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IHR News & Views
Historian Mark Weber and host Fróði Midjord provide informed “big picture” perspective on current events, highlighting the broader trends and crucial factors behind the headlines.
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Our Job in a Time of Crisis
Institute for Historical Review
Mark Weber explains why the work of the IHR in countering the forces of historical deceit, bigotry and cultural distortion is vitally important. An awareness of factual history is essential to an understanding of ourselves and the great issues of our age, says the IHR director in this five-minute video presentation. Unless and until the interests that have gripped our nation are clearly identified and discredited, he says, there will be no change in basic policies or direction.
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… While it’s an artistic achievement and grand entertainment, “Darkest Hour” is badly flawed history … “Darkest Hour” reinforces the widespread belief that Churchill’s speeches played a crucial role in sustaining British morale. A scholar who has carefully looked into the matter has found that this view is largely a myth … “Darkest Hour” reinforces the widely held impression, which Churchill himself encouraged, that an honorable or lasting peace with Hitler was simply not possible. But as he himself later acknowledged, that’s simply not true … The British leader’s famous “We shall never surrender” speech was little more than “sublime nonsense,” says British historian John Charmley.
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The Past Marches On
George Morgenstern (1953)
… Add to these the operations of an organized propaganda capable, apparently, of doping Americans into belief in any myth, and there is formidable reason why public opinion should be so stupefied and stultified that the nation can be led from war to war in pursuit of ever retreating goals. Yet, despite the general numbness, Americans, surveying the results of half a century of intermeddling, dimly perceive that all is not well.
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Stalin's War Against His Own Troops
Yuri Teplyakov
… In August 1941 Hitler permitted a Red Cross delegation to visit the camp for Soviet POWs in Hammerstadt. It is these contacts that resulted in an appeal to the Soviet government, requesting that it should send food parcels for our officers and men. We are prepared to fulfill and comply with the norms of the Geneva convention, Moscow said in its reply, but sending food in the given situation and under fascist control is the same as making presents to the enemy … How great was Stalin’s hatred for those who had found themselves behind enemy lines. It made no difference: who, where, how and why? Even the dead were considered to be criminals.
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… With the aid of the civilian population, mass graves had been discovered, in which thousands of corpses had been buried. These graves were to be opened and the commission was to establish whom the [Soviet] NKVD had murdered … The exhumations in Vinnytsia began on May 25, 1943, and were carried on in three places. The [local] population was of the opinion that there were around 20,000 victims in the war years … I had been a soldier in the Ukrainian army during the First World War and had seen many men killed in battle, but what I had then seen can in no way be compared with what I witnessed in that park … The horror of Vinnytsia I shall never forget, and it is doubtful whether ever a Dante would be able to portray the agony that had taken place.
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Liberating America From Israel
Paul Findley
Nine-Eleven would not have occurred if the U.S. government had refused to help Israel humiliate and destroy Palestinian society. Few express this conclusion publicly, but many believe it is the truth. I believe the 9/11 catastrophe could have been prevented if any U.S. president in recent decades had had the courage and wisdom to suspend all U.S. aid until Israel withdrew from the Arab land seized in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The U.S. lobby for Israel is powerful and intimidating, but any determined president could prevail and win overwhelming public support for the suspension of aid by laying these facts before the American people.
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The Boer War Remembered
Mark Weber
The Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 was more than the first major military clash of the 20th century. Pitting as it did the might of the globe-girdling British Empire, backed by international finance, against a small pioneering nation of independent-minded farmers, ranchers and merchants in southern Africa who lived by the Bible and the rifle, its legacy continues to resonate today. The Boers’ recourse to irregular warfare, and Britain’s response in herding a hundred thousand women and children into concentration camps foreshadowed the horrors of guerilla warfare and mass detention of innocents that have become emblematic of the 20th century.
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No figure of modern French history is as honored as Charles de Gaulle … In 1940 he refused to accept his country’s defeat by Germany, and from London he founded and led the pro-Allied “Free French” force during World War II. From 1944 to 1946 he headed the provisional government of France. In 1958 he was called from retirement by popular acclaim to resolve the seemingly unsolvable crisis over Algeria … During the years that he dominated his country’s political life – 1958-1969 – he charted an independent foreign policy, tied neither to the US nor the USSR, and strove to make France the preeminent nation in Europe … It’s impossible to read any lengthy biography of this man without admiration for his audacious self-confidence, courage, determination, and cunning.
