The recent conflict between Gaza and Israel has generated much-heated commentary on this blog. Some of it has to do with the actual hostilities themselves. Unfortunately, other comments have instead concentrated on the issue of Jewish influence and power and this particular commentary has been decidedly negative. Too much so for my tastes.
In any event, we have allowed most of it because of our commitment to free speech. And also because no nation, ethnicity, institution, or person should be shielded from critique. This includes the state of Israel as well as the so-called Jewish lobby here in the United States. Likewise, Jewish influence in host cultures can –and should–be examined. But all such scrutiny should be done in as dispassionate a manner as possible.
As many of you may recall, I wrote a lengthy treatise defending the Church from the modern blood libel of being the originator of anti-Semitism. You can read it for yourself here: “The Blood Libel against the Church: an Historical Review of Jewish-Christian Relations“.
Though my principle desire with this essay was to defend the Church from this modernist calumny, in my research I came to several conclusions regarding the Jewish diaspora and its relationship with gentile cultures. They are a follows: (1) hatred of the Jews predated Christianity by several centuries; (2) the internecine conflicts between Jews and gentiles were no different than other inter-ethnic conflicts; and (3) anti-Jewish hostility was more widespread and long-lasting because of the magnitude and endurance of their dispersion.
Simply put, the other famous middle-man minorities, such as the Armenians, Levantine Arabs, and Chinese (among others), never achieved such a high degree of penetration in foreign lands. (The only possible exception would be the Greeks, who likewise have had a widespread and enduring diaspora.) There is however an “X” factor as to why inter-ethnic conflicts were more likely with Jewish minorities, and that is due to the monopolies that Jews enjoyed in the financial sectors.
For those who have studied history one can honestly say that Jewish influence is not all negative or positive one way or the other. (Neither are the influences and contributions of any other minority group for that matter.) That being said, the list of Jewish accomplishments in the arts, entertainment, science, law, and medicine is staggering. As one wag said some time ago “if you don’t like Jews, then don’t take the polio vaccine”.
As for myself, I won’t use the word “anti-Semitism” anymore in regard to the interminable conflicts which erupt from time to time in the Middle East. Mainly because Arabs (as well as Jews) are Semites. It would be tedious, therefore, to be sucked into that rhetorical trap. Because of this fact, I have come to the conclusion that it is disingenuous for Israeli apologists to immediately use that word in order to deflect criticism from their policies. To my mind, these policies stand on their own and should be addressed in the same manner that we assess the actions of any other nation. Simply put, Israeli actions should not be seen only through the prism of the Holocaust.
As to the present situation in Israel and Gaza, it is clear that Israel has used excessive force. It is equally clear that the war-making tactics of Hamas are despicable. I say this without reservation. Hiding behind human shields (often children) and launching rockets at the enemy from civilian locations is criminal. To expect no reprisals is delusional.
Both sides feel victimhood for themselves and assign aggression to their enemies. This is an age-old sentiment. Having said that, if the Palestinian cause is just, then they owe it to themselves and their posterity to form an army and fight on the field of battle in as honorable a fashion as possible. In the interim, they can do what the Zionists did in Palestine before their own statehood was achieved. Despite my own skepticism about the Zionist cause, I cannot take away from what they accomplished during that period, that is to say their desire to build a stable and economically viable state. In this respect, the contrast between the Palestinian cause and the Zionist one is stark.
That, of course, is all I’m willing to say for now about the present conflict in Gaza. Unless and until both sides come to an amicable agreement, then peace will never prevail and atrocities will continue to occur. This may be a pipe-dream but it is the only viable option.
But now we come to the second part of my essay, and that is the pervasiveness of Jewish influence. Unlike the wars of the Middle East (in which as I said, I will no longer use the term “anti-Semitism”), this phrase still has a particular saliency and cannot be avoided.
So what, exactly is anti-Semitism when viewed in this particular context?
One definition is that it entails a program of civil and/or legal disabilities leveled against local Jewish populations. An example of this would be the Nuremberg Laws of the 1930s which were instituted by the Nazi regime in order to restrict intermarriage between Jews and Germans. Other examples include restrictive covenants involving the buying and selling of real estate as we had in the United States. Another example would be mandatory quotas which restricted Jewish entry into trades, professions, and universities.
