FBI Whistleblower Steve Friend, a Messenger Worthy of the Message - John Nantz

 

by John Nantz

The FBI is broken, but can it be fixed?

 

The FBI is a threat to our civil liberties, at least with the current crop of HQ executives at the helm. Coupled with a Department of Justice, led by a Democrat party apparatchik, there has hardly been a time when the liberties enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution have endured such a subversive attack.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland is a coward. You can see it in his soft, watery eyes. He simply does the bidding of his addled master, targeting the little guy — the most at-risk among us. Garland stands with his baton extended toward school board moms and January 6th attendees while a legion of his DOJ and FBI storm troops usher from the darkened denizens of the Hoover Building, backed by his cadre of Assistant U.S. Attorneys General.

What many people do not understand is the FBI and DOJ work hand-in-glove. The FBI collects information and builds a case, while DOJ brings prosecution. Consequently, the FBI Director, Christopher Wray, is lorded over by the U.S. Attorney General, his immediate boss. A courageous FBI Director would balk at Garland’s fascism, but Director Wray has made no attempt to protest.

So, there is no calumny perpetrated by the FBI that does not have its inception within the halls of DOJ, and there is no DOJ cabal that isn’t given birth within the Oval Office. Every executive power devolves from the Chief Executive, the President. Or, from whoever is filling the role of puppeteer these days. As President Truman said, “the buck stops here.”

Under such a dysfunctional regime, the responsibility to speak out devolves to those courageous souls with fractional power and with everything to lose. Several FBI whistleblowers have made their voices heard in recent weeks, but none as thoughtfully or as professionally as Special Agent Steve Friend — a messenger worthy of the message.

Friend recently gave an exclusive interview to Dan Bongino and discussed his personal experience when convicted by conscience to speak out about violations of FBI policy, and the FBI’s posture regarding the January 6th investigation. Friend, in contradistinction to others, conducted himself in an entirely professional manner. He focused his comments on the critical issues, highlighting the problems and not his personality. Clearly, Friend isn’t about personal aggrandizement, he’s part of the quiet professional cadre. You hear it in his measured words, his precision with language, and in his avoidance of ad hominem attacks on private individuals within the FBI — which only serve ego and divert attention from the critical message.

Friend isn’t disgruntled, a broken toy, or a performance problem, he’s persuaded by conscience and therein lies a world of difference. He’s someone to be taken seriously, not a clown show enjoying his five minutes of fame. Friend needs to be heard, because what he says rings with sincerity. It’s not just enough to get the message out there, it has to be carried by serious individuals; otherwise, the adversary will have a jolly time conflating the issues with buffoonery.

Some may object that Trump was hardly the perfect messenger and that his coarse personality detracted from the Make America Great Again message. However, the critical difference is this: Trump’s bombast was effective, welled up from a pure intention, and rallied thinking people to his message.

He’s an invective savant and a virtuoso at striking the delicate balance between humor and vitriol. There are, perhaps, a handful of people with that kind of talent — who truly understand their audience. And, what’s effective for a political figure with a lifetime of experience, making deals and creating empires, doesn’t suit a neophyte with an axe to grind — it’s about as effective as a blind man juggling nitroglycerin.

But, Friend is no neophyte and he doesn’t seem to be motivated by a stale grudge. His eyes are clear and his purpose is sharp and clean. Friend claims the FBI disseminated January 6th leads nation-wide to create the appearance of a ubiquitous white supremacist threat. He claims he was suspended without pay for bringing his concerns to FBI management and for refusing to participate in SWAT operations against individuals charged with misdemeanor offenses.

Friend told Just the News, “We took an oath, before our family and our friends and the Lord Almighty, and we are supposed to be people of integrity.” This is the kind of person you want out front on issues so critical to the future of the American Republic. Friend also objects to being listed as a case agent on January 6th matters that he did not personally investigate. Friend rightly believes this to be in contradiction to FBI DIOG rules — the FBI bible on investigative practices and procedures. He also expressed concerns surrounding the overuse of FBI SWAT in January 6th investigations, and the potential for an unnecessary escalation in use of force.

All of these concerns are valid. No sane person wants another Ruby Ridge. And, the FBI must be held accountable for infractions of its own policy, certainly for its disregard for the civil rights of those on the Republican side of the isle — who espouse the MAGA perspective.

The FBI tradition is honored by people like Steve Friend, and he deserves the support of the retired FBI agent community, as well as currently employed special agents.

The FBI is broken, but it can be fixed. Calls to abolish the FBI are simply misguided. What would replace it? The U.S. Marine Corps has issues, but wouldn’t it be foolish to argue for its abolition? At the FBI and DOJ the head is corrupt. Rejuvenate the head of the beast and the body will heal. In November, we have an opportunity to move in the right direction. Simply put, AG Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray must go.

John Nantz

Source: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fbi-whistleblower-steve-friend-a-messenger-worthy-of-the-message/

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Russia, Iran's Mullahs Deepen Ties to Crush Ukraine: Why Is Biden Administration Silent? - Majid Rafizadeh

 

by Majid Rafizadeh

This raises the question: Is the Biden administration so deeply in the thrall of Russia that Biden is actually "in Putin's pocket"?

• In August 2015, Obama spelled out what his deal would accomplish. It is worth a look at it with the benefit of hindsight....

• What is striking is that just about everything turned out to be exactly the opposite.

• A report by Iran's state-controlled Afkar News bears the title, "American Soil Is Now Within the Range of Iranian Bombs."

• "By sending a military satellite into space, Iran now has shown that it can target all American territory," the report boasts about the damage that the Iranian regime could inflict on the US, "the Iranian parliament had previously warned [the US] that an electromagnetic nuclear attack on the United States would likely kill 90 percent of Americans."

• Russia is now deploying Iranian missiles, Iranian drones and personnel to attack Ukraine, and, incredibly, negotiating for America's interests (supposedly) during the new Iranian nuclear talks in Vienna while the Americans are not allowed in the room.

• This raises the question: Is the Biden administration so deeply in the thrall of Russia that Biden is actually "in Putin's pocket"?

• "Right now, the talks on revival of JCPOA are not on the US agenda," US negotiator Robert Malley told CNN on October 17. The operative words, of course, are "Right now." The Biden administration could be waiting until Congress is in recess for its Christmas break and unable to stop the deal.

• Do not repeat these mistakes again. The Biden administration's feckless leadership keeps empowering the world's most despotic, destabilizing regimes: Iran's mullahs, Russia, the Chinese Communist Party North Korea, Turkey, Venezuela.... Drop the nuclear deal. Not "right now." Forever.

