10 embassies now in Jerusalem

Columbia's become the 10th foreign country to open an embassy in Jerusalem:

Colombia opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, Israel, on Wednesday thus fulfilling one of the campaign promises of conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella.

The opening of the facility restores Colombia’s decades-old friendly relations with Israel — undoing the unilateral rupture of diplomatic ties ordered by Marxist former President Gustavo Petro in 2024. Colombia has now become the tenth country to open its embassy in Jerusalem.

The ceremony took place on Wednesday morning (local Jerusalem time) and was presided over by Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula alongside his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar, who described Wednesday as an important day not just for Jerusalem, but for Israel and Colombia’s relations.

Sa’ar, in a social media post, thanked President de la Espriella and recounted a past interaction that both shared in Buenos Aires in the past, when de la Espriella told him, “if I am elected President of the Republic, I will immediately move the Colombian embassy to Jerusalem.”

“He promised, and he delivered,” Sa’ar wrote.

“This is the tenth embassy to open in Jerusalem. Since I took office less than two years ago, the number of embassies in Jerusalem has doubled,” he added. “There will be more, God willing, and soon.”

Well that's exactly why European governments are going to have to start considering there's no longer any point to refusing, because already, those countries who've opened their embassies in Jerusalem are making their dhimmitude into a moot point.

J.D. Vance's sloppy take on socialism

The USA vice president recently commented on what he thought socialism was intended to be, and did not give a good response:

“Socialism, classically, was about prioritizing workers. ... Now I think that, in reality, what it truly means in the American context is wanting to replace American workers with foreign workers, and wanting boys to participate in girls’ sports.”

That was the response given by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance during a press gaggle Thursday when asked for his definition of socialism. His remarks have since drawn commentary from the vast community of exiles from socialist regimes who have found refuge in the United States.

The Vice President’s statement was “the worst answer I’ve heard from a conservative in decades,” according to Venezuelan activist Emanuel Rincón. “The truth is that socialists have never cared about workers; they have cared about dominating the means of production or the profits derived from them, about holding total power and harassing citizens, and about extinguishing freedoms — not about doing what J.D. Vance suggests here.”

And this is why there are folks out there who believe Vance will not make a good candidate for POTUS in the next few years. He really blew it, and emerges little better than he did when discussing Israel, in example. And he didn't help matters when he said the other year that if Iranians want to topple the autocracy, "it's up to them". That was very ill-advised too.

While I agree with Rincón, there is some truth to what the vice president said: modern socialism is intrinsically linked to “wokeism” and its ridiculous ideas.

It’s unrealistic to expect a politician to look good or be perfectly on point every time they appear on camera. We are all human beings. Nevertheless, I believe it is important to clarify the concept of socialism — an ideology that has led to the worst horrors known in modern history on every continent where it has been implemented.

Socialism originated as an idea to transform economic and political systems, as well as class relations. Karl Marx, the quintessential intellectual of that ideology, illustrated this in his Critique of the Gotha Program, describing it as a “cooperative society based on common ownership of the means of production.”

Socialists described socialism as the first rung — the phase immediately preceding — in the establishment of a communist society in which the State would cease to exist. Yet, to “socialize” the means of production (in plain terms: stripping ownership from those who held it), it was imperative to employ the coercive force of that very State they claimed would eventually be abolished.

Do you follow the idea? I know it sounds crazy, but believe me: someone like me — who lived under a totalitarian system where these concepts were treated as gospel — can attest that they are not merely foolish, but malevolent. My country, Cuba, went from having an economy that rivaled those of Europe to competing with Haiti for the lowest rank in the hemisphere. My city, Havana — which once boasted more movie theaters than Paris or New York — has now become, as I have said before, a “Pompeii of Salt.”

And Vance isn't well informed on that? Sigh. And let's also consider that Islam follows similar paths in its ideology, and many places that fell to Islam like Iran, have been turned into horror stories even worse. Vance needs to brush up on his knowledge, but for now, he's provided more reasons not to support him as a full presidential candidate if he runs for nomination in 2 years.

