-
The Crazy Imbalance of Russia-Gate: What About Israel?
Robert Parry - Consortium News
… Let’s not forget the 8,000-pound gorilla in the room: Israel. Does anyone think that whatever Russia may or may not have done in trying to influence U.S. politics compares even in the slightest to what Israel does all the time? Which government used its pressure and that of its American agents (i.e., the neocons) to push the United States into the disastrous war in Iraq? It wasn’t Russia, which was among the countries urging the U.S. not to invade; it was Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Indeed, the plans for “regime change” in Iraq and Syria can be traced back to the work of key American neoconservatives employed by Netanyahu’s political campaign in 1996 … Israeli influence is so engrained in the U.S. political process that even the mention of the existence of an “Israel Lobby” brings accusations of anti-Semitism.
-
Valerie Plame’s Real Blunder
James Kirchick - Tablet
Last week, Valerie Plame Wilson got into trouble for retweeting a vile anti-Semitic screed accusing American Jews of being dual loyalist war mongers. The problem wasn’t what she was saying — similar accusations have been made by everyone from Barack Obama on down for years. The problem was how she was saying it: Unlike her allies in the progressive camp, Plame was foolish enough to implicate all Jews in advocating war with Iran, instead of simply identifying a few convenient culprits for calumny … Dark insinuations about nefarious Jewish political influence, dual loyalty to Israel, and “warmongering” on behalf of a foreign country have been central themes of far right and not-so-far left political discourse for quite some time. They were staples of anti-Iraq War rhetoric in the early 2000s …
-
In First, US Establishes Permanent Military Base in Israel
The Times of Israel
For the first time in history, the United States on Monday established an official, permanent military base in Israel: an air defense base in the heart of the Negev desert. Dozens of US Air Force soldiers will call home the new base, located inside the Israeli Air Force’s Mashabim Air Base, west of the towns of Dimona and Yerucham. Brig. Gen. Tzvika Haimovitch, head of the IAF’s Aerial Defense Command, announced the establishment of the installation on Monday evening. “It’s nothing short of historic,” he said. It demonstrates the “years-old alliance between the United States and the State of Israel.” The Israeli brigadier general also told reporters the establishment of a permanent US base in Israel “allows us to improve our defense, in discovery and in interception and in preparedness.”
-
What It’s Like to be Smeared by the Southern Poverty Law Center
Carol M. Swain - The Wall Street Journal
… In recent years, however, it [SPLC] has become a tool of the radical left. Domestically, it uses its influence to paint with a broad brush that smears immigration restrictionists, orthodox Christian churches, and pro-family organizations as “hate groups.” … Being targeted by the SPLC has had a lasting impact on my life and career. Offers from other universities ended and speaking opportunities declined. Once you’ve been smeared in this way, mainstream news outlets are less likely to cite you as an expert of any kind. Yet today I wear the SPLC’s mud as a badge of honor because I know I am in the company of many good men and women who have been similarly vilified for standing for righteousness and truth.
-
Europe: The Right Also Rises
John Feffer - LobeLog
Germany got its very own electoral shock this week when the far right won 13 percent of the vote in country’s parliamentary elections. For the first time in more than half a century, the far right will be represented in the German parliament, with more than 90 seats … The Alternative for Germany (AfD) … will have influence well beyond its numbers … The AfD’s electoral victory has destroyed the taboo in Germany that has kept the far right on the fringes … Europe’s rebellion against liberalism — in both its economic and social versions — is continuing to shake up politics as usual … According to Spiegel’s analysis of AfD’s likely MPs, 35 of 94 are “right wing extremists.” So, it’s not just about a purge of one or two bad apples. Expect the AfD to split along the same realo and fundi — realist vs. fundamentalist — fault line of the Greens.
-
German Court Backs Decision to Fire Man for Reading 'Mein Kampf'
Politico (Belgium)
A German court ruled Tuesday that local authorities in Berlin were allowed to fire a man caught reading Adolf Hitler’s manifesto at work. The man was working for the local government’s public order offenses department when he was seen reading an original edition of “Mein Kampf” (“My Struggle”) while on a break but during work hours, according to a court statement Tuesday. The edition featured on its cover a swastika, the displaying of which is illegal in Germany. The civil servant challenged the decision to fire him. The Berlin-Brandenburg labor court ruled that the dismissal was legal because the man was wearing a work uniform, and therefore was considered a representative of the state of Berlin. He was “obliged to support the free democratic fundamental order of the Constitution,” the court stated.
-
As Thousands Left Homeless From Hurricanes, Trump Sends More Millions to Israel
R. Blevins – Activist Post
As many Americans struggle to get back on their feet after their homes were destroyed by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the United States government has insisted that the only way to raise money for relief efforts is to increase the national debt — while setting aside another $75 million in aid for Israel. Just one year ago, the Obama Administration signed the largest military aid deal in U.S. history, promising Israel $38 billion over the next ten years. However, while the deal stated that Israel was expected to return any money that was more than the original amount, the Trump Administration is breaking the rules … While Congress had no problem giving Israel another $75 million in military aid, it did so by once again turning a blind eye to the long list of human rights abuses carried out by the Israeli military — and funded by the United States.
-
Trump is Trying to Hoodwink Us Into War With Iran
Rep. Mark Pocan and Kate Gould
President Trump’s speech at the UN General Assembly was eerily reminiscent of President Bush’s remarks at the same forum 15 years ago. However, instead of spouting distortions and outright falsehoods about Iraq’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction, the four-letter Middle Eastern country targeted today is Iran. The president claimed that “the Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into” … Yet just as the warnings from the IAEA, our European allies, and countless military, intelligence, and security officials wasn’t enough to stop President Bush from taking us to war against Iraq, the evidence of Iranian compliance with the agreement has not stopped President Trump from telegraphing his plans to sabotage the deal, or members of his administration from calling for a regime change in Iran.
-
America's Jews are Driving America's Wars
Philip Giraldi
… Any organization that aspires to be heard on foreign policy knows that to touch the live wire of Israel and American Jews guarantees a quick trip to obscurity. Jewish groups and deep pocket individual donors not only control the politicians, they own and run the media and entertainment industries, meaning that no one will hear about or from the offending party ever again … What makes the war engine run is provided by American Jews who have taken upon themselves the onerous task of starting a war with a country that does not conceivably threaten the United States. They have been very successful at faking the Iranian threat … One might also add that neocons as a group were founded by Jews and are largely Jewish, hence their universal attachment to the state of Israel.