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Why I Survived the A-Bomb
Akira Kohchi
Hiroshima native Kohchi was a 16-year-old schoolboy when his city was devastated by the first nuclear attack in history. He tells the dramatic, personal story of how he experienced and survived the bombing, and provides a moving account of his search for his family through the burning rubble of the doomed city. Then Kohchi recalls how, years later, he forced himself to come to grips with his past and uncover the facts about the bombing and the history the led up to it. The author’s frankness and humane spirit make this a first-hand Japanese account of a war crime that dwarfs almost all others. A unique revisionist classic. Praised by the Japan Times newspaper as a “noteworthy” and “authentic” personal account, and by Bookwatch newsletter as a “moving, gripping account.” With full color dust jacket, photos and notes
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The Ethics of War: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gregory P. Pavlik
Since the last “good war,” a debate has ensued over the moral legitimacy of the use of nuclear weapons, particularly against civilians. The critics hold that it is a crime to incinerate civilians en masse; defenders commonly claim that the bombing was necessary to bring the war to a close, thereby saving countless American lives. Most of those who make this claim do so in earnest. The problem is that this defense is both historically false, and taken to its logical conclusion, extremely dangerous … The U.S. War Department and related agencies that specialized in producing hate propaganda and lies developed specifically racialist attacks on the Japanese.
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Collusion: Franklin Roosevelt, British Intelligence, and the Secret Campaign to Push the US Into War
Mark Weber
Secretive and unlawful collusion by an American leader with a foreign power that subverts the US political process is not new. The most far-reaching and flagrant case was by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1940-41. In the months before the US formally entered the war in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt did everything he could to get America into the global conflict without actually declaring war. The cooperation with British intelligence by the President and other high-ranking US officials during that period was quite illegal. Such collusion by the nominally neutral US to further the war aims of a foreign government was contrary to both US law and universally accepted international norms.
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A Straight Look at the Jewish Lobby
Mark Weber
… Jews wield immense power and influence in the United States. The “Jewish lobby” is a decisive factor in US support for Israel. Jewish-Zionist interests are not identical to American interests. In fact, they often conflict. As long as the “very powerful” Jewish lobby remains entrenched, there will be no end to the Jewish-Zionist grip on the US political system and the American media, the Zionist oppression of Palestinians, and the Israeli threat to peace.
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Was Hiroshima Necessary?
Mark Weber
America’s leaders understood Japan’s desperate position: the Japanese were willing to end the war on any terms, as long as the Emperor was not molested. If the US leadership had not insisted on unconditional surrender — that is, if they had made clear a willingness to permit the Emperor to remain in place — the Japanese very likely would have surrendered immediately, thus saving many thousands of lives … General Curtis LeMay, who had pioneered precision bombing of Germany and Japan (and who later headed the Strategic Air Command and served as Air Force chief of staff), put it most succinctly: “The atomic bomb had nothing to do with the end of the war.”
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Zionism and the Third Reich
Mark Weber
A little-known chapter of history is the wide-ranging collaboration between Zionism and Hitler’s Third Reich. During the 1930s, Jewish Zionists and German National Socialists shared similar views on how to deal with the “Jewish Question.” They agreed that Jews and Germans were distinctly different nationalities, and that Jews did not belong in Germany. During the 1930s no nation did more to substantively further Jewish-Zionist goals than Hitler’s Germany.
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What Christians Don’t Know About Israel
Grace Halsell
American Jews sympathetic to Israel dominate key positions in all areas of our government where decisions are made regarding the Middle East. This being the case, is there any hope of ever changing U.S. policy? … The answer to achieving an even-handed Middle East policy might lie elsewhere — among those who support Israel but don’t really know why. This group is the vast majority of Americans. They are well-meaning, fair-minded Christians who feel bonded to Israel – and Zionism – often from atavistic feelings, in some cases dating from childhood.
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Why Germany Attacked the Soviet Union
Institute for Historical Review
As dawn was breaking on Sunday morning, June 22, 1941, military forces of Germany, Finland and Romania suddenly struck against the Soviet Union. The stunning news of this attack was announced to the world by German radio at 5:30 that Sunday morning, when Reich Minister Joseph Goebbels broadcast the text of a proclamation by Adolf Hitler to the German people that laid out his reasons for the historic offensive. Following that was the broadcast of Germany’s declaration of war against the Soviet Union. This was in the form of a diplomatic note to the Soviet government. Because Hitler’s proclamation and the German Foreign Office declaration explain at some length the reasons and motives for the fateful decision to strike against the USSR, these are documents of historic importance. With a foreword by Mark Weber.
