Fed Up with Google, Conspiracy Theorists Turn to DuckDuckGo: Stuart A. Thompson, NY Times, Feb. 28, 2022 “Praise for DuckDuckGo has become a popular refrain during the pandemic among right-wing social media influencers and conspiracy theorists who question Covid-19 vaccines and push discredited coronavirus treatments. Some have posted screenshots showing that DuckDuckGo appears to surface more links favorable to their views than Google does. In addition to Mr. Rogan, who has recently been at the center of an outcry about misinformation on his podcast, the search engine has received ringing endorsements from some of the world’s most-downloaded conservative podcasters, including Ben Shapiro and Dan Bongino. … The endorsements underscore how right-wing Americans and conspiracy theorists are shifting their online activity in response to greater moderation from tech giants like Google. They have increasingly embraced fledgling and sometimes fringe platforms like the chat app Telegram, the video streamer Rumble and even search engines like DuckDuckGo, seeking conditions that seem more favorable to their conspiracy theories and falsehoods.”
The Ottawa Truck Convoy Has Revealed the Ugly Side of Freedom: Beverley McLachlin, The Globe and Mail, Feb. 23, 2022
“During the truck convoy protests, we have watched banners demanding “freedom” waving over big rigs parked in front of Parliament. But what does this vaunted “freedom” mean? The answer is, everything and nothing. Everything: the right not to wear masks in public places; the right not to be vaccinated; the right to hold Ottawa’s downtown residents and businesses hostage; the right to malign public officials and call for the Prime Minister’s death; the right to shout epithets at people of colour. And nothing. … The Charter gives Canadians a bundle of rights and freedoms. But it prefaces them with this caution … Inevitably, some people will disagree with where a particular government has drawn a particular limit, how long that limit should be maintained and how it should be enforced. If we care about our democracy and common future together, we will submit to those limits in the short run and use elections and courts to hold governments responsible in the longer run. The danger is that people who disagree with particular limits on the exercise of rights that governments have drawn may become impatient and decide to take matters into their own hands, threatening the welfare of people around them and, more broadly, the constitutional framework that allows us to continue to live together…” [Beverley McLachlin is a former Canadian Chief Justice — Editor]
Europe’s Russian Gas Habit Isn’t a Matter of Survival, But Convenience. That Means It’s Time to Quit: Doug Saunders, The Globe and Mail, Feb. 25, 2022
“Mr. Putin does not control Europe’s destiny with his grip on the gas valve. Rather, he is forcing Europe to make difficult choices it should have confronted a decade ago: to stop financing Mr. Putin’s regime with gas purchases., to stop fearing a Russia drawn closer to China for its financial survival, to make a long-needed transition to green electric heating and energy sources whose supply doesn’t endanger entire populations. As painful as it will be, it’s time to quit the Russian gas habit.” — [The piece advances, in the midst of deepening crisis, as a solution precisely what created the problem in the first place—a premature and incomplete “green” transition which made Europe dependent on Russian oil and gas—Editor]
“Whoever tries to hinder us, and even more so, to create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate. And it will lead you to such consequences that you have never encountered in your history.” – Russian President Vladimir Putin implying that he could launch nuclear weapons against any country that interferes with his military campaign in Ukraine. (CBC, Feb. 25, 2022)
“I hope President Putin will help us to stay on track with respect to what we need to do for the climate.” — Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. He warned in an interview about “massive emissions consequences” from a Russian war against Ukraine, which he also said would be a distraction from work on climate change. (WSJ, Feb. 24, 2022)
“President Biden’s view is that we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, on oil in general, and need to at other ways of having energy in our country and others.” — White House press secretary Jen Psaki explaining why the Biden administration does not think increasing American energy production is the right way to deal with Europe’s reliance on Russian oil and gas. (Real Clear Politics, Feb. 27, 2022)
“…Putin knew the U.S. and NATO would not intervene to fight alongside of Ukraine. Western leaders had publicly ruled that out. . . ’That was the biggest missing piece. … He was content to take that sanctions risk because to him that risk looked calculable’, said Jonathan Eyal of the RUSI think-tank in London. “He didn’t befuddle us, he didn’t bamboozle us, — we knew what he was up to. The only problem was that we were not prepared to take the ultimate risk. . . the U.S. saw what was coming. …” – Political columnist Mark Trevelyan. (National Post, Feb. 25, 2022)