A more whimsical definition is “hating Jews more than is absolutely necessary”. (I got that one from David Goldman, who writes under the pseudonym “Spengler” for the Asia Times.) In any event, I have come to the conclusion that this latter definition is one that is all too popular among many critics of Israel and Jewish communities in general. To the extent that it is predominant in Christian communities, it is unfortunate in that it makes honest criticism impossible.
The late Joseph Sobran once quipped “It used to be said that an anti-Semite was one who hated the Jews. Now an anti-Semite is one whom the Jews hate”.
Contrary to popular belief, Orthodox theology does not teach anti-Semitism or any type of racial/ethnic hatred. Such a sentiment contravenes the New Testament. Yet, there can be no doubt that many Orthodox ethnicities (as well as Roman Catholic and Protestant ones) have a decidedly negative opinion of Jews. This, I discovered, was not primarily because of Scriptural admonitions but because of inter-ethnic conflicts.
This cannot be stated enough: pogroms, riots, and other disturbances erupt when competition for economic resources between different factions becomes acute. When ethnic, racial, or religious differences exist, these conflicts become more acute. When the warring factions are divided (as in Cyprus or Northern Ireland), the violence abates. At any rate, We are seeing this phenomenon rear its ugly head presently in the United States, where we are engulfed in a multi-ethnic/racial conflict the likes of which our nation has rarely seen.
To be sure, the words of the Church Fathers can sound shocking to modern, liberal ears. But so can some of the verses found in the New Testament, all of which were written by Jews. Clearly, the Evangelists and Apostles were not in the business of setting up extermination camps for their co-ethnics. It is absurd therefore to draw a straight line from the Gospel of John to Auschwitz as many secularists and liberals do.
As for the Church Fathers (most of whom were gentile), the fact remains that many of them in the ante-Nicene period were disciples of some of these men. They had in fact imbibed the Judaic narrative completely and more to the point ferociously fought Hellenistic incursions from entering into the Christian fold. (I am speaking primarily of Gnosticism which as a belief system was completely antithetical to the Jews, their theology, and their Scriptures.) The Church Fathers may have disdained the Synagogue but they despised Gnosticism more.
That does not mean that the tone of some of the writings of the post-Nicene Fathers did not rankle. Some of the sermons of St John Chrysostom for example, spring instantly to mind. That being said, these sermons (and other polemics) must be understood in the context of the time. Simply put, the Synagogue had become an implacable enemy of the Church after the destruction of the Second Temple (ca AD 70). As for Jewish-gentile relations during late Antiquity, Jews in the diaspora were prone to sudden outbursts of violence against the gentile majority. (In this, they were not unlike Muslim communities in the West today.)
Much more could be said about the volatility that can erupt when Semitic and Indo-European cultures collide. That is not our purpose here; it is merely to give a proper context with which we can view the question of Jewish-gentile relations.
This is not an unknown phenomenon. Nor is it rare: the world is unfortunately littered with interminable conflicts such as what we are seeing in Gaza. Or Chechnya, Somalia, or Tibet. It was Herodotus who correctly said that “only the dead have seen the end to war”. It will continue to be so until the Lord returns and sets it right. As historians, scholars, or as simple laymen, we are entitled to question, revisit and analyze what went on before.
But we must do so honestly and without rancor. As has been our practice for many years now, honest criticism will be allowed, whether we are talking about nations, ethnicities, races, individuals, or institutions. Therefore, as far as this blog is concerned, we will continue to allow all commentary that is not contentious, vituperative, or hateful. Anything that falls short of that is done in bad faith.
Anybody who violates this rule will not have his comment published.
Pax.
Thank you, George, for that considered, balanced, insightful article.
I hope and pray that the conversation here will continue in that, at once, irenic and prophetic spirit.
You’re welcome, Fr. And thank you for all your contributions to this blog.
All of that seems like it would be the reasonable and mature adult response. “Hatred is bad, but these terms are based on emotions and only kill discussion.” Unfortunately we are long past that in America.
