Daily Briefing: MEDIA-OCRITY OF THE WEEK (June 24,2020)

Why Is the G.O.P. Fighting to Preserve Monuments to Traitors in the Capitol?:  Editorial Board, NYTimes, June 19, 2020

“Now, Congress is taking its own halting steps forward. On Thursday, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, announced that portraits of four former House speakers who also served the Confederacy would be removed from display in the Capitol in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. (June 19 marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news of the end of slavery — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It has come to be a more general celebration of liberation.)”

A Soft-Handed Predator Masquerading in Manliness:  Timothy Egan, NYTimes, June 19, 2020

“You judge the character of a nation by how it treats fellow humans. Putting kids in cages, ignoring the warning signs of a virus that has killed more than 118,000 people in America, and using force to clear a park of peaceful protesters are among the most awful things that will follow Donald Trump into his dungeon of history. … From the beginning of his presidency, Trump has been toxic to the natural world. He has reversed more than 100 environmental laws, allowing more chemicals in our fruit and reducing air quality to such a degree that it may result in thousands of premature deaths. He is a doge of desecration. It’s almost as if Trump has a master plan to make life miserable for all creatures great and small. But as with most things in his presidency, he has no plan. He’s just getting played by those who do.”
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Weekly Quotes     Short Takes    For Further Reference

                                       WEEKLY QUOTES

“It’s been stunning that all we have gotten from the mainstream media is sort of bovine silence in the face of the complete collapse of the so-called Russiagate scandal, which they did all they could to sensationalize and drive. And it’s, like, not even a whoops. They’re just onto the next false scandal. So, that has been surprising to me that people aren’t concerned about civil liberties and the integrity of our governmental process,” – US Attorney General William Barr told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”  He discussed U.S Attorney John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI’s counterintelligence Russia probe. (Epoch Times, June 22, 2020)

 “The First Amendment prohibits state officials from banning meetings based on the ideas that will be expressed.  State officials have determined that the message behind the current protests is worth saying. But state officials cannot block religious speech while allowing protests simply because the states think the protest speech is more valuable,” — Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Barr, asking him to launch a full scale civil rights investigation into jurisdictions that appear to be singling out religious individuals and groups for restrictions despite allowing George Floyd protests to take place. He ended his letter urging Barr to bring lawsuits that are necessary to secure the First Amendment rights of Americans. (Epoch Times, June 9, 2020)

“Someone has to stop this, and first and foremost that means the liberal establishment. The leaders of universities, foundations, museums, the media and corporations need to draw on their remaining moral authority to make the case for a liberal society. There is a risk that anyone who speaks up, however reasonably, will become a mob target. But if one or two lead, perhaps others will follow. Social comity in a polarized society will not be achieved through coercion and struggle sessions. If liberals won’t stop the Jacobin left, expect a political backlash and social fracture that will make Donald Trump’s Presidency look like a tea party,” – writes the Wall St. Journal editorial board.  They opined against “the wave of resignations, firings, disavowals and forced apologies at institutions large and small” taking place in the US against anyone who expresses an opinion that is not in keeping with left-wing orthodoxy.  (WSJ, June 22, 2020)

“Yes I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down. They are a form of white supremacy. Always have been. In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Demark. Tear them down,” – far-left activist Shaun King tweeted.  (Fox News, June 22, 2020)

‘My father would have said, ‘They ain’t nothing but devils.’ My father said, ‘All lives matter.’ I don’t think he’d agree,” – said Muhammad Ali Jr., the biological son of the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali.  He commented on Black Lives Matter and the violence sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police office. (NY Post, June 20, 2020)

“If we wish to honor the memory of George Floyd, tomorrow’s urgent debate on racism and police brutality must be serious and credible — and not become a farce. Accordingly, we propose that Council members, which practice systematic racism or police brutality refrain from taking part — that they recuse themselves. We ask Mauritania: given that you have an estimated 500,000 black slaves, with CNN referring to Mauritania as “slavery’s last stronghold,” will your country recuse itself from this urgent debate on racism against blacks? We ask Libya: given that your country subjects up to a million African migrants to virtual slavery—trapped in a terrifying cycle of extortion, imprisonment, forced labor and prostitution—will Libya recuse itself? We ask Eritrea: given that your country has been condemned—by this Council itself—for “systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations,” including arbitrary detention and torture, will Eritrea recuse itself? We ask Cameroon: given that your country systematically bans peaceful demonstrations, crushes protests by the English-speaking population, and has committed atrocities, including massacring civilians, rape, and burning villages, will Cameroon recuse itself? We ask the Democratic Republic of Congo: aside from being the rape capital of the world, given that your police just 2 months ago killed 55 people, in a coordinated crackdown on a religious sect, will DRC recuse itself? We ask Venezuela: given that in just 5 days last year, your forces killed 47 protesters, and arbitrarily detained 900 people, will the Maduro government recuse itself? Mr. Chairman, when will the UN stop electing racists and oppressors to be judges on human rights?” – UNWatch Executive Director Hillel Neuer delivered this statement before the United Nations Human Rights Council, in its debate on June 16, 2020.  (UNWatch, June 17, 2020)
 