“‘It is not Vladimir Putin who has changed; it is American leadership that has changed. … [Putin] has shown from day one that he is largely unconcerned with Western sanctions. . .failures of American leadership. … were a green light’ for other adversaries, including North Korea, China and Iran ‘to disrupt peace and make war. . .’ ” — former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (National Post, Feb. 25, 2022)
“Inevitably, the limited scope of our response will lead to bitter disappointment among the [Ukrainians]. E-mails from Ukrainian friends speak … of the West imposing a no-fly zone, denying Ukrainian airspace to Russian planes. NATO is not going to do that. Like the Czechs in 1938, the Poles in 1945, like Hungarians in 1956, … Ukrainians will say, “You, our fellow Europeans, have abandoned us.”— political columnist Timothy Garton Ash. (The Globe and Mail, Feb. 25, 2022)
“What they’re doing looks like a complete mess, they have no idea where they’re going, where they are, what their missions are, what zip code they’re in, their GPS location, nothing.” — Kyiv-born Sergei Nowitzki, 38 commenting on the Russian soldiers in the Ukraine. Nowitzki who came to Israel as a teenager and served in the IDF said he felt obligated to go help his relatives still living in Ukraine. (WIN, Mar. 1, 2022)
THOUSANDS ATTEND TEL AVIV PROTEST AGAINST RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE (Tel Aviv) –– Thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Social media showed swarms of people of all ages holding signs and chanting, calling on the Israeli government to stand up against Moscow. Several ambassadors to Israel from the former Soviet Union were present. (JNS, Feb. 27, 2022)RUSSIAN FORCES CAPTURE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (Chernobyl) –– Russian forces captured the Chernobyl power plant north of Kyiv on Thursday afternoon, the first day of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, “after a fierce battle.” The condition of the plant and its nuclear waste storage facilities are unknown. (Jewish Press, Feb. 24, 2022)
NATO ACTIVATING ‘DEFENSE PLANS’ FOR ALLIES AS RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE (Brussels) — NATO is activating its “defense plans” for allied countries as Russia attacks non-NATO member Ukraine, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg also confirmed that NATO will hold a video summit to discuss the Russian invasion of its pro-Western neighbor. He also reiterated that NATO had no “plans” to send alliance troops to Ukraine. It is the first time the alliance has publicly said it is activating its defense plans, which were drawn up after Russia’s 2014 invasion and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. (The Defense Post, Feb. 24, 2022)
RUSSIAN GAS FLOWS TO EUROPE VIA UKRAINE REPORTEDLY JUMPED NEARLY 40% ON THURSDAY, UNDERSCORING THE CONTINENT’S DEPENDENCE ON PUTIN’S ENERGY (Moscow) — Natural gas exports flowing from Russia to Europe through Ukraine ramped up, jumping by nearly 38% from a day earlier. Figures from Ukraine’s grid operator further showed that these flows were expected to rise by around 24% on Friday compared with Thursday’s levels. (Business Insider, Feb. 25, 2022)
TURKEY TO BLOCK RUSSIAN WARSHIPS FROM ENTERING BLACK SEA (Ankara) — Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s Foreign Minister, called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “war,” and said his country, a NATO member, would block Russian ships deployed in the attack from entering the Black Sea. Turkey will implement the 1936 Montreux Convention, whose signatories include France, Germany, Greece, Japan, and Britain, which allows Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to warships when it is at war or threatened. (The Globe and Mail, Feb. 27, 2022)
CANADA BANNING CRUDE OIL IMPORTS FROM RUSSIA, SENDING ANTI-TANK WEAPONS TO UKRAINE (Ottawa) — Canada will send at least 100 anti-tank weapons and 2,000 rockets to Ukraine to help bolster their defence against increasingly aggressive Russian military advances. The government also barred Canadian banks from conducting any transactions with the Russian Central Bank, a move taken along a host of G7 and NATO allies. (National Post, Feb. 28, 2022)
RUSSIAN ADVANCE ON KYIV ‘STALLED,’ PENTAGON OFFICIAL SAYS (Kyiv). A senior U.S. defense official said the Russian military’s advance on Kyiv has “stalled” because of logistical issues. At the same time, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of war crimes after an apparent strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. According to the assessment, some Russian troops may be running out of food, while the U.S. has indications that several Russian units may have surrendered without a fight. (National Review, Mar. 1, 2022)