Israel is the only country that is defined by its opposition to Christ. Muslims at least consider Jesus to be a prophet. But Jews are the only people in the world whose identity is based on the rejection of Jesus. If a Jew becomes a Christian, he is expelled from the community and even loses his Israeli citizenship.
You’re not wrong, Austin. But as to how the Israelis feel about Jesus, that’s a theological question. That’s between them and God. When Russia was a rabidly atheist state, I did not wish to engage in hostilities with them or try to convert them. The communist countries were theomachistic, that’s just as bad as rejecting Christ. I say this as a proud and unrepentant Cold Warrior.
At this point, as a neo-isolationist, all I want is to concentrate on this country, which is going to hell in a handbasket.
Well, modern Jews unless they are pretty orthodox have a more positive view of Jesus. He was a Jew of his time that was similar to Hillel, a famous rabbi in the first century. As George stated Atheist’s can be worst on Christ and his follower than Jews or Muslims Gore Vidal a famous atheist wrote a book on Julian the aposate making him a hero and the Christia emperors of the time villains’.
To a philologist, I would have thought an anti-Semite
dislikes Arabs just as much as he dislikes Jews.
With time (several thousand years) the Jewish “situation” has probably, currently, become the most potentially inflammatory & divisive issue that applies to nearly every country, nation, and/or people on the face of the Earth. What makes this dilemma a difficult issue to deal with (especially for a number of Orthodox Christians) and/or to ignore, to wrestle with — is not the many contemporary “annoyances” that are brought to bear on nearly every part of the globe and in nearly every dominant culture and/or polity… but the constant concern, the fear, that “the Jews want to rule the world”.
From a (especially) traditional Orthodox Xian perspective, this issue has been with us since the times of the Holy Apostles. Even with the late-comer Apostle of the Apostles to the Gentiles St. Paul, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. In the beginning he killed Jews who believed in Christ. St. Perter was not happy with Paul’s ministry to Gentiles.
In any case, I’ve thrice read the book entitled “Seven Trumpets and the Antichrist” written by Fr. by Archimandrite Athanasios Mitilinaios (memory eternal). The style is conversational, pastoral, and prophetic… not easy to blend these elements in such a nearly-effortless book-to-read. The end of time will be preceded by the Jewish world ruler (the A—Christ). That’s all.
https://tinyurl.com/z87v4hcx
George, I was wondering if you could post a little history lesson for your readers about how, exactly, the current state of Israel began. What am I missing here? As far as I can discover, the modern state of Israel can be traced back to the British plan to give Jews a home after the fall of the Ottoman empire in the early 1920’s — the Balfour Declaration. This plan was adopted and implemented with the help of the United Nations on May 14, 1948 — also known as the “catastrophe” in Arab circles. According to some accounts 700,000 Palestinians were displaced. What the United Nations did in 1948 is essentially invade another country and superimpose a nation that didn’t exist right smack in the middle of Palestine. No wonder the Palestinians are upset. I, too, do not wish to justify the killing of innocent lives. Hamas seems like a terrorist organization from my vantage point. What am I missing here? Are there some other facts that I am not aware of that justify Israel’s existence? Their going back to the lands they lost seems as idiotic as asking all of the Turks to get out of Istanbul so Orthodox Christians can move back in and rename it Constantinople. There is never going to be peace in Palestine until Jews realize that their existence in Israel is artificial and the continued apartheid against Palestinians means Hamas and others will continue to fire rockets at them for eternity.
You’re not wrong. There was an additional irritant to the native Arabs of that entire region, in that their dream of a unified Arab state was dashed by the Sykes-Picot Plan which divided up that entire region along ethnic/confessional lines. T E Lawrence (“of Arabia”) tried to warn the British about this.
