Pakistan Hunts Baloch Militants After Bombing Spree with Palki Sharma

Recommendable!

Indian Security Forces Neutralise Top Maoist Battlefield Commander with Palki Sharma

Good news! It appears the Indian government is finally defeating the Maoist guerillas in India after decades of armed conflict.

US State Department designates 4 groups in Europe affiliated with Antifa as foreign terrorist orgs

I suppose this is good news! So called Antifa groups have been causing trouble and crimes in several Western European countries (e.g. Germany) for at least 4-5 decades!

Hopefully, some Western European countries will follow suit and support the US effort!

"... There are four Antifa groups in Europe — one in Germany, two in Greece, and one in Italy — which have all been accused of organizing or carrying out bombings, shootings, and other politically motivated attacks.

The FTO and SDGT designations require U.S. financial institutions to freeze their assets and ban their members' entry into the U.S. The designations also allow the U.S. to criminally prosecute those under its jurisdiction who offer material support to FTOs or conspire to offer such support.

A group called Antifa Ost has been linked to attacks between 2018 and 2023 in Germany, with seven individuals with ties to the group charged by German prosecutors. ..."

State Department designates 4 groups in Europe affiliated with Antifa as foreign terrorist orgs | Just The News "This is the first instance where the U.S. government has designated Antifa-linked groups as foreign terrorist organizations"

State Department makes first-ever Antifa foreign terrorist designations across Europe "Four Europe-based groups to face asset freezes and entry bans"

Lebanese Army Seizes PLO Weapons in the so called Palestinian Camps

Good news! It appears, the Lebanese government is getting serious about disarming and ridding itself of Arab militias, Islamists etc. within its territory!

Will Lebanon finally become again a tourist destination like the French Riviera and Beirut the Paris of the Middle East and not be any longer a playground for Islamists and other militants!

"The government of Lebanon, headed by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is determined to disarm all “non-state” actors in Lebanon, in order that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) will be the only armed force in the country. Before taking on Hezbollah directly, the LAF has been seizing weapons belonging to the PLO forces inside the Palestinian camps.  ...

Apparently these weapons were surrendered without a fight by the PLO operatives in both the Al-Baddawi and Ain al-Hilweh camps. ...

Since the. beginning of the year, the Americans have sent more than a hundred million dollars’ worth of weaponry to the LAF, to strengthen it to the point where it may be able to take on Hezbollah. ...

Under a November 2024 ceasefire agreement with Israel, the Lebanese government is committed to disarming Hezbollah, with initial efforts focusing on the area south of the Litani River. It is now almost a year later, and the LAF has still not tried to disarm Hezbollah as it promised. ..."

Lebanese Army Seizes PLO Weapons in the Camps | Frontpage Mag "Hezbollah has never been so weak, nor the Lebanese Armed Forces so strong."

LAF begins new stage of Palestinian disarmament, diverts five trucks of weapons - report

China risks Muslim militants' wrath in Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond

Why should the Chinese foreign interventions fare any better than those of the former Soviet Union, Russia, or Western countries like the United States?

"As China's influence spreads throughout Asia and beyond, a geographically, ideologically and linguistically disparate range of militant networks are growing increasingly hostile toward the world's No. 2 economy.

From Afghanistan and Pakistan to East Africa and the Philippines, they differ in their grievances, but broad and overlapping themes are discernible in their propaganda. ... a look at what this could mean for China's economic and geopolitical ambitions."

China risks militants' wrath in Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond - Nikkei Asia Beijing reduces Islamabad presence as myriad groups find Asian giant a useful target

The militant Islamic State group's local branch claimed responsibility for an attack on this Chinese-owned hotel in Kabul in December [2022?]

Ohio state university pays $400,000 in damages to professor who refused to use the preferred pronouns of a transgender student

There is more than one definition of insanity! Why did this professor had to go through this!

" ... Shawnee State University also rejected [the professor]'s compromise, and claimed that "he effectively created a hostile environment." ..."

What about the transgender student who tried to aggressively force the professor to adopt his preferred pronouns?

Shawnee State University settles with professor who wouldn't use preferred pronouns - TheBlaze

An Intimate Conversation with Martin Luther King

I did not watch the whole conversation as it is more than 1 hour and 40 minutes long. However, the first 12 minutes make it abundantly clear that Martin Luther King Jr. was a militant activist who targeted the most segregated city (Birmingham, AL) for greatest effect and impact. He chose so called non-violence to prevent violence, but he was like an agent provocateur! Had he chosen less provocative and confrontational measures ...