Russia is now deploying Iranian missiles, Iranian drones and personnel to attack Ukraine, and, incredibly, negotiating for America's interests (supposedly) during the new Iranian nuclear talks in Vienna while the Americans are not allowed in the room. This raises the question: Is the Biden administration so deeply in the thrall of Russia that Biden is actually "in Putin's pocket"? Pictured: An Iranian-made Shahed-136 drone used by Russia's armed forces that was shot down near Kupiansk, Ukraine. (Image source: Ukrainian Armed Forces)

The Biden administration appears to be willing to turn a blind eye to crimes committed by the Iranian regime and its staunch ally, Russia, presumably not to jeopardize the revival of former President Barack Obama's disastrous 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The deal would enable the ruling regime of Iran – against whom their own people are heroically rebelling – to soon have an unlimited nuclear weapons capability, unlimited missiles with which to deliver the weapons and empower the regime and its terrorist militia, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with a trillion dollars to wreak more mayhem in the Middle East.

Currently, Iran's toxic regime, whose main outspoken objective is to "export the Revolution," effectively controls, through its terrorist proxies, four other Middle East countries -- Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq -- and appears to be trying to take over Saudi Arabia, as well as much of South America. It continuously threatens to obliterate Israel. The Biden administration nevertheless appears committed to rewarding this unneighborly behavior with unlimited nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and a trillion dollars -- probably during Congress's Christmas recess, when no one will be around to block the deal.

The original deal was sold by Obama in July 2015 as an attempt to give Iran the chance to "change" its hostile policies and behavior:

"But it is possible to change. The path of violence and rigid ideology, a foreign policy based on threats to attack your neighbors or eradicate Israel -- that's a dead end. A different path, one of tolerance and peaceful resolution of conflict, leads to more integration into the global economy, more engagement with the international community, and the ability of the Iranian people to prosper and thrive."

A few weeks later, in August 2015, Obama spelled out what his deal would accomplish. It is worth a look at it with the benefit of hindsight:

"After two years of negotiations, we have achieved a detailed arrangement that permanently prohibits Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. It cuts off all of Iran's pathways to a bomb. It contains the most comprehensive inspection and verification regime ever negotiated to monitor a nuclear program....

"Under this deal, Iran cannot acquire the plutonium needed for a bomb. The core of its heavy-water reactor at Arak will be pulled out, filled with concrete, and replaced with one that will not produce plutonium for a weapon. The spent fuel from that reactor will be shipped out of the country, and Iran will not build any new heavy-water reactors for at least 15 years.

"Iran will also not be able to acquire the enriched uranium that could be used for a bomb. As soon as this deal is implemented, Iran will remove two-thirds of its centrifuges. For the next decade, Iran will not enrich uranium with its more advanced centrifuges. Iran will not enrich uranium at the previously undisclosed Fordow facility, which is buried deep underground, for at least 15 years. Iran will get rid of 98 percent of its stockpile of enriched uranium, which is currently enough for up to 10 nuclear bombs, for the next 15 years. Even after those 15 years have passed, Iran will never have the right to use a peaceful program as cover to pursue a weapon.

"And, in fact, this deal shuts off the type of covert path Iran pursued in the past. There will be 24/7 monitoring of Iran's key nuclear facilities. For decades, inspectors will have access to Iran's entire nuclear supply chain -- from the uranium mines and mills where they get raw materials, to the centrifuge production facilities where they make machines to enrich it.

"Well, here's the truth: Inspectors will be allowed daily access to Iran's key nuclear sites. If there is a reason for inspecting a suspicious, undeclared site anywhere in Iran, inspectors will get that access, even if Iran objects.... The bottom line is, if Iran cheats, we can catch them -- and we will.

"Second, there are those who argue that the deal isn't strong enough because some of the limitations on Iran's civilian nuclear program expire in 15 years. Let me repeat: The prohibition on Iran having a nuclear weapon is permanent. The ban on weapons-related research is permanent. Inspections are permanent.

"And that's why our best analysts expect the bulk of this revenue to go into spending that improves the economy and benefits the lives of the Iranian people.

What is striking is that just about everything turned out to be exactly the opposite.

Russia is now deploying Iranian missiles, Iranian drones and personnel to attack Ukraine, and, incredibly, negotiating for America's interests (supposedly) during the new Iranian nuclear talks in Vienna while the Americans are not allowed in the room.

This raises the question: Is the Biden administration so deeply in the thrall of Russia that Biden is actually "in Putin's pocket"?

"Right now, the talks on revival of JCPOA are not on the US agenda," US negotiator Robert Malley told CNN on October 17. The operative words, of course, are "Right now." The Biden administration could be waiting until Congress is in recess for its Christmas break and unable to stop the deal.

When the Iranian regime first began supplying Russia with drones, the mullahs witnessed no repercussions, or even a firm stance, from the Biden administration. Consequently, the Iranians reportedly have now started dispatching military personnel to occupied territory in Ukraine to help the Russians swallow up Ukraine. According to the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

"The Russians took Iranian instructors to the territory of the temporarily occupied Kherson Region and Crimea to launch Shahed-136 kamikaze drones. According to the underground, the Iranians are based in the settlements of Zalizniy Port, Hladivtsi (Kherson region), and Dzhankoy (Crimea). They teach the Russians how to use kamikaze drones, and directly monitor the launch of drones on Ukrainian civilian targets, including strikes on Mykolaiv and Odesa. The instructors are based on the premises that the Russians seized during the occupation.... Iran helps the aggressor not only with equipment but also with people.... We will remind you that the Russians place their military equipment and personnel on the territory of schools and hospitals, using children and patients as human shields."

This is the first time Iranian weapons have been actively deployed on European soil. The Iranian regime will most likely not be satisfied with helping Russia take over just one country.

A report by Iran's state-controlled Afkar News bears the title, "American Soil Is Now Within the Range of Iranian Bombs."

"By sending a military satellite into space, Iran now has shown that it can target all American territory," the report boasts about the damage that the Iranian regime could inflict on the US, "the Iranian parliament had previously warned [the US] that an electromagnetic nuclear attack on the United States would likely kill 90 percent of Americans."

The report also threatens the EU, which is also in favor of reviving the nuclear deal:

"The same type of ballistic missile technology used to launch the satellite could carry nuclear, chemical or even biological weapons to wipe Israel off the map, hit US bases and allies in the region and US facilities, and target NATO even in the far west of Europe."

No one seems to be mentioning that it was the Obama-Biden nuclear deal which played a critical role in allowing the ruling mullahs to freely export and import weapons. One concession that the Obama-Biden administration gave to the ruling mullahs of Iran was setting a date when Iran's arms embargo would be lifted. The Obama administration agreed to add a provision to the nuclear deal allowing the arms embargo to be lifted

The arms embargo on Iranian regime encompasses a wide range of weapons, including heavy artillery, combat aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems (including target drones and reconnaissance drones), cruise missiles, battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, attack helicopters, some missiles and missile launchers, and warships.