I believe even King Abdullah (who should have been king of Arabia but was given Jordan [nee Transjordan] instead) had no problem with a “Jewish national home”. As there was already an indigenous Jewish population there of long-standing. Estimates vary on how big the various Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze populations were but as a general rule, Palestine was not all that populous in general. In other words, had the Arabs been allowed to create an actual kingdom called “Arabia” which encompassed the entire Peninsula, the Jews would have been allowed an autonomous region within that framework. This would have been similar to what obtained for the Jews under the Persian Empire, when thanks to Cyrus the Great, the Jews were allowed to migrate back to Palestine and govern themselves autonomously, but within the framework of said empire. (Their governor-general/Exilarch was considered sixth in rank to the Shan-en-Shah of Persia.)
And history would have been different. But the British and the French deserve much blame for their confounding of the Arabs’ plans. Also, the Arabs took this as a stab in the back considering how they created another front for the Allies during WWI. They expected an independent, unified polity.
https://vdare.com/articles/the-left-is-changing-on-israel-because-of-black-lives-matter-and-immigration?scroll_to_paragraph=6
The anti-imperialist Left has been for Palestine for a long time. Just look up Abby Martin and Max Blumenthal’s excellent (though slanted) reporting.
The problem I have with the “anti-imperialist Left” is that when push comes to shove, they always cave to either the the Neoliberals or the totalitarians.
An excellent example was the CPUSA. During the 30s they were pacifists. When Hitler and Stalin signed their non-aggression pact in ’38, they were 100% America-First isolationists. Then when Hitler stabbed his buddy Stalin in the Back on June 22, 1940, they were all gung-ho for war. Then when the Allies defeated Hitler, they were back to their “pacifism” and Stalinolatry.
I agree. Hypocrisy abounds and doesn’t have an ideology. The Right is no less susceptible to neoliberalism and dictators. Evangelicals in the 50s-70s wanted no part in politics. Anytime any group places its trust in a political savior, it will lead to death and destruction. We are all sinners.
As a layman, I just try to find critical sources outside the media propaganda who are actually there. The movie Wag the Dog is always in my mind when I stumble upon CNN. There is lots of empty talking but no reporting.
I am generally against the American Empire because it has not kept its promises and does little to solve our domestic problems. We just decreased the military budget by 10%, we could end homeless (by providing homes like W Bush did), provide free medical care (like the Russians currently do), and build up our infrastructure. We outspend the whole world on military 3x. We had tons of social services under Ike. Life was affordable. What happened?
If you want to know just how broke you are,
here is the US National Debt Clock:
https://www.usdebtclock.org/index.html
NB: The UK is about as solvent as Greece:
https://www.usdebtclock.org/world-debt-clock.html
Russia seems to be doing fine, however…
A good article from ‘Zone B’ on how people outside the AngloZionist perspective: https://thesaker.is/palestine-hamas-defeats-israel/
(The author is an Orthodox Christian btw)
Ben David, I’m a fan of the Saker. Having said that, he overstates the “failure” of the IDF. I’d like to see more proof (for example) that Syria has bounced back and is now a stable polity. Also, the Israelis have permanently annexed the Golan Heights, probably the most strategic topography in the entire Middle East.
As for the stillbirth of Kurdistan, I’m not sure why that’s a good idea. I see no reason why the Kurds cannot have an ethno-state of their own.
Given the number of “Mountain Turks” who
(given half a chance) would identify themselves as “Kurdish”), the birth of
a Kurdish ethno-state may well engender the collapse of the Turkish State.
Turkey’s upcoming collapse has been predicted a few times in recent years, both by scholars and political commentators. As well as the Kurdish question, there’s also the Alevi question, as they are a large, yet marginalized, group. Among the Turks themselves, the ongoing struggle between Kemalism and Islam could affect their ability to maintain control over the former two groups, although Erdogan seems to have gotten the upper hand against them since the big purge a few years ago.
The way Turkey has been acting like an imperial power in recent years, though, might undo the tight Erdogan hold on domestic power, as it might lead them into ‘Turkey’s Vietnam’ somewhere in their supposed sphere of influence and cause undesired blowback.
You raise several interesting points, Basil.
Interestingly, Yair Netanyaju, Bibi’s son, tweeted out something very scabrous about Turkey. Highly politically incorrect.
I saw that. I thought his comments were hilarious, all things considered.
