Daily Archives: February 8, 2021

Republican-Proposed Bills Want To Prevent Teaching Students About Injustice | The Crusader Newspaper Group – The Chicago Cusader

Posted: February 8, 2021 at 11:30 am

Bills in several states want to limit teaching about racism and oppression, adopting the framing of the debunked 1776 Commission report.

By Anoa Changa, NewsOne

GOP-controlled state legislatures aim to pick up where the now-disbanded 1776 Commission left off. Republican lawmakers in several states are moving forward with legislation that would implement similar efforts.

Bills proposed in Arkansas, Iowa and Mississippi prevent the use of the 1619 project as a part of teaching the legacy of slavery.

The Arkansas legislature is considering two bills that would limit racial justice in the curriculum. House Bill 1231 would prevent schools from using the 1619 Project as a part of the curriculum.

House Bill 1218 goes a step further by preventing lessons that promote the overthrow of the U.S. Government, division between certain groups of people or social justice for certain groups including race, gender, political affiliation and social class.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has expressed a preference for maintaining local control and wanting parents to have opportunities to challenge curriculum locally.

An Oklahoma bill would target teachers directly for teaching so-called divisive topics, including the U.S. is a racist country at its core. Recently, a Georgia lawmaker launched an inquiry into whether public universities in the state are teaching about white privilege or oppression.

How violations of these proposed bills would be interpreted is unclear. As reported previously by NewsOne, similar to the 1776 Commission, these measures are fueled by a fear of accurate historical accounts.

Failing to teach history and prioritizing the feelings of white conservatives could be seen as a contributing factor to the January 6 attacks and a willingness to believe conspiracy theories and other fabrications.

Educators have also raised concerns about academic freedom and job security for teaching accurate history. Some even see the proposed laws as limiting student opportunities beyond the classroom.

Matthew Boedy, the state conference president of the American Association of University Professors and a University of North Georgia professor, called questions an effort to intimidate professors. In an interview with the Associated Press, Boedy called the request an attack on higher education.

It perpetrates a pernicious agenda, Boedy said. I dont know why a state representative who won his district by 40 points needs to throw red meat to his base, but this echoes national conservative discourse that has been laughed from the public square by historians and other experts.

If passed, such laws could interfere with educators abilities to join efforts such as the Black Lives Matter at School events taking place this week. Started in 2016, the week of action takes place during the first week of Black History Month. Encouraging lessons and conversations about Black history, anti-racist movements, and intersectional Black identities.

Opposition to teaching curriculum consistent with objectives of racial equity and social justice mimics Jim Crow-era tactics to control information.

This article originally appeared on NewsOne.

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Republican-Proposed Bills Want To Prevent Teaching Students About Injustice | The Crusader Newspaper Group - The Chicago Cusader

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Huawei’s situation won’t get any better with the Biden administration – Android Central

Posted: at 11:29 am

Joe Biden's presidency is well underway, and he has already taken to his new position by pulling back on many of the policies made during the Trump administration while continuing to appoint new members to his cabinet and other leading positions. One decision he doesn't seem to be budging on is the ban on companies like Huawei that have been placed on the Entity List for allegations of threats to U.S. security. Biden's nominee for Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo, has stated (via Bloomberg) that she sees "no reason" to remove the company from the list, strongly suggesting the unlikely nature of the scenario.

I understand that parties are placed on the Entity List and the Military End-User List generally because they pose a risk to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests. I currently have no reason to believe that entities on those lists should not be there. If confirmed, I look forward to a briefing on these entities and others of concern.

That's not good news for Huawei, which has been dealing with U.S. sanctions for quite some time. After largely losing access to its high-end Kirin chips, the company has been struggling to produce flagship smartphones like the P40 Pro, which is one of the best Huawei phones you can't get. Recently Huawei had to give up ownership of its sub-brand, Honor, in order to keep it from facing the same fate as its parent company, a move that sees Honor free to challenge companies like Apple.

Huawei had hoped that the Biden administration would be more lenient than Trump, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has previously referred to the decision by the U.S. government to restrict Chinese companies as "oppressive," a sentiment that still stands today. "We urge you to stop this wanton oppression against Chinese companies."

Other Chinese companies that had faced government sanctions include ZTE as well as Xiaomi, the latter of which recently placed a lawsuit against the U.S. government for placing it on an investment block.

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Huawei's situation won't get any better with the Biden administration - Android Central

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‘PF’s divide and rule schemes’ The Mast Online – themastonline.com

Posted: at 11:29 am

Mulondwe Muzungu says the PF governments oppression, cruelty, brutality, tribal hate and political violence have the potential to escalate into genocide.

The PF has destroyed our cherished national unity, leaving Zambia polarised by their divide and rule schemes and the naked tribal hate. With the foregoing abominations in Zambia, citizens are fed-up and desire a regime change sooner than later, says Muzungu.