POLL SHOWS LIKUD SURGE IF ELECTIONS HELD TODAY (Jerusalem) — The survey by veteran Israeli pollster Rafi Smith showed that if elections were held in Israel now, the Likud party would come away with 41 seats and its traditional right-wing partners would have enough mandates for Netanyahu to form a right-wing coalition government – something he failed to do in the past three consecutive elections that each produced inconclusive results. The 41 seats represents a gain of five seats over the 36 it won this March, while Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White would lose six seats and win only 10, the poll revealed. (WIN, June 17, 2020)NETANYAHU WARNS GANTZ: ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY OR NEW ELECTIONS (Jerusalem) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brought down the hammer on Defense Minister Benny Gantz, telling him if he doesn’t support his push for sovereignty then he can expect a fourth election.  Gantz, who leads the Blue and White party, and competed as Netanyahu’s main opponent in the last election before joining as a coalition partner in the government, is also slated to become prime minister after 18 months. Netanyahu is surprised by Gantz’s resistence to his plan to extend sovereignty over areas of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley. (WIN, June 22, 2020)

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO HOLD ‘DRAMATIC’ MEETING ON ISRAEL’S SOVEREIGNTY BID (Washington) — Senior U.S. administration officials will hold a meeting this week on whether or not to give the green light to the Israeli government to apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley, and parts of Judea and Samaria. U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman will travel to Washington, D.C., and peace envoy Avi Berkowitz, who was supposed to travel to Israel this week, will join Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, senior adviser to and son-in-law of the president Jared Kushner, and National Security Advisor Richard O’Brien for the discussions. (WIN, June 22, 2020)

CANADA CONDEMNS ISRAEL ANNEXATION PLANS (Ottawa) — During a telephone conversation this week, Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne told PA Foreign Affairs chief Riyad Malki that if Canada joins the UN Security Council, it “will not remain silent” and will “speak out for peace and stability in the Middle East,” the report says. For his part, Malki urged Champagne to consider imposing sanctions on Israel if it acts on annexation. Canada did not win a seat on the UN Security Council.  The two available Western seats went to Ireland and Norway.  (JOL, June 17, 2020)

IAEA CALL OUT IRAN FOR ITS OTHER NUCLEAR VIOLATIONS (Vienna) — the IAEA’s board of governors called Iran out. The resolution noted that nearly yearlong discussions “to clarify Agency questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear related activities in Iran have not led to progress.” It demanded that Tehran provide “prompt access to the locations specified by the Agency.” Earlier this month an IAEA report criticized Iran for scrubbing possible former nuclear facilities. It further expressed concern about the location of a metal disk made of uranium and research in the early 2000s that used other undeclared nuclear material. Iran says the allegations are based on “fabricated” Israeli intelligence. If that’s true, why not open up the sites and prove Jerusalem wrong? (WSJ, June 22, 2020)

JEWS MOST TARGETED GROUP FOR HATE CRIMES IN TORONTO (Toronto) — Newly revealed police data shows that Jews were once again the most targeted group for hate crimes in both Toronto and York Region in 2019. These numbers are consistent with what was recently reported in B’nai Brith Canada’s 2019 Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, which found an alarming 62.8 per cent increase in the number of incidents in Ontario compared to the previous year. In total, 44 out of 139 hate-related incidents recorded in the city of Toronto last year targeted the Jewish community, amounting to 32% of all hate crimes. (WIN, June 18, 2020)

NEW TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY STUDY SHOWS MASSIVE WAVE OF CORONAVIRUS-RELATED ANTISEMITISM SWEEPING GLOBE (Tel Aviv) — A new study published showed a wave of antisemitism has swept the world during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The study by Tel Aviv University’s Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry was based on hundreds of reports from around the world, and showed that coronavirus-inspired antisemitism has gone viral on social media networks, with widespread claims Jews either created the disease or were profiting from it. The report stated that coronavirus-related antisemitism was strongest in the US and the Middle East — particularly in Iran, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority. Among the specific assertions is that Jews have been infected with the virus because they rejected and crucified Jesus. (Algemeiner,June 23, 2020)