Let’s have a look at them:
“Turkey is founded upon a genocide of Greek Christians” Nakba, anyone?
“you are not native to Anatolia, you came from Central Asia and did a genocide to the local Greek Christian population.” Something something Khazars something something.
“Your country is run by a dictator who wants to re occupy and oppress the Arab world like in the days of the Ottoman Empire.” Greater Israel, anyone?
“End the occupation of Kurdistan and North Cyprus!” End the occupation of Palestine!
Pot meet kettle.
I read today that Turkey plans on creating a ‘”buffer zone” in Iraqi Kurdistan.
“Turkey is expelling the Kurds from the border region with northern Iraq by bombing their villages and deforesting the area, creating the conditions for the establishment of a fully organized “BUFFER ZONE” by the Turkish Armed Forces.”
Not sure how Iraq is going to respond to this, but it shows just how puffed-up Erdogan is at the minute, acting with impunity. One wrong step and he could have the PMFs on his back.
That’s gonna be interesting, isn’t it? Perhaps Erdogan will bite off more than he can chew?
Today he just offered for Turkey to take over from the States as the leader in Afghanistan. Talk about one way to bankrupt your country.
We had our behinds handed to us by the Taliban (in slow-time) and lost trillions of dollars. Turkey will fare much, much worse if this comes to pass.
Looks like those predictions I mentioned could be coming true.
Basil, do you think Erdogan will bite on this?
I’m skeptical, esp after Biden recognized the Armenian genocide.
It would be stupid to send Turkish – or any – troops into Afghanistan, given their track record as the ‘graveyard of empires,’ but it definitely would not be an outside bet for Erdogan to go ahead and do it anyway, given his track record.
If he got embroiled in the Afghan hills, it might be a good time for Armenia, Greece, Cyprus, Syria, and Iraq to make a move against him and claim back all their stolen land.
I’m not a huge fan of the Saker, but he does come out with some solid analysis. That article was quite solid.
Syria is getting there: https://www.rt.com/op-ed/524893-syria-war-peace-western/
I’m all for national sovereignty and the right to self-determination. but those Kurds have sold their souls out to the globalists in their attempts at statehood, which makes an independent Kurdistan a very dangerous prospect, kind of like how Kosovo is the major hub for nefarious US/NATO activity.
I think you misread the article. The Saker is not supportive of a Kurdistan. Such a country has only US / Israel support to destabilize neighbours. Which is the whole point our Middle East policy. A united Middle East is bad for US business.
Personally, as a point of honor, I believe the US should have supported the formation of this country out of a province in Iraq instead of funneling money to al-Nursa ( al-Qaeda). There is so much hypocrisy and abuse to make one ill.
Regarding evidence for a stable Syria. Again, such evidence is bad for US business. Also bad for Turkey for some reason that I don’t understand. As for the Golum Heights, Syria may just cut its losses for stability.
No, I disagreed with Saker about Kurdistan. Still do. Otherwise, I am sympathetic to a lot of what he rights.
Also I agree with your assessment about the American empire. We should have listened to Pat Buchanan back in 1990: come home America.
Interesting thought. White people are being condemned for coming here and colonizing the folks that were here first. However newer groups are coming here and trying to colonize the white people. But that seems to be all right. What if we don’t want to be colonized?
And how do we square the present Israel story with the story that Jesus is coming back to Jerusalem?
Jesus is returning to Jerusalem, but after the current world has passed away—including the folly of the Temple Institute!
Lina,
I’m a bit confused by your question. Nowhere does it say the Christ will come back (as in His coming again) to Jerusalem. Perhaps you are referring to:
If so, please note that the new Jerusalem descends from God out of heaven.
Nick wrote:
“Are there some other facts that I am not aware of that justify Israel’s existence?”
Me:
Yes, there are other “facts” that you “may” not be aware of. The facts do not address the issue in the sort of politico/humanistic sense to which you have referred. They have to do with the End Times, the apocalyptic prophecies, and the end of human history,
********************
“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south”
Pr. Zechariah 14:4
“Decided To Divide” – Chicago Segregates Restaurants For Un-Vaxx’d…
If you want any more evidence COVID-19 has been a pandemic of inequality – take, for example, Chicago restaurant owners, who plan to introduce vaccinated and non-vaccinated sections, according to CBS Chicago.