It is mind-boggling that the Obama-Biden administration decided to include such an extremely dangerous provision in the nuclear deal. Both Democrats and Republicans were, in fact, stunned by the move. "It blows my mind that the administration would agree to lift the arms and missile bans," then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, pointed out.

The Trump administration and the then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who attempted to prevent the UN from voting in favor of removing the arms embargo, highlighted:

"Iran will be free to become a rogue weapons dealer, supplying arms to fuel conflicts from Venezuela, to Syria, to the far reaches of Afghanistan."

On June 30, 2020, Pompeo urged the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo on Iran. The Security Council, however -- particularly China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom -- were reluctant to do so.

Thanks to the 2015 nuclear deal, the UN arms embargo on the Iranian regime, the world's top state sponsor of terrorism, was lifted in October 2020, effectively allowing the mullahs legally and freely to export and import advanced weapons.

Do not repeat these mistakes again. The Biden administration's feckless leadership keeps empowering the world's most despotic, destabilizing regimes: Iran's mullahs, Russia, the Chinese Communist Party North Korea, Turkey, Venezuela.... Drop the nuclear deal. Not "right now." Forever.

• Follow Majid Rafizadeh on Twitter

 

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19011/russia-iran-crush-ukraine

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Majority of Americans oppose sex changes for minors: poll - Ben Whedon

 

by Ben Whedon

Republicans (96.8%) and Independents (84.6%) overwhelmingly agreed that the children should be required to wait.

 

Some Republicans are moving to outlaw providing transgender surgeries to minors and a recent poll suggests a majority of Americans share a similar sentiment.

When asked "Do you believe underage minors should be required to wait until they are adults to use puberty blockers and undergo permanent sex change procedures?" an overwhelming 78.7% said the children should wait until reaching the age of maturity in a recent Convention of States Action/Trafalgar Group survey.

Republicans (96.8%) and Independents (84.6%) overwhelmingly agreed that the children should be required to wait. A majority of Democrats, albeit a much narrower one (53.2%), favored making the children wait as well. Leaders in the Democratic Party, however, have more prominently encouraged parents to support their children's chosen gender identities, including President Joe Biden, as Breitbart News noted.

Along racial lines, all ethnic groups demonstrated overwhelmingly consensus on the issue, with the Asian respondents notably backing age restrictions with 100% support.

In August of this year, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced the "Protect Children's Innocence Act" to make providing a host of "gender-affirming" treatments to minors a felony. The survey did not directly ask respondents on criminalizing such treatments.

 
Ben Whedon

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/health/majority-americans-oppose-sex-changes-minors-poll

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Record 2.4 million migrants illegally crossed border in FY2022, almost 4 million total under Biden - Nicholas Ballasy

 

by Nicholas Ballasy

In September, the number of illegal migrant encounters at the border was 227,547, a 12% increase over August

 

Southwest border encounters reached a record of nearly 2.4 million for fiscal year 2022, according to new Customs and Border Protection data released late Friday.

In September, the number of migrant encounters at the border was 227,547, which represents a 12% increase over August.

"Of those, 19% involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average one-year re-encounter rate of 14% for FY2014-2019," according to CBP's monthly operational update for September.

"Almost three-fourths (71%) of all southwest land border encounters were single adults, with 161,381 encounters in September, a 15% increase compared to August," the CBP reported. 

The total encounters border patrol had with migrants at the border during the fiscal year 2022 was 2,378,944. For comparison, 2021 was 1,734,686 and 2020 was 458,088, which was the last full fiscal year of former President Trump's term. In 2019, there was 977,509.  

There have been a total of 4,113,630 encounters at the border since the start of fiscal year 2021. Under President Biden's term beginning in January 2021, specifically, there have been 3,895,594.

Nicholas Ballasy

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/border-encounters-reach-record-nearly-24-million-fy2022-over-4-million

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GOP governors push back as CDC adds COVID vax to immunization schedule despite data on risk to kids - Greg Piper

 

by Greg Piper

New research finds high post-vaccination hospitalization rate in kids under 5, heart inflammation rates in 12-15 that far exceed their peak COVID hospitalization rate.

Following a CDC panel's unanimous vote to add COVID-19 vaccines to the 2023 immunization schedule, several governors — including a centrist Democrat dubbed a potential "answer [to] Democrats' 2024 prayers" — are scrambling to assure their constituents that state requirements aren't changing.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) approval of 3-4 dose COVID shots for adults and children starting at 6 months — a first for vaccines still under emergency use authorization — stands in sharp relief to growing reluctance abroad to jab certain age groups and ongoing research documenting serious adverse events.

The political backlash reflects the general disinclination of American parents to inoculate their preteens against COVID. 

At an infectious disease conference in D.C. that started Wednesday, CDC epidemiologist Ruth Link-Gelles groused that the agency was having trouble measuring vaccine effectiveness in children under 5 "because kids aren't getting vaccinated," which is a "really abysmal ... public health failure," according to notes by CBS reporter Alexander Tin. 

"There just haven't been a lot of hospitalizations over the last year or year and a half in this age group" and, "more importantly," vaccinated hospitalizations, Link-Gelles said.

One of the dissident scientists at Dr. Anthony Fauci's National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Margery Smelkinson, had a different take. "Anyone saying this won't lead to a mandate hasn't been paying attention," she tweeted after the Thursday vote.

Link-Gelles said the low uptake also made it difficult for @CDCgov to measure real-world VE of the shots in children against hospitalization:

"it’s not a great story, mostly because we can’t measure it, because kids aren’t getting vaccinated"https://t.co/ZIJj5ZoypJ pic.twitter.com/aEoB5WtUeE

— Alexander Tin (@Alexander_Tin) October 21, 2022

Anyone saying this won't lead to a mandate hasn't been paying attention.

— Margery Smelkinson, Ph.D. (@MSmelkinsonPhD) October 20, 2022

 

Half an hour after ACIP's vote Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) affirmed his surgeon general's Tuesday promise. "As long as I'm kickin' and screamin', there will be no COVID shot mandates for your kids," he told a press conference. "I get a kick out of it when people kind of compare it to MMR, things that have been around for decades," he said, referring to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Over the next several hours, a procession of Republican governors — including Tennessee's Bill Lee, Alabama's Kay Ivey, Missouri's Mike Parson, Iowa's Kim Reynolds, Oklahoma's Kevin Stitt, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Utah's Spencer Cox — echoed DeSantis' statement, citing the primacy of parental choice and the proactive work of their legislatures. 

Republican governors speaking up Friday include Georgia's Brian Kemp and Arkansas' Asa Hutchinson, who emphasized he encourages Arkansans to get vaccinated but won't require it for schoolchildren or anyone else.

