Vatican starting to look hypocritical on those ‘national security concerns’

The Vatican has called an ISIS terrorist video from the Philippines threatening the life of the pope “worrying” and made vague statements about security being in ready to halt the potential attack.

Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s No. 2 official, said he has seen the video of militants desecrating Christian statues and threatening the pope by saying they’ll come to Rome, as they tear in half photos of him and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.

The video was mostly filmed in the Philippines, where ISIS has been clashing with government forces for control of the city of Marawi, MailOnline reported.

Parolin said: “Obviously, one cannot help but worry, above all for the senseless hatred that it is.” But he said the Vatican has not added more measures to its already bolstered security.

It’s not their first threat against the Vatican. Terrorists launched another video with St. Peter’s Square in their crosshairs in 2015, created in the wake of their murder of a group of Egyptian Christians on a beach the same year.

The Swiss Guards recently said it is “only a matter of time” before the terrorists do their worst to strike at the Vatican.

The threat comes at a peculiar time – in the wake of words from the pope urging Europe to take all comers in great refugee inflow, without regard for “national security concerns.”

In the message, Francis demanded governments welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants, saying Jesus’ message of love is rooted in welcoming the “rejected strangers of every age.”

He demanded a simplified process of granting humanitarian and temporary visas and rejected arbitrary and collective expulsions as “unsuitable.” He said the principle of ensuring each person’s dignity “obliges us to always prioritize personal safety over national security.”

Whose personal safety that might be was not specified. But it appeared the Holy Father placed a higher value on the right of potential terrorists to come to Europe to live the good life than the right of their intended victims to live without fear, whether Europe’s victims of Afghani rape maurauders, or Europe’s victims of the next terrorist spectacular.

It was a singularly irresponsible statement because what on earth did he think national security concerns were except for protection for the lives of the people these nations’ leaders have a sacred duty to protect? The pope’s remark about ‘obliges us to always prioritize personal safety over national security concerns’ makes absolutely no sense given that the personal safety of Europeans is exactly what is known as national security. Anything else is to prioritize terrorists’ lives over those of the locals.

Now he’s got some ‘worrying’ things himself with this absurd policy position. Yes, we understand he wants to ensure that Christian duties to strangers are followed, but this does not necessarily mean taking good with bad into a home country and hoping the bomb doesn’t go off. If it did, there’d be no ISIS terrorist video to find “worrying.”

There are many ways to help refugees besides extending immigration to them and witih ISIS already stating that it has infiltrated refugee streams, there is every reason to shut the door and keep them out until they can be sorted out. Refugee camps near their home country should do the job just fine.

Somehow, it’s easy to throw ordinary people off the side and declare them expendible in the great quest to fill Europe’s baby bust. But it all looks different when in the eyes of the Vatican when it’s the Holy Father’s life on the line. The Vatican should have known better, because it comes out looking hypocritical now.

 

 

The Vatican has called an ISIS terrorist video from the Philippines threatening the life of the pope “worrying” and made vague statements about security being in ready to halt the potential attack.

Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s No. 2 official, said he has seen the video of militants desecrating Christian statues and threatening the pope by saying they’ll come to Rome, as they tear in half photos of him and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.

The video was mostly filmed in the Philippines, where ISIS has been clashing with government forces for control of the city of Marawi, MailOnline reported.

Parolin said: “Obviously, one cannot help but worry, above all for the senseless hatred that it is.” But he said the Vatican has not added more measures to its already bolstered security.

It’s not their first threat against the Vatican. Terrorists launched another video with St. Peter’s Square in their crosshairs in 2015, created in the wake of their murder of a group of Egyptian Christians on a beach the same year.

The Swiss Guards recently said it is “only a matter of time” before the terrorists do their worst to strike at the Vatican.

The threat comes at a peculiar time – in the wake of words from the pope urging Europe to take all comers in great refugee inflow, without regard for “national security concerns.”

In the message, Francis demanded governments welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants, saying Jesus’ message of love is rooted in welcoming the “rejected strangers of every age.”