This brings us back to the 1990s when there were restaurants offering smoking and smoke-free sections. The division is clear, and the vaccine is dividing us all.
Chicago officials are still in the reopening phase and plan to be fully open by July 4. Per new guidance from Mayor Lori Lightfoot, businesses can operate with no restrictions as long as there is a section for vaccinated people.
This weekend, at Moe’s Cantina Chicago, neon bracelets will be handed out to vaccinated people where they can mingle in an unrestricted section in the restaurant. For everyone else, the unvaccinated section will have socially distanced tables and partitions.
See: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/decided-divide-chicago-restaurants-create-vax-and-non-vax-section
Well as of today(?) we have officially reached 50% of the adult population who has received both doses of the vaccine in America. Lord Have Mercy. I pray that we are being too “paranoid” about the repercussions about what might happen in the near-future to those who have taken it Bc the thought of it being true are beyond horrifying
I know this will sound outrageous, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the reason the army and national guard volunteered to deliver the vaccine is so they could switch it out with saline.
What would saline do? Can you explain what the conspiracy would be?
Saline is safe.
There is no “conspiracy.”
The military is charged with keeping Americans safe from attack both from within and outside our country. If COVID is indeed a bioweapon, which Fauci is now acknowledging is a possibility, then they would need to protect the American people from the vaccine that was created by the same bad actors who were responsible for the virus. Injecting us with saline would be a way they could do that.
Would saline solution also give people a sore arm, slight fever, and tiredness the next day? Or are those symptoms just a placebo effect?
The potential side effects are public knowledge so the placebo effect could be an explanation.
However, in placebo groups, they use fairly toxic substances instead of a placebo which leads to the same adverse effects. An aluminum adjuvant, or aluminum with thimerosal, or simply another vaccine could be added to the saline to increase the prevalence of the same side effects.
I’ve been thinking the same thing myself.
One of the Achilles’ heels of totalitarian regimes is that there are always some white hats in the government apparat who will go out of their way to “lose orders”. The very fact that the Biden Admin is so bloody incompetent leads me to believe that there are more than a few people who are disgusted with the way things are going and want no part of it.
I pray I am wholly wrong
and really am as delusional as many around me think – and say.
However, when I think of Amos and Jeremiah (not to mention Cassandra)
whose predictions of disaster turned out to be true, I weep…
https://www.jpost.com/health-science/who-are-the-jews-behind-the-coronavirus-vaccines-649405?fbclid=IwAR0t5-GinkinhziAWZMGVsxmkCLGaOLsvr0afS6rEoVsEOOVdbAOKFUVrEM
Color me surprised.
Austin, as you know, I am very vax-skeptic. Having said that, the fact that some of the bigwigs in Big Pharma are Jewish doesn’t shock or surprise me. Nor is it indicative of anything nefarious. That’s like looking for a conspiracy to try and understand why the NBA is 80% black or ice hockey is 95% Northern European.
But athletics don’t poison people. They don’t have the force of the government. People don’t blindly trust athletes’ advice.
Middle America has been eviscerated by the opioid epidemic, especially my part of Missouri. If basketball players act out, people just turn off the TV. If the pharmaceutical industry acts out, people die and families break.
Actually Austin, people do follow the advice of sports heroes, celebrities and the like. Not “blindly” perhaps but Shaquille O’Neal isn’t paid tens of millions of dollars to star in adverts for nothing.
Antifa, Syria, Russia and Orthodoxy: US Government Funded Antifa “Private Spies” Launch Program To Dox Nationalists In 20 Eastern European Nations…
Private intelligence outlet Bellingcat is planning a US government backed “anti-fascist” information war against right-wing political activists in Eastern Europe, according to a wanted ad on their website.
See: https://national-justice.com/us-government-funded-antifa-group-launches-program-dox-far-right-activists-20-eastern-european
The program, titled the Anti-Equality Monitoring Project, will focus on the following nations: Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Bellingcat, which is funded by the CIA front known as National Endowment for Democracy (NED), mimics Julian Assange’s Wikileaks in style and methods, but functions purely to advance US intelligence operations around the world.