COVID-19 mandates should be in our rear view mirror. The decision to vaccinate a child against COVID-19 is for Virginia parents to make about what’s best for them and their family. We will not adhere to these @CDCgov mandates.

In Virginia, parents matter.

— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) October 21, 2022

The ACIP vote has quickly become an issue on the campaign trail. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem highlighted her Democratic opponent's support for vaccine mandates Wednesday and her commitment to "fight the federal government" if it tries to enforce COVID vaccination for schoolchildren.

Republican gubernatorial challengers — including Rep. Lee Zeldin in New York, Tudor Dixon in Michigan, Scott Jensen in Minnesota and Heidi Ganahl in Colorado — have emphasized their opposition to COVID vaccine mandates in education.

Colorado voters don't currently have a pro-mandate candidate. A spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Jared Polis told 9News Denver that he backs the state health department's current opposition to requiring COVID vaccines to attend school.

"This is the expected response as Colorado also doesn't require the flu shot for school kids, the state has a low-bar for non-medical exemptions, and Polis has opposed back-to-school vaccine mandates for teachers and staff," 9News host Kyle Clark tweeted.

 

NEW: A spokesman for @GovofCO Polis (D) tells @nexton9news' @mallorygharris that Polis supports the Colorado health department's current stance that the COVID-19 vaccine should not be required for school children. #copolitics

— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) October 20, 2022

 

The U.S. is increasingly an international outlier in promoting or even allowing COVID vaccination of children (absent special circumstances) and downplaying serious adverse events.

Denmark has stopped offering the shots under age 18 and Sweden under age 11, while Finland, Iceland and Norway don't recommend them for 5-11 year-olds, according to Danish-American epidemiologist Tracy Beth Hoeg. Last month, the U.K. suggested it was phasing out 5-11 vaccination, given the age group's low risk from COVID and high natural immunity.

 

Was asked to review myo rates post vax vs post covid
Using this Nordic study of 23 million
For 16-24 yo males, post vax myo rates were
6 (pfizer-pfizer) to 28 (pfizer-moderna) x
HIGHER than post covid
Males 12-15 had 0 post covid myo cases
See # s in 🧵https://t.co/oIhI5GcimH

— Tracy Høeg, MD, PhD (@TracyBethHoeg) October 21, 2022

 

Moderna's clinical trial for children 6 months to 5 years, limited data from which was given to the CDC earlier this year, showed a serious adverse event rate of roughly 1 in 200, including one recipient who suffered "fever and febrile seizure." The SAE rate for placebo recipients was roughly 1 in 530.

The drugmaker published the full results of that trial in the New England Journal of Medicine Wednesday. Former New York Times drug industry reporter Alex Berenson found an alarming SAE buried deep in the appendix: "new-onset Type 1 diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis in a 1-year-old female reported 37 days post dose 2."

New research is finding COVID vaccine risks in other unexpected populations. In Germany, where the shots aren't authorized for children under 5 but are allowed on an "off-label" basis with the informed consent of parents, researchers surveyed those families.

Among the 7,806 children under 5 in the responses, 10 who received the two-dose Pfizer shot were hospitalized, according to the study published in a Journal of the American Medical Association publication. 

The researchers compared the results with symptoms in the same group of children during the same time period following on-label, non-COVID vaccinations. Unlike the COVID jabs, the latter caused no symptoms that lasted longer than 3 months or required inpatient treatment. COVID vaccines were about 60% more likely to cause symptoms of any severity.

That 1-in-780 risk of hospitalization is several times higher than estimated post-vaccination heart inflammation rates in young men from ongoing studies. 

A Wednesday update to a New England Journal of Medicine study of post-Pfizer myocarditis in Israel, looking at 12-15 year-olds specifically, found a rate of nearly 9 per 100,000 vaccinations in males, about twice the myocarditis rate when females were included. Median hospital stay was 3 days.

In an essay cross-posted to the Sensible Medicine newsletter, Mount Sinai medical student David Allely noted the peak COVID hospitalization rate for this age group was 2.1 per 100,000, according to CDC figures.

"These data covered today suggest that we may have inflicted a greater number of hospitalizations on young boys by vaccinating them," he wrote.

 

Third year medical student demonstrates better critical thinking and courage than the experts. I would want him to care for my son.

👇👇👇

Failing our kids: Myocarditis in young boys, by @Sensible__Med https://t.co/UKjKw4aDVm

— Allison Krug MPH (@KrugAlli) October 20, 2022

 

Greg Piper

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/state-houses/gop-governors-candidates-rebuff-addition-covid-vaccines-childhood

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A Globalist Coup in Westminster? - Bruce Bawer

 

by Bruce Bawer

Six weeks in, the UK swamp brings down Liz Truss.

 

Given what’s happened since her death on September 8, it would’ve been fitting for Queen Elizabeth II, in her final days, to have said, in an echo of Louis XV, “Après moi, le déluge.” Because it’s taken no time at all, since her passing, for the British ship of state to run aground.

In her last official act, on September 6, the Queen invited Liz Truss to succeed Boris Johnson as PM. Johnson – whose Spectator columns I’d read with enthusiasm for years – had been swept into power in a 2019 election in which the Tories won an 80-seat majority. The mandate: to get Brexit done. Boris got it done – sort of – but otherwise, in many ways, he spectacularly betrayed basic Conservative principles.

Backed by many voters who hoped he’d be a British Trump, Boris did little or nothing to tackle his country’s version of the swamp. On his watch, English police ignored Muslim rape gangs and arrested law-abiding citizens for criticizing Islam online. Boris championed strict COVID lockdown rules and mandatory vaccination, but broke the lockdown himself and then lied about it – a move that was used as an excuse to give him the heave-ho.

For me, the big lesson of Boris’s downfall was that a terrific political journalist doesn’t necessarily make a decent prime minister. As it happens, during the last months of his premiership I was fitfully making my way through Charles Moore’s magnificent three-volume biography of Margaret Thatcher. What a woman! The more I read, the more I admire her. It really can feel as if she was born to be prime minister. She had what it took – unshakable core beliefs, strong self-discipline, excellent management skills, etc. – to rescue Britain from socialism and help bring down the USSR. Why wasn’t Boris able to do something similar for the UK – and the world – at a time when globalism was threatening liberal democracy? Could it be he just wasn’t wired for the job? Alas, some writers aren’t good for anything other than writing.