New documentary in the works about Zohran Mamdani that's bound to be sugarcoated

It appears the leftists in Hollywood decided to give NYC's first Muslim mayor more backing for the sake of it, by producing a documentary all about him that's bound to be mega-biased as can be:

A new documentary will chronicle openly socialist Zohran Mamdani’s rise to become Mayor of New York City, a journey that began in 2023.

The documentary will be directed Julia Bacha, who also serves as the creative director of the non-profit Just Vision, which reportedly tells stories that shine “a spotlight on the Israel-Palestine conflict,” per TheWrap.

“It was her interest in Israel and Palestine that led Bacha to Mamdani three years ago,” noted the outlet. “The Brazil-born filmmaker heard in 2023 about a group of New York activists who were calling for charities to stop using tax-deductible donations to fund Israeli settlements.”

Bacha said the documentary began as a focus on whether Mamdani and his team of pro-Palestinian lawmakers will be able to hold their assembly seats through New York’s next election cycle, but it instead morphed into him climbing to become mayor. She reportedly captured over 200 hours of footage chronicling this rise and was especially captivated by the influence of his filmmaker mother, Mira Nair.

For now, this is certainly telling enough. Another disturbing thing about Mamdani was his being "sworn in" to position as mayor on a koran instead of a bible. That says all you need to know what's going wrong in the USA, much as in Europe. This looks to be yet another documentary that gives the whole concept a bad name.

Communists in NYC accompany the increasing Muslim street prayer

From Christine Williams at Front Page, we see NYC seems to be quite a haven for communists:

🚨 JUST IN: Communist-funded paid protestors and WHITE LIBERALS are ALL OVER New York City right now, they are demanding Nicolas Maduro be freed and returned

EVERY SINGLE ONE is a traitor to America.

Sponsored by Communist funders. DEPORT THEM!pic.twitter.com/xJ2dd1nR7C

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 4, 2026

No doubt, these traitors will be protesting in front of the federal court where Nicolas Maduro will face trial soon enough. A vital query in all this mess is, who's funding these neo-communists? And lest we forget, Times Square appears to have become a leading prayer area for Muslims in NYC:

Times Square is fully BLOCKED by Muslims praying.

I can't believe this is New York.

pic.twitter.com/hDJQPllgox

— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) January 3, 2026

Unfortunately, I can believe it is. With the worst part being how NY state has clearly become a leftist bastion over the years, one of the main reasons it's at such a dismal level now. And it's sickening to wonder what any leftists in NY today think of the victims of September 11, 2001.

USA military successfully captures Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores

The USA military launched a successful attack on Venezuela that resulted in the capture of both despot Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores:

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday morning that Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been “captured and flown out of the country”, a message that came after a series of explosions hit Caracas.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,” President Trump said in a Truth Social statement. He added that further details would follow at a press conference to be hosted later today at Mar-a-Lago. [...]

Maduro, who has maintained himself in power through a series of sham presidential elections, is actively wanted by U.S. authorities on multiple narco-terrorism charges. The U.S. has an active $50 million bounty on information leading to Nicolás Maduro’s arrest and/or conviction.

This is definitely a vital step in defeating totalitarian regimes, with only Islamofascist ones being easily worse than what Maduro set up. Although, it should be noted that he was cozy with said Islamofascists too, mainly Iran's, and if there's any Islamist in the USA who's siding with Maduro, it's none other than NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani:

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee responded Saturday night to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's expression of support for Venzuelan President Nicolás Maduro following the US' capture of Maduro and his wife.

"I pity ppl of NY for electing a mayor who sides with a drug trafficker & ally of Iran & Hezbollah rather than his constituents," Huckabee commented. "Will he & Sen Van Hollen go to Maduro's jail cell to sip margaritas for solidarity?"