According to the Bellingcat Monitoring recruitment ad, groups espousing nationalist, anti-LGBT, and anti-feminist beliefs in Eastern Europe are not sufficiently attacked or surveilled locally, so they will be picking up the slack.
Fit with an origin story and fawning astroturfed media coverage, the US and British governments have been eager to promote their “private spies” at Bellingcat as idealistic and innovative Millennial internet sleuths.
They have been largely unsuccessful in selling this image. The organization has been widely panned by both the anti-war left and the right as a government disinformation outfit.
In one stark example, last year Bellingcat was forced to apologize to respected British intellectual Peter Hitchens, who they targeted in a coordinated defamation campaign for questioning the Douma chemical attack story that neo-conservatives were trying to use as an excuse for military intervention in Syria. Bellingcat held that the attack was real and that all those who disagreed were nefarious Kremlin trolls. They received a black eye when whistleblowers at the OPCW later testified that their Assad gas attack report was indeed a contrived fraud.
In most of Eastern Europe, American style “Antifa” groups do not hold much sway and are often heavily outnumbered in the street. Sources in Serbia have told National Justice that self-described journalists from the United States have been trying to help organize “Antifa” groups to use as a bludgeon against nationalists in their country for a few years now.
It is clear that like Black Lives Matter, “Antifa” style activism is a tool of US government soft power. Governments in Eastern Europe have a duty to protect their citizens from malicious foreign espionage regardless of their beliefs, but it remains to be seen if they will.
“US government soft power”
Perhaps: “US government soft-in-the-head power” would be better?
AnonII, thank you for this wonderful expose.
One way we can know we’re on the right track is when two things happen: 1) the Corporate Media screams “bloody murder” and 2) when the Globalists mimic those organizations which are making them scream.
Having said that “Bellingcat” is an excellent name. One reason the Oligarchy and their corporatist allies in the Left (MSM, etc.) fail is because their organizations are not organic. Think of the massive early success of the Tea Party. Their response was the clearly astro-turfy “Coffee Party”.
Bellingcat also has the advantage of an authentic sounding linguistic kill-shot. One reason Trump won in 2016 was that he won the memetic wars. In any event, now that we’re on to Bellingcat, we can neutralize their capability.
Also, times and events are not on their side: the entire BLM/antifa/queer activism is wearing out its welcome in the US and Western Europe. They’re a hard-sell in Croatia, Slovenia and those other nations you mentioned. Also, the present conflict in Gaza is constraining their field of action: if they are a US/UK tool, how are they going to sell anti-rightist aktion when they’re deathly silent about the Palestinians (who are the darling of the Left)?
Anyway, those are my musings.
The US government’s war on political dissent is being guided by private left-wing and Zionist organizations, National Justice can report.
An internal document regarding the Pentagon’s “Countering Extremism Working Group” (CEWG) from last April names the individuals and groups that are slated for membership in a subcommittee that specializes in setting targets for the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice’s war on conservative and nationalist leaning Americans.
Government officials tend to keep details of their collaboration with “private partners” secret out of fear of the public knowing the prejudices and biases informing policy.
Some names that stand out are Mark Pitcavage of the Anti-Defamation League, former Southern Poverty Law Center agent Heidi Beirich, Lecia Brooks and Susan Corke, also of the SPLC, and various figures representing the American Civil Liberties Union and the FBI Agents Association.
These lobbyists and political activists are being hired by the government as “partners” on “counter extremism and counter terrorism to better understand the scope of the problem.”
In other words, they will have a say in which Americans have rights and which Americans are “domestic extremists” subject to the full force of the US intelligence apparatus.
The definition of “extremism” used by the ADL and the SPLC would be considered extreme in and of themselves by most Americans.
For example, the ADL considers Fox News’ Tucker Carlson to be a domestic extremist. Recently the same group declared calling attention to Israel’s human rights abuses is also “extremism.” By deferring to the ADL’s guidance on these matters, the US government is criminalizing the opinions of millions of Americans.