Truss won the nod to replace Johnson via a ridiculous process, reminiscent of the game Musical Chairs, whereby Tory politicians knock off candidates one by one until a single individual is left standing. Tory voters reportedly preferred the smart, articulate Kemi Badenoch – who voted for Brexit, rejects critical race theory, admires Roger Scruton and Thomas Sowell, and supports immigration controls. But she got voted off the island soon enough. In the U.S., imbeciles like Kamala Harris have risen to power because they’re “women of color.” Badenoch is one woman of color who deserved to reach the top. There was a very good chance that she could’ve been Britain’s Trump. Much of the electorate would’ve loved it. But the electorate didn’t matter. The party hacks said no, and that was that.

Oh, well. At least Truss was better than some of the alternatives. But now, 44 days in, she’s out – the shortest-serving British prime minister ever. The 21st century’s Lady Jane Grey. The Tippecanoe of No. 10.

What happened? Truss’s own Tories, including her finance minister, resisted her low-tax, free-market agenda from the git-go. She fired her Chancellor of the Exchequer on October 14. She forced her home secretary, Suella Braverman, an advocate of strict immigration curbs, to resign on Wednesday, supposedly over the kind of minor e-mail flub that Hillary Clinton commits a dozen times before breakfast. The Tories’ Chief Whip, Wendy Morton, quit the same day. And then on Thursday, Truss announced that she’d be leaving, too.

On Wednesday and Thursday, one British TV commentator after another expressed absolute astonishment at these developments. A woman on TalkTV said that Westminster was a site of “complete and utter dysfunction.” On GB News, Nigel Farage declared that the Tory Party “is now dead and it needs to be replaced.” Others echoed his verdict, with some adding that Farage himself, founder of UKIP and the Brexit Party, needs to form yet another new party, one that actually represents the low-tax, anti-immigration, pro-Brexit views of most Englishmen living outside of London. The Tories, as podcaster Connor Tomlinson observed, are now “a Blairite institution entirely.”

I can’t pretend to follow all the nuances of British politics: keeping up with them these days is a full-time job. But a long list of Brits whom I respect – Farage included – have characterized the takedown of the Truss government as “a globalist coup.” In the U.S., we wonder who’s really calling the shots in the White House, given that Joe Biden is a corpse; in Britain, one TV talking head after another has declared that the real power in today’s Tory Party is the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, an old Commons hand who’s previously served as Foreign, Culture, and Health Secretary – and who was an ardent Remainer. Farage even said that Hunt now “has total control of the country” and called him “president of the UK.”

Why should Americans care about Britain’s government? Because the parallels are stunning. Trump, who unlike the self-seeking, short-sighted empty suits in the establishment wings of both major U.S. parties actually represented the interests of the American majority, got into office only to spend his term fighting off efforts by the D.C. swamp to take him out – after which, despite his remarkable accomplishments, his immense popularity, and Biden’s status as a cadaver, he lost re-election under exceedingly dubious circumstances.

The situation in the UK is strikingly similar: both the Tories and Labour are dominated by blinkered, mediocre careerists whose personal ambitions and fealty to woke ideology, the globalist agenda, and big corporate interests (but not small businesses) far outweigh any loyalty they feel to the voters who put them in office. “The Westminster establishment,” thundered GB News’s Dan Wootton on Thursday, “is stacked against the people – and thus against democracy itself!”

However imperfectly and partially, Truss represented something of a reaction to the Westminster consensus and a threat to the House of Commons swamp culture. But she crumbled quickly. Who will replace her? There’s talk of Boris coming back. But at the moment the big money is on former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. On the one hand, Sunak, a graduate of Oxford and Stanford, was pro-Brexit. On the other, he’s a high-taxing big spender who’s notorious for boosting a global minimum tax on multinationals and IT firms and for proposing a “green levy” that would’ve raised gas taxes for the usual cockamamie environmental reasons.

In short, he’s the Tory equivalent of a RINO. Last spring, it emerged that Sunak and his wife, a wealthy Indian fashion designer, are both registered, apparently for tax purposes, as permanent U.S. residents. Such a revelation would’ve destroyed some political careers; but, as with Ilhan Omar’s marriage to her brother, Sunak easily survived the unearthing of his shady shenanigans. On Thursday night, Mark Steyn of GB News labeled Sunak, quite soberingly, “the IMF candidate, the Klaus Schwab candidate.”

In 2016, UK voters defied their globalist political establishment and stunned the world by choosing Brexit. Britain First! Later that year, U.S. voters defied their globalist political establishment and stunned the world by electing Trump. America First! Now, six years later, in Britain as in America, the globalist political establishment is striving, with the utmost cynicism and naked self-interest, to thwart the aspirations of the electorate – and thereby make a mockery of democracy itself in the two countries that are the ultimate symbols thereof. If what’s going on in Britain now is really a globalist coup – an attempt, among much else, to undo Brexit – it’s pretty much the equivalent of the ridiculous “insurrection” hearings and sundry anti-MAGA mischief in the U.S. whose only purpose is to keep Trump from running again and to intimidate his supporters into silence.

On both sides of the Atlantic, lovers of freedom need to quash this deviltry – pronto.

Bruce Bawer is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

Source: https://www.frontpagemag.com/a-globalist-coup-in-westminster/

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Blue cities bleeding: Homicide rates surging in major cities run by Soros-backed DAs - Aaron Kliegman

 

by Aaron Kliegman

Less than three weeks before Election Day, a new study shows killings are on the rise, while polling indicates crime remains a top issue for voters.

As polling continues to show crime is a top issue for voters, the number of homicides has skyrocketed nationwide.

In fact, homicide rates rose by an average of nearly 10% in 50 of the most populated U.S. cities between the third quarter of last year and the third quarter of this year — and are still rising — according to a new study.

WalletHub compared 50 of America's largest cities based on per capita homicides for the third quarter (July through September) of each year since 2020, using locally published crime data to compile its findings.

According to WalletHub, these were the ten cities with the highest homicide cases per 100,000 residents from July through September:

1. St. Louis, Mo. (19.69)
2. Kansas City, Mo. (14.86)
3. Detroit, Mich. (13.24)
4. Baltimore, Md. (12.45)
5. New Orleans, La. (10.99)
6. Milwaukee, Wisc. (10.46)
7. Memphis, Tenn. (9.99)
8. Philadelphia, Pa. (9.36)
9. Norfolk, Va. (7.78)
10. Chicago, Ill. (7.71)

The top prosecutors in most of these cities are backed by progressive megadonor George Soros, a billionaire who's spent the last several years injecting tens of millions of dollars into local district attorney races nationwide, backing candidates who support policies such as abolishing bail, defunding the police, and decriminalizing or deprioritizing certain offenses.

In St. Louis, for example, Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner is one of the first prosecutors bankrolled by Soros' financial network of organizations and affiliates, heavily funded by these sources in 2016 and again in 2020.

Amid high homicide figures, Gardner has declined more cases and issued fewer arrest warrants than her predecessor, charging fewer felonies and prosecuting thousands of fewer cases as a result. She has also deferred prison sentences for misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies as part of her reform initiatives.