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Tactics of Organized Jewry in Suppressing Free Speech
Prof. Tony Martin – Institute for Historical Review
… I’m going to try to extract from my experience certain basic sort of tactics that I think the Jewish lobby has used over the years pertaining to my particular situation … The first and major tactic that I discovered in their attack on me was their reliance on lies — just straight-up lies. There’s no other way to describe it, just telling lies. Many of the categories that I will enumerate overlap, and many of them could also come under this general rubric of telling lies. But I think that if one had to isolate a single tactic, it was a tactic of telling lies. I think they’ve elevated telling lies to a very high artistic form.
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Suggested Reading: A Study Guide
Mark Weber
In an age when vast amounts of information from a wide range of sources are instantly available online, it can be difficult to sort out what’s reliable, useful, and trustworthy. In response to many inquiries over the years, here are recommended books on five important historical topics: The Second World War, American History, International Relations, Communism, Marxism and the Soviet Union, and, Zionism, US-Israel Relations, and the ‘Jewish Question.’ This listing is neither exhaustive nor final. Additional subject categories and titles are planned, and descriptions may be revised or updated.
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… Judaism is not just “another religion.” It’s unique among the world’s major religions. The core values and ethos of Judaism are markedly unlike those of Christianity, Islam, and the other great faiths … A core message of the Hebrew scriptures is that Jews are a divinely “chosen” people — a unique community distinct from the rest of humanity … The seemingly intractable Middle East conflict is more than just a problem of Zionism or politics, or a dispute over land. Israel’s often arrogant policies, and especially its inhumane treatment of non-Jews, have roots in centuries-old attitudes that are laid out in ancient Jewish religious writings.
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Zionism’s Violent Legacy
Donald Neff
… The Irgun was not the only Jewish terrorist group but it was the most active in causing indiscriminate terror in pre-Israel Palestine. Up to the time of the Jaffa attack, its most spectacular feat had been the July 22, 1946, blowing up of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, with the killing of 91 people – 41 Arabs, 28 Britons and 17 Jews. The other major Jewish terrorist group operating in Palestine in the 1940s was the Lohamei Herut Israel – “Fighters for the Freedom of Israel,” Lehi in the Hebrew acronym – also known as the Stern Gang after its fanatical founder Avraham Stern.
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Over the centuries, rage and hostility against Jews has repeatedly erupted in terrible violence. Again and again, Jews have been driven out of countries where they’d been living. Why does anti-Semitism exist? And why has furious hostility toward Jews broken out, again and again, in the most varied nations, eras and cultures? … Anti-Semitism is not a mysterious “disease.” As Herzl and Weizmann suggested, and as history shows, what is often called anti-Semitism is the natural and understandable attitude of people toward a minority with particularist loyalties that wields greatly disproportionate power for its own interests, rather than for the common good.
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How accurate is this hallowed portrayal of America’s role in World War II? As we shall see, it does not hold up under close examination … The three Allied leaders accomplished what they accused the Axis leaders of Germany, Italy and Japan of conspiring to achieve: world domination … Presidential deception to justify war did not start with George W. Bush. Americans who express admiration for the US role in World War II, and for Franklin Roosevelt’s presidential leadership, have little moral right to complain when presidents follow his example and lead the country into war by breaking the law, subverting the Constitution, and lying to the people.
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On the Importance of Revisionism For Our Time
Murray Rothbard
Revisionism as applied to World War II and its origins (as also for previous wars) has the general function of bringing historical truth to an American and a world public that had been drugged by wartime lies and propaganda … Revisionism brings to the artificial frenzy of daily events and day-to-day propaganda, the cool but in the last analysis glorious light of historical truth. Such truth is almost desperately needed in today’s world.
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Abraham Lincoln and the Issue of Race
Robert Morgan
Many Americans think of Abraham Lincoln, above all, as the president who freed the slaves. Immortalized as the “Great Emancipator,” he is widely regarded as a champion of black freedom who supported social equality of the races, and who fought the American Civil War to free the slaves. While it is true that Lincoln regarded slavery as an evil and harmful institution, it also true, as this paper will show, that he shared the conviction of most Americans of his time, and of many prominent statesmen before and after him, that blacks could not be assimilated into white society. He rejected the notion of social equality of the races, and held to the view that blacks should be resettled abroad.