He demanded a simplified process of granting humanitarian and temporary visas and rejected arbitrary and collective expulsions as “unsuitable.” He said the principle of ensuring each person’s dignity “obliges us to always prioritize personal safety over national security.”

Whose personal safety that might be was not specified. But it appeared the Holy Father placed a higher value on the right of potential terrorists to come to Europe to live the good life than the right of their intended victims to live without fear, whether Europe’s victims of Afghani rape maurauders, or Europe’s victims of the next terrorist spectacular.

It was a singularly irresponsible statement because what on earth did he think national security concerns were except for protection for the lives of the people these nations’ leaders have a sacred duty to protect? The pope’s remark about ‘obliges us to always prioritize personal safety over national security concerns’ makes absolutely no sense given that the personal safety of Europeans is exactly what is known as national security. Anything else is to prioritize terrorists’ lives over those of the locals.

Now he’s got some ‘worrying’ things himself with this absurd policy position. Yes, we understand he wants to ensure that Christian duties to strangers are followed, but this does not necessarily mean taking good with bad into a home country and hoping the bomb doesn’t go off. If it did, there’d be no ISIS terrorist video to find “worrying.”

There are many ways to help refugees besides extending immigration to them and witih ISIS already stating that it has infiltrated refugee streams, there is every reason to shut the door and keep them out until they can be sorted out. Refugee camps near their home country should do the job just fine.

Somehow, it’s easy to throw ordinary people off the side and declare them expendible in the great quest to fill Europe’s baby bust. But it all looks different when in the eyes of the Vatican when it’s the Holy Father’s life on the line. The Vatican should have known better, because it comes out looking hypocritical now.

 

 

via American Thinker Blog

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Venezuelan dictator takes next step in isolating his nation

Whenever dictators rise to power one of the first steps they generally take is to assert control over the media. After all, you don’t want stories circulating among the people which are critical of your various abuses. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is no exception to this rule, and he quickly moved to shut down two of the nation’s remaining radio stations which had aired stories critical of his takeover. (Associated Press)

Authorities have shut down two radio stations that aired critical coverage of President Nicolas Maduro’s government by refusing to renew their licenses, a broadcast executive announced, as the country staged military exercises in defiance of Washington and new U.S. sanctions.

Enza Carbone, president of the country’s Radio Chamber, said late Friday in a statement that the National Telecommunications Commission did not renew the stations’ permits when they expired and ordered them to cease transmitting.

The National Media Workers’ Union accused the government of taking “arbitrary” action and violating freedom of expression.

Two days earlier, Maduro ordered cable television carriers to stop offering a couple of stations from Columbia which also broadcast “wrong thinking” news. This is precisely the same pattern we saw in Turkey last year after the failed coup attempt when Recep Tayyip Erdogan began imprisoning journalists by the hundreds and closing down newspapers who printed unfavorable analysis of his regime.

The end game of a strategy such as this can be seen in North Korea today. There is no media (aside from some black market radio from across the border) except for the state operated television and radio networks. Rather than news or any sort of informed discussion, citizens who can somehow afford a television or radio (and they are few in number) are treated to a non-stop flow of approved government propaganda designed to lionize the leadership and condemn the west as enemies.

So what, if anything, will the rest of the world do about Maduro? Our United Nations Ambassador, Nikki Haley, came out this week with yet another forceful condemnation, asserting that the United States would not “tolerate” a dictatorship in Venezuela. (Reuters)

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Friday that U.S. sanctions against Venezuela were a strong message to President Nicolas Maduro that the United States would not tolerate a “dictatorship” in that country.

Haley, speaking at United Nations headquarters in New York, said she had not been asked to meet at the UN with visiting Venezuelan foreign minister Jorge Arreaza.

