Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is made a highly disturbing proposal that people who visit sites that are deemed as favoring terrorist groups. As articulated by Gingrich in his Fox News interview, the proposal would eviscerate the first amendment and leave that government in a position to regulate speech and association based on an ill-defined standard. Gingrich also attracted criticism for his proposal to test Muslims to allow for deportation of anyone who “believes in Sharia” — a proposal that would sanction peoplr for their religious and political views.
Category: International
The latest Islamic “honor killing” has claimed a feminist and YouTube star in Pakistan. Qandeel Baloch who challenged many religious and cultural norms for women in Pakistan was strangled to death by her brother, who has now admitted to the murder. Waseem Azeem told police that he was tired of ridicule by other Muslims for his nonconforming sisters and “I was determined either to kill myself or kill her.” Despite the universal view that the former option would have been far better than the latter, he decided to choke the life out of his own sister to uphold his view of Islamic morality.
It is the prototypical French scandal: CoiffeurGate. While U.S. leaders are hounded by national security lapses or fraud allegations, President François Hollande is under fire for paying roughly 10,000 euros per month to his personal hairdresser. The unpopular socialist has failed to deliver on key campaign promises and has reversed early disastrous policies that resulted in an exodus of wealthy people from the country. However, his pricey hair maintenance appears the final blow for many who are outraged as the excess of the President. To put it in perspective, Holland’s hair costs roughly the same as what one of his government ministers make in a year. What is particularly curious is that there does not appear a whole lot of hair up there to cultivate, but it is enough for a wonderfully French scandal.
Continue reading “CoiffeurGate: Hollande’s Hair Costs Leaves Many French In Shock”
Turkey’s rising dictator, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has prevailed from a military coup — a victory claimed in the name of the very democracy that Erdogan has been systemically disassembling. We have followed the ruin brought to the once fledging democracy of Turkey by Erdogan. His government has arrested the very journalists that he counted on to spread the word of his resistance, including Western reporters like Dutch journalist, Ebru Umar, a well-known atheist and feminist journalist. Umar wrote a piece critical of Erdoğan for the Dutch daily Metro, extracts of which she then tweeted. Her last tweet chillingly said “Police at the door. No joke.” Now, with the support of the United States and opposition parties, Erdogan has cloaked himself as the very personification of freedom and is clearly moving to wipe out any remaining opposition in the military and country with the justification of the coup. While no one should support a military coup, we should not delude ourselves: a dictator has survived and democracy in Turkey will die with his rise.
Continue reading “The Resurrection of Recep Erdogan: Democracy Prevails For The World’s Rising Dictator”
There is an interesting question of liability raised in a frightening encounter of a wedge-tailed eagle and a little boy at a wildlife show in central Australia. The eagle tried to fly away with a terrified boy at a popular wildlife show in central Australia at the Alice Springs Desert Park. Fortunately the boy only suffered superficial injuries. The question in torts is one of animal liability, though the laws in Australia are different.
Continue reading “Eagle At Bird Show In Australia Attempts To Fly Off With Little Boy”
Israel is in the midst of a growing controversy over the replacement of chief rabbi, Brig. Gen. Rafi Peretz, of the Israeli Defense Forces. His replacement will be Rabbi Col. Eyal Karim, who has been denounced for suggesting that Israeli soldiers are morally justified in raping Muslim women during wartime as well as other misogynistic statements.
Continue reading ““Satisfy The Evil Urge”: New Head Rabbi Of The Israeli Defense Forces Reportedly Justified The Rape Of Muslim Women”
The growing tensions in the South China Sea just got more tense. A tribunal in the Hague has ruled that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea. With a huge investment in the construction of artificial islands, China has responded by simply dismissing the arbitration ruling on international law. China boycotted the proceedings before the five-member panel from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. Many felt that the boycott reflected the weakness of the Chinese claims, which were unanimously rejected by the panel. Immediately after the ruling, China issued a statement that said that China “solemnly declares that the award is null and void and has no binding force. China neither accepts nor recognizes it.”