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The Spanish Inquisition and the Jewish Question
Brian Chalmers
It is nearly impossible to dig into any chapter of Jewish history without uncovering lessons for our own age. Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries is a particularly striking example. Even today, our view of this period, and particularly of the Spanish Inquisition, colors our attitudes regarding relations between Jews and non-Jews. The Inquisition is considered one of Jewish history’s darkest chapters — and one of Christian history’s most shameful.
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The Civil War Concentration Camps
Mark Weber
No aspect of the American Civil War left behind a greater legacy of bitterness and acrimony than the treatment of prisoners of war. “Andersonville” still conjures up images of horror unmatched in American History. And although Northern partisans still invoke the infamous Southern camp to defame the Confederacy, the Union had its share of equally horrific camps. Prison camps on both sides produced scenes of wretched, disease-ridden and emaciated prisoners as repulsive as any to come out of the Second World War … In addition to camps for captured soldiers, the North also established concentration camps for civilian populations considered hostile to the Federal government.
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The Forced War: When Peaceful Revision Failed
David L. Hoggan
Completely reset, expanded and reformatted new IHR edition! In this important, detailed study of the origins of the Second World War, Dr. Hoggan explains why Hitler decided to attack Poland in 1939, and examines the short-sighted policies that made war all but inevitable. The author dismantles the often-repeated charge of sole German responsibility for the war, which for many years has been a centerpiece of the prevailing narrative of twentieth century history. The eminent American historian Harry E. Barnes called this “the first thorough study of the responsibility for the causes of the Second World War in any language … likely to remain the definitive revisionist work on this subject for many years.” With an introduction by Mark Weber, dust jacket, detailed index, source notes, extensive bibliography, map, and 30 photographs. Also available in softcover edition.
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Straight Talk About Zionism
Mark Weber
… A Zionist Jew, by definition, owes his primary loyalty to the Jewish community and to Israel. Zionism is not compatible with patriotism to any country or entity other than Israel and the world Jewish community … Zionist Jews and their non-Jewish supporters embrace a blatant double standard. Jewish-Zionist organizations, along with their non-Jewish allies, support one social-political ideology for Israel and the world Jewish community, and a completely different one for the United States and other non-Jewish countries. They insist that ethnic nationalism is evil and bad for non-Jews, while at the same time they vigorously support ethnic nationalism — that is, Zionism — for Jews.
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The Origins of the Second World War: A Review
Murray N. Rothbard
It is not often that one is privileged to review a book of monumental import, a truly significant “breakthrough” from obscurantism to historical knowledge and insight. But such a book is the magnificent work by A.J .P. Taylor, The Origins of the Second World War … The central theme of Taylor is simply this: Germany and Hitler were not uniquely guilty of launching World War II (indeed they were scarcely guilty at all) … Basically, Hitler has no “master plan”; he was a German intent, like all Germans, on revising the intolerable and stupid Versailles-diktat, and on doing so by peaceful means, and in collaboration with the British and French … Not only did Hitler do this with insight, he did it with patience, as Taylor excellently shows …
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In a remarkable but under-reported address, one of America’s most prominent and influential political figures has acknowledged the “immense” and “outsized” Jewish role in the US mass media and cultural life. Joe Biden – now President of the U.S. – said that this has been the single most important factor in shaping American attitudes over the past century, and in driving major cultural-political changes. “Jewish heritage has shaped who we are – all of us – as much or more than any other factor in the last 223 years. And that’s a fact,” Joe Biden told a gathering of Jewish leaders in Washington, DC … “Behind of all that, I bet you 85 percent of those [major social-political] changes, whether it’s in Hollywood or social media, are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry. The influence is immense … And, I might add, it is all to the good,” he went on.
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More than once I have come across the view that if British lads of the 1940s could have foreseen the state of their country today, they would never have bothered to fight the Second World War. Few of those who have heard that view may realize that there is empirical evidence to support it … The prevailing tone of their letters is one of bitterness over what had become of the county they once cherished. Of the four or five most often voiced complaints, the most common is over mass migration from other countries and continents, and how that has drastically changed British life, culture and society … “The men who offered their lives have been betrayed and gave their lives in vain. Most of the older people say thank goodness we are ending our lives. It is no longer the Britain that we fought for.”