Theres no doubt that Edgar Lungu and his PF are relying heavily on divide and rule strategy, and the tribal card to perpetuate their stay in government.

We have all been witnesses to how they have viciously canvassed on tribal and regional lines.

And they dont seem to care the long term consequences of their political game.

But as Dr Kenneth Kaunda warned against a spate of hate based on tribe, province, race, colour and religion in 1967 The people we have taught to hate others, may successively be taught to hate us next time. So that even from a personal and rather selfish angle this way of electioneering must be condemned as completely unZambian unless, of course, we do not mean it when we speak of One Zambia One Nation. Let it be remembered that it would be madness to expect to harvest groundnuts where in fact we had planted castor oil.

Today, our country is witnessing schemes that eat at the core of our unity as Edgar attempts to rewrite our democratic values and entrench himself in power, even at the expense of mutilating the Constitution.

Indeed, the PF is unashamedly destroying our cherished national unity, leaving Zambia polarised by their divide and rule schemes and the naked tribal hate.

But as we have stated before, there are no corrupt and tyrannical politicians whose ending has not been disastrous. And Edgar will be no exception. His ending will be bad.

In this we are in no way cursing him or wishing him bad things. Its simply an honest assessment of things and a matter of drawing the right conclusions.

Every corrupt and tyrannical politician thinks he is different and what happened to other corrupt and tyrannical politicians before him wont happen to him. But the ending has been invariably the same. Look at Idi Amin, Mobutu, Bokassa, Blaise Compaore, Eduardo Dos Santos, Mugabe! The list is endless. And what is special about Edgar?

'PF's divide and rule schemes' The Mast Online - themastonline.com

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Why it’s right to call Israel an ‘apartheid state’ By Opinion – Independent Online

Posted: at 11:29 am

By Opinion Feb 7, 2021

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Alie Kompane

The past few weeks have been disastrous for the state of Israel and its proxies across the world.

The popular and largest human rights organisation in Israel BTselem, published a detailed report which concluded that Israel is in fact an apartheid regime, echoing the sentiments of many international organisations over the years. In their words: The Israeli regime does not have to declare itself an apartheid regime to be defined as such, nor is it relevant that representatives of the state broadly proclaim it a democracy. What defines apartheid is not statements but practice.

The news quickly made headlines in international publications and news networks like CNN, The Guardian, The New Yorker, NBC and other internationally acclaimed publications. This created a PR nightmare for the Israeli propaganda machine, given that over the years they have pressured news outlets, although unsuccessfully, to be cautious when reporting its atrocities and apartheid practices against Palestinians. This is indeed a watershed moment in the discourse about the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and history will record it as such.

One would not like to dwell too much as to why Israel qualifies as an apartheid state but rather, on the many voices that have been highlighting this fact for years and decades now, but it would do justice to this discussion if one does.

Apartheid was a legalised government policy of segregation instituted in South Africa in 1948, incidentally, the same year that the modern state of Israel was established in Palestine. These set of racist, oppressive, and inhumane policies were carried out by colonisers pre-1948.Its only through the election of the National Party government by a minority population that such laws were systematically applied.

There are several critical academic studies that have been conducted over the years on the academic and legal characterisation of Israels practices of apartheid by renowned academics and institutions. One that really captures the gist of the BTselem report is the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa report.

In 2008, they convened a team of international lawyers from Palestine, Israel, South Africa, and Europe to examine whether the international legal prohibitions of colonialism and apartheid had been breached by Israel in the Palestinian territories. Subsequently, the report that was compiled reached the conclusion that there exists in the occupied Palestinian territory an institutionalised and oppressive system of Israeli domination and oppression over Palestinians as a group; that is, a system of apartheid.

Richard Falk, a world-renowned American professor of international law at Princeton University, who was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories (2008-14) argues that International law has detached apartheid from its South African origins; its now a stand-alone crime against humanity[LS1] . This means that apartheid as a system of racial segregation and dominion is not unique to South Africa but can be applied elsewhere.

During his six years investigating Israeli human rights violations on behalf of the UN, Professor Falk and his team concluded in a report that that the allegation of apartheid as applied to the Palestinian people by the Israeli regime is well founded.

We argue that there is a moral case that qualifies Israel as an apartheid state, especially as black South Africans who hold to some extent, moral authority on the question. Anti-Palestinian sentiments are institutionalised in Israel, condemning Palestinians to second class citizens, and systematically executing the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland. South Africans who fought against apartheid and many others who paid the ultimate price for freedom in South Africa, agree with us.

South Africas former president Kgalema Motlanthe argues that the Israeli version of apartheid is far worse than what was experienced in South Africa. While Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the face of the non-violent anti-apartheid movement and Nobel Peace laureate, agrees that the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli regime is familiar to that of South Africans during apartheid. There are several leaders of the anti-apartheid struggle who identify with this moral contention: Letlapa Mphahlele of the PAC, Motsoko Pheko of AZAPO, Joe Slovo of the SACP, Winnie Mandela of the ANC and many others have shared the same sentiment on Israeli apartheid.