-
Valerie Plame Tweets Story Blaming 'America's Jews' for Foreign Wars
M. Shelbourne – The Hill
Former CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson on Thursday tweeted an article that argued American Jews are pushing for war in the Middle East, specifically with Iran. The article, titled “America’s Jews are Driving America’s Wars,” is featured in The Unz Review, an online magazine that bills itself as an “alternative” to the “mainstream media.” … After receiving strong backlash on Twitter, Wilson backtracked, saying she didn’t read the article thoroughly and had only paid attention to its criticism of neoconservatives … The article the former CIA operative linked to argues that the neoconservative foreign policy establishment is largely beholden to American Jews with an attachment to Israel. The article’s author, Philip Giraldi, says American Jews shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions related to Middle East policy.
-
The Black Family Is Struggling, and It’s Not Because of Slavery
Walter E. Williams
… The No. 1 problem among blacks is the effects stemming from a very weak family structure. Children from fatherless homes are likelier to drop out of high school, die by suicide, have behavioral disorders, join gangs, commit crimes, and end up in prison. They are also likelier to live in poverty-stricken households. But is the weak black family a legacy of slavery? … The undeniable truth is that neither slavery nor Jim Crow nor the harshest racism has decimated the black family the way the welfare state has … The most damage done to black Americans is inflicted by those politicians, civil rights leaders, and academics who assert that every problem confronting blacks is a result of a legacy of slavery and discrimination. That’s a vision that guarantees perpetuity for the problems.
-
… Behind all the hysteria over North Korea lies the basic question: why would rather small North Korea embark on a nuclear war with the United States? Its leadership, however zany and eccentric, is in no mood to commit suicide. US nuclear weapons would vaporize North Korea before any of the missiles it might fire at North America could detonate. Having nuclear-armed missiles does not necessarily make one’s nation a public menace that must be destroyed. India has them. So do Pakistan and Israel, China and Russia. Add France and Britain. We don’t keep threatening to invade them and overthrow their governments. That’s why they are not threatening us.
-
How to End the Korea Crisis
Ron Paul
The descent of US /North Korea “crisis” to the level of schoolyard taunts should be remembered as one of the most bizarre, dangerous, and disgraceful chapters in US foreign policy history … Why hasn’t a peace treaty been signed? Newly-elected South Korean president Moon Jae-in has proposed direct negotiations with North Korea leading to a peace treaty. The US does not favor such a bilateral process … Here’s how to solve the seven-decade old crisis: pull all US troops out of North Korea; end all military exercises on the North Korean border; encourage direct talks between the North and South and offer to host or observe them with an international delegation including the Russians and Chinese, which are after all Korea’s neighbors.
-
The Alternative for Germany party has pledged to use its platform in parliament to “reclaim the country and its people.” The AfD won nearly 14 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, giving them 94 seats. Many believed the turmoil of the 20th century had immunized Germany from a return of far-right politics, but Sunday’s result proved them wrong … Jewish groups were among those expressing fear over the results. The AfD’s co-leader, Alexander Gauland, has previously said Germans should be proud of their military’s achievements in World War II … He said his pledge to “reclaim the country” is meant symbolically, adding he does “not want to lose Germany to an invasion of foreign people from foreign cultures.”
-
Jewish groups in Europe and the United States expressed alarm at the success of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Sunday’s parliamentary election, and urged other parties not to form alliances with it. But a leading member of the AfD, which won 12.6 percent of the vote in the federal election to become the third largest party in Germany’s lower house of parliament, said Jews had nothing to fear from his party’s success. The far-right has not been represented in parliament since the 1950s, a reflection of Germany’s efforts to distance itself from the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust. Ronald Lauder, president of the New York-based World Jewish Congress, called Chancellor Angela Merkel a “true friend of Israel and the Jewish people,” and decried the AfD’s gains at a time when anti-Semitism was increasing across the globe.
-
China’s High-Speed Trains are Back on Track
The Economist (Britain)
China’s high-speed rail system, just a decade old, is now one of the biggest infrastructure projects in history. The government in Beijing has spent an estimated 2.4 trillion yuan ($360 billion) building 22,000 km (13,670 miles) of high-speed rail lines, more than the rest of the world combined. This month, six years after a maximum speed limit was lowered following a deadly crash, China’s trains are getting ready to accelerate … Today, Chinese high-speed rail appears to be back on track. The government’s five-year plan calls for 3.5 trillion yuan in railway investment between 2016 and 2020. By then, if all goes to plan, the network will stretch 30,000 km connecting more than 80 percent of the country’s major cities. With ever more passengers riding the speedy trains, many of the rail lines are now profitable.
-
Is Israel Becoming a Mafia State?
Simona Weinglass - Times of Israel
… The woman was referring to the massive growth of organized crime in Israel over the past ten years, as well as the fact that Israel has become one of the world’s leading exporters of investment scams, stealing an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion per year from victims worldwide … These investment scams are largely run by organized crime, which has grown to “monstrous proportions” as a consequence of little to no law enforcement for years … Israel’s democratic system has become riddled with corruption of late … A Knesset [parliament] member recently told The Times of Israel that three-quarters of the 120 parliamentarians here are in thrall to special interest groups… In 2009, the US Embassy wrote of a “growing problem” of organized crime elements “penetrating the Israeli establishment and corrupting public officials.”
-
Thomas Jefferson and the Hemings Myth
Mark Weber
Perhaps the most notorious accusation against Thomas Jefferson is the persistent allegation that he secretly took a mulatto slave named Sally Hemings (or Hemmings) as a mistress, and fathered several children by her. The charge was first made in September 1802 (during Jefferson’s first term as president) by a Scottish immigrant named James T. Callender, an embittered alcoholic and hypochondriac. Writing in a Richmond newspaper, Callender cited no evidence for his accusation, merely claiming that it was “well known.” … To those who knew Jefferson, his high moral standards and his deep devotion to his dead wife’s memory, the entire story was absurd and contemptible. Nevertheless, it soon gained widespread circulation and many believers … Serious scholars of Jefferson’s life reject the Hemings story.
-
Thomas Jefferson's Place in History
Martin A. Larson – Institute for Historical Review
… Jefferson’s interests were always for the welfare of the country and its citizens. Even today, though, there are dishonest individuals and various special interests who hate anyone who shares his ideals. Jefferson once said that he was assailed by so many enemies that if he were to answer them all, he would not have time for anything else. Instead, he declared, he would let judgment of him and his record be made by the people.