Mamdani predictably whines about "international law", and his siding with Maduro certainly speaks volumes. Huckabee's point about NYC voters who brought Mamdani into office is correct; how could they do this? Sadly, this is just a bad taste of what else is to come from such an awful person as Mamdani is.

For now, it's good the USA military captured Maduro, because they can also now dismantle any Islamofascist presence in Venezuela while they're maintaining guard over the proceedings, until a valid government can be set up. But afterwards, Trump must prove he can also make efforts to capture Islamofascist dictators, if bringing them to trial is important.

UN delegate who committed rape denial served with lawsuit

Francesca Albanese, the UN delegate who denied the sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, has been given a lawsuit in South Africa:

At the conclusion of another speech attacking Israel, Francesca Albanese - the UN Special Rapporteur on the so-called "Occupied Palestinian Territories" - was confronted with legal documents enabling a lawsuit against her, following her denial of the sexual terror attacks carried out by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

The incident, which caused significant embarrassment for Albanese, was discussed in an interview with Attorney Hillel Neuer, Director of UN Watch, who has compiled extensive evidence regarding her conduct.

"She is a very dangerous woman - not only to Israel but to the world," said Neuer. "Her UN mandate, established in 1993, is to investigate only Israel’s alleged violations. When Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or the Palestinian Authority commit atrocities, they are ignored - only Israel is targeted."

Neuer explained that Albanese was appointed in 2022 precisely because of her record of anti-Israel activism. "She’s not a lawyer but a jurist. She worked for two years at UNRWA - an agency taken over by Hamas in Gaza - where she engaged in anti-Israel propaganda. Later, she wrote several books attacking Israel. In 2014 she posted that the US government is controlled by the ‘Jewish lobby,’ a blatantly antisemitic statement reminiscent of the 1930s."

According to Neuer, UN Watch exposed videos of Albanese accusing Israel of genocide even before her appointment. "The UN knew exactly what it was getting - and she continues to accuse Israel of genocide and fabricated crimes," he said.

"Someone in her position should act as a serious academic investigator, following an ethical code. Instead, every Hamas falsehood is spread by her on social media as if it were an official UN statement. On October 7, her first response on Twitter was that Hamas’ actions shouldn’t be condemned, claiming they were a ‘reaction’ to Israeli oppression."

"Since then, she has denied the rapes and other atrocities committed by Hamas. In effect, she serves as Hamas’s spokesperson at the UN," said Neuer. He noted that Albanese continues to lecture at leading US universities, invited by their administrations. Her conduct has drawn condemnation from Germany, Canada, and France, though, as Neuer put it, "In today’s climate it’s difficult to stop the flood of antisemitism, often disguised as anti-Zionism."

Neuer revealed that Albanese was due to present a special report to the UN but is barred from entering the United States following a UN Watch campaign urging sanctions. Senator Marco Rubio announced measures including a travel ban, financial restrictions, and credit limitations.

The latest incident occurred in South Africa, where Albanese addressed a Nelson Mandela Foundation conference. Two months earlier, the group Christians and Jews United for Israel filed a lawsuit against her in a federal court in Colorado, after she published a report accusing Israel of genocide and listing companies tied to Israel as accomplices. The group claimed the report defamed them by portraying them as war criminals.

Neuer said that Albanese’s legal immunity expired at the end of her initial three-year term. “UN rules allow an automatic extension unless complaints are filed. In her case, we submitted several, including one from Israel’s ambassador in Geneva and objections from Argentina, the US, and the Netherlands.”

He added that the UN official handling the issue referred the complaints to a sympathetic internal committee. “The Colorado court has not yet heard the case but has already ruled that Albanese no longer enjoys immunity - which allowed the lawsuit to proceed.”

“At the South Africa conference,” Neuer recounted, “as she stepped off the stage, a local legal representative tried to hand her the lawsuit papers, as required under US law. Her bodyguards tried to block it, and it remains unclear whether the documents reached her. Still, South African media reported the story prominently, calling it ‘a major embarrassment’ for the guest speaker at the Nelson Mandela conference.”