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Machinations of the Anti-Defamation League
Paul N. (Pete) McCloskey, Jr.
I was in politics for fifteen years, and I think you should start with the assumption: never trust a politician … When people finally learn the truth, they turn against those who have been lying to them. And I think that if the movement of which you people are the cutting edge can retain dispassion in the face of outrages, setbacks and humiliations, the truth can ultimately prevail. You are doing something worse than criticizing the government of the United States; you’re threatening the security of the state of Israel. And the Jewish community is dedicated to preserve that state, and to destroy those who speak against it. Good luck!
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YouTube Censors 'Restrict' IHR Videos
Institute for Historical Review
In line with a recent crackdown policy, YouTube has “restricted” a number of independently produced videos of IHR talks and presentations. To watch a “restricted” video, the viewer must first click through a warning screen. Also, comments on the video are not allowed, and the number of views is not given. Even worse, YouTube will never “suggest” a “restricted” video to viewers, which is how many people find our videos. While YouTube claims that its “restriction” policy is aimed at videos with “inflammatory religious or supremacist content,” applying it to IHR videos is absurd. YouTube restricts our voice not because we have violated any objective standards, or because we have done anything wrong or illegal — but because it doesn’t like what we say.
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How Hitler Tackled Unemployment
Mark Weber
To deal with the massive unemployment and economic paralysis of the Great Depression, both the US and German governments launched innovative and ambitious programs. Although President Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” measures helped only marginally, the Third Reich’s much more focused and comprehensive policies proved remarkably effective. Within three years unemployment was banished and Germany’s economy was flourishing. And while Roosevelt’s record in dealing with the Depression is pretty well known, the remarkable story of how Hitler tackled the crisis is not widely understood or appreciated.
News & Comment
The 545 People Responsible for America’s Woes
Charley Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them … One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices – 545 human beings out of the 235 million – are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country … Don’t you see how the con game that is played on the people by the politicians? Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
How the US Military Ditched Merit
W. Thibeau - Compact
… A military consumed by identity politics threatens the integrity of the republic … Nowhere are the consequences of hiring anyone but those selected for their professional qualifications higher than in the wars our military may soon fight … Military affairs must be a place for this rigorous adherence to meritocracy, because the crucible of war gives no quarter to a person or unit that is anything but qualified. Grace and exceptions can be found elsewhere, but not on the training fields, parade grounds, and command centers of a military America needs to be at her best.
New Poll Shows National Debt Concerning for Swing State Voters
The Center Square
A new poll of battleground states shows the $35 trillion rising national debt is a critical issue for voters. The swing state poll shows that nine out of ten voters want candidates to have a plan for the rising national debt. This includes 95% of those voting for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, 97% of those voting for Republican former President Donald Trump, and 95% of undecided voters. States surveyed were Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The poll was conducted by the Democratic firm Global Strategy Group and the Republican firm North Star Opinion Research from Sept. 23-29. “The national debt is a critical campaign issue for voters in the decisive swing states,” Michael A. Peterson said in a release. He’s CEO of the nonpartisan Peterson Foundation.
Israeli Soldiers Say Ethnic Cleansing Plan in North Gaza Is Underway
Dave DeCamp – Antiwar
Three Israeli reserve soldiers have told [the prominent Israeli daily newspaper] Haaretz that they believe an ethnic cleansing plan is already underway in northern Gaza, where the Israeli military is trying to forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of civilians. Known as the “general’s plan” because it’s being pushed by a retired Israeli general, Giora Eiland, the plan calls for the evacuation of all Palestinian civilians north of the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land controlled by the Israeli military. Anyone who stays behind will be exterminated, either by military action or starvation.
Biden is Letting Israel Trap the US Into War With Iran
Paul R. Pillar – Responsible Statecraft
The Biden administration is not only endorsing but also on the verge of actively assisting a new Israeli armed attack on Iran. National security adviser Jake Sullivan says that the United States is working directly with Israel regarding such an attack. “The United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel,” declares President Joe Biden. The projected attack serves no U.S. interests. The attack perpetuates a broader pattern of escalating violence in the Middle East that also serves no U.S. interests. The Iranian missile salvo to which the coming Israeli attack is ostensible retaliation was itself retaliation for previous Israeli attacks … By cooperating with Israel in a new attack, the United States is assisting a state that has been responsible for most of the escalation and the vast majority of death and destruction in the Middle East for … the past year.