-
The Swiss Alps Seem Quaint Until You Learn the Truth About Their Residents
Ofri Ilany - Haaretz (Israel)
… How pastoral everything is in Switzerland! … It turns out that the more pastoral a place looks, the more it’s swarming with racists and nationalists. The more like a postcard it appears, the more politically benighted it is … Preserving a heritage comes with a price. Politically, opposition to globalization often assumes an ugly form: xenophobia and electoral support for nationalist parties. Right-wing parties fawn over ostensibly delightful traditions such as local beer and a rural way of life … Maybe the problem with Europe is different in character: that it’s not changing enough. All the movements to preserve the baguette, to eradicate smartphones and to lead a “slow life” are generally another name for xenophobic and antipathetic politics.
-
Seven Steps to a Saner U.S. Policy Towards North Korea
Andrew J. Bacevich - The American Conservative
There are seven postulates that ought to inform U.S. policy regarding North Korea. First, our objective. Nothing is more important than to be clear about what we are trying to accomplish. Our purpose should be to provide for our own security and that of our allies, especially South Korea and Japan, while avoiding war. Our purpose should not be regime change in Pyongyang or forcing Kim Jong-un to abandon his nuclear weapons program. Both of those may be desirable. Neither is worth a large-scale war. … Kim is not “begging for war,” as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations foolishly claims. He is merely sabre rattling, hoping thereby to keep his enemies at bay and to dissuade his few friends from selling him out.
-
The Case Against The Iranian Nuclear Deal is One Big Lie
Stephen M. Walt - Foreign Policy
… It reminds us how bizarre, short-sighted, and unrealistic the renewed campaign against the Iran nuclear deal [JCPOA] is … Of course, it won’t surprise you that the people who keep trying to dismantle the JCPOA are mostly the same people who’ve repeatedly called for military action against Iran. And guess what? They are for the most part the same strategic geniuses that told you toppling Saddam Hussein would be easy and cheap and would transform the Middle East into a sea of shiny pro-American democracies. It is frankly a bit astonishing that such people are still taken seriously (and let’s not forget they’ve been consistently wrong about a lot more than that), but nobody ever said the U.S. political system was good at holding people accountable these days.
-
The Endangered Iran Nuclear Deal
Mel Gurtov - Peace Voice
Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations, said the other day that Iran had violated the spirit of the 2015 nuclear accord and that President Trump was likely not to certify Iran’s compliance with it next month. There is no legitimate reason for such a step, but if Trump – who must certify compliance every six months – takes it, he would almost certainly set in motion another nuclear crisis side by side with the one with North Korea … The Trump administration is simply looking for a pretext to scrap the nuclear accord, and there may well be enough votes in the Senate to bring that about if Trump chooses to make a clean break … Rather than keep threatening and sanctioning Iran – a path already shown to be totally unproductive with North Korea – the US ought to be thinking about how to improve relations.
-
A short speech from 1974 by Leon Degrelle. In French, with English subtitles. Runtime: 2:45 mins. Degrelle was a charismatic Belgian political leader during the 1930s, a legendary combat hero duirng the Second World War, and a prolific author . In the wake of Germany’s 1941 attack against the Soviet Union, he joined what he and many millions of others regarded as a pan-European crusade. In Belgium, he helped raise a volunteer battalion of fellow French-speaking Walloons to ensure a place of honor for his country in the “new Europe.” He rose through the ranks to become commander of the unit that finally came to be known as the 28th SS Division “Wallonie.” During the course of his three and a half years of combat, Degrelle was wounded seven times and earned 22 military decorations.
-
Epic: The Story of the Waffen SS
Leon Degrelle
… The Waffen SS had a solemn duty, after the defeat of Communism, to focus all their efforts and strength to build a united Europe … All the SS understood that European unity meant the whole of Europe, even Russia … This Europe would be the beacon of the world. It would be a remarkable racial ensemble. An ancient civilization, a spiritual force, and the most advanced technological and scientific complex … Not since the great religious orders of the Middle Ages had there been such selfless idealism and heroism. In this century of materialism, the SS stands out as a shining beacon of spirituality. I have no doubt whatsoever that the sacrifices and incredible feats of the Waffen SS will one day have their own epic poets like Schiller.
-
The Eastern Front: Memoirs of a Waffen SS Volunteer
Leon Degrelle – Kindle Book available
A gripping first-person memoir of soldierly sacrifice, heroism and fierce combat against numerically superior Soviet forces during World War II, by a charismatic Belgian writer and politician turned front-line infantryman. New, revised IHR edition, with index and photos. Here is the epic story of the Walloon Legion, a volunteer Belgian unit of the World War II pan-European SS force, as told – in absorbing prose — by the legendary Degrelle. Captures the grit, terror and glory of Europe’s crusade against Communism. (Also available from the IHR in both hardcover and paperback editions.)
-
US National Debt Hits $20 Trillion for First Time in History
Washington Examiner
The national debt exceeded $20 trillion for the first time ever on Friday [Sept. 8], the same day President Trump signed a bill into law that suspended the debt ceiling and allowed unlimited federal borrowing. The debt ceiling had been frozen at about $19.84 trillion since mid-March, and the Treasury Department was forced to use “extraordinary measures” to prevent borrowing from exceeding that level. But with Trump’s signature on Friday, the debt ceiling was suspended … Trump criticized the growing national debt under the Obama administration when he was campaigning for president, and talked as president about the need to rein in the debt and spending … But last week, Trump indicated he could be open to the idea of getting rid of the ceiling entirely.
-
Israel, White House Abandon Pretense of Peace Process
Geoffrey Aronson - The American Conservative
… Today, there is less interest in a solution to the Israel/ Palestine/ Arab conflict than at any time since Israel’s creation almost seven decades ago … Obama bequeathed to the Trump administration a historic unraveling throughout the Middle East. Palestine was delivered to the new administration as a scorched diplomatic landscape, characterized by despair and boredom with the continuing conflict. Trump’s sympathies on Palestine are clearly with Israel’s revisionist right wing. He and his aides have little idea and even less interest about how to approach — let alone solve — the conflict.