U.N. PRESENTS ANTI-ISRAEL BLACKLIST OF 112 COMPANIES, NAMES AIRBNB, GENERAL MILLS, MOTOROLA, BEZEQ & BANK LEUMI(Geneva) — U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet appeared in person this week before the U.N. human rights council to present an unprecedented blacklist of 112 companies doing business “related to settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” which for the U.N. includes the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. The blacklist, originally released online in February, was warmly endorsed by numerous countries like Iran, Syria and North Korea who took the floor in Monday’s agenda item against Israel, a permanent feature of the council. The U.N. blacklist names 94 Israeli companies, including the country’s major banks and its water, railway and telephone utilities, as well as 18 international companies including Airbnb, Motorola, and General Mills. (UNWatch, June 19, 2020)

NASHVILLE HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL VANDALIZED WITH ANTI-SEMITIC MESSAGE (Nashville) — The Nashville Holocaust Memorial on the grounds of the Gordon Jewish Community Center was vandalized with an anti-Semitic message over the weekend. White-supremacist-oriented graffiti was discovered on Saturday. The words were spray-painted in black on a white bed sheet that hung on the walls of the memorial, which includes names of Holocaust victims who were killed and survivors who are deceased, a symbolic sculpture, eternal flame and chairs forming in a half circle where visitors can sit and reflect. (WIN, June 16, 2020)

 ‘IT’S THE INTIFADA IN FRANCE’: MUSLIM GANGS CLASH IN STREETS OF DIJON (Dijon) — Heavily armed Chechen and North African gangs clashed in the streets of the French city of Dijon over the past few days. In addition to the “four days of urban guerrilla warfare between Maghreb and Chechen community militias,” Habib pointed out the June 16 health care riots in Paris and the June 15 anti-racism rally in which protesters shouted “dirty Jews.” (WIN, June 23, 2020)

NEW YORK CITY SEES TIDAL WAVE OF SHOOTINGS OVER WEEKEND (NYC) — The number of shootings in New York City skyrocketed at an alarming rate, with 51 shooting incidents recorded since last Monday. On Saturday alone, 24 people were shot in 18 separate incidents over 12 hours, and on Friday 17 people were injured and one killed in 12 shooting incidents. (WIN, June 22, 2020)

TUCKER CARLSON’S BLACK LIVES MATTER REMARKS ALIENATE FOX NEWS ADVERTISERS (NYC) — The conservative-leaning news channel has seen several companies say they will no longer run their commercials in the top-rated prime-time program “Tucker Carlson Tonight” due to the host’s recent comments on Black Lives Matter, the movement denouncing police brutality and racial bias that has gained substantial support among protesters nationwide in recent weeks following the death of George Floyd. (Los Angeles Times, June 11, 2020)

AUNT JEMIMA’S GREAT-GRANDSON ENRAGED AS QUAKER OATS DROPS ICONIC BRAND (Chicago) — Quaker Oats thought it was parading its anti-racist bona fides with its June 17 announcement that it would remove the image of Aunt Jemima from the packaging and change the brand name of its popular maple syrup and pancake mix. The company may end up having done the opposite. Larnell Evans Sr., great-grandson of the woman whose likeness was on the package, told website the Patch, that the company is erasing his family history. In the wake of protests following the killing of George Floyd on May 25, Quaker Oats said that the Aunt Jemima products “are based on a racial stereotype.” (WIN, June 21, 2020)

ISRAELIS LOOKING TO HARNESS LOCAL BROMINE TO PRODUCE REVOLUTIONARY NEW BATTERY (Haifa) — Groundbreaking Israeli efforts to develop an affordable, rechargeable battery to store solar and wind energy using a locally mined resource could put the country at the forefront of the world’s renewable energy revolution in less than three years. Researchers at the Technion in the northern city of Haifa are partnering with a US company that already sells storage batteries in order to develop a cheaper, more efficient version that, competitively priced, could outstrip what the market offers today. (Times of Israel, June 24, 2020)
 

US Pressuring Jordan to Extradite Female Terrorist Who Killed 2 Americans:  Avi Abelow, JOL, June 22, 2020 — The United States is considering halting aid to Jordan to pressure Jordan to extradite terrorist Ahmad Tamimi, on the FBI most-wanted list for her role in the 2001 suicide bombing at the Jerusalem Sbarro pizzeria that killed 15 people including two American citizens.

Professor Compares American Flag to Swastika and Burning Crosses:  Phil Schneider, Israel Unwired, July 15, 2019 — Today as in the past, the American flag symbolizes freedom. It stands for freedom from oppression, freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

WATCH: Thug who Punched 92-Year-Old Woman in Manhattan Arrested: World Israel News, June 17, 2020 — The thug who punched a 92-year-old woman in Manhattan was arrested on Tuesday. Rashid Brimmage, 31, turned out to be a career criminal and sex offender with more than 100 arrests.