It remains to be seen whether Francesca Albanese has officially received the court documents, or if the plaintiffs will need another opportunity to serve them personally.

As reported here, a Christian movement is among the plaintiffs, since Albanese attacked them for their support for Israel:

As Breitbart News has reported, the groups, Christian Friends of Israeli Communities and Christians for Israel USA, are suing Albanese for defamation for accusing them of complicity in so-called “genocide.”

Albanese is a radically pro-Palestinian and antisemitic UN official who is subject to U.S. sanctions. The Nelson Mandela Foundation came in for criticism for hosting an official whose mission is in conflict to Mandela’s message of reconciliation.

Nevertheless, the Foundation’s event drew a large audience, which was celebrated as a triumph — until lawyers for the American Christian groups showed up with papers ordering her to defend a U.S. civil suit.

The South African government had, in fact, given permission for the American lawyers to serve Albanese with court papers, though it later apologized and said that the permission had been granted in error.

It's actually miraculous they made it possible to serve the papers, considering the downhill trajectory the country's taken under their presidential incumbent Cyril Ramaphosa. Hopefully, this'll damage Albanese's undeserved career, and hopefully, she'll have to pay compensation to the plaintiffs.

The murderer of Charlie Kirk had a transsexual partner

In the continuing investigation into the murder of Charlie Kirk, it's been discovered the murderer had a transsexual partner:

Charlie Kirk was assassinated Wednesday while answering a question about transgender shooters, and the alleged assassin is a 22-year-old man with a transgender partner. [...]

Now, FOX News’ Brooke Singman is reporting that Robinson “lived with his his transgender partner.”

So in other words, the murderer, Tyler Robinson, was possibly a homosexual man living with another man who pretended to be a woman?!? Ugh. Next thing you know, we'll learn the partner believed in usurping women in the worst ways possible. This is one of the most abominable tragedies to occur in recent history, and has left a wife without her husband, and children without their father. Mr. Robinson must receive severe punishment for his crime, and the LGBT movement should be absolutely ashamed of what they've led to.

Here's Mrs. Kirk's eulogy to her husband:

“I want to thank the millions of people who have shown their love for Charlie here in Phoenix, across America, and worldwide,” Erika said. “I want to thank my husband’s dear friend, Vice President Vance, and his phenomenal wife, Usha, for their love and support. You guys honored my husband so well, bringing him home.”

“I want to thank President Trump and his incredible family for the same. Mr. President, my husband loved you,” Erika continued. “And, he knew that you loved him too. He did. Your friendship was amazing. You supported him so well.”

Again, my condolences to the family.

Since we're on the subject, here's also commentary by Shuvael ben-Gvir, son of the internal security minister in Israel, who once met Kirk:

Shuvael Ben Gvir, the son of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, spoke about the personal meeting he had in the US with the pro-Israeli right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated this week.

He said that the meeting took place during a trip he took before he drafted in an elite IDF unit. “I met Charlie during a trip I took before drafting. I approached him and told him that he was an inspiration for the videos I upload. We started talking and when I told him that I was from Israel, he immediately had a big smile and he replied enthusiastically, “God bless you.”

The young Ben Gvir described how Kirk shared the reasons why he works on his projects and his vision to make America and the world a better place. “I shared with him that I was on a trip before enlisting in the IDF and he was very enthusiastic - even more so when he found out that I was Ben Gvir’s son. I ended the conversation by telling him that he was the future of the US, and I truly believed it.”

Ben-Gvir also said that Kirk made a deep impression on him. "Charlie was 31 years old, eloquent, intelligent, courageous, and above all, willing to sacrifice a lot to achieve his goals. Charlie was a great lover of Israel, and his death is not only a huge loss to the US, but to the entire world. May his memory be blessed."

Amen to that.

Update: Mexican artists are also honoring Kirk's memory.