-
Crusaders and Zionists
Uri Avnery (Israel)
… It is almost taboo in Israel to talk about the crusades … This is not as astonishing as it may sound. Jewish history is ethnocentric, not geographical … Most Israelis would be surprised to learn that the Crusaders resided in Palestine for almost 200 years – much longer than Zionist history until now. It was not a short, passing episode. The similarity between the Crusaders and the Zionists strikes one at first glance. Both movements moved a large number of people from Europe to the Holy Land. (During the first half century of its existence, Zionism brought almost only European Jews to Palestine.) Since both of them came from the west, they were perceived by the local Muslim population as Western invaders. Neither the Crusaders nor the Zionists had one day of peace during their entire existence.
-
New UN Report Slams Israel for 'De-Development' of Occupied Palestine
Z. Tahhan - Al Jazeera
A new UN report has strongly condemned Israel for the “de-development” and “deteriorating humanitarian conditions” of the Palestinian territories of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, brought about by Israel’s 50-year occupation. The report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), published on Tuesday, said the performance of the Palestinian economy is “far below potential”, while unemployment has persisted at levels rarely seen worldwide since the Great Depression. “2017 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Israeli occupation … the longest occupation in recent history. For the Palestinian people, these were five decades of de-development, suppressed human potential and denial of the basic human right to development, with no end in sight,” the report states.
-
Trump Dumps the Do-Nothing Congress
Patrick J. Buchanan
… The Congressional gridlock that exhausted the president’s patience may prove more serious than a passing phase. The Congress of the United States, whose powers were delineated in the late 18th century, may simply not be an institution suited to the 21st … At the onset of the post-Cold War era, some contended that democracy was the inevitable future of mankind. But autocracy is holding its own. Russia, China, India, Turkey, Egypt come to mind. If democracy, as Freedom House contends, is in global retreat, one reason may be that, in our new age, legislatures, split into hostile blocs checkmating one another, cannot act with the dispatch impatient peoples now demand of their rulers.
-
In a bid to preserve interest in the Holocaust by future generations, the Basel-based Anne Frank Foundation unveiled the first authorized comic book based on the teenager’s famous diary written in hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam. The 148-page adaptation, which is to be published September 18 in France and in some 40 languages worldwide, was presented to journalists in the French capital Thursday by the graphic diary’s Israeli illustrator, David Polonsky, and its writer, the Israeli film director Ari Folman, who is working on the first full-length authorized animation film based on the comic book.
-
President Donald Trump is weighing a strategy that calls for more aggressive U.S. responses to Iran’s forces, its Shi’ite Muslim proxies in Iraq and Syria, and its support for militant groups, according to five current and former U.S. officials. The proposal was prepared by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, national security adviser H. R. McMaster and other top officials, and presented to Trump at a National Security Council meeting on Friday, the sources said … Trump’s opposition to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), poses a dilemma for policymakers. Most of his national security aides favor remaining in the pact, as do U.S. allies Israel and Saudi Arabia despite their reservations about Iran’s adherence to the agreement, said U.S. officials involved in the discussions.
-
Organized Campaign Forces Shutdown of IHR’s Credit Card Processing
Institute for Historical Review
On August 21 the company that had been processing credit card orders and donations for the Institute for Historical Review (IHR) abruptly shut its account with the California-based educational and publishing center, claiming that it distributes “materials promoting hate.” The TransFirst/ TSYS company cancelled its business relationship with IHR two days after ProPublica, an outfit headquartered in New York City announced its campaign to get tech companies to stop doing business with the IHR and other alleged “hate groups.”
-
The Mystery of the Lost Roman Herb
Z. Gorvett - BBC News
Long ago, in the ancient city of Cyrene, there was a herb called silphium. It didn’t look like much – with stout roots, stumpy leaves and bunches of small yellow flowers – but it oozed with an odiferous sap that was so delicious and useful, the plant was eventually worth its weight in gold. To list its uses would be an endless task … Then there were the medical applications. Silphium was a veritable wonder herb, a panacea for all manner of ailments … But today, silphium has vanished – possibly just from the region, possibly from our planet altogether … With just a handful of stylised images and the accounts of ancient naturalists to go on, the true identity of the Romans’ favourite herb is a mystery. Some think it was driven to extinction, others that it’s still hiding in plain sight as a Mediterranean weed.
-
The 'Miracle of Dunkirk' Reconsidered
Charles Lutton – Institute for Historical Review
… 340,000 British and French troops were evacuated [in May-June 1940] from the besieged port of Dunkirk. At the time the event was portrayed by the British government and press as a kind of victory … “Far from being betrayed by their Allies, the British military commanders in France and Belgium practiced on them a methodical deception which enabled the British to get away with their rear defended.” … The British were responsible for crimes against both German soldiers and Allied civilians … French and Belgian civilians fared little better than the Germans at the hands of their British confederates. Looting was common and “stealing from civilians soon became official policy.” British military authorities executed without trial, civilians suspected of disloyalty.
-
Nikki Furiosa: A US Ambassador’s Unworthy Diatribe
Peter Jenkins
Nikki Haley’s address at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) on September 5 is so full of misrepresentations and distortions … Either Haley has found it hard to absorb her briefs since taking up her appointment as US ambassador to the United Nations, or she is devoid of intellectual integrity … She bases her diatribe on the assertion that judgements about the nature of the Iranian “regime” (and its behavior outside the nuclear sphere) are crucially relevant to assessing whether Iran is complying with the 2015 JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aka the nuclear deal) … This address is unworthy of a US ambassador to the United Nations. It advances reasons for terminating the JCPOA that are spurious, contrived, and dishonest.
-
Iran, Again: Will Israel Start a New War?
Philip Giraldi
… From Netanyahu’s point of view, it is far better to stage an incident that brings in Washington and then allows Uncle Sam to do the heavy lifting … Israel believes that bringing Washington into the conflict is doable given that the U.S. media has heavily propagandized against Tehran and that inside-the-beltway groupthink largely perceives Iran as an enemy … Speculation in Israel is that some kind of preemptive strike is being planned, possibly directed against an Iranian target inside Syria. The danger is that such a move could quickly escalate, with the U.S. Congress and White House quickly aligning themselves with Netanyahu.
-
'Working With People Who Confuse Austria and Australia is Hard': Putin on US Establishment
RT News (Russia)
Russian President Vladimir Putin lamented the poor level of diplomatic competence demonstrated by Washington lately, saying Moscow found it difficult to work with people who cannot tell Austria and Australia apart. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Putin said the Americans were acting like bullies by shutting down Russian diplomatic facilities. “The Americans were in their right to reduce the number of our diplomatic facilities. But they did it in an obviously bullying manner, and that does no credit to our American partners,” he said. “It’s difficult to have a dialogue with people who confuse Austria and Australia. There is nothing to do about it. Apparently that’s the level of political culture of a certain part of the American establishment.”