What many Israeli supporters get wrong is the constant and relentless bit by bit comparison of apartheid South Africa, deliberately degenerating a complex institutionalised system of racial discrimination to simple logic. For instance, the South African apartheid regime had many black people in their militarised police force as well as in their oppressive legal systems. We had magistrates and prosecutors who worked effectively for the apartheid regime.

This does not mean apartheid was not alive and well, simply because black people could not go to the same beach as white people is not the crux of apartheid but the moral of it. Same as there are different roads for Jews and Palestinians, the Israeli regime has Palestinians in their employ. It does not at any point, invalidate the system of apartheid the regime practices.

There is a legal, academic, moral and political case that qualifies Israel as an apartheid regime on many fronts. It does not have to mirror apartheid South Africa, it is the application of a system of racial segregation and domination by one group over the other as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as inhumane acts committed under a regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups in this case the Israeli regime over Palestinians.

BTselems executive director, Hagai El-Ad says that we have a moral obligation to say it, whether we think its effective or not, to call Israel what it is, an apartheid regime. We are not oblivious to the facts and argue that correctly characterising Israel as an apartheid state, which it is, will go a long way in galvanising international support for the Palestinian cause as it did for us. Just like Mama Winnie Mandela said, Apartheid Israel can be defeated, just as apartheid South Africa was defeated.

* Alie Komape is an activist with #Africa4Palestine, the largest Palestine human rights organisation in the continent.

** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.

Why it's right to call Israel an 'apartheid state' By Opinion - Independent Online

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‘The burka initiative defends the dignity of women’ – swissinfo.ch

Posted: at 11:29 am

Switzerland could follow in the footsteps of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Bulgaria by banning women from wearing the burka or niqab in public spaces. On March 7, the people will vote on a popular initiative that aims to enshrine a ban on hiding ones face in public in the constitution.

Journalist based in Bern. I am particularly interested in topics about society, politics and social media. Previously I worked in regional media, for the newspaper Journal du Jura and Radio Jura bernois.

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The Egerkingen Committee launched the initiative in 2016. Made up of numerous members of the right-wing Swiss Peoples Party, the committee was the same that instigated the initiative to ban minarets, accepted by the Swiss in 2009.

Opposed to the text, the government has developed a counterproposal which has also been supported by parliament. It proposes to create a law that would oblige individuals to show their faces during identity checks carried out by authorities.

Peoples Party parliamentarian and member of the initiative committee Jean-Luc Addor argues the ban promotes equality between men and women and will help fight against radicalisation of Islam.

SWI swissinfo.ch: Given we are all walking around wearing masks to protect against Covid-19, isnt the arrival of an initiative to ban hiding ones face now untimely?

Jean-Luc Addor: One would think so, but this is not the case. Walking around the streets, its easy to see the difference between a woman who wears the burka [a full veil which covers the whole body and hides the eyes behind a cotton mesh] or the niqab, and a person wearing a protective mask. Its obvious the text is not targeting masks. The initiative allows for a certain number of exceptions, including the possibility of waiving the ban for health reasons. The pandemic shows that adequate exceptions were thought about by the initiators.

According to government estimates, the number of women who wear the burka in Switzerland is between 95 and 130. Is it really necessary to institute a ban for such a small number of people?

I would be curious to know on what basis the government is making these estimations. Of course, its rare to meet women who wear the burka in Switzerland, except in certain tourist spots. However, we do see women wearing the niqab [full veil which covers everything except the eyes], even in the small Valais town of Sion.

In recent years we have witnessed a form of radicalisation of the ostentatious character of Islam in the public space. This trend has manifested in an increase in the number of women who go out wearing the hijab [covering the hair, neck and sometimes the shoulders] and in the most radical cases wearing a niqab. France, a country which belongs to the same civilisation as us, has practically lost control of the situation. We dont want to get to that.

In Ticino, where a ban has been in place since 2016, there have only been around 30 interventions. Isnt that a weak record?

Its like if I told you: In the end, there are only a few assassinations. What is the point of maintaining the infringement in the criminal code? Thankfully, there are only a few cases!

The example of Ticino shows that banning hiding ones face is useful, because there have been interventions. It also proves that it can be applied without creating particular problems, especially with foreign countries, as (the opposition) have tried to make us believe.

The opponents of the initiative fear that the text will have a counterproductive effect: that women who are obliged to wear the burka would be forced to retreat from public view. Isnt that a risk?

Their position amounts to legitimising the number of cases of women and girls who are forced to dress in a certain way. The burka is a symbol of oppression and alienation of women. We refuse to be complicit in female oppression. We want to promote the dignity and equality of women. Proof is that even on the left, prominent personalities support the initiative. They have understood that it is not credible to invoke principles only to forget them under the pretext that the initiative comes from the ranks of the conservative right.

