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THE GAZA-UKRAINE KREMLIN CONNECTION

putn_crowdOn October 7, following the brutal attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict began evolving into a full-scale war. The Kremlin’s propaganda does not hide the fact that this escalation in the Middle East benefits the Russian state. This raises questions as to what real benefits the Israel-Hamas war brings Moscow beyond its use in propaganda.

Russian narratives regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are closely related to the complex situation the Kremlin found itself in leading up to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow used highly controversial conspiracy theories, with anti-Semitic undertones, to justify its aggression. These theories included the idea that the West was determined to destroy Russia at any cost, as it represents the last bastion of Orthodox Christian values resisting globalization (Tsargrad.tv, November 2, 2022).

At the onset of Russia’s invasion, similar conspiracy theories began to proliferate on mainstream Telegram channels. These theories described an alleged Jewish plot aimed at “expanding living spaces at the expense of Ukraine and Russia” (Т.me/kremlinprachka, April 23, 2022).

A foundational myth of Russian propaganda is distinguishing the “good Jews” from the “bad Jews.”

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DOES IRAN REALIZE ITS OWN GROWING DANGER?

iranians-talkIran understandably believes it is riding quite high.

It is flush with cash. It hints it almost has the bomb—and might use it soon. The Iranians are bragging about their new tyrannical allies like Russia and China.

Iran boasts of now being the self-proclaimed leader of jihad on behalf of all Muslims. It gloats that it is feeding the Russian war-machine in Ukraine by exporting its own drones.

But above all, Iran is giddy over the appeasing Biden administration.

This mollification of Iran also led its appendages Hamas and Hezbollah to believe that if any of them started a war against Israel, then Iran would guarantee their victory, the U.S. would do nothing— and likely force Israel to do the same nothing.

Yet a delusional Iran still is not fully aware how its loud bragging about and support for its client Hamas’s barbaric killing of Jewish civilians have put it into an unprecedented dangerous predicament.

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THE SICKNESS OF OUR UNIVERSITIES – AND THE CURE

campus-crazies-for-hamsThe sheer madness that has gripped many elite universities since October 7 and the butchery, rape, torture, and mutilation of some 1,000 Israeli civilians by Hamas murderers have shocked the public at large.

Campus craziness is, of course, nothing new. But quite novel for campuses was the sudden jettisoning of prior campus pretenses. Universities have brazenly dropped their careful two-faced gymnastics to reveal at last–unapologetically, proudly, and defiantly–the moral decay that now characterizes American higher education.

Recent news stories have exposed this rot to the world, and will have grave repercussions for higher education in the next few years.

The Nazis once desecrated the tombstones of dead Jews. Our campuses have updated that hatred. Students now tear down pictures of Jewish captives kidnapped or murdered by Hamas. University presidents do not condemn the hate-filled rallies supporting the killing of Jews in Israel.  Here’s the cure for it all.

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ANOTHER NAIL IN THE GLOBAL WARMING COFFIN

Drilling ice cores on the Greenland ice cap
Drilling ice cores on the Greenland ice cap

Statistics Norway, the government agency that produces official statistics for that country, released a report last month titled “To What Extent Are Temperature Levels Changing Due To Greenhouse Gas Emissions?” The report concludes:

“[T]he results imply that the effect of man-made CO2 emissions does not appear to be sufficiently strong to cause systematic changes in the pattern of the temperature fluctuations. In other words, our analysis indicates that with the current level of knowledge, it seems impossible to determine how much of the temperature increase is due to emissions of CO2.”

The Norwegians’ defection is important because climate alarmism can survive only if it is deemed an official “consensus,” so that people who point out inconsistent facts can be censored. Once the purported consensus is punctured, it rapidly becomes clear that the Climate Emperor is unclothed.

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY: AMAZON INITIATION

amazon-initiation August, 2002. In the remotest Amazon jungle of Brazil, along a tributary of the Upper Xingu River, live the Xicrin-Kayapo people. They live traditionally as they have for centuries, isolated in their forests from the world. Here the young boys, painted and adorned, apprehensively await their initiation ceremonies into becoming young men. They are to be tested to show they have what it takes for the village to be proud of them.

In some of their eyes, there is confidence. In others less so. This is an ancient Rite of Passage, an enthralling experience to witness. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #229 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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TIJI — CASTING OUT THE DEMONS

tiji-ceremonyOnce a year in the capital of the Tibetan Kingdom of Lo, the medieval walled city of Lo Manthang, the Lo-pa Tibetans hold a ceremony called Tiji (tee-gee), meaning casting out of demons.  It’s meant to prevent any demons or malicious spirits from destroying their barley and buckwheat harvests.