-
What If Nazi Germany Never Declared War on the United States During World War II?
Robert Farley - The National Interest
… Was the decision to declare war on the United States, effectively relieving the Roosevelt administration of the responsibility of mobilizing American sentiment for war in Europe, among Hitler’s greatest blunders? Probably not. Washington and Berlin agreed that war was inevitable; the only question was who would fire the first shots. The United States and Germany were at war in all but name well before December 1941 … Germany declared war on the United States not out of a fit of pique, but rather because it believed that the United States was already effectively a belligerent, and that wider operations against the U.S. would help win the war. In particular, the Axis declaration of war enabled an operation that the Germans believed was key to driving Britain out of the conflict; a concerted submarine attack against U.S. commercial shipping.
-
Why Hitler Declared War on the United States
John Wear - Inconvenient History
… Hitler considered Roosevelt’s speech [of Dec. 9, 1941] to be a de facto declaration of war. Since war with the United States was inevitable, Hitler felt he had no choice but to declare war on the United States … The truth is that Roosevelt did everything in his power to plunge the United States into war against Germany. Roosevelt eventually went so far as to order American vessels to shoot-on-sight German and Italian vessels — a flagrant act of war. However, Hitler wanted to avoid war with the United States at all costs … Hitler declared war on the United States only after the leaked Rainbow Five plan convinced him that war with the United States was inevitable.
-
FDR’s Undeclared War
Jerome O’Connor - Naval History (U.S. Naval Institute)
… With Admiral King’s issuance [on April 18, 1941] of OPPLAN 3-41, and needing only targets to come within U.S. Navy view, America’s entry into World War II could have started as much by intention in the Atlantic as by surprise eight months later in the Pacific. As confirmed by declassified operational orders, throughout 1941 the U.S. Navy set the bar ever lower for all-out war at sea with Germany … Six months before Pearl Harbor, lacking a declaration of war and without the knowledge of Congress or the American people, the Commander-in-Chief [Pres. Roosevelt] gave the Atlantic Fleet approval to change from defensive to offensive operations … The New York Daily News said it all with a black headline: “SHOOT, FDR TELLS NAVY.”
-
Hitler’s Declaration of War on the United States
Institute for Historical Review
Here is the complete text of Hitler’s historic address of Dec. 11, 1941, in which the German leader recounts the reasons for the outbreak of war in September 1939, explains why he decided to strike against the Soviet Union in June 1941, reviews the dramatic course of the war thus far, and deals at length with US President Roosevelt’s hostile policies toward Germany. Hitler details the US government’s increasingly belligerent actions against Germany and Italy, and concludes by announcing that Germany was now joining Japan in war against the United States.
-
America the Pessimistic: New Poll Shows Lackluster Views of U.S.
C. Dann - NBC News
It may be the land of the free and the home of the brave, but Americans are far from united in seeing the United States as an exceptional place to live, according to a new poll from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal. The survey also finds that the share of Americans who believe that the country has a “strong national character” is shrinking. In fact, one of the few things that unites the public is the belief that the nation is deeply divided … Asked to rate the national character of America on a scale of one to 10, just 14 percent of those polled offered a “strong” rating of eight or higher, while 34 percent suggested a “weak” rating of four or lower. That’s a noteworthy slide in less than two decades … Overall, an overwhelming majority of Americans say the country is either mainly divided (59 percent) or totally divided (21 percent).
-
Indigenous Peoples Day will be celebrated in Los Angeles instead of the traditional Columbus Day after city leaders in the second largest U.S. city decided to recognize Native Americans instead of the Italian explorer. Los Angeles joined several U.S. cities and states, including Minneapolis, Seattle, Alaska, Hawaii and Oregon that have replaced Columbus Day, a federal holiday celebrated on the first Monday in October to commemorate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas in 1492 … Support for Indigenous Peoples Day has steadily risen in recent years, paralleling the growing perception that the wave of European settlement in the Western Hemisphere was genocidal to native populations.
-
A statue of the U.S. Supreme Court justice who wrote the 1857 Dred Scott decision that upheld slavery and denied citizenship to African Americans was removed from the grounds of the Maryland State House early Friday morning [Aug. 18]. The statue of Roger B. Taney was lifted away by a crane at about 2 a.m. It was lowered into a truck and driven away to storage. The bronze statue was erected in 1872, just outside the original front door of the State House. Three of the four voting members of the State House Trust voted by email Wednesday to move the statue … The statue was removed a couple of days after Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh ordered the removal of four Confederate monuments from the city under the cover of night. A statue of Taney in Baltimore also was removed.
-
Move over Christopher Columbus, it’s Peter Stuyvesant’s turn to get scorched in the monuments war. A Jewish activist group is now demanding Mayor de Blasio scrub all traces of the anti-Semitic Dutch governor from city property — even Stuyvesant High School — as part of his campaign to rid the city of “symbols of hate.” … Stuyvesant did eventually allow the people he described as “deceitful,” “very repugnant” and “blasphemous” to settle at the order of the Dutch West India Company … Darshan-Leitner recommends replacing all traces of his name with that of Asher Levy, one of the first Jewish settlers in New Amsterdam.