The Peoples Party is not known for fighting for equality. In this case, isnt this engagement opportunistic?

This initiative is not only a Peoples Party initiative, it is also supported by a large cross-section of people, including from the left. It is true that the Peoples Party is not always at the forefront when it comes to equality. The party is nonetheless committed to a more fundamental fight: we defend the notion of female dignity. There is a slight difference.

The indirect counterproposal put forward by the government aims to ensure that a person shows their face for identification purposes. Isnt it an acceptable compromise?

The governments indirect counterproposal is a smokescreen. It is trying to take a tiny step to make us believe the problem has been resolved. The initiative has a much larger field of application. Parliament wanted to add elements to the text which touch upon integration and equality between men and women, but in fact the counterproposal avoids the issue. The initiative takes the problem head on and offers a way to deal with it. This way exists already, and we can evaluate it. It is the system established in Ticino.

Anatomy of the pro-Trump mob: How the former president’s rhetoric galvanized a far-right coalition – ABC News

Posted: at 11:28 am

Nearly a month after a pro-Trump mob violently stormed the U.S. Capitol, a clearer picture is emerging of the individuals and groups involved as federal authorities arrest and charge people who allegedly participated in the riot.

Former President Donald Trumps supporters -- 74 million of whom voted to give him a second term in 2020 -- are diverse in background and ideology and come from all corners of the United States, and those who stormed the Capitol represent just a fraction.

But to some experts, the hundreds who took part in the Capitol siege represent some of the most fervent and radical adherents of the Make America Great Again movement and others caught up in the frenzy of the day. They say attempts to unite those extremist elements fell apart after Charlottesville but gained renewed momentum in 2020, with racial unrest, the pandemic and most recently the unfounded controversy over the election.

Pro-Trump protesters gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., before a mob stormed the Capitol, breaking windows and clashing with police officers, as congress gathered to certify the election of Joe Biden.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a sociology professor at American University who studies extremism and far-right movements, said that those who stormed the Capitol are a loose coalition of groups from across the far-right spectrum.

These were people who were radicalized and participated in an insurrection, its just that some did so in a very planned way, and I think others ended up being caught up spontaneously in mob rioting," Miller-Idriss said.

For the experts, the most prominent force that unified hard-right adherent, militias and other Trump supporters and whipped them up into a frenzy behind the idea that the election was stolen -- Trump himself.

And Trump, unlike past presidents, gave these disparate groups a national platform unlike any they'd had in modern American history with the instantaneous recognition and feedback of social media.

Trumps false claims about election fraud and his rhetoric post-election urging his supporters to fight back is at the heart of the former presidents Senate impeachment trial, which is set to begin next week. The House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump on Jan. 13 after House Democrats filed an article of impeachment, charging him with "incitement of insurrection."

ABC News reached out to the former presidents legal team but representatives declined to comment.

Larry Rosenthal, chair and lead researcher of the Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies, said that the mob was generally made up of two groups: right-wing populists, whom he described as part of Trumps most faithful rally-goers, and right-wing militia groups that represent two overlapping currents of the far-right movement: white nationalism and anti-government.

President Donald Trump is seen on a screen as his supporters cheer during a rally Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Trump supporters gathered in the nation's capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election.

Some of these ideologies and beliefs were on display in far-right insignia scattered among the crowd, which included symbols of the Confederacy, Nazism, white supremacy and anarchy.

And some of those arrested have documented their alleged involvement on social media and some have known ties to far-right groups, or are adherents of disproven conspiracy theories.

In addition to a diverse and loose coalition of groups involved, the members of the mob were also not racially and ethnically homogenous.

Although the majority of rioters at the Stop the Steal rally were white, the Trump mob was not a homogenous group of white nationalists," Cristina Beltrn, a professor at New York University who studies race, ethnicity and American politics, said.

Jacob Chansley and other supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.

In fact, one of the organizers of Stop the Steal is far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Ali Alexander, who identifies as Arab and Black. Blacks for Trump signs were spotted in the crowd and some Black and Latino participants are now wanted by the FBI for their alleged involvement in the siege.

In order to understand Trumps support, we must think in terms of multiracial whiteness, Beltrn writes in a Washington Post op-ed: Multiracial whiteness reflects an understanding of whiteness as a political color and not simply a racial identity a discriminatory worldview in which feelings of freedom and belonging are produced through the persecution and dehumanization of others.

The motivations of the mob

After weeks of hearing false claims from Trump and his allies that the election was stolen, thousands of the former president's most loyal followers disrupted the certification of the 2020 election results by breaching the U.S. Capitol and clashing with law enforcement in a violent siege that resulted in the death of five people.

Supporters listen as US President Donald Trump speaks on The Ellipse outside of the White House, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

This insistence -- and not just Trumps, but other elected officials insistence on that narrative of disinformation and that false conspiracy about the election has played a huge role in mobilizing these people, Miller-Idriss said.