Adolf Hitler Had `Some Good Ideas,’ a Fifth of Gen Z Americans Believe, According to Daily Mail Poll
Daily Mail
… Yet, 79 years after he killed himself in a Berlin bunker, more than one in 10 (11 percent) of Americans believe the barbaric German tyrant leader had some `good ideas’. A DailyMail.com /J.L. Partners poll found that more than one in five (21 percent) of both Gen Z and black voters and 19 percent of Hispanic voters agreed with the statement. The survey asked 1,000 likely voters whether they think Hitler had some `good ideas’ or if he was `evil and had no redeeming features.’ 77 percent said he was ‘evil’, 12 said they were ‘unsure’ and a surprising 11 percent believe he had some redeeming qualities. When broken down by age group, 21 percent of those under the age of 29 said Hitler had good ideas, compared with 16 percent of those between the ages of 30 and 49 … and just five percent for those over 65 …
The Most Important Vote US Jews Will Ever Cast
Abraham Foxman (former ADL national director)
… I believe this upcoming election is the most consequential vote Jewish Americans will cast, perhaps in their lifetimes, and again, I cannot remain silent. Jews are safest in a pluralistic society, where democratic institutions and civil rights protections are strong. The brand of authoritarian populism, laced with Christian nationalism and white supremacy that we have seen being normalized by the GOP scares me … Vice President Kamala Harris has a detailed record as an active partner in the Biden Administration, as a Senator, and as a senior officeholder of the largest state in the country. In the face of significant public pressure, and on the eve of a very close election, Biden and Harris continue to stand by Israel.
Mainstream Voters Favor Deporting ‘All’ Illegal Migrants, New NPR Poll Shows
Breitbart
Almost two-thirds of registered voters agree that all illegal migrants should be deported, according to a Marist poll of 1,628 adults conducted for the pro-migration National Public Radio network. The 59 percent mainstream voters who say “all … should be deported” includes 30 percent who “strongly agree” and 29 percent who “agree.” Only 14 percent — or one in seven people — “strongly disagree.” The Marist poll for the left-wing NPR matches recent polls by YouGov and Harvard-Harris which show majority support for enforcing the nation’s existing laws that protect American strivers and families from employers who cheat by hiring cheap foreign labor. The Marist poll also reveals a 15-point shift from March 2024, when just 51 percent supported and 47 percent opposed, a policy of deporting all illegal migrants.
Deficit Nears $2 Trillion as Lawmakers Borrow $5 Billion Per Day
The Center Square
The U.S. annual deficit is nearing $2 trillion for this fiscal year, almost double the record deficits before the COVID-19 pandemic, as federal borrowing hit more than $5 billion per day. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office reported that the federal deficit hit an estimated $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2024, $139 billion higher than the deficit from the previous fiscal year. The troubling deficit news comes as the national debt continues to soar, drawing closer to $36 trillion. “Within the next dozen years, three major trust funds – for highways, Medicare, and Social Security – will run out of reserves, forcing us to reckon with even tougher decisions on how to keep important government priorities afloat,” Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a statement.
Iran Bombs Israel, But Buck Stops With Biden
Trita Parsi – Responsible Statecraft
… Iran has made it clear that it does not want a regional conflict; Tehran doesn’t seem to believe it can afford such a war. But Netanyahu clearly thinks it’s in his interest to ramp up conflict right now, as Washington stands frozen — a month out from an election and with a lame duck president who seems incapable of telling Israel “no,” no matter the costs for American security … This White House has repeatedly chosen to keep the U.S. on the precipice of war, rather than restrain Israel’s military as its expanding wars killed more and more civilians in Gaza and now Lebanon … If U.S. service members find themselves in the line of fire in an expanding Iran-Israel conflict, it will be a direct result of this administration’s failure to use U.S. leverage to pursue America’s most core security interest here — avoiding war.
Obama, in Blunt Terms, Tells Black Men to Get Over Their Reluctance to Support Harris
NPR
Former President Barack Obama on Thursday had a blunt message to Black men: get behind Vice President Harris and get out to vote. Obama made a surprise stop at a Pittsburgh campaign field office ahead of a rally in the city … Recent polls show Trump has made inroads with Black male voters. Obama, the first Black president, said he wanted to “speak some truths” about that … “On the one hand, you have somebody who grew up like you, knows you, went to college with you, understands the struggles and pain and joy that comes from those experiences,” adding that Harris, who is Black and Asian American, is focused on policy that will benefit Black communities, such as affordable housing and health care. “And on the other side, you have someone who has consistently shown disregard, not just for the communities, but for you as a person.”