-
Historians Warn Against Rushing to Take Down Statues
C. Long - Associated Press
It’s not just about Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The national soul-searching over whether to take down monuments to the Confederacy’s demigods has extended to other historical figures accused of wrongdoing, including Christopher Columbus (brutality toward native Americans), the man for whom Boston’s Faneuil Hall is named (slave trader) and former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo (bigotry). Historians interviewed by The Associated Press offered varying thoughts about where exactly the line should be drawn in judging someone’s statue-worthiness, but they agreed on one thing: Scrapping a monument is not a decision that should be made in haste during political fervor … In Chicago, protesters want to remove a likeness of aviator Italo Balbo because it was a gift from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
-
Listen To Those 'Or Elses': The Korea War Danger
Eric Margolis
… South Korea’s newly elected president, Moon Jae-in, keeps insisting that the US must not launch war against North Korea without South Korea’s agreement. President Donald Trump and the US media appear not to have heard Moon’s pleas, or are simply disregarding them. Amazingly, six decades after the end of the 1950 Korean War, South Korea’s 650,000-man active armed forces and 4.2 million-man reserves remain under the command of a US four-star general … North Korea, by contrast, constantly harangues South Koreans that their nation is a US ‘puppet’ and ‘colony’ run by traitors. Pyongyang insists that North Korea is the authentic Korean state while the South is a mere US/ Japanese colony. Many young South Koreans absorb such claims …
-
'Violation of International Law': Russia to Sue Over Diplomatic Property Row, Lavrov Tells Tillerson
RT News (Russia)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told his American counterpart, Rex Tillerson, that Moscow has initiated legal proceedings over the “seizure” of Moscow’s diplomatic properties in the country at the behest of the current White House administration. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow said that Lavrov and Tillerson spoke by phone on Tuesday. “When discussing international relations, Lavrov pointed out that the seizure of Russian diplomatic property on US soil was a flagrant violation of international norms,” the ministry said in a statement … On August 31, Russia was given 72 hours to clear out its consulate in San Francisco, and the diplomatic annexes in Washington DC and New York. Russia says that the buildings were subsequently searched, in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations …
-
Young, Hip and Far Right: Europe's Youth Reject Multiculturalism
Video - SBS (Australia)
This report looks at the rise of a youthful “new nationalism” across Europe, and especially the growing “Identitarian” movement. It focuses on Martin Sellner, an articulate leader of Identitarians in Austria. “We are the voice of a forgotten generation,” he says. “We want to defend the identity of Europe.” Runtime: 27 mins.
-
White Christians Now a Minority of US Population, New Survey Shows
Associated Press
The share of Americans who identify as white and Christian has dropped below 50 per cent, a transformation fuelled by immigration and by growing numbers of people who reject organized religion altogether, according to a new survey released Wednesday. Christians overall remain a large majority in the U.S., at nearly 70 per cent of Americans. However, white Christians, once predominant in the country’s religious life, now comprise only 43 per cent of the population, according to the Public Religion Research Institute … Four decades ago, about eight in ten Americans were white Christians.
-
American Legion Calls for Full Investigation Into Israel Attack on the USS Liberty
If Americans Knew (California)
In a historic move, the American Legion, at its national convention in Reno on August 24, approved Resolution 40 (text provided below) calling for the first full U.S. government investigation of Israel’s 1967 attack on the USS Liberty … The American Legion’s resolution brings the nation’s largest veterans organization back on the side of the USS Liberty survivors, families, and supporters in calling upon the “115th United States Congress to publicly, impartially, and thoroughly investigate the attack on the USS Liberty and its aftermath and to commence its investigation before the end of 2017, the 50th anniversary year of the attack.” … The Liberty was a U.S. Navy electronics ship operating in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean when it was attacked by Israeli forces, killing 34 and injuring at least 174.
-
On June 8, 1967, the United States Navy intelligence ship the U.S.S. Liberty was attacked in international waters by aircraft and vessels belonging to Israel. Thirty-four sailors, Marines and civilians were killed in the attack. The deliberate Israeli air and sea onslaught sought to sink the clearly identified intelligence gathering ship and kill all its crew … The attack was followed by a comprehensive cover-up that demonstrated clearly that at least one president of the United States even back nearly fifty years ago valued his relationship with the state of Israel above his loyalty to his own country … Whether Congress can be induced to do the right thing by the Liberty remains to be seen, but the adoption of the resolution was a major victory … And certainly, it is no time to relax as the Israel Lobby never sleeps, never gives up.
-
Egypt Revamps Cave Museum Devoted to Nazi General, Erwin Rommel
S. Samir - Al-Monitor (Washington, DC)
Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry has renovated and reopened a museum in a cave used by Erwin Rommel, the Nazi general known as the “Desert Fox,” during his campaign against the British in 1942. / An old field telephone from the 1940s, a Nazi flag and a map of Tobruk greet visitors to the newly reopened Rommel Cave Museum in Marsa Matrouh, one of Egypt’s lesser known tourist destinations … Rommel was known to the Germans as “the people’s marshal” and to the outside world as the “Desert Fox” for his surprise attacks and unbroken string of successful campaigns … Rommel remained a highly regarded figure in the eyes of the Matrouh residents because he respected the customs and traditions of the Bedouins and did not violate the sanctity of their homes … The people of Matrouh honored him by naming a nearby beach after him.
-
How Rommel Became One of Nazi Germany's Greatest Generals
Michael Rinella - Warfare History Network
The appointment of Erwin Rommel as commander of the 7th Panzer Division in February 1940 seems, in the light of his many triumphs in France and North Africa, an unremarkable and perfectly natural choice. At the time, however, nothing could have been further from the truth … What Rommel did have was regular, personal access to Adolf Hitler … By 1940 the two had developed a liking for each other, sharing both humble origins and a deep dislike for the snobbery and elitism of the old German aristocracy … Promotion came in January 1941, when Rommel was elevated to the rank of lieutenant general and sent to Libya to spearhead Operation Sonnenblume (Sunflower) as commander of the Afrika Korps. There, in North Africa, he would eventually earn his field marshal’s baton and cement his reputation as the Desert Fox.
-
Germany’s top diplomat has backed the suggestion of Social Democrat (SPD) leader and Chancellor hopeful Martin Schulz, who has pledged to rid his country of US nukes. Washington, meanwhile, is pressing ahead to modernize its nuclear stockpile. Sigmar Gabriel’s remarks came at the end of his official visit to the US Wednesday. “Certainly, I am convinced that it is important to finally talk again about the arms control and disarmament,” Gabriel told the DPA news agency … “That’s why I think that Martin Schulz’s words that in the end we need to get rid of the nuclear weapons in our country, are right.” Last week, Schulz, the SDP candidate for Chancellor, pledged to get rid of the US nukes if elected.
-
Reform Jews Are Worse Than Holocaust Deniers, Says Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem
The Jerusalem Post (Israel)
In an astonishingly vitriolic attack on progressive Jews, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Shlomo Amar said that Reform Jews “deny more than Holocaust deniers.” The rabbi, a former chief rabbi of Israel, made his comments the same day last week on which the High Court of Justice ordered the government to reconsider its decision to suspend its resolution to create a state-recognized egalitarian prayer section at the southern end of the Western Wall. “Today there was a hearing on the Kotel on the petition of the cursed evil people who do every iniquity in the world against the Torah – they even marry Jews and non-Jews,” said Amar …
-
A Canadian town says it will not remove swastikas from a public park because it has historical significance. The Nazi symbols adorn an anchor that was on display in Pointe-des-Cascades, Quebec. Corey Fleischer, who goes around Montreal removing hateful graffiti, tried to paint over the swastikas. But the mayor stopped him and had police remove him from the park, arguing the anchor is a part of local history. The anchor has a plaque that identifies it as a “relic of Nazism”, and says it was used in Europe at the end of War, probably on a merchant boat, and found in 1980. But in a statement on the town’s website, the mayor says the anchor belonged to a merchant vessel that predates World War Two and was found by local divers 25 years ago.