In fact, chants shouted by rioters and signs spotted in the crowd closely mirrored Trumps own words.

For instance, the rally was named Stop the Steal, a phrase the Trump appeared to revel in and tweeted repeatedly before his account was suspended; shortly after Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol and fight like hell, rioters shouted fight for Trump as they violently breached law enforcement to enter the building; signs reading take back our country and Trump won the legal vote were spotted among rioters, reflecting language Trump has been using for weeks on Twitter as he repeated his false claims that the election was stolen from him.

Member of a pro-Trump mob exit the Capitol Building after teargas is dispersed inside, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

And finally, after Trump continued to falsely claim that Vice President Mike Pence could refuse to ratify President Joe Biden's 2020 win -- but had declined to do so, chants of Hang Mike Pence were heard among rioters and images casting Pence as a traitor were scattered among the crowd.

(Trump) was continuing to propagate and circulate and disseminate this information about the election in ways that posed an existential threat to them and made them feel that their democracy has been stolen, Miller-Idriss said.

"People move from radicalization into mobilization, to really believing that they are not only empowered to act, but compelled to do so.

People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.

The leader of the mob

According to Rosenthal, far-right groups that subscribe to white nationalist ideologies have always existed in the United States and since the second era of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s and 30s they have generally existed on the fringes of society, but Trump gave them a place in national politics.

Trump supporters gather outside the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.

Suddenly, in 2015 at the level of presidential politics, somebody is talking their language, he added, pointing to Trump's anti-immigrant and racially charged rhetoric.

During his presidency, Trump frequently failed to condemn white supremacists and far-right groups espousing hateful and disproven conspiracy theories. He also often galvanized their causes.

The Stop the Steal movement energized some of the same elements of the far-right movement in the U.S. that shaped the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville when hundreds of so-called alt-right groups took to the streets to violently protest the removal of Confederate monuments.

The Unite the Right [movement] failed. It did not create such a unified militia and the groups that put it together started falling apart among themselves the alt-right kind of went into decline, but 2020 resurrected things, Rosenthal said.

This past year, anti-lockdown and anti-mask demonstrations amid the COVID-19 pandemic inflamed the anti-government right-wing militia groups, while the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted over the summer following the police killing of George Floyd activated the white nationalist side of the far-right movement, Rosenthal added.

Supporters of President Donald Trump gather in the rain for a rally at Freedom Plaza, Jan. 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C., the day before a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol following a rally with Trump.

And Trump, who was outspoken on both issues, elevated these positions to the national stage, experts said.

As president, Trump repeatedly downplayed the pandemic, refused to implement a nationwide mask mandate, mostly refused to wear a mask himself and his administration frequently flouted federal safety guidelines meant to curb the crisis.

Meanwhile, during his 2020 campaign, Trump cast himself as the law and order candidate, slammed the Black Lives Matter movement, dismissed concerns surrounding systemic racism and police brutality and in a message to voters, he claimed that if he is not re-elected, crime and riots will overtake the suburbs.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington D.C.

During his final weeks in office, the coalition of far-right groups again found a common cause around the baseless cause that the election had been stolen or rigged.

The white nationalist and anti-government currents compounded in "Stop the Steal," along with an important element of "fascist mobilizations," Rosenthal said: "A devotion to a singular leader who can command their attention.

ABC News' Alexander Mallin and John Santucci contributed to this report.

Anatomy of the pro-Trump mob: How the former president's rhetoric galvanized a far-right coalition - ABC News

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ON RELIGION: Twisted prayers and temptations to worship political power – GoDanRiver.com

Posted: at 11:28 am

Having reached the vice presidents chair in the U.S. Senate, the self-proclaimed QAnon shaman, UFO expert and metaphysical healer removed his coyote-skin and buffalo horns headdress and announced, with a megaphone, that it was time to pray.

Thank you, Heavenly Father ... for this opportunity to stand up for our God-given inalienable rights, proclaimed Jake Yellowstone Wolf Angeli (born Jacob Chansley), his face painted red, white and blue, and his torso tattooed with Norse symbols that his critics link to the extreme right.

Thank you, divine, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Creator God for filling this chamber with your white light and love, he added, in a prayer captured on video by a correspondent working for The New Yorker. Thank you for filling this chamber with patriots that love you and that love Christ. ... Thank you, divine Creator God, for surrounding and filling us with the divine, omnipresent white light of love and protection, of peace and harmony. Thank you for allowing the United States of America to be reborn. Thank you for allowing us to get rid of the communists, the globalists and the traitors within our government.

Many phrases in this rambling prayer would sound familiar to worshippers in ordinary churches across America, said Joe Carter, an editor with the Gospel Coalition and a pastor with McLean Bible Church near Washington, D.C. But the prayer also included strange twists and turns that betrayed some extreme influences and agendas.