Biden’s Israel Policy Has Led Us to the Brink of War on Iran
Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J.S. Davies
… Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees his long-awaited chance to draw the United States into war with Iran. By killing Iranian military leaders and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil, as well as attacking Iran’s allies in Lebanon and Yemen, Netanyahu provoked a military response from Iran that has given him an excuse to widen the conflict even further. Tragically, there are warmongering U.S. officials who would welcome a war on Iran, and many more who would blindly go along with it … The U.S. response to Iran’s restraint throughout this crisis has been to keep sending destructive weapons to Israel, with which it has devastated Gaza, killed tens of thousands of women and children, bombed neighboring capitals, and beefed up the forces it would need to attack Iran.
Hitler Speeches That are AI-Generated Getting Millions of Views on TikTok
Media Matters
Audio clips of Hitler giving speeches in English, which appear to be AI-generated, have been proliferating on TikTok, earning millions of views. Some users have been promoting and praising the audios … While some of these audios — which are often poorly translated and set to slow, reverb instrumental beats — have been removed, Media Matters has identified accounts dedicated to uploading this content … Since early September, videos with these audios have been proliferating across the platform. TikTok has since removed some of the videos that Media Matters identified, but only after some had earned hundreds of thousands, or even over a million, views. One video, which had earned roughly 120,000 likes and over one million views prior to removal, featured an excerpt from a speech Hitler gave on [Nov. 8, 1942] …
Six Things to Know as Israel Invades Lebanon
K. Petersen-Smith - Foreign Policy in Focus
… Here are six key things to know about the crisis in Lebanon and how it could be resolved. 1. Israel has a long history of attacks on Lebanon … 2. Israel occupied Lebanon for 15 years. Israel occupied a wide strip of Southern Lebanon from 1985 until 2000 … 3. Hezbollah is a political and social organization, not just a military one … 5. A permanent ceasefire in Gaza could halt the fighting in Lebanon … 6. Suspending U.S. arms sales is key to getting a ceasefire. Ending the growing disaster in Lebanon — and preventing its escalation into an expanded war — requires the same solution as ending the carnage in Gaza: an immediate and lasting ceasefire. And that means the U.S. must stop sending arms to Israel … The first step is for Washington to stop sending the weapons — in line with what the majority of Americans are demanding.
Japan’s New PM May Have a Bone to Pick With the US
Walter Hatch - Responsible Statecraft
Alliance minders in Washington and Tokyo are feeling some anxiety today. Shigeru Ishiba has won the contest for leadership of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) … [and is now] Japan’s prime minister … Ishiba, who is 67 and was first elected to the Diet in 1986, has vowed to shake up the 72-year-old security alliance between the United States and Japan, a bilateral alliance that in recent years has focused on maintaining U.S. primacy in East Asia and blocking China’s rise. He views it (correctly, I think) as “asymmetrical,” with Washington largely dictating Japanese foreign policy. “I don’t think Japan is a truly independent nation yet,” Ishiba, the former defense minister, wrote … Some have called Ishiba a Gaullist; he certainly is a nationalist.
Back in the USSA: The New South Africa
Will Tanner – Tablet
… Though it has avoided the worst outcomes, South Africa is hardly a multiracial paradise. Instead, it has trended toward chaos and internal disaster; its economy is in shambles, its once-budding space and nuclear programs are long gone. Crime rules in place of law and order … The economic aspect of South Africa’s decline is primarily a result of its post-apartheid obsession with extending the country’s cursed racial logic, this time in the name of justice and equity … Post-Mandela South Africa is in a state of disaster that seems likely to get worse. In public life, tyranny reigns as the government enforces race-based mandates on companies that are suffering mightily under the burden … Sadly, America has flirted with following the same dark path as South Africa … Though America is not at South Africa’s disastrous level, it may be trending that way.