-
Hunting the 'Nazi Hunters': How ProPublica Fights 'Hate'
David Cole - Taki’s Mag
… Over the past few weeks, ProPublica has been using its “moral force” to get “hate sites” dropped by the tech companies that host their websites and process their credit-card transactions. I was initially informed about this by my longtime friend Mark Weber, director of the Institute for Historical Review (IHR) … Other organizations received similar emails from Kirchner, but for the sake of this piece, I want to focus on the IHR alone. The IHR has been around for almost forty years. It’s an educational nonprofit publishing house … ProPublica is the malformed child of Herb and Marion Sandler, the infamous and corrupt left-wing billionaire Democrat donors … ProPublica is run by a charlatan who exemplifies everything that’s bad about his supposed profession. It’s a foul enterprise run by foul people.
-
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a Fraud, and Nobody Should Treat Them as Responsible Actors
Emily Jashinsky - The Washington Examiner
Repeating a mistake made by many major media outlets before it, CNN on Thursday published a map of registered hate groups sourced entirely from the Southern Poverty Law Center, an irresponsible advocacy group that purports to operate as an objective assessor of hate … The SPLC’s claim to objectivity is nothing less than fraudulent, a reality that informed observers of its practices from both the Left and Right accept … The SPLC routinely lumps conservative advocacy groups in with legitimate hate organizations, putting proponents of traditional family values in the same category as neo-Nazis and the KKK … In June, 41 conservative movement leaders sent a letter that addressed the matter, explaining that the SPLC’s “‘hate group’ list is nothing more than a political weapon targeting people it deems to be its political enemies.”
-
Southern Poverty Law Center Transfers Millions in Cash to Offshore Entities
J. Schoffstall - The Washington Free Beacon
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a liberal, Alabama-based 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that has gained prominence on the left for its “hate group” designations, pushes millions of dollars to offshore entities as part of its business dealings, records show. Additionally, the nonprofit pays lucrative six-figure salaries to its top directors and key employees while spending little on legal services despite its stated intent of “fighting hate and bigotry” using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy. The Southern Poverty Law Center is perhaps best known for its “hate map,” a collection of organizations the nonprofit deems “domestic hate groups” … Richard Cohen, president and chief executive officer of the SPLC, was given $346,218 in base compensation in 2015, its tax forms show.
-
John Sack’s Defective Esquire Article
The Journal of Historical Review
… A more recent example of such coverage is an eleven-page article in the February 2001 issue of Esquire, a slick, literate and prestigious monthly magazine with a national circulation of some 600,000. Written by seasoned journalist and author John Sack, “Inside the Bunker” is based largely on the Jewish author’s observations and role as a speaker at the May 2000 IHR Conference in Irvine, California … Among its positive features, Sack contrasts the open-mindedness of revisionists with the bigotry and hatred he’s found at Jewish gatherings, deftly deflating such sanctimonious icons as Elie Wiesel and Edgar Bronfman … Sack also acknowledges that many specific points made over the years by revisionists (“deniers”) are, indeed, true …
-
Trump’s Difficult North Korea Dilemma
Eric Margolis
… Trump has backed himself into a corner over North Korea … By refusing a peace to end the 1950-53 Korean War, and by continuing economic and political warfare against North Korea, the US has only itself to blame for North Korea developing nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver them. Kim Jong-un saw what happened to Libya’s Khadaffi (thanks to Hillary Clinton) and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. Trump is now in a serious fix over North Korea. Jong-un has called Trump’s bluff and sneered at the Donald’s fire and brimstone threats. So Trump’s choices are to back away from the Korean crisis he created or else attack North Korea.
-
Should Japan and South Korea Go Nuclear?
Patrick J. Buchanan
… If and when we manage to tamp down this crisis, we should ask ourselves why we are in this crisis. Why are we a party to this frozen conflict from 1953 that is 8,000 miles away?… The world has changed dramatically since the 1950s. But U.S. policy failed to change commensurately … We should look upon the North’s drive to marry nuclear warheads to ICBMs as a wake-up call to review a policy rooted in Cold War realities that ceased to exist when Ronald Reagan went home. Consider. North Korea devotes 25 percent of GDP to defense. South Korea spends 2.6 percent, Japan one percent. Yet these mighty Asian allies, who run annual trade surpluses at our expense, require us to defend them from a maniacal little country right next door.
-
The US State Department said Monday it will keep the position of special envoy for combating anti-Semitism but will slash several other diplomatic positions, including the special envoy on the Iran nuclear deal, as part of major restructuring by the administration … The envoy trains State Department officials to identify and strategize how to combat anti-Semitism abroad … Jewish leaders and congressional lawmakers from both parties have put pressure upon the Trump administration to keep the position … Envoys for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Holocaust issues, religious freedom and LGBT rights will remain intact but the coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation and the coordinator for sanctions policy will be slashed …
-
After continuing pressure, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has announced that he will name a special envoy and maintain an office to monitor alleged anti-Semitism. All three previous anti-semitism envoys have been fervent Israel partisans … This was part of an international campaign to expand the definition of anti-Semitism and embed this in governments and law enforcement agencies, potentially criminalizing support for Palestinian rights. When it appeared in June that Trump might eliminate the office in a cost-cutting measure, he and Tillerson came under immediate attack by Jewish organizations and some others, including the Southern Poverty Law Center … A number of similar special envoys and ambassadorships will be maintained, including … the Special Advisor for Holocaust Issues …
-
Trump’s Plan To Kill The Iran Deal? Outsourcing
R. Marashi, T. Cullis - The Huffington Post
With Donald Trump threatening to invade Venezuela and start a nuclear war with North Korea, his stated intention to refuse certifying Iranian compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the nuclear deal between America, Iran, Europe, Russia, and China – has fallen from the headlines. However, the gravity of how he appears to be moving toward that end could spark a policy crisis … Less discussed, however, is how these efforts run counter to America’s express obligations under the JCPOA. For instance, Paragraph 26 of the JCPOA commits the U.S. to “make best efforts in good faith…to prevent interference with the realization of the full benefit by Iran of the sanctions lifting.” Paragraph 27 commits America “to support the successful implementation of this JCPOA including in their public statements.”