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ON RELIGION: Twisted prayers and temptations to worship political power - GoDanRiver.com

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Inside the case: Watch testimony behind the Phoenix protest gang charges – ABC15 Arizona

Posted: at 11:28 am

The Maricopa County Attorneys Office and Phoenix police have designated a group of protesters as a criminal street gang.

The controversial decision has been blasted by community groups, defense attorneys, and legal organizations.

Politically Charged is an ongoing ABC15 investigation series. Click here to watch part one of the series and watch part two of the series in the player above.

While declining to provide specifics about the evidence, police and prosecutors have defended the charges.

POLITICALLY CHARGED: Officials create fictional gang to charge protesters

As I have stated numerous times, my office is committed to protecting the safety of everyone in this community, law enforcement and demonstrators alike," County Attorney Allister Adel said in a written statement. I fully support everyone in the exercise of their First Amendment rights, but I will not allow criminal conduct, disguised as protest activity, to harm our community.

ABC15 obtained the full grand jury transcript and video from an 85-minute bond hearing for one of the defendants.

Both pieces of testimony show the legal basis Phoenix officers and county prosecutors used to justify the gang designation and other charges against the group.

Below are excerpts from the grand jury transcript and a bond hearing related to key issues in the case.

ACAB GANG

Arizona statutes regarding criminal street gang classification are broad and only require two of the following criteria to be met: (1) Self proclamation; (2) Witness testimony or statements; (3) Written or electronic correspondence; (4) Paraphernalia or photographs; (5) Tattoos; (6) Clothing or colors; (7) Any other indicators.

Phoenix police Sgt. Doug McBride, a grenadier who manages the Tactical Response Unit and former gang detective, testified that all members of the group met the criteria for three reasons.

The first is the chanting of All Cops are Bastards, which he claimed is self-proclamation. The second was most of the group dressed in black, which meets the colors requirement. And the third was many of the group carried umbrellas, which McBride claimed was part of their uniform.

The following are exchanges between prosecutor April Sponsel and McBride during an October 30, 2020 bond hearing for defendant Suvarna Ratnam.

TIMECODE: 5:35SPONSEL: Were they yelling or saying anything?MCBRIDE: Yes, they were.SPONSEL: What were they yelling or saying?MCBRIDE: I believe it was ACAB. And then the group would respond, "All Cops are Bastards.SPONSEL: In regards to the ACAB, do you know where that came from?MCBRIDE: Weve been dealing with it since May, since these protests started. Its a specific group of individuals that identify themselves as being part of All Cops Are Bastards, or ACAB.

Heres how McBride testified before a grand jury when questioned by a MCAO prosecutor.

PAGES: 31, 34, 36Q: What is that name of this gang?A: It is called ACAB, A-C-A-B, and it stands for All Cops Are Bastards. We first came into contact with this group through graffiti, signage, ACAB written on the back of skateboards and different paraphernalia throughout our 150-plus day employment and mobilization and civil unrest in Phoenix.

Q: And what were those two other criteria where you were able to attribute the other individuals listed in the indictment?A: Both self-proclamation and the colors, the clothing.

Q: And through your training and experience of dealing with this ACAB group, what exactly color what color do they claim?A: Black.

Q: And are you finding that ACAB is following the exact same type of philosophy of lets say the Bloods and the Crips?A: Yes.

Q: And what about even maybe the same philosophy as the Hells Angels?A: Very similar, yes.

Q: And why would that be similar?A: I think because the tattoos, the intimidation factor, how they are directing their violent behavior very similar to the Hells Angel organization where they actually organize their violent behavior, and then they carry that out in a very organized fashion. Its not random with the Hells Angels.

Q: And are you finding thats exactly what this ACAB group is doing is they are organizing for the intent to create violence?A: Yes.

A judge who presided over the Oct. 30, 2020 bond hearing heard similar testimony from McBride.

The judge ruled that Ratnam could be released and said the court did not see evidence of violence the night of the groups arrest.

The court does not see that as a threat of violence, said the judge, discussing the groups actions that night.

A defense attorney at the hearing also cross-examined McBride about his claims about ACAB.

TIMECODE: 46:14DEFENSE: Now you said that this group was yelling all cops are bastards during this protest, correct?MCBRIDE: Yes.DEFENSE: I watched the video, didnt they say other things?MCBRIDE: Im sure they did.DEFENSE: Did you hear them say, black lives matter?MCBRIDE: Not personally no.DEFENSE: Did you watch the video with sound on it?MCBRIDE: I did.DEFENSE: And you didnt hear them save black lives matter at any point of time during this march?MCBRIDE: They may have, Im not saying they didnt. I just dont have an independent recollection.

In court motions, another defense attorney attacked the designation of ACAB as a gang, calling it fictional.

ACAB is not a gang at all but a political slogan, Christopher DuPont wrote in the motion to compel prosecutors to release more evidence. In a continuing affront to the First Amendment, most likely motivated by hatred for a group using such an impolite name (ACAB), state prosecutors abetted by Phoenix police alleged that the protesters had assaulted police officers with deadly weapons, including toy smoke bombs and collapsible umbrellas even insinuating, without foundation, that protesters had weaponized their fingernails.