Tiji is colorfully spectacular and dramatic, but this is no tourist show – Tiji is a deeply serious religious ritual.  The Kingdom of Lo is in a very remote and roadless region of the Himalayas known as Mustang, lying north of the Himalayan giants of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri in Nepal on the border with Chinese-occupied Tibet.

We were privileged to witness it on a Himalaya Helicopter Expedition.  We hope to be so privileged again next year. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #238 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE AMAZIGH

amazighThey call themselves Amazigh – meaning “the unconquered” – who are the original people of Morocco having lived there for over 12,000 years. You’ve heard of them as Berbers, a name they find offensive. Another people you’ve heard of are the Lapps, the reindeer-herders of far northern Scandinavia, who call themselves Saami.

Astoundingly, they are directly related, for both are descended from the same stock of Cro-Magnon Ice Age hunters in Western Europe that split in two 15,000 years ago – one moving thousands of miles far north, the other thousands of mile south crossing the Gibraltar Strait to North Africa. Geneticists know this because the Amazigh and Saami share the same mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U5b1b. (See Saami and Berbers – An Unexpected Mitochondrial DNA Link, American Journal of Human Genetics, March 2005.)

So when you visit Morocco and meet a gentleman like that pictured above amidst a display of spectacular Amazigh artwork, you’ll know what incredible history resides within him. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #242 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE POLISH SAVIOR OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION

king-jan-iii-sobieski-of-polandOn September 12, 1683, Ottoman Sultan Mehmet IV as the Caliph of all Islam was on the verge of realizing the great Moslem dream of conquering all of Christian Europe for the glory of Allah. The great obstacle in his way – the city of Vienna – was about to be overwhelmed by the Sultan’s gigantic army of 140,000 Islamic Taliban of their day.

On the Kahlenberg hilltop above Vienna, the commander of the Christian forces, King Jan III Sobieski of Poland, gave the order to attack. Twenty thousand armed horsemen galloped down the slopes of Kahlenberg, the largest cavalry charge in history, with the Polish King and his Winged Hussars in the lead. The cavalry trampled the Ottomans and made straight for their camps.

Ottoman commander Kara Mustafa fled out of his tent and barely escaped with his life (it didn’t last long – the Sultan ordered him strangled). With the Christian victory at The Battle of Vienna, the Moslem threat to Europe was over. Sobieski wrote a letter to Pope Innocent XI, paraphrasing Julius Caesar:

Venimus, Vidimus, Deus vincit” – “We came, We saw, God conquered.”

In turn, the Pope hailed Sobieski as “The Savior of Western Christendom.” Indeed he was, and still is so revered by the Polish people to this day – with no apology.

For the people of Poland stand out among those of all Europe for their pride in being part of Western Civilization – symbolized for them by this statue of their Hero King trampling the Ottomans in the beautiful Royal Baths Park in Warsaw. They will make sure visitors to the statue note that underneath the right forearm of the fallen Turkish soldier is a book – the Koran.

You owe it to yourself to visit Poland and meet the Polish champions of Christian liberty, having freed themselves from the Ottomans, the Russians, and the Soviets. We need more like them today. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #159 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE TOMB OF THE FRAGRANT CONCUBINE

tomb-of-the-fragrant-concubinePrincess Iparhan, granddaughter of the ruler of the Silk Road oasis of Kashgar, was so famous for her beauty and the intoxicating natural aroma of her body that the Manchu Emperor far to the east called for her. She was 22, the year was 1756. The Emperor became completely infatuated with her, making Iparhan his Imperial Noble Consort, loving her deeply until her death 33 years later in 1789.

In mourning, the Emperor kept his promise to her that her body would be returned to Kashgar and buried in the mausoleum of Apak Hoja, built in 1640 by her Apaki family. And there she rests today. Everyone in Kashgar and beyond, however, knows the mausoleum as The Tomb of the Fragrant Concubine.

It’s a wonderfully romantic legend, and even though there are several conflicting versions, let’s hope this one is true. Regardless, a visit to this peaceful shrine is certainly memorable. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #54 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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HALF-FULL REPORT 10/20/23

ocean-protector Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, Australia.  Now what might these be.  “Ocean Protector” they are labeled.  Protector from what? Settle in your most comfortable chair and get ready for an amazingly cool story from this tiny remote island that has 100% relevance to what’s happening to our country right now.