Gardner has said this is part of her "platform to reduce the number of cases unnecessarily charged in order to focus on the more difficult cases for trial."

Last year, Gardner came under fire after three murder cases under her purview were dismissed in one week due to prosecutors in her office not showing up for hearings or being unprepared.

Her campaign website boasts that she's "made jail and prison a last resort, reserved for those who pose a true public safety risk," while limiting "the arrest and detention of people accused of misdemeanors and low-level felonies."

Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner is another Soros-funded prosecutor.

Soros spent almost $1.7 million through the Philadelphia Justice and Public Safety PAC to help Krasner in 2017, pouring more than five times as much money into the race as Krasner himself. Four years later, Krasner received a combined $1.259 million from Soros-funded groups for his reelection.

During his tenure, Krasner has cut the future years of incarceration by half and slashed the length of parole in probation supervision by nearly two-thirds compared to the previous DA. He has also made a priority of not prosecuting people who are illegally in possession of guns unless they hurt or kill people.

The top prosecutors in New Orleans, Milwaukee, Norfolk, and Chicago have also been backed by Soros-linked money. Many of the others are self-described progressive prosecutors.

According to some experts, progressive prosecutors pursuing soft-on-crime policies have contributed to the spike in homicides and other violent crime.

"Prosecutors in most major cities have failed the people they serve by refusing to prosecute criminals, including those charged with violent crimes," Tristin Kilgallon, associate professor of pre-law and history at the University of Findlay, told WalletHub. "Countless violent crimes have been committed by those who have been released back into the streets due to recent 'bail reform' initiatives or by prosecutors who declined to pursue charges."

However, a report released this summer by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law concluded there's insufficient evidence to establish a link between increased violence and progressive policies.

But Americans across the country feeling unnerved about the level of crime in their communities are seeing a link — and want to hold someone accountable.

"Prosecutors must stop putting politics before their duty to serve the public good," said Kilgallon. "The citizens must make these prosecutors aware that this is simply not acceptable. This is already happening in some places, like San Francisco, where we saw progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin recalled."

San Francisco voters ousted Boudin from office in a recall focused on his soft-on-crime policies this summer. Crime had skyrocketed in the city as Boudin prosecuted significantly fewer felonies and misdemeanors than his predecessors. Boudin had said he wanted to abolish cash bail and end "mass incarceration."

San Francisco was one of many liberal hubs of the "defund the police movement" in 2020 that later did a virtual 180, embracing comparatively pro-police and tough-on-crime policies and rhetoric as crime devastated local communities.

"The crime surge pretty much killed the 'defund the police' narrative and reminded people of the importance of policing," Christopher Ferguson, professor of psychology at Stetson University, told WalletHub.

The policy remedies for the violent crime wave are widely understood, according to Ferguson. Less certain, he acknowledges, is whether there is sufficient political will to apply them.

"We already kind of know what needs to be done: more high-quality, responsive, accountable policing, better police training," he said, adding that "it is time to ditch 'defund the police' as well as the kind of progressive prosecuting that declines to press charges for wide [swaths] of crime."

Beyond this year, WalletHub also measured the change in 2022 third quarter homicide rates per capita compared to the third quarters of 2021 and 2020. A diverse group of cities experienced the biggest surges from last year to this year, such as Nashville, Tenn.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Raleigh, N.C.

Another city was Albuquerque, N.M., whose Democrat governor recently made headlines for pleading with the federal government for more law enforcement amid the current crime wave.

WalletHub used the homicide rates from all three years to determine "the weighted average across all metrics to calculate an overall score for each city." Nine of the 10 deadliest are run by Democratic mayors. (The office of mayor is nonpartisan in Norfolk). And all of the top 10 have liberal or progressive DAs, at least six of whom were funded by Soros.

1. Kansas City, Mo.
2. Detroit, Mich.
3. St. Louis, Mo.
4. New Orleans, La.
5. Milwaukee, Wis.
6. Albuquerque, N.M.
7. Philadelphia, Pa.
8. Norfolk, Va.
9. Nashville, Tenn.
10. Oakland, Calif.

Overall, the study found blue cities with Democrat mayors had a higher increase in homicide rates than red cities with Republican mayors. When comparing the biggest spikes in homicide cases per capita from the third quarter last year to the third quarter this year in America's 50 most populous cities, blue cities ranked on average 24.86, while red ones ranked on average 26.50.

In other words, GOP-led cities had slightly lower homicide spikes, according to the study.

In recent weeks, Republican candidates have been hammering Democrats with relentless attack ads for pushing policies that, they argue, contribute to increases in crime.

Several top Republicans, including former President Trump, have embraced this emphasis, which appears to be resonating, with GOP candidates gaining ground in several key races.

Polling has consistently shown for months that crime is a top issue for voters, that voters trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle it, and that a majority of voters disapprove of Biden's handling of crime.

Aaron Kliegman

Source: https://justthenews.com/nation/crime/homicide-rates-surging-major-cities-run-soros-backed-das

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Russia to send some 10,000 mobilized troops home from Ukraine - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Russia will 'examine' situations in which civilians that are ill-suited to combat service were drafted into the Russian military, an official reportedly said.

 

A Russian serviceman addresses reservists at a gathering point in the course of partial mobilization of troops, aimed to support the country's military campaign in Ukraine, in the town of Volzhsky in the Volgograd region, Russia September 28, 2022.

(photo credit: STRINGER/ REUTERS)

Russia plans to send some 10,000 mobilized reservists and soldiers home for "various reasons," Interfax reported Andrey Kartapolov, the chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, as saying in St. Petersburg on Friday.

The 10,000 troops were part of the larger mobilization which included some 300,000 additional troops called in on further efforts to control the outcome of Russia's war with Ukraine. Russia invaded the neighboring country on February 24, 2022.

Kartapolov also noted that Russia will 'examine' situations in which civilians that are ill-suited to combat service were drafted into the Russian military. "Of course, if there are such cases, they are investigated, and, of course, the person will be returned," he said.

Less than a month ago, Russia began another forced enlistment that would include migrant workers and the homeless population. t is not clear how many non-Russian foreign subjects were forcibly recruited. It is estimated that there are several hundred, and it is doubtful that the countries from which they came are aware of this. Many of those migrant workers entered Russia illegally, and are without proper legal status.

An Orthodox priest conducts a service for reservists drafted during partial mobilisation, before their departure for military bases, in the city of Bataysk in the Rostov region, Russia, September 26, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/SERGEY PIVOVAROV)

If Russian troops are sent home, why did Putin mobilize reservists?