ACAB is a common protest chant that originated almost a century ago and is used across the world.

DuPont further criticized the comparison to the Crips, Bloods, and Hells Angels.

The state called a witness to testify at grand jury that ACAB was just as dangerous and in many ways more dangerous than notorious gangs like the Crips and the Bloods, two gangs that have accounted for as many as 15,000 homicides in the United States during their 30-year run.

UMBRELLAS

One of the criteria used to file gang charges was that many members of the group carried umbrellas during the protest.

TIMECODE: 19:42; 29:15;SPONSEL: The umbrellas, have you seen this tactic used in the past?MCBRIDE: Yes.SPONSEL: And is this a tactic thats commonly used by this particular group?MCBRIDE: Yes it is.

SPONSEL: What are they doing with the umbrellas right there?MCBRIDE: They are keeping them between us and them, and theyre swinging them back and forth basically as a distraction, to conceal what theyre doing, just cause, theyre trying to prevent us from arresting them.

In testimony before the grand jury, McBride also discussed the umbrellas.

PAGE: 38Q: And what about the umbrella, is that part of their, I guess you could say their gang uniform?A: It is. Its an extension of what they are doing to disrupt us and to try and defeat our tactics which are pepper spray and different types of nonlethal munitions. The umbrella will provide a protective umbrella around them, to use the umbrella word, and then it will also conceal what they are doing. As this group moved on October 17th, they were able to conceal what each person was doing by draping umbrellas around the exterior of the group so we couldnt see inside.

Umbrellas are common at protests and have been seen in many cities across the country.

Its something the defense attorney emphasized in the hearing.

TIMECODE: 48:16DEFENSE: Would you agree those umbrellas are used for them to protect themselves from getting pepper sprayed?MCBRIDE: Thats one example of their use.

Members of the group told ABC15 the umbrellas are also to keep alt-right counter-protesters, who were following along next to police, from "doxxing" them.

PROTESTERS RIFLE

A member of the group, Britney Austin, was carrying a rifle during the protest.

McBride discussed the rifle during his grand jury testimony.

PAGE: 47A: I didnt mention earlier, but there is one individual that we noticed early on who has an AR-15 rifle slung. So they cover that person up as well so we cant see what they are doing either.

Q: Does that create a risk for you guys?A: Absolutely. Its a huge hazard for us.

Q: And even though that person is not pointing the gun at you guys in any way, shape, or form, by the mere fact they are covering it up does that put you guys in apprehension that something could happen?A: Absolutely.

In the bond hearing, the defense attorney questioned McBride about the AR-15.

TIMECODE: 39:30DEFENSE: You said there was an individual with an AR-15 at the scene that day?MCBRIDE: Yes sir.DEENSE: Alright, is there anything illegal about having an AR-15?MCBRIDE: NoDEFENSE: Was that person a prohibited possessor?MCBRIDE: Not to my knowledgeDEFENSE: Did that person ever point it at any officer or threaten to point it at any officer?MCBRIDE: Not to my knowledge.DEFENSE: So youd agree with me that that AR-15 did not calculate into your factors of rioting?MCBRIDE: Correct.

The judge at the hearing also said the gun and the groups other actions did not constitute violence or the threat of violence.

TIMECODE: 1:17:30The court has to look at whether that was a threatening use of force or violence. We are an open carry state, the judge said. You are free to carry a gun. That may be threatening to other people, but that is your right in Arizona.

Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@abc15.com.

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Inside the case: Watch testimony behind the Phoenix protest gang charges - ABC15 Arizona

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COMMENTARY: We can condemn and combat extremism without loosening the definition of terrorism – Global News

Posted: at 11:28 am

If we were setting out to compile a list of groups that we condemn or disapprove of, a strong case could be made for the inclusion of the Proud Boys. But Canadas list of banned terrorist entities does not exist as a vehicle for expressing such sentiments and we should not be using it as such.

This past week, 13 additional groups were added to that list. Of those inclusions, 12 were relatively non-controversial. The inclusion of the Proud Boys, however, raises some legitimate questions and concerns.

Yes, the group holds radical political views and seem to have a thirst for violence (an alt-right fight club is how theyre described by one prominent anti-hate group), but the terrorism bar needs to be set higher than that. Politicizing this process seems both unwise and potentially counterproductive.

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While a strong case exists for describing neo-Nazi groups like Atomwaffen Division and The Base as terrorist organizations, the Proud Boys were the only ones who were the subject of a motion in the House of Commons calling for such a designation (the NDP proposed the motion, which MPs passed unanimously).

Its encouraging that our elected representatives take a dim view of far-right organizations, but this is a highly unusual intrusion into what should otherwise be a sober and objective process. It should not be influenced by the prevailing political attitudes of the moment.