It’s a noble message, but at this point the dictator ship has sailed, if you’ll pardon the pun. The former government is all but dissolved. Maduro’s new assembly of sycophants has usurped all the powers of the legislature and they’re just rewriting the laws of the country to reflect the President’s whims on the fly. Their Supreme Court is packed with Maduro loyalists. Armed militias roam the streets beating down and in some cases murdering protesters and members of the opposition party are quickly filling Maduro’s prisons to overflowing.

I’m not sure how many more things or people we could really sanction at this point. None of it is dissuading Maduro. We may not want to “tolerate” a dictatorship in Venezuela, but we’ve most certainly got one.

The post Venezuelan dictator takes next step in isolating his nation appeared first on Hot Air.

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The Birth of Antifa and The Lefts Roadmap To A New America

There are many Americans that refuse to believe and perhaps are on some level of denial of the fact that the left seeks to upend American culture and rewrite history.  It seems unimaginable that America has within its borders people who not only reject the very foundation and principles upon which this country came into existence but are actively seeking to alter American society toward a more historically failed socialist system.

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Arpaio Hints at Run For Office: ‘I’m Going to Be Very Active in the Political Arena’

Arpaio Hints at Run For Office: ‘I’m Going to Be Very Active in the Political Arena’

27 Aug, 2017
27 Aug, 2017

Saturday on WMAL while discussing his pardon by President Donald Trump, former Maricopa County, AZ Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he was planning to stay “very active” in politics.

Arpaio said, “I’m going to be very active in the political arena.”

He continued, “Somebody has to speak out, and I’m going to do it. I’ll have a press conference on Monday, and I’m going to put the cards on the table what a witch hunt this was.”

When asked by host Steve Malzberg if he planned to run for office Arpaio said, “I may do that.”

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Fatah Official:  Jared Kushner’s Mideast Peace Mission Is a ‘Delusion’

TEL AVIV — Talk of any U.S.-led initiative to revive Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is a “delusion,” charged Palestinian official Mahmoud Aloul, a Fatah deputy to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Aloul, considered one of the candidates to succeed Abbas as the head of Fatah, said in an interview with Saudi news site Elaph regarding the visit of an American delegation last week in Israel that, “These visits haven’t led to any results. We aren’t deluding ourselves; there can be no advancement in the peace process with the right-wing Israeli government under the leadership of Netanyahu.”

President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner led last week’s mission, with the delegation also including Jason Greenblatt, envoy for international negotiations, and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell.

Aloul criticized Kushner’s delegation, stating, “Judging from the latest meetings, the delegates didn’t bring anything new with them and didn’t present any initiative. The American delegates come to hear the Israeli side. They hear the lies and the claims of Israel and then they come to us to discuss these claims. This is a big problem in mindset and we won’t agree to continue down this path.”

Asked if the U.S. delegation demanded an end to the payments of the families of Palestinian terrorists and their families, Aloul answered, “Not only this, President Trump has interfered in much smaller issues like what’s published on certain sites. They talked to us about incitement. We told them, let’s make peace so there won’t be any more martyrs or any more prisoners and then we won’t need to pay them a salary.”

Aloul said that the Palestinian Authority didn’t agree to the demand to end the pay-for-slay stipends to terrorists, referring to them as payments to prisoners. “We didn’t agree to this at all,” said Aloul. “This is a humanitarian issue connected to children and women and Palestinian society and we can’t end the payments.”

Aloul claimed that the Trump administration isn’t seriously discussing the creation of a Palestinian state. “They don’t talk about the principle of two countries, they come after having adopted the claims of the Israelis,” said Aloul. “They don’t talk about stopping the settlements. In reality, nothing is happening.”

When asked if the Palestinians still place hope on the efforts of the administration and the delegates’ visits to the region, Abbas’ deputy answered, “You could say that we don’t have any more delusions regarding the fact that their (the Americans’) policies will lead to some sort of result.”

The Fatah official warned that if political stagnation continues, “The issue of a popular uprising is on the table. It is a legitimate right and we may make a decision on this issue soon.”