Earlier this month, The Jerusalem Post reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin explained that "it was necessary to declare a partial mobilization because the length of the line of contact with Ukraine exceeds a thousand kilometers, making it impossible to protect it only by "contract" soldiers.

Some conscripts were reported to be receiving little to no training, with one report claiming a Moscow resident was killed after "receiving no training and being sent straight to combat."

Putin stated that the training is indeed short, and in some cases consists of under two weeks of training in total.

The Russian president said that the partial mobilization was planned to wrap up within two weeks.

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-720295

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ISIS Terrorists Living in Turkey - with Yazidi Captives - Uzay Bulut

 

by Uzay Bulut

These missing Yezidis have suffered enormously, and their rights must not be ignored." — Pari Ibrahim, executive director of Free Yezidi Foundation, to Gatestone Institute, October 2022.

• In Ankara's Sincan district, a 24-year-old enslaved Yazidi woman was rescued after her relatives in Australia (who themselves are asylum-seekers) purchased her freedom on the dark web. The woman was held captive in a house in Sincan for 10 months and systematically raped. Signs of torture in the form of cigarette burns and razor cuts were found on her body.

• [A] secrecy order was placed on the indictment against those ISIS members who had kidnapped a seven-year-old Yazidi child to Turkey and listed her for sale. These are allegedly high-ranking IS members. They are currently living in Ankara and remain free.

• [I]t is difficult to obtain data on the detained ISIS members from state authorities. When we ask questions to authorities, it is not possible to get an answer from them. — Hale Gonultas, Turkish journalist, interview with Gatestone Institute, October 2022.

• "After I reported on Yazidi women's sales on the dark web, Ankara Anti-Terrorism teams came to my house. They emphasized that the buying and selling of foreign nationals within the borders of the Republic of Turkey is a 'human trafficking crime' and they claimed that I supported human trafficking through the press by publishing such news." — Hale Gonultas, interview with Gatestone Institute, October 2022.

• " [V]ery little is being done.... I do not believe ISIS members should be able to settle anywhere, and police authorities should actively search for them in every country. At the same time, the rescue of innocent Yezidi captives should be an associated priority. This is for security and safety but also for humanitarian and human rights reasons. These missing Yezidis have suffered enormously, and their rights must not be ignored." — Pari Ibrahim, executive director of Free Yezidi Foundation, to Gatestone Institute, October 2022.

ISIS terrorists are living and operating in Turkey, some with Yazidis abducted from Syria or Iraq. For years, these Yazidi children and women have been enslaved, raped and sold. Even though it has been more than three years since ISIS was ousted from the last of the territory it seized in Syria and Iraq, these crimes are still taking place now. Pictured: Rafidah Nayef Issa, a 22-year-old Iraqi Yazidi woman, carries her 2-year-old son in Hasakeh, northeastern Syria, on November 23, 2020. Issa was abducted and enslaved by ISIS in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, and was raped and bore a child in captivity. She was freed by Kurdish forces at the al-Hol detention camp they set up in Hasakeh for relatives of suspected ISIS members. (Photo by Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)

ISIS terrorists are living and operating in Turkey, some with Yazidis abducted from Syria or Iraq. For years, these Yazidi children and women have been enslaved, raped and sold. Most are survivors of the 2014 genocide by ISIS in the Sinjar region of Iraq. Even though it has been more than three years since ISIS was ousted from the last of the territory it seized in Syria and Iraq, these crimes are still taking place now.

ISIS (Islamic State), a Sunni jihadist terror group, declared the establishment of its caliphate in 2014. Since then, they have committed many crimes against non-Muslims – particularly Yazidis and Christians – in Iraq and Syria. Dr. Leah Farrall writes:

"ISIS systematically and violently targeted non-Sunni Syrians and Iraqis, expelling them from their homes, plundering their properties and businesses and claiming them as a war spoil (ghanima). Non-Muslim minorities were forced to pay a form of protection tax (jizya), or convert on threat of death. Thousands were taken hostage, ransomed, or executed, while others were enslaved.

"ISIS attracted unprecedented numbers of foreigners who came to join the organization or live in territory under its rule. Estimates place the total number at 40,000 people from 80 countries."

The Ankara-based, veteran journalist Hale Gonultas has for years exposed the ISIS presence with Yazidi captives in Turkey. In a recent article, she wrote:

"Faced with the continued presence of IS cells within its borders, the Turkish state has been slow to respond to potential threats posed by the group, as well as inconsistencies in the judicial system's handling of IS suspects and the plight of Yazidis still held captive by some IS members in Turkey...

"Following the 2014 Sinjar massacre in Iraq, Yazidi women and children continue to be held captive and sexually abused by IS members living in Turkey – and elsewhere – though their number remains unknown. IS members use the dark web to sell and purchase Yazidi women and children they kidnapped from Sinjar."

Turkey is a long-established popular destination for ISIS members. Gonultas continues:

"A decade ago, people from around the world who sought to join a jihadist struggle and did so by joining IS, often used routes through Turkey and into Syria. Following the group's geographical defeat in 2017, the same routes were used in reverse.

"Returning jihadists and IS sympathizers from Turkey were among the main supporters of Syrian and Iraqi militants. This support, along with other aid, facilitated the sheltering and housing of many Iraqi and Syrian militants in Turkey.

"Currently, IS members that have returned are residing in the Turkish provinces of Antakya, Batman, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Kırşehir, Konya, Yalova and Yozgat, with the largest groups in Ankara and İstanbul, according to data found in indictments and based on publicly available information regarding the location of where counterterrorism operations targeting IS are carried out.

"Ankara's Çubuk, Sincan and Pursaklar districts, along with the neighborhood of Saray have become popular areas to reside among foreign IS members. These districts and neighborhoods also host outlawed schools that provide education in line with jihadist values.

"Furthermore, Kırşehir is the city of choice for the close relatives and staff members of slain former IS leader al-Baghdadi. Although security forces often carry out counterterrorism operations in Kırşehir, a sizable IS presence remains in the city.

"In İstanbul, IS members have also found shelter in conservative districts. According to Interior Ministry statements, almost all IS members detained during counterterrorism operations in İstanbul have been Iraqi or Syrian citizens.

"It is common knowledge that the wives and children of [jihadist] Free Syria Army (FSA) members live in İstanbul's Başakşehir district and it is no secret that FSA fighters have settled in İstanbul, as well as other cities, and received Turkish citizenship. Many of the Syrian and Iraqi FSA fighters based in Turkey make their living by engaging in human smuggling...

"The most recent operation of note by Turkish authorities against IS was the capture and return of Kasım Güler from Syria on June 21, 2021. Güler had been appointed as the IS "governor" of Turkey. In his testimony, Güler said that after IS lost its territory in Syria, the group decided to reestablish itself in Turkey under the instructions of self-proclaimed Caliph and former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before he was killed."