Continue reading “Hague Ruling: China Has No Basis For Its Expansive Claims To The China Sea”
We have previously discussed cases involving the view of many Muslims that dogs are unclean. Now, Saudi Arabia has again taken Islamic values to a far extreme by arresting two men for simply organizing a dog pageant in Jeddah. That’s it. They simply wanted to pick the 10 best dogs in the Kingdom so they were arrested for an “un-Islamic” act .
Continue reading ““Best In Show”: Saudi Arabia Arrests Two Men Organizing A Dog Pageant”
There is another arrest in the United Kingdom for criminal speech, a crime that is on the rise in the West to censor and punish those who are deemed hateful or insulting in their views. The latest arrestee is reported to be Matthew Doyle, 46, a partner at a London PR agency. He was arrested after tweeting about how he asked a Muslim woman to “explain” the terror attacks in Brussels. It was a stupid and insulting act, in my view. Moreover, Doyle reportedly used some slur for Muslims in later postings. However, none of that justifies criminalizing speech and the arrest shows the increasing appetite in England (and the West) for rolling back on free speech. Indeed, we recently discussed the Obama Administration’s threats of prosecution for those who speak in ways deemed misleading or hateful.
Continue reading “Englishman Arrested For Posting Anti-Islamic Tweets After Brussels Bombing”
Recently, Pope Francis called on the church to apologize to gays and others for years of poor or abusive treatment. It was a signature moment for this Pope who has reached out to marginalized groups and rejected many of the long-entrenched positions and habits (and excesses) of the Vatican. However, his words were given an interesting spin by Catholic League President Bill Donohue, who had a remarkably heated exchange with CNN’s Chris Cuomo and refused to apologize to gays. The video is below.
Continue reading “Catholic League President Rejects Pope’s Call To Apologize To Gays”
Iranian dog lovers are facing a crackdown by the government, which is rounding up their pets as part of the “vulgar Western culture” of canine ownership. The confiscation of the dogs is part of an order issued by local prosecutor Mohsen Boosaidi in Shahin Shahr in Isfahan province. Many Muslims view dogs as unclean and anti-Islamic.
By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
In what can be seen as a prelude to future rights abuses by Turkish military and police forces engaged in countering the pro-Kurdish resistance fighters in the east, Turkey’s parliament passed laws granting immunity to its military engaged in “anti-terrorist” operations.
The government has become engaged in fighting since a cease-fire with the PKK broke down two years ago.
Our close ally, Saudi Arabia, is again showing that it is as extreme as countries like Iran in its application of Sharia law and Islamic practices. Ramadan has triggered a crackdown on clothing deemed “unIslamic” ranging from ripped jeans, Crocs shoes, shorts, necklaces and Western hair styles. Up to 50 men have been arrested off the streets by the infamous Saudi “Mutaween,” or the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
Continue reading “Saudi Arabia Arrests People For Wearing Ripped Jeans and Crocs As “UnIslamic””
Prime Minister David Cameron has stated that he will step down after the historic vote yesterday for the UK voted to leave the European Union. It is a blow for President Barack Obama who put everything on the line to push the British to stay in the EU, including seriously overplaying his hand (and role) in issuing dire warnings to the British people as did other world leaders. The warnings backfired and only reaffirmed the feeling that there is now a world order that will not tolerate traditional democratic controls over national policies and practices.
Continue reading “BREXIT: Cameron Announces Resignation As Brits Reject Obama’s Dire Warnings”
The Olympics in Brazil have already been an unmitigated disaster and the first race is weeks off. Despite warnings about the environmental and political conditions in Rio De Janeiro, the International Olympic Committee (which has distinguished itself for a long litany of moronic decisions) refused to yield to such warnings. Now, athletes, commentators, and fans are staying away of the country in fear of crime, pollution, and disease. The country is in financial and political chaos as the country still has not fulfilled many of its commitments. For all those reasons, the organizers must have been relieved to finally hold the Olympic torch ceremony in Manaus, but then were left reeling from another disaster. The organizers brought out a chained jaguar named Juma as a backdrop for the photoshoot. Once it was over, police used tranquilizers on the jaguar after it broke loose from its handlers. A soldier then killed it when it continued to move toward him.
Continue reading “Brazilians Bring Out Chained Jaguar As Prop For Olympic Torch Ceremony . . . Police Then Shoot Jaguar After Ceremony As Threatening”