Loosening the definition of terrorism could set a troubling precedent, one that could be abused for political purposes.

The Proud Boys indeed appear to have been involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill insurrection. The events of that day certainly crystalize the threat posed by far-right political extremism. Again, though, thats not an excuse for political interference in this process. If anything, the rushed inclusion of the Proud Boys could prove embarrassing for the government.

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While some Proud Boys members have been charged in connection with the insurrection, none of those charges have been proven in court. Absent any convictions, the case for listing the Proud Boys becomes much weaker.

OPINION: Madison Cawthorn shows the troubling future of the GOP – N.C. State University Technician Online

Posted: at 11:28 am

As soon as President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election, political pundits began speculating on what the post-Trump Republican Party would look like. Fresh on the political scene and the newest sweetheart of the Republican Party, Madison Cawthorn just might be a picture of what a future GOP might embody: a concerning picture.

Cawthorn was born and raised in western North Carolina and was sworn in this January as North Carolina District 11s representative at the U.S. House at only 25 years old. Cawthorns politics combine traditional social conservative values, youthful proximity to Gen Z, Trumpism and an utter lack of experience or education. Now, under a guise of charisma and youth, Cawthorn is bringing hard-right conservative values and dangerous rhetoric to Congress as a representative of North Carolina.

Despite many Republicans making a last-ditch effort to put distance between themselves and President Trump after a disastrous and deadly end to his term, Trump has left a lasting impact on the Republican Party (GOP), especially their voters whom Cawthorn skillfully appeals to. Cawthorns Twitter presence, much like Trumps prior to being banned, is peppered with immaturity, including calling his Democratic opponent a simp and infamously tweeting Cry more, lib right after winning his House race.

Fearmongering and conspiracy theories also make appearances. In alignment with Trumps base, Cawthorn has actively promoted debunked allegations of election fraud, objected to the Electoral College votes on the House floor and contributed to the incitement of violence in the events of Jan. 6. Cawthorn also seems unconcerned about COVID-19, rarely mentioning the virus on social media except to ostensibly compare public health restrictions on businesses during the pandemic to oligarchical rule an absurd misuse of the term.

Like former President Trump, Cawthorn is also the focus of multiple sexual misconduct allegations and accusations of white supremacy. Various symbols of the alt-right have been discovered around him including the name of his real estate company, on a gun holster he owns, a flag flown at his home, a picture posted while visiting Hitler's vacation home prompting concern that he is an alt-right Trojan horse.

Perhaps due to his young age, Madison Cawthorn seems aware of the generational rift amongst Republicans. According to Pew Research Center, young Republicans are far more likely than their older counterparts to believe that climate change exists, acknowledge the unfair treatment of Black Americans and say that the government should do more to solve problems. While Cawthorn claims to take an active stance on issues like these that aren't traditionally Republican, the actions he proposes on his website concerning health care and the environment are essentially a doubling down on free-market approaches.

Status quo 2.0. Madison Cawthorn consistently speaks of a big tent New Republican Party that welcomes voters of any identity. Meanwhile, he and his conservative colleagues show absolutely no desire to protect voters of more marginalized identities. Cawthorn simply wants a rebranded Republican Party capable of capturing new voting blocs without any real shift in policy or ideology.

Although Rep. Madison Cawthorn may be an appealing political figure to conservative Gen Z voters who want a party rebrand that is in alignment with the policies that matter most to our generation the environment, health care, being seen as welcoming this rebrand is nothing more than a face-lift. While this slight shift in focus might make the Republican platform more palatable on the surface, figures like Cawthorn could ultimately represent a dangerous shift to the right. As support for a conservative agenda has lapsed amongst younger voters, it is not a surprise that the rising leaders will hail from farther right areas of the party. Meanwhile, Cawthorn claims to speak for the younger generation, but his ultra-conservatism simply doesn't align with the values of young North Carolinians.

See the rest here:

OPINION: Madison Cawthorn shows the troubling future of the GOP - N.C. State University Technician Online

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Daily Archives: February 8, 2021

Republican-Proposed Bills Want To Prevent Teaching Students About Injustice | The Crusader Newspaper Group – The Chicago Cusader

Huawei’s situation won’t get any better with the Biden administration – Android Central

‘PF’s divide and rule schemes’ The Mast Online – themastonline.com

Why it’s right to call Israel an ‘apartheid state’ By Opinion – Independent Online

‘The burka initiative defends the dignity of women’ – swissinfo.ch

Anatomy of the pro-Trump mob: How the former president’s rhetoric galvanized a far-right coalition – ABC News

ON RELIGION: Twisted prayers and temptations to worship political power – GoDanRiver.com

Inside the case: Watch testimony behind the Phoenix protest gang charges – ABC15 Arizona

COMMENTARY: We can condemn and combat extremism without loosening the definition of terrorism – Global News

OPINION: Madison Cawthorn shows the troubling future of the GOP – N.C. State University Technician Online

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