Aloul left out that the Palestinians have refused successive offers of a state made by Israel on numerous occasions.

via Breitbart News

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Watch: MNSBC host attempts to bait Gov. Greg Abbott over illegal aliens — his response is epic

During an MSNBC segment that focused on Hurricane Harvey on Friday, host Stephanie Ruhle decided to focus on how illegal immigrants would be impacted by Hurricane Harvey. She then used her time with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to ask him about shelter for illegal aliens and the potential for deportation.

The initial report

When MSNBC news corresponded Kerry Sanders came on air to provide an update to viewers, Ruhle interrupted him to ask about illegal immigrants.

“Can I ask, you might not know the answer but Texas, especially Southern Texas, has quite a few undocumented immigrants. Are they able to go to any of these centers that you’re being directed to by city officials? Ruhle asked Sanders.

Ruhle was worried illegal aliens would face deportation.

“Not only is it wide open, nobody checks on any of that. But interestingly one of the things that has held people up in years past is animals. People don’t want to leave because of their pets,” Sanders answered.

The Abbott interview

Later in the show, Ruhle asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) a similar set of questions.

“How about the risk of deportation for those who are undocumented immigrants that could be in the way of the storm’s path?” Ruhle asked. “Are they in the clear to go to some of these evacuation centers? Do they have to show ID?”

Abbott nodded his head as she asked the question. His response, however, was definitely not what Ruhle anticipated:

“It’s my understanding from what I saw from the border patrol instructions yesterday that it will not be an issue,” the governor responded. “What everyone is focused on right now is ensuring that we do all we can to protect life. We all have a high regard for life. We want to ensure the safety of all lives and we’re prepared to take all measures to do so.”

A wrench in the plan

Ruhle attempted to throw Abbott under the bus by making the assumption he would say illegal aliens are not protected during the hurricane. Instead, Abbott side-stepped a political grenade and provided a humanitarian response that all sides could live with.

Well done, Governor.

via TheBlaze.com – Stories

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Sean Hannity, Michelle Malkin slap Sheriff Joe Arpaio critics with this blistering reminder

Conservative author and commentator Michelle Malkin appeared on “Hannity” on Friday to discuss President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt for defying a court order saying his department must quit detaining illegal aliens.

Upholding the law

During the interview, Sean Hannity brought up one prominent fact: Arpaio worked to secure the border when the Obama administration was actively failing to uphold federal immigration laws.

“He [Arpaio] did uphold the law of the land and he did it — as did the governor at the time, Jan Brewer — they did it in face of tremendous pressure and opposition not to enforce the laws,” Hannity said. “Now, if you want to change the laws you can change them but not enforcing them shouldn’t be an option for anybody, correct?”

“That’s exactly right,” Malkin responded. “This was on overzealous, open borders persecution and prosecution and I think people need to remember the context here because you had the Obama administration officials who have open borders as their motto, as their agenda, as their end goal.”

According to Malkin, a number of open border activists were providing illegal aliens with guides to evading the United States Border Patrol.

“These were the ideologues populating the Department of Homeland Security. Of course, they went after Joe Arpaio, because he was doing the job the Obama administration officials and the federal government refused to do,” Malkin said.

About the charges

Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, was convicted of criminal contempt for allowing his department to continue detaining illegal aliens despite a court order telling him to halt the practice.

The misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in jail but President Donald Trump pardoned Arpaio’s sentence, calling the sheriff an “American Patriot.”

The actual role of government agencies

Government agencies were established to enforce our laws, not cherry pick which ones they like and which ones they don’t. Why are we, as Americans, allowing unelected officials to decide which laws are applicable?

If federal, state and/or local governments decided a law was important enough to establish — and yes, I’m giving the government the benefit of the doubt in this case — why are we sitting by as bureaucrats rewrite our laws by picking and choose what laws they shall enforce?

via TheBlaze.com – Stories

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Firearm Owners Find Loophole, Foil California’s AR-15 Registration Scheme

Firearm Owners Find Loophole, Foil California’s AR-15 Registration Scheme

25 Aug, 2017
25 Aug, 2017

Firearm owners in California have discovered a way around the state’s latest “assault weapons” ban, which requires registering AR-15s with bullet buttons.