-
Nazi Sculptures at World Cup Venue Spark Protest
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
Just days before the start of the World Cup, a debate about the Nazi-era sculptures that still adorn Berlin’s Olympic Stadium has reignited, with calls for the images to be covered up or removed lest they offend guests. / The muscle-bound supermen in bronze and stone that can be seen in and around Berlin’s Olympic Stadium have been controversial for years. Commissioned by the National Socialist dictatorship when the stadium was built to host the 1936 Olympic Games, the sculptures are now a visual reminder of the racist Aryan ideology propagated during the Third Reich … “The style was in step with the zeitgeist,” Stölzl said. “The Neoclassical sculptures made in the United States at the time of the New Deal look just like the sculptures produced in Germany in the 1930s, in the Soviet Union, Italy, or at the Palais Chaillot in Paris.”
-
What Still Unites Us?
Patrick J. Buchanan
… Taken together, we are seeing the discoverers, explorers and missionaries of North America demonized as genocidal racists all. The Founding Fathers are either slave owners or sanctioners of slavery. Our nation-builders either collaborated in or condoned the ethnic cleansing of Native Americans. Almost to the present, ours was a land where segregationists were honored leaders. Bottom line for the left: Americans should be sickened and ashamed of the history that made us the world’s greatest nation. And we should acknowledge our ancestors’ guilt by tearing down any and all monuments and statues that memorialize them. This rising segment of America, full of self-righteous rage, is determined to blacken the memory of those who have gone before us … So, what still unites us?
-
Is Boston’s Historic Faneuil Hall a Reminder of Racism?
Associated Press
As cities grapple with what to do with Confederate statues, an advocacy group is calling for renaming Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall because its namesake had ties to the slave trade. The brick meeting house, built in 1742 and nicknamed the “Cradle of Liberty,” was where Samuel Adams and other American colonists made some of the earliest speeches urging independence from Britain … Kevin Peterson, founder of the New Democracy Coalition, says it’s past time to change the hall’s name because it was built and donated to Boston by Peter Faneuil, a wealthy merchant who owned and traded slaves … Massachusetts leaders have appeared more open to the idea of changing or removing other controversial memorials in recent weeks.
-
'Gone With the Wind' Screenings Pulled By Memphis Theater for Racially 'Insensitive' Content
Fox News
… A historic Memphis, Tennessee, theater, which has shown “Gone With the Wind” screenings for 34 years, has decided to remove the classic film from its schedule due to its racially “insensitive” content … “The Orpheum appreciates feedback on its programming from all members of the mid-south community,” Orpheum president Bret Batterson said in a statement … Movie-goers took to the Orpheum’s Facebook page to blast the theater’s decision … Many people called for a boycott on the theater’s Facebook page. “Gone With The Wind” won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture. Hattie McDaniel, who played “Mammy” was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award.
-
Israeli Settlements in Palestinian West Bank are 'Here to Stay Forever,' Vows Netanyahu
The Independent (Britain)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that his country will never give up its settlements on Palestinian land, saying in a speech to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War that “we are here to stay forever”. “There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel. It has been proven that it does not help peace,” he said. “We’ve uprooted settlements. What did we get? We received missiles. It will not happen anymore, he said in a speech on Monday in Barkan, a settlement near Tel Aviv. “We are here to stay, forever.” Israel annexed East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank in the 1967 war, a move which has never been recognised by the international community.
-
At the Site of Germany’s Biggest World War II Battle, a Changing View of History
A. Smale - The New York Times
… The tranquil flat plain of the Oder River and into neighboring Poland. This being the site of the biggest World War II battle on German soil … The finding, in May, confirmed once more the blood-soaked nature of the Oder plain, where tens of thousands of soldiers on the Soviet and Nazi sides perished in the April 1945 battle for the Seelow Heights. The rocky outcrop rises just 100 meters above the plain, about 325 feet, but it gave some 80,000 Germans sufficient cover to dig in and slaughter many of the up to one million Soviet troops sent in waves to overwhelm the enemy and clear the way to Berlin. This history has never ceased to leave its mark, making Seelow a showcase for that unfailing truth of war: To the victors go the spoils, especially the chance to impose their version of events.
-
Portion of a British documentary. With stunning footage of the furious Soviet barrage that preceeded an immense attack. For some time the German defenders held off the Soviet forces, under the comand of General Zhukov, which were vastly superior in numbers of men, artillery and tanks. Runtime: 5:21 mins.
-
Defeat in the East, 1945: Russia Conquers
Charles Lutton – Institute For Historical Review
Most of the actual fighting during the Second World War took place on the Eastern Front between the Soviet Union and Germany and her allies. The last stages of the war in the East are vividly described by the German journalist and historian, Juergen Thorwald. In Defeat in the East, Thorwald traces the military debacle of the Third Reich and shows what happened to the civilian population wherever the Red Army conquered.
-
When American Jews Fought Nazis — in New Jersey
J. Dolsten – JTA
… Across the country [in the 1930s], Jews would fight Nazis on an ad hoc basis. But in Newark, a more organized group emerged: the Minutemen. Jewish mobster Meyer Lansky had started the group in New York, but the Minutemen were shut down there by the authorities after some Jews reported them, fearing the use of violence would lead to an increase in anti-Semitism. In Newark, however, the Minutemen took hold, aided by another Jewish gangster, Abner “Longy” Zwillman, and led by former professional boxer Nat Arno. On October 18, 1933, JTA reported on a typical clash, outside a Nazi meeting at a German auditorium: “The meeting, at the Schwabenhalle, under the auspices of the Friends of the New Germany … was the target for stones and stench bombs thrown by the anti-Nazis in the crowd of about one thousand who waited outside the hall.”
-
This week’s cover of a popular German news magazine depicting U.S. President Donald Trump draped in the American flag while giving a stiff-armed Nazi salute is drawing sharp criticism from a prominent Jewish group. Stern magazine’s illustration is part of a cover story headlined “Sein Kampf,” which translates as “His Struggle,” and is a play on Adolf Hitler’s infamous “Mein Kampf.” Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center says … “the depiction of the president as a latter-day Hitler by a major German publication is untrue and beyond the pale.” It says “Germans must surely know that by misappropriating” Nazi symbols, “they belittle and becloud” past crimes.