Gonultas has widely reported on Yazidi children and women kidnapped, raped, and sold by ISIS terrorists in Turkey.

In Ankara's Sincan district, for instance, a 24-year-old enslaved Yazidi woman was rescued after her relatives in Australia (who themselves are asylum-seekers) purchased her freedom on the dark web. The woman was held captive in a house in Sincan for 10 months and systematically raped. Signs of torture in the form of cigarette burns and razor cuts were found on her body.

"According to what I learned from the Yazidi community, this was actually the second time she had been sold. In 2018, her photo was posted online on a virtual slave market and she was sold within about an hour. The buyer was an Iraqi Turkmen IS member located in Mosul at the time."

Throughout her 27-year career as a journalist, Gonultas has extensively reported on jihadist organizations such as the Taliban, Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS. In an interview with Gatestone, Gonultas said:

"In 2009 and 2010, there were mass movements for jihad from cities of Turkey, especially from Ankara, to Syria. There were demonstrations in Turkey by pro-jihad people with the flags of the ISIS caliphate. I have done research in neighborhoods in Turkey with a strong ISIS presence and investigated recruitment activities for ISIS and the profiles of those who joined ISIS.

"Out of all the Yazidi captives I have covered, the case that has devastated me the most is the Yazidi girl who was taken prisoner by ISIS in 2014 when she was 14."

"Her brother searched for her for years. Finally, he found her in Ankara. For more than a month, he wandered around the house where his sister was held. It turned out that the jihadist who held his sister captive is ISIS's emir [head] of the town of Tal Afar in Iraq. His sister was now 18 years old, and she had given birth to a daughter from the rape of ISIS. The Yazidi captive girl was eventually rescued, but she had to leave the child born from the rape of ISIS in Turkey... The Yazidi Spiritual Assembly does not accept children born from the rape of ISIS. Her brother was determined not to take his sister's baby to Iraq. I was really shattered by the moment when the mother left her baby behind."

According to Gonultas's article, a secrecy order was placed on the indictment against those ISIS members who had kidnapped a seven-year-old Yazidi child to Turkey and listed her for sale. These are allegedly high-ranking IS members. They are currently living in Ankara and remain free. Gonultas notes:

"I managed to obtain a copy of the indictment and found that all three suspects – believed to be IS members – had been released. The indictment stated that Iraqi citizens Anas V., Sabah A.H.O. and Nasser H.R. worked under Jabbar Salmman Ali Farhan Al Issawi, who was known as a figure close to slain former IS leader al-Baghdadi.

"The indictment referred to the three released men as "senior [terrorist] organizational leaders" and included information that Anas and Nazir were in charge of a 'Prisoners' Court' in Fallujah. All three alleged IS members are currently residing in Ankara and are on probation."

However, as Gonultas told Gatestone, it is still not possible to know the exact number of ISIS members and other jihadists, as well as their Yazidi captives, now living in Turkey:

"According to the publicly available data of the Turkish Ministry of Interior, police detention operations against ISIS are carried out in various cities of Turkey almost every day. Some ISIS members are tried at courts. Most of them also benefit from the 'Effective Remorse Law', according to which the penalty could be reduced or suspended.

"I am conducting one-on-one meetings with the lawyers dealing with ISIS cases in Turkey to prepare data and analysis on ISIS cases. However, it is difficult to obtain data on the detained ISIS members from state authorities. When we ask questions to authorities, it is not possible to get an answer from them.

"The route of those who have joined or returned from ISIS is the Syrian-Turkish border. Most of the detained ISIS members are Syrian or Iraqi citizens. Many ISIS members who are citizens of Turkey have also returned. However, it is difficult to estimate how many are still free with no trial date against them.

"ISIS members who enter Turkey from Syria can register at the Provincial Immigration Administration. They can also get ID cards for the women and children with them. Hence, it is not possible for me or any other private citizen to know the exact number of Yazidi women and children that are in the hands of ISIS in Turkey.

"However, based on my field studies, interviews, and news sources, I can say that there are at least 100 Yazidi women and children only in Ankara and its surrounding provinces held by ISIS members. But some Yazidi women are silent and accept captivity because they have given birth to two or three children from ISIS members, and they do not want to leave their children in Turkey."

Gonultas said she tries to take precautions for her safety and continues her investigative journalism despite a lack of transparency by the Turkish government. She told Gatestone:

"After I reported on Yazidi women's sales on the dark web, Ankara Anti-Terrorism teams came to my house. They emphasized that the buying and selling of foreign nationals within the borders of the Republic of Turkey is a 'human trafficking crime' and they claimed that I supported human trafficking through the press by publishing such news. An indictment was prepared against me. But then no lawsuit was filed.

"Meanwhile, I continue getting death threats both on social media and over the phone. A mass throat-cutting video was sent to my email. Then I got phone calls. One told me my own home address, and another spoke Arabic.

"After I received death threats, my lawyer filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office. In addition, some deputies asked both the ministry of the interior and the office of the presidency at the parliament how they 'ensured the safety of Hale Gönültaş'. But no legal protection has been given to me and no answer has been provided.

"I am careful not to go out when the threats I receive increase. When I am home, I do not open the door to those that I do not know. When I go out, I carry pepper spray in my pocket, and I watch my surroundings carefully as I walk."

Meanwhile, rescue operations to liberate Yazidi children and women from ISIS captivity and enslavement are ongoing. Pari Ibrahim, executive director of Free Yezidi Foundation (FYF), told Gatestone:

"There are still 2,717 Yezidis missing eight years after the Yezidi Genocide. It is incredible that so much time has passed and so little has been done. We know some of these have been killed in one way or another by ISIS. But we also know that some are alive. And very sad to say, we know that the ones who are alive are often held in areas controlled by Turkey or Turkish-backed militias in Syria. We have good information about ISIS perpetrators sheltering successfully in certain neighborhoods in Turkey. And in those instances where they are holding Yezidi women and children captive, this is where the survivors are located. Actually, this is a big embarrassment for a country like Turkey.

"Steps could be taken to identify and bring to justice all ISIS members, and in so doing, we may identify and rescue Yezidis who remain in captivity eight years later. FYF and other Yezidi organizations and activists have been pressing for serious, concerted international action to help rescue the missing. But very little is being done. Every individual or official actor giving safe haven to ISIS terrorists is committing a serious offense. I do not believe ISIS members should be able to settle anywhere, and police authorities should actively search for them in every country. At the same time, the rescue of innocent Yezidi captives should be an associated priority. This is for security and safety but also for humanitarian and human rights reasons. These missing Yezidis have suffered enormously, and their rights must not be ignored."

Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.

 

Uzay Bulut

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18972/isis-terrorists-turkey

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