists, their acts are horrific, as long as Israel gets labeled terrorists too. The Israelis have killed almost as many Palestinians in about 3 weeks as the Russians have killed Ukrainian civilians in 20 months. The Israeli use of phosphorus on civilians is a war crime. The US supplied the phosphorus shells. That makes us an accomplice in war crimes. The innocent dead are still dead whether killed by Hamas or Israel.
“when the purpose of such act, by its nature or context, is to intimidate a population” That is a perfect description of the Israeli assault on civilians in Gaza. Israel is a terrorist state.
White phosphorus is not banned under international law.
Also, the Geneva Conventions do not apply to this conflict because: 1. Hamas is not a signatory and 2. Hamas is not following the rules.
Civilian casualties are also not illegal as long as Israel is targeting militants/terrorists.
The Israelis have killed almost as many Palestinians in about 3 weeks
The Israel military action against Hamas in Gaza, have landed on target. Hamas is responsible for killing Palestinian civilians because Hamas places its terrorists arms and weapons, and chain of command in civilian centers.
Hamas is killing Palistinians. Not Israel.
The AP is wrong in being politically correct. Anyone that terrorizes or kills innocent civilians deserves that title.
America’s big problem is after a really terrible incident happens – we blame and punish the wrong people.
During the 1950’s McCarthyism witch hunt, we blamed and punished mostly Democrats not real followers of Lenin and Stalin (actual communists).
In the 1959’s and 1960’s, then FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover – in the name of fighting communism – blamed and punished Christian ministers (advocating Jesus and James Madison) advocating equal voting rights for African-Americans.
FBI Director Hoover swore an oath of office and made a promise to GOD to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Hoover punished Christian misters for advocating the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, for advocating Hoover’s own oath of office. Under Hoover, the FBI engineered the assassination of Fred Hampton in Chicago. Is that also terrorism?
George W. Bush – violating his oath of office – blacklisted over 1 million persons worldwide. If you triangulate the government’s own FOIA records, this program had a failure rate exceeding 90%. Basically over 1 million persons harmed or suffering premature death with no link to terrorism whatsoever, not even criminal records. This program still exists today, none of the over 1 million persons have been removed from these blacklists or made whole again 20 years later.
Today, worldwide both Jewish people and Muslim people – with no connection to any terrorist group – are being beaten up simply for their ancestry. It’s even happening here in the USA.
Bottom Line: Yes, this group did indeed commit terrorism (and AP should call it that), but punishing the wrong people actually is counterproductive, making all of us less safe! Punish the correct people (actual terrorists) responsible but don’t harm civilians to help your political campaign win votes!
Cognitive dissonance and critical thinking are the first collateral damage of not being able to read and think. What’s happening in our schools since 2000 has finally come home to shine.
@Sad Teacher
Most definitely. It has led to the virtual elimination of the human mind to tolerate cognitive dissonance (e.g. some Palestinian people want peace AND Hamas are vile terrorists, in Gaza, that must be stopped). Particularly in the young, it makes brains short circuit and heads explode. The AP are a pox on this world, but only those of us old enough to see just HOW hard a left turn they took know it.
The AP is a “non-profit”, which really means they are an untaxed entity. For most non-profits, one can find their financial statements on Guidestar. But, not this non-profit. Obviously, they don’t want us to see them. There is something on the Guidestar site that refers to Associated Press Managing Editors Association, but this is merely a sub-entity. Wonder why they want to hide their income and their executive pay? If anyone can find their financial statements (990), please post a link. Incidentally, the Wikipedia of AP shows financial summary from 2017 as the most recent information. Huh? Someone is hiding something.
The AP is a “non-profit”, which really means they are an untaxed entity.
Non-profit does not mean they pay no taxes
Non-profit is a corporate structure. Corporations distribute profit to its share holders. Co-ops distribute profits to owner members.
Non-profits cannot distribute profits, they must go back into the business, or donated to qualifying causes.
Anonymous is once again on the warpath with smears across the board against the United States and its history.
Vietnam was a war and South Vietnam had an elected government (which fell as a result of a coup) in the war. North Viet Nam did not have an elected government but an installed government of communists who first infiltrated the south with irregular groups and when they were wipe out by the TET offensive, they invaded the south with the regular army. Maybe anonymous should have interviewed some of the American Troops who entered towns which were liberated by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army-all government leaders and even village chiefs were slaughtered in front of their families (sound familiar) and all teachers were killed and the village was “evacuated”. There were American atrocities and they were pursued and prosecuted and our rules of engagement stem from that war.
Salvador Allende Gossens was elected by congress in Chile when he and 2 other candidates failed to win outright in a 3 way race (extremely close) He was an avowed Marxist but called himself a socialist and part of his party was socialist but the communist part was far more radical. He and his group committed financial terrorist but attempting widespread confiscation of property and corporations and trashed his economy. The congress was right wing and opposed him all the way. Did we know of the coup coming, yes we did. Hardly a surprise considering the economy was in free fall.
As far as Israel was concerned, Palestine was divided by a UN commission into an Arab state and a Jewish state. Israel accept the General Assembly decision but was immediately attacked by 5 Arab states and has been more or less at war since 1948.
Bill Clinton gave Yasir Arafat everything he wanted in 2000 in the Camp David Negotiations and Arafat only had to say yes and there would have been peace. 2 states with the Arab capital in Jerusalem . Arafat walked away. Get the facts. History is messy but there are facts.
Was bombing of cities in WW2 a terrorist act. Well Dresden was but how about the rest. Were the factories the only real target or the workers in the factories. Machines can be replaced but workers not so easy.
Did strategic bombing work, well yes it did. It defeated japan without an invasion and brought the German Army to a stop in late 1944 and they had to fight in place and maneuver became nearly impossible. Revisionists said strategic bombing was a failure. But it was not. Target selection was the problem and when that was corrected, it worked all too well. But it was costly.
If you’re going to scream about history then read it. Anonymous likes to read headlines. Also pays to know people who fought on both sides of the Bay of Pigs, as well as in Vietnam, Germany in World War 2, and what it was lime to be targets of German Bombers in the Battle of Britain and after.
Don’t have any personal Civil War interviews. Sorry.
When you think this isn’t a big deal because you think the AP has no influence you should be reminded that the AP writes 90% of the articles in about 90% of our small newspapers.
I live in a pretty red area of a red state and my local rag continues to have liberal after liberal story in their so-called newspaper. Almost every story is by either the AP or USA Today and it goes against the local readership…and this is why they are dying.
HullBobby,
Agreed.
Legacy media is dying and I usher their death by reading and buying paid subscriptions to Independent media out lets like The Free Press.
Way tooooo long of an article that states the obvious. As in many things, an equation can suffice:
BS=AP+NYT+WaPo+USA Today+CNN+MSNBC+multiple sycophantic affliates