I have blogged here about Martin Luther King Jr. multiple times, just click on the label/tag nearby. E.g. did you know there was a second assassination attempt on his life, which he barely survived? Why don't we know about it? The assassin was a black American woman! 

Angela Davis looks back on her life, her legacy

How can a U.S. elite university like Harvard celebrate a long time communist and felon like Angela Davis! Was she not anti Vietnam war, because the U.S. and its allies were fighting militarist, aggressive communism in that country! Angela Davis is a cause celebre for all the wrong reasons!

"In 1970, Davis purchased firearms for people who used them in an armed takeover of a courtroom in Marin County, California, in which four people were killed. She was prosecuted for three capital felonies, including conspiracy to murder. After over a year in jail, she was acquitted of the charges in 1972". I don't have the time to further investigate that surprising acquittal (see e.g. here)!

Angela Davis looks back on her life, her legacy – Harvard Gazette: In a wide-ranging conversation Tuesday afternoon, activist Angela Davis reflected on a range of topics, from how music and art can help transform and create community to the challenges of talking about race in America to the need for prison reform.

Why Do Young People Become Cannon Fodder?

Posted: 9/10/2014  Updated: 9/11/2014

Radicalization

We are learning that young people from many Western countries (e.g. Great Britain, Germany, Australia, France) volunteer by the hundreds or even thousands to be active members of extremely violent, fanatic, militant, extremist organisations like ISIS etc.

Modern Sirens

We also have learnt that these extremists use highly sophisticated propaganda and recruiting tools, which were apparently honed over the years, by employing the latest technologies to entice young people to join them.

To Become Cannon Fodder

Don’t these young people realize they are being abused! Don’t they realize they are not much more than cannon fodder (or in German language verheitzt)!

What tempts young people to engage in such nonsensical mass violence? What is their reward? Have these young people such a propensity to live and die by violence?

Why do we still do not know how to prevent or help such young people from doing it?

Was Martin Luther King An Agent Provocateur?

Trigger

Recently, I watched two PBS videos: “AMERICAN EXPERIENCE - The Abolitionists” and “The March” (Latter video has expired. Expiring videos is a great nuisance by PBS)

Speculations

Without further research I can at this time only offer some speculations:

1. Why did Martin Luther King and others select Birmingham (aka as Bombingham), Alabama as the target (called the “Birmingham Campaign”) for their protests and strategy?
   Was it not obvious that Eugene “Bull” Connor would react the way he did?
   Was Birmingham then really representative for the South or was it an extreme case to quickly score some points in the media etc.? MLK actually wrote in his famous letter from the Birmingham jail “probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States.”
2. Was not “Project C” named for confrontation? Confrontation of what? Nonviolence is no excuse for such provocation! This was a planned showdown with a dyed-in-the-wool lifelong unrepentant segregationist (Eugene “Bull” Connor”)
3. The above PBS video also mentioned that some of the closest advisors of MLK were suspected of being associated with Communism or to be fellow travelers of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, I do not have the time at the moment to do more research, but I have previously read about similar allegations.
4. “Martin Luther King's presence in Birmingham was not welcomed by all in the black community. A local black attorney complained in Time that the new city administration did not have enough time to confer with the various groups invested in changing the city's segregation policies.[34] Black hotel owner A. G. Gaston agreed.[34] A white Jesuit priest assisting in desegregation negotiations attested the "demonstrations [were] poorly timed and misdirected"” (Emphasis added; Source)
5. “King's supporters sent telegrams about his arrest to the White House. He could have been released on bail at any time, and jail administrators wished him to be released as soon as possible to avoid the media attention while King was in custody. However, campaign organizers offered no bail in order "to focus the attention of the media and national public opinion on the Birmingham situation"” (Emphasis added; Source)
6. “The use of children [in Birmingham] proved very controversial. Incoming mayor Albert Boutwell and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy condemned the decision to use children in the protests. Kennedy was reported in The New York Times as saying, "an injured, maimed, or dead child is a price that none of us can afford to pay", although adding, "I believe that everyone understands their just grievances must be resolved."Malcolm X criticized the decision, saying, "Real men don't put their children on the firing line."” (Emphasis added; Source) So much for nonviolence.
7. Apparently these white racists were very quick to settle with the protesters:
   “On May 8 at 4 a.m., white business leaders agreed to most of the protesters' demands. Political leaders held fast, however. The rift between the businessmen and the politicians became clear when business leaders admitted they could not guarantee the protesters' release from jail. On May 10, Fred Shuttlesworth and Martin Luther King told reporters that they had an agreement from the City of Birmingham to desegregate lunch counters, restrooms, drinking fountains and fitting rooms within 90 days, and to hire blacks in stores as salesmen and clerks. ” (Emphasis added; Source)
   “Due to problematic race relations and crippling economic status the SCLC and the Senior Citizens Committee, who represented a majority of Birmingham businesses, came to an agreement. On May 10, they agreed on the desegregation of lunch counters, restrooms, fitting rooms and drinking fountains, the upgrading and hiring of blacks, cooperation with SCLC legal representatives in releasing all jailed persons and the establishment of communication between black and whites through the Senior Citizens Committee. Because of the attack on the Freedom Riders, Project C, and Birmingham’s worsening reputation, voters had become dissatisfied with Connor. In November 1962, when the voters of Birmingham decided to switch to a Mayor-Council form of government, Connor sued to have the election thrown out. On May 11, 1963, Connor was ordered to vacate his office following the Alabama Supreme Court decision in favor of a Mayor-Council government, ending his 22-year run as the Commissioner of Public Safety.” (Emphasis added; Source)
8. “The Soviet Union devoted up to 25 percent of its news broadcast to the demonstrations, sending much of it to Africa, where Soviet and U.S. interests clashed. Soviet news commentary accused the Kennedy administration of neglect and "inactivity".” (Emphasis added; Source)
   The Cold War was still on so it was no surprise that the Soviet Union would exploit this event. As I mentioned above some of the closest advisors or people close to MLK (e.g. Bayard Rustin, blogged about Rustin here) were alleged to have communist ties. Were all these allegations purely fabricated?
9. “Alabama Governor George Wallace sent state troopers to assist Connor. Attorney General Robert Kennedy prepared to activate the Alabama National Guard and notified the Second Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Georgia that it might be deployed to Birmingham.” (Emphasis added; Source). So much for the effects of targeted provocations in the name of nonviolence! Not to mention how much this event may have contributed to violent race riots later.

Bombingham

As far as the various racially motivated bombings are concerned that occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, I would also speculate it was extreme and not typical. These bombings were foremost a crime perhaps committed by a very few persons. They should have been investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Just read that perhaps J. Edgar Hoover may have suppressed the investigation into the most famous bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church (Source). Perhaps, a story for another blog.

Civil Disobedience & Nonviolence

The ends to not justify the means. This applies to civil disobedience and nonviolent activists as well.

Instead of blunt confrontation perhaps Birmingham, Alabama required a different approach to improve the situation.

It is a peculiar notion that avowed advocates of nonviolence, among them leaders of a Christian church, knowingly incite violence in a dangerous place like Bombingham and risk the health and life of their followers.

Eugene “Bull” Connor Was A Leading Democrat Of The South

Something that is conveniently not mentioned. See e.g. the Encyclopedia of Alabama article about him here. He is reported as presenting himself as a champion for white blue collar workers and labor unions.

Conclusion

Please do not misunderstand! I do not condone any of the acts and decisions of Eugene “Bull” Connor during this time. It is truly a stain on recent U.S. history that the perpetrators of the bombings in Birmingham were brought to justice way too late or not at all and that the U.S. President at the time (John F. Kennedy) and his brother (Robert Kennedy) did not do enough about it.

Freedom Riders, Birmingham etc. those great stories of the Civil Rights Movement appear to be to a significant extent a carefully crafted/orchestrated propaganda story.

I have previously blogged about slavery, the ideology of racism in the U.S.:

Here, here, here, here, and here.

What Happens When German Journalists Investigate Islamist Militants?

German Government Is Concerned About 

German Fighters Going To Syria

Recently, the German Interior Minister announced that there about 50 individuals from Germany were already fighting in or preparing for going to Syria to fight in the civil war.

German Journalists Meet Militants In Small German Town

Today (6/10/2013), I read in an article (German language) of my home town newspaper that a group of German TV journalists while attempting to visit a mosque in a small town next to Frankfurt am Main to investigate whether attendees of this mosque were heading for Syria, they were attacked and injured by a group of young Muslims.