There’s a series of exceptional events occurring in various places around the world this week, the clown show in Washington continues, and you won’t believe who gave the best speech he’s ever made.  Jump right on in, the water’s fine.

Just watch out for the Lionfish I spotted – those pretty spines have strong poison in them!

lion-fish

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SKYE’S LINKS 10/19/23

semi-auto-muskElon cheers for the Second Amendment. That is a semi-auto Barrett .50 BMG rifle that Musk is shooting.  Reach out and touch someone at a mile - if you really know what you are doing. Note: the link has the video clip of Musk hip-firing multiple rounds.

Anti-Gunners About To Meltdown After Elon Musk Says 'Armed Citizens Vital For Democracy's Defense'

 

The First Amendment is poised to win again, while the Lefts’ contortion of the Fourteenth, along with climate change and net zero are all sinking like the Titanic.  And wait ‘till you see how brilliantly Trump is skirting that fascisti judge’s gag order.  Ready, set, go for Skye’s Links!

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WEST OF THE DEAD SEA

palestine-mandate-map-for-1922[This week’s Archive was originally published on July 11, 2008.  In response to last Friday’s HFR (HFR 10/13/23), TTPer Michael made this request: “Jack - Too many young people believe Israel was stolen from the Palestinians.  You wrote an excellent article on the founding of Israel a few years back I wish you would republish with permission to share.  It should have an opportunity to go viral as a counterbalance to the lies which have infected the narrative on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.” Here it is, Michael.  Note that it contains links to five previous TTP articles for background in greater depth.  I’m looking forward to your and other TTPer comments in the Forum.]

TTP, July 11, 2008

All photos by Jack Wheeler

You're lazily swimming in the Mediterranean Sea just off a beautiful beach.  The beach goes on for miles, lined with resort hotels, and it's crowded with people.  Young fit men playing volleyball, beautiful bikini-clad young women sunbathing, families relaxing under umbrellas, children making sand castles, multitudes of folks peacefully enjoying themselves in the sun, the sand, and the gentle sea.

You swear you're at one of Spain's great beaches, like Valencia, Marbella, or Barcelona.  But you've noticed that a small light plane has flown along the shoreline several times.  Your son asks, "Dad, why does that plane keep flying by?"

"It's an IDF spotter plane," you tell him.  "Watching for a boatload full of Arab terrorists who might land to machine gun to death as many Jews on this beach as they can.  Stuff like that can happen here anyplace, anytime.  That's life in Israel."

Nope, we're not in Valencia.  We're in Tel Aviv.

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BIDEN’S WEAKNESS AND INCOMPETENCE STRENGTHENED IRAN AND HAMAS

fulton-county-mugshot-of-trumpThe barbaric and evil terrorist attacks on Israel are a horrific reminder that the world is safe when America is strong—but when we have a weak president in the White House, the costs can be greater than our worst nightmares.

If we hope to prevent further shedding of innocent blood, the United States must learn the painful lessons of these savage atrocities.

As we pray for the Israeli people in this hour of anguish and give them our complete and total support, we must also confront the absolute failure of the Biden administration, whose incompetence and ignorance invited this heinous and deadly assault on civilization itself.

The only thing Biden is good at is the weaponization of the justice system against his political opponents.  Every step of the way, Joe Biden has empowered and emboldened America's enemies the world over—and clearly none more so than the terrorist group Hamas, and their bloodthirsty sponsor, the villainous regime in Iran.

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IT’S ‘1984’ ALL OVER AGAIN IN BIDEN’S ‘POLICE STATE’

The Global Day of Jihad didn’t live up to its apocalyptic promise last Friday (10/13).

But if it had, it’s doubtful that the FBI would have been much use, since it’s so distracted with an exaggerated domestic terrorism crisis in which conservatives are the bad guys and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a terrorist attack worse than 9/11.

This is the “ultra-MAGA-semi-fascist” threat Joe Biden likes to rail against and that he needs for his election campaign to divide the country further, and to justify indicting his main political rival, locking up Donald Trump supporters, and imposing an Orwellian level of mass surveillance, censorship and ideological indoctrination on Americans.

The “Police State” being created by this president, or those pulling his strings, is the title of a chilling new documentary by conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, which opens next week in New York and theaters across the country (trailer above).

In the words of former Trump speechwriter Darren Beattie, who features in the film: “We’re becoming China plus drag queens. [It’s a] hyper-ideological version of the police state that’s animated by wokeness … the worst of all worlds.”

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