Bullet buttons are a mechanism law-abiding Californians placed on their AR-15s to allow their rifles’ magazines to remain detachable, yet compliant with the state’s last “assault weapons” ban. A bullet button is a button located where the normal magazine release is located, but designed so that it can only be pressed in with pressure from a sharp object, most commonly the point of a bullet.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the updated “assault weapons” ban—signed by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) on July 1, 2016—contains a “ban [on] the sale of semiautomatic rifles equipped with bullet buttons.” And it requires that rifles possessing such buttons be registered the state, where they are listed in a database.

The California Department of Justice just launched an online registration website to accommodate bullet button registration, and Fox News reports gun owners find the new registration scheme “more intrusive” that previous registration requirements. For example, attorney and Artemis Defense founder Steven Lieberman said, “The registration is seen by many as a trap to purge the owner since they ask for very specific information about acquisition of the original rifle that most owners don’t have or remember. As a result, [they] ‘guesstimate’ as most would…[but] are potentially committing perjury.”

But bullet button owners have discovered a way around the registration process, an option by which they can mark their guns as a “featureless” firearm on the state’s website. Assemblyman Marc Levine (D) is hinting that this option may be short-lived, but it is there now. Levine said, “By closing the bullet button loophole, it is slowing down the reloading mechanism. Lawmakers will continue to do whatever it takes to keep communities safe.”

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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Woman Accused of Faking Unemployment, Collecting Benefits While Making Six Figure Salary

Woman Accused of Faking Unemployment, Collecting Benefits While Making Six Figure Salary

26 Aug, 2017
26 Aug, 2017

A Florida woman is accused of providing a false unemployment report while bagging a six figure salary to obtain government benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid.

Amber Drake, 37, of Tallahassee, turned herself in to authorities Thursday in response to allegations that she received nearly $18,000 in government assistance, WTXL reported.

An investigator with the Florida Department of Financial Services filed a complaint against Drake that alleges that she deliberately submitted a false unemployment application to receive food stamps and Medicaid.

The complaint states that Drake filed the unemployment claim on October 20, 2014, when an investigation revealed that she had been employed from July 2014 to January 2017.

WCTV reports that Drake allegedly filed multiple unemployment claims with the state from 2014 to 2016 while employed at a job where her gross pay was $103,900.

Documents say that Drake received approximately $10,000 in food stamp benefits and an estimated $8,000 in Medicaid benefits, totaling $17,603.94.

Police issued a warrant for Drake’s arrest August 11 on charges of public assistance fraud. Authorities booked Drake into the Leon County Jail Thursday and released her on bond.

This is the fourth time someone in Tallahassee has been arrested for public assistance fraud in the past two weeks. One woman was arrested for allegedly failing to disclose her court-funded child support payments August 11.

Another woman was taken into custody for allegedly lying about her income to receive $5,612.06 in Medicaid and food stamp benefits she did not qualify for.

A week later, a man was arrested on August 21 for allegedly falsifying his public assistance application to receive $5,000 worth of food stamp benefits.

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Islamic State Claims Brussels Attack, Terrorist Found Carrying Quran

Islamic State Claims Brussels Attack, Terrorist Found Carrying Quran

27 Aug, 2017
27 Aug, 2017

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Islamic State news agency Aamaq has claimed the Brussels attacker who assaulted three soldiers with a knife as an Islamic State group soldier.

In a statement Sunday, it said he carried out the Friday evening attack in response to calls to target countries of the coalition that is fighting IS.

Belgian prosecutors have opened an attempted terrorist murder probe after attacker assaulted the soldiers while shouting “Allahu akbar!” — Arabic for “God is greater.” He was shot dead by troops.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the man was known to police for assault charges but had no previous terror-relate offences. The suspect, a Belgian citizen of Somali origin, was also carrying a fake firearm and copies of the Quran.

IS often claims attacks by people who have no known link to the group.

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