Trump demands foreign countries stop with their efforts to stifle free speech

Donald Trump issued a serious warning to European countries trying to shut up their citizens for all the wrong reasons:

President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to other governments against undermining American tech companies’ ability to platform free speech and protect U.S. customers and sovereignty.

Late on Monday, Trump posted his hard-hitting caution on Truth Social against foreign legislation “designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology.” He clarified that he will be using tariffs to punish nations with governments that ignore his warning. [...]

Trump then made clear the penalty foreign nations would face if they continue pressuring American tech companies with fines if they fail to censor online speech. The president stated, “With this TRUTH, I put all Countries with Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations, on notice that unless these discriminatory actions are removed, I, as President of the United States, will impose substantial additional Tariffs on that Country's Exports to the U.S.A., and institute Export restrictions on our Highly Protected Technology and Chips.”

This is definitely saying something. All foreign governments who're engaging in censorship of their citizenry must stop and withdraw all laws they're passing to that effect if they don't want Trump making it harder for them. And there's still much more that can be done.

Donald Trump takes issue with Brazil's da Silva over his persecution of figures like Bolsonaro

Among the things Trump's done in his first few months back in office are to also confront the communist-style leadership in Brazil, and Trump's warning he'll impose high tarriffs on their products:

President Donald Trump took a sledgehammer to Brazil on Wednesday, calling out the leftist government for its censorship of U.S. social media and its “witch hunt” targeting former conservative president Jair Bolsonaro.

In a letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — one of the many letters Trump has sent to countries around the world this week — the U.S. president deviated from his typical message announcing tariff rates to blast “Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans.”

“Dear Mr. President,” Trump began the letter. “I knew and dealt with former President Jair Bolsonaro, and respected him greatly, as did most other Leaders of Countries. The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. This trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!”

Last year, Bolsonaro was charged alongside 36 other people for taking part in an alleged coup to overthrow the government after he lost the 2022 election to Lula. Brazilian prosecutors claim the plot included plans to commit political assassinations, but Bolsonaro has denied the allegations and argued that the charges against him are politically motivated. Bolsonaro has maintained the support of millions of Brazilians as he faces the indictment brought against him by Lula’s leftist government.

What would be even better is if da Silva voluntarily resigned, which he's sadly unlikely to do. For now, Trump's taking an important step in addressing injustices, though there's obviously more he can do in other places as well, and I hope he'll also address the issue of Azerbaijan's hostility to Armenia.

What will Greta Thunberg think after watching footage of October 7, 2023 Hamas bloodbath?

The far-left climate activist Thunberg was arrested by Israeli authorities after taking control of a flotilla she was on heading for Gaza, and they ideally saw to it she and her fellow passengers would watch footage of the horror that took place on October 7, 2023:

Israeli forces seized a yacht bound for Gaza on Monday and forced its crew of pro-Hamas activists, including former teen climate crusader Greta Thunberg, to watch footage of the October 7 massacre while they were in detention.

Thunberg and her crew were headed for Gaza aboard a boat named Madleen, memorably dubbed the “selfie yacht” by the deeply unimpressed Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the boat carried a “meager cargo” of goods, as a pretext for billing itself as a humanitarian aid mission. Mencer said the cargo would be sent to Gaza, while the grandstanding activists would be sent home.

“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip. They do not involve Instagram selfies. The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” he said.

“To poor Greta, we say, who is really feeding Gaza, and who is feeding their own ego. When it comes to this flotilla, it wasn’t a flotilla, it was a selfie yacht. It was Instagram activism,” Mencer said.

“They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over,” he said.

It'll remain to be seen if she and her fellow passengers will recognize the scenes as repulsive, or if they're desensitized to violence, one of the saddest problems of the modern world. One of the passengers was a performer on Game of Thrones, and given how violent that TV show is, we can only wonder how he'll react.