RUSSIAN STRIKE ON KYIV TV TOWER KILLS FIVE, HITS BABI YAR HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL SITE (Kyiv) — Ukrainian and Israeli officials denounced a Russian missile strike on Kyiv’s television tower that killed at least five people and struck the site of the Babi Yar massacre, where the Nazis slaughtered over 33,000 Jews. Babi Yar, also known as Babyn Yar, is the Ukrainian ravine where on Yom Kippur eve in September 1941, more than 33,000 Jews were shot dead during just two days by the Nazis. (Algemeiner, Mar. 1, 2022)
5TH FLEET CHIEF HINTS US PATROLS PERSIAN GULF WITH ISRAELI DRONE BOATS (Jerusalem) — The commander of the US Navy’s Middle East-based 5th Fleet stationed in Bahrain, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, hinted in an interview with CNN about the involvement of unmanned Israeli vessels in joint operations with the Americans in the Middle East. Last Monday, the 5th Fleet announced the launch of a new joint fleet of unmanned sea drones with allied nations to patrol vast sections of the Persian Gulf to confront Iran. (Jewish Press, Feb. 24, 2022)
SAUDI POLITICAL ANALYST SUPPORTS TIES WITH ISRAEL, SAYS IRAN ‘MOST DANGEROUS COUNTRY’ (Riyadh) — Saudi political analyst Ahmad Al-Rokban, the director-general of the media department at Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University, said in an interview that Iran is “the most dangerous country in this day and age.” According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) report, Rokban told Iraqi Al-Ahd TV earlier this month that Israel is not the only country “plundered,” Iran also plunders Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Bahrain. (JNS, Feb. 28, 2022)
AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF CONGRESSMAN TED DEUTCH AS NEXT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (Washington) — American Jewish Committee (AJC) appointed Ted Deutch, member of the United States House of Representatives and lifelong Jewish and pro-Israel activist, as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2022. Rep. Deutch will replace AJC CEO David Harris, who has led the organization since 1990. Rep. Deutch is known for reaching across party lines to build bipartisan consensus. He has been a champion in Congress on issues of concern to the Jewish community – most notably, combating antisemitism, supporting the State of Israel, and countering the threats posed by Iran. (AJC, Feb. 28, 2022)
UNAPOLOGETIC, ANTISEMITIC CAIR EXECUTIVE BACK ON THE JOB (Washington) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) punishment for an antisemitic rant, coming from an employee with a history of antisemitic hate speech, appears to be two months off. Zahra Billoo has returned to work as executive director of CAIR’s San Francisco/Bay Area chapter, just two months after announcing a “sabbatical.” (IPT News, Feb. 25, 2022)
NEARLY HALF OF CANADIANS SAY THEIR IMPRESSIONS OF TRUDEAU HAVE WORSENED OVER CONVOY PROTEST RESPONSE: POLL (Ottawa) — The Nanos Research survey found that just 20 per cent of Canadians said their impressions of PM Justin Trudeau improved over his government’s response to the trucker demonstrations, while 31 per cent said it had no impact and 2 per cent said they were unsure. The poll, commissioned by The Globe and Mail, also revealed a gender divide in the opinions of the Prime Minister, with 51 per cent of men saying their impressions of Mr. Trudeau worsened, compared to 42 per cent of women. (The Globe and Mail, Feb. 25, 2022)
TORONTO MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS GIVE A JEWISH TEACHER THE HITLER SALUTE (Toronto) – Police and school authorities are investigating an incident in which Toronto middle school students gave the Hitler salute to a teacher who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. The incident is the third such display of Nazi symbology at middle schools in North York, a Toronto district. (JTA, Feb. 22, 2022)
CANADIAN NEO-NAZI ON TRIAL IN MONTREAL FOR ‘DAILY STORMER’ INCITEMENT (Montreal) — A Canadian neo-Nazi is on trial in a Montreal court for the “willful promotion” of antisemitic and hateful propaganda online. Gabriel Sohier-Chaput, 35, is alleged to have used the online pseudonym “Zeiger” when posting articles at the notorious neo-Nazi website, the “Daily Stormer.” The article celebrated neo-Nazi posters pasted on a bus stop in British Columbia and insulted a Holocaust survivor, saying he only survived “for now.” (Algemeiner, Mar. 1, 2022)
Jewish News You Must Know About the Russia-Ukraine War: Pesach Benson, United With Israel, Feb. 28, 2022 — Talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations began at the Belarus border but fighting continues. Social media photos and videos indicated particularly heavy shelling on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.WATCH: Hamas Support for Russia Puts Itself on the Wrong Side of History: United With Israel, Feb. 28, 2022