Other figures such as Leicia Brooks and Heidi Beirich are alleged to be involved in extremism and criminal activity themselves. Early last year, Lecia Brooks helped lead an illegal armed communist march through the streets of a small town in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
As for Beirich, she is accused in federal court of paying a man to rob a computer and then using the stolen contents to defame a man on the SPLC’s website.
The SPLC currently employs multiple open supporters of Antifa, including Michael Edison Hayden, who has previously threatened people with sending his Antifa contacts to people’s houses. The SPLC’s “hate map” is not only a fraud, it is notoriously hyper-partisan.
The ACLU’s inclusion in the CEWG subcommittee appears to be a hedge against complaints that the FBI and DHS targets Muslims. While American intelligence agencies have indeed violated the rights of Muslims, the ACLU has shown in recent years that it is not interested in defending the civil liberties of those dubbed “white nationalists” or right-leaning individuals in general.
Josh Zive, head of the FBI Agents Association, is also part of the group. The off-the-rails FBI has been demanding Congress pass a “domestic terrorism law” so that they can be free to prosecute Americans for their political beliefs even when they aren’t committing any real crimes. Looking at the zeal that FBI agents have pursued Trump supporters who trespassed at the Capitol compared to the deadly anarchist violence that terrorized multiple cities last year offers a hint as to who they want to shut down.
Nobody has been killed by so-called “Racially Motivated Violent Extremists” in 2020 or 2021, the main target of the supposed “domestic terrorism” crackdown. This has not stopped the Department of Homeland Security from crying wolf about supposed “white supremacists” waiting to strike as COVID restrictions are eased.
According to the DHS’ terrorism advisory this week, Russia, China and Iran are responsible for the rash of black attacks on people of Asian descent, as well as complaints that the DHS cannot point to any specific imminent “white supremacist” threat because the mysterious and unknown actors are using encrypted apps to plot their attacks. This nonsense amounts to political theater, showing a fundamental lack of seriousness coming from Washington.
While the FBI, DHS and Defense Department have discredited themselves domestically and globally, their desperation should not be ignored. If the ADL and SPLC get to decide what constitutes “domestic extremism,” the new post-legal era of rampant government abuse is only getting started.
See: https://national-justice.com/federal-governments-domestic-terrorism-committee-being-run-adl-and-splc-leaked-documents-show
Brilliant. As to your last paragraph: even in desperation a trapped, dying animal can do a lot of damage.
Again, my only hope is that within the DOJ, FBI and the Defense Dept, there are enough patriots who can confound the machinations of the Oligarchy or at least tip us off. Slim hope indeed but there it is.
PS, I was pleasantly surprised the other day when SCOTUS rendered a 9-0 decision against the state which upheld the Fourth Amendment. It was also a gun rights case. (Look for more pressure from the Left for Stephen Breyer to step down.)
Being moderate is not the same as being correct.
Christ our true God didn’t equivocate with the Pharisees and Sadducees. The current anti Christian agenda in America is fostered by the ADL and its companions SPLC.
Many Comedians “who happen to be Jewish “
make a career of mocking Jesus Christ and his Church.
A moderate response is not an honorable response.
I love this comment! At our house we use the term “zealous moderate.” Not to judge people, we never know their life stories or their hearts, but we must protect our hearts from the effects of their mindsets and describe unhelpful things in a way that helps us to reject it. I suppose a form of lukewarm-ness, except being passionate about it. The Royal Path that Fr. Seraphim Rose and others spoke about was not being lukewarm. I think some people seem to get the two confused.
Israel’s actions were not excessive. You have to crush terrorists who attack civilians with overwhelming force.
By… attacking civilians with overwhelming force?
To paraphrase a past President:
“When Israel does it that means that it is not excessive”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMt8qCl5fPk
[Video – 00:07]
It’s kinda funny, but I don’t remember directives like this coming out of the Golden Don Administration:
https://nypost.com/2021/06/02/team-bidens-atrocious-advice-to-jews-to-hide-their-identity/
Oy vey! you get what you pay for!