Children in Lev Tahor captivity underwent repulsive abuse

A current investigation into the abuse committed by the Islamized Haredi cult of Lev Tahor reveals some most horrifying details about what children have gone through:

In a tense session of the Knesset's Aliyah and Absorption Committee, harrowing testimonies were presented about the condition of Israeli children held in welfare facilities in Guatemala since December, after being removed from the extremist “Lev Tahor” cult.

“You have no idea what the little girls are going through there,” said Esther, a grandmother who managed to bring her five-year-old granddaughter back to Israel. “The girl said about her sister, ‘Soon she’ll be 12, so she’ll become a bride.’ It’s unthinkable!”

According to testimonies revealed during the hearing, children in the cult suffer severe abuse, including solitary confinement, starvation, and even rape. Special concern was raised over young girls who are forced into marriage at age 12, against their will and in violation of the law.

“Time is working against the children, and action must be taken quickly to rescue them,” Esther stressed to the Committee.

Orit Cohen Amir, representing the families, criticized the authorities for ongoing delays: “For 15 years we’ve been told it’s complicated, it’s confidential. Not a single child has returned because of the actions of those in this room.”

In response, Dr. Tamar Rozmarin Ze’ev from the Prime Minister’s Office stated, “In the past week, criminal proceedings have accelerated, and we are holding regular status discussions among all relevant government ministries.”

Committee Chairman MK Gilad Kariv emphasized the need to speed up bureaucratic processes.

“I’m under the impression that the State authorities are making efforts, but there are still gaps,” he said. He noted that “significant behind-the-scenes efforts are underway,” but stressed that “critical bureaucratic processes must be sped up.”

Following the session, a NIS 1.5 million aid package was allocated to assist families working to rescue the children. The support plan was developed in cooperation with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Jewish Agency.

At the same time, the Foreign Ministry is recruiting personnel to bolster operations at the Israeli embassy in Guatemala and is engaging with counterparts in other countries to advance efforts to bring the children home.

One of the worst things about cases like these is how "protected class" statuses are used to shield these monsters from immediate justice. Because of this, now, if any children still Lev Tahor's clutches can be rescued from the cult at all, their lives could end up in horrible ruin, and have an exceedingly difficult time recovering.

French appeals court will hear Marine Le Pen's case sooner than thought

It looks like there's hopefully good news in the whole Marine Le Pen sentencing debacle, as now, an appeals court will hear her case, following the outrage that came after the previous court barred her from elections, not unlike Jair Bolsonaro's chilling case in Brazil, and another one that took place recently in Romania:

National Rally leader Marine Le Pen’s prospects of standing to become the next president of France in 2027 was given a boost as the Paris Court of Appeal said it will look to decide whether to uphold or scrap the ban on her from elections by next year.

In a press release on Tuesday evening, the Paris Court of Appeal said that it will decide by the “summer of 2026” on Marine Le Pen’s appeal against the ruling this week to ban her from standing in any election for the next five years over a controversial embezzlement conviction over EU funds during her time as a member of the European Parliament.

“The Paris Court of Appeal confirms having received today three appeals filed against the decision rendered on March 31, 2025, by the Paris judicial court in the case of the parliamentary assistants of the National Front. It will examine this file within a time frame which should allow a decision to be rendered in the summer of 2026,” the court said, according to Le Figaro.

Responding to the decision, Le Pen said it was “very good news”. However, she went on to say that she intends to challenge the ruling in other venues as well, including France’s Constitutional Council and the European Court of Human Rights.

“I will use all possible avenues of appeal. I won’t let it happen,” she told Le Parisien.

While other politicians in France have faced similar bans from running for office after being convicted of similar offences, such as former Prime Minister François Fillon, none have been on the scale of Le Pen’s case, given her status as the clear frontrunner to become the country’s next president.

Let's hope this has a positive ending to it, and something must be done about the cases in Brazil and Romania too.