Enraged Biden Called Netanyahu ‘A F–king Liar’ Over Rafah Invasion, Told Him He Had ‘No Strategy,’ Reports Woodward
New York Post
President Biden privately raged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a “f–king liar” when Israel invaded Rafah — and seethed to the PM’s face that he had “no strategy,’’ a blistering new book says. “That son of a bitch, Bibi Netanyahu, he’s a bad guy. He’s a bad f–king guy!” Biden told an aide, according to CNN in a preview Tuesday of Bob Woodward’s upcoming book “War.” The two leaders have had a tumultuous relationship even in public as Israel continues to fight Hamas, and that tension was only elevated behind the scenes, according to Woodward. Biden reportedly called Netanyahu a “f–king liar” in private after Israel expanded its military operations to include Rafah in southern Gaza this past spring.
Recalling the Smears of Jimmy Carter as `Anti-Semitic’
Allan C. Brownfeld – WRMEA
It is important to remember the brutal assault former President Jimmy Carter faced from militant supporters of Israel, and the number of times there were attempts to silence him, claiming he was “anti-Semitic,” the usual tactic used to silence criticism of Israel … Carter was repaid for his success and for his commitment to both Israeli security and Palestinian rights with a consistent campaign of vilification by American Jewish leaders … Carter himself lamented that whenever an issue arose between the U.S. and Israel, “American Jewish leaders would always side with the Israeli leaders and condemn us for being even-handed in our concern for both Palestinian rights and Israeli security.” When he wrote the book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which became a New York Timesbest-seller in 2007, the attacks on Carter became brutal.
Carter’s Book `Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid’: Work of a True Patriot
Paul Findley
At the age of 82, Jimmy Carter entered the lion’s den. With the publication of his book, “Palestine: Peace not Apartheid,” he did what a patriot would do: rally Americans to vigorous debate of a critical issue that affects our future. He deserves a hero’s praise. Instead, he has been attacked and defamed … I also experienced firsthand what Carter now faces. Toward the end of my 22-year tenure in Congress, I spoke in favor of Palestinian rights and was critical of Israeli policies of Palestinian land confiscation and Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian lands. These actions were counter to American policy and values.
‘It’s Not Reciprocal’: Trump Fumes at American Jews For Not Supporting Him Enough on October 7th Anniversary
Mediaite
Former President Donald Trump spoke to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday and yet again expressed his frustration with American Jews. Hewitt ended the interview by referring back to the one-year anniversary of the devastating October 7th terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas … Trump replied, adding: … “I think that Israel has to do one thing. They have to get smart about Trump, because they don’t back me. I did more for Israel than anybody. I did more for the Jewish people than anybody. And it’s not reciprocal, as they say, not reciprocal.” … Trump had previously made headlines when he told a crowd in late September that Jews would be in part to blame if he is not reelected. His comment was widely condemned by critics and anti-semitism watch groups.
The 545 People Responsible for America’s Woes
Charley Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them … One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices – 545 human beings out of the 235 million – are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country … Don’t you see how the con game that is played on the people by the politicians? Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
How the US Military Ditched Merit
W. Thibeau - Compact
… A military consumed by identity politics threatens the integrity of the republic … Nowhere are the consequences of hiring anyone but those selected for their professional qualifications higher than in the wars our military may soon fight … Military affairs must be a place for this rigorous adherence to meritocracy, because the crucible of war gives no quarter to a person or unit that is anything but qualified. Grace and exceptions can be found elsewhere, but not on the training fields, parade grounds, and command centers of a military America needs to be at her best.
New Poll Shows National Debt Concerning for Swing State Voters
The Center Square
A new poll of battleground states shows the $35 trillion rising national debt is a critical issue for voters. The swing state poll shows that nine out of ten voters want candidates to have a plan for the rising national debt. This includes 95% of those voting for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, 97% of those voting for Republican former President Donald Trump, and 95% of undecided voters. States surveyed were Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The poll was conducted by the Democratic firm Global Strategy Group and the Republican firm North Star Opinion Research from Sept. 23-29. “The national debt is a critical campaign issue for voters in the decisive swing states,” Michael A. Peterson said in a release. He’s CEO of the nonpartisan Peterson Foundation.
Israeli Soldiers Say Ethnic Cleansing Plan in North Gaza Is Underway
Dave DeCamp – Antiwar
Three Israeli reserve soldiers have told [the prominent Israeli daily newspaper] Haaretz that they believe an ethnic cleansing plan is already underway in northern Gaza, where the Israeli military is trying to forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of civilians. Known as the “general’s plan” because it’s being pushed by a retired Israeli general, Giora Eiland, the plan calls for the evacuation of all Palestinian civilians north of the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land controlled by the Israeli military. Anyone who stays behind will be exterminated, either by military action or starvation.