French courts seek to destroy democracy by disqualifying Marine Le Pen from running in elections

Something that's been going on of recent - the disqualifications of popular political candidates from running in foreign elections - has now occurred in France, just like it did in Brazil with Jair Bolsanaro a few years ago (and also in NYC with Donald Trump), and based on trumped up charges, a French court is banning Marine Le Pen from running in elections:

French polls show that conservative nationalist Marine Le Pen is the leading candidate for president of France when elections are held in 2027.

It makes sense, given the rising support her National Rally (RN) party garnered in the last National Assembly election, where it became a top vote getter. Parties with that pattern tend to go upwards in successive elections.

Which is precisely why we are seeing what we are seeing now in France -- the Full Maduro -- the disqualification of Le Pen from running for office, on trumped-up charges of embezzlement over a bookkeeping dispute. It's outrageous, and about as tinpot-dictatorship as such things get.

It's exactly what Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro did to his opponent, Maria Corina Machado, last year, when she rose overwhelmingly in the polls against him. She was disqualified, and when she ran an ally instead, the scheme really failed because the ally won bigly, so Maduro's next move was to try to jail these opponents which he trying to do now.

Well if nobody steps forward in defense of populist candidates being wronged, it could happen to practically all possible opposition to the horrific damage the left is inflicting upon many countries around the world already. Donald Trump must speak out, as have several European politicians too, in Le Pen's defense.

On a related note, the persecution of Bolsonaro continues:

Conservative former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro, who will soon stand trial on charges of trying to poison radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said this weekend that a possible prison sentence would mark the “end of his life.”

Bolsonaro, 70, stands accused of allegedly conspiring with several dozen others to stage a “coup” and override the results of the 2022 presidential election, which he narrowly lost against Lula. Bolsonaro could face up to 39 years in prison if found guilty of all charges in the yet-to-be-scheduled trial.

The former president spoke on Saturday with the with the left-wing Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo and asserted that – although he discussed with his aides measures enshrined in the Brazilian constitution to maintain public order amid a “serious and imminent institutional instability” such as “a state of siege, a state of defense and federal intervention in 2022” – all those possibilities were ruled out “right away.”

“It’s the end of my life. I’m already 70 years old,” Bolsonaro answered when asked if a possible arrest would mean the end of his political career.

“A possible arrest would be completely unjust. Where is my crime? Where did I break something [a law]? Where is the proof of a possible coup? Other than discussing constitutional provisions that haven’t left the realm of words,” he added.

He was asked if he'd seek asylum in the USA, like his son did, but that won't solve the chilling situation, and the USA isn't the only place that needs protection from the kind of horrors now plaguing both Europe and Latin America. This is part of what J.D Vance was warning about recently. What's happening now to Le Pen and Bolsonaro cannot go unaddressed by those who care. Even Benjamin Netanyahu is in jeopardy of similar cases here in Israel. Again, this can't be ignored.

Update: as explained here, Vance was correct in what he discussed:

Vice President JD Vance was correct in warning of attacks on democracy and liberty in Europe, supporters claimed, as populist National Rally leader Marine Le Pen was banned from running in the French presidential election.

Just weeks after JD Vance left globalists stunned in Europe after excoriating them for undermining freedom of speech and the democratic will of their citizens, many have claimed that he was proven right on Monday as a Paris court banned the leading populist candidate to replace President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 election. [...]

Following the ruling to ban Le Pen from running in the upcoming presidential election, which came just weeks after a court in Romania blocked populist frontrunner Călin Georgescu from running in the presidential election in the EU nation, Vance’s remarks were pointed to as being prophetic.

Donald Trump Jr. said: “France is sending Le Pen to jail and barring her from running?! Are they just trying to prove JD Vance was right about everything?”

Tragically, that's exactly it.

Buenos Aires council proposes naming street after Bibas family

The city council in Buenos Aires in Argentina has proposed renaming a street after the tragically murdered Bibas family:

A member of the Buenos Aires city council, Yamil Sentero, has submitted a proposal to change the name of the 'Palestine Street' in the city to 'Bibas Family Street'.

The proposal comes in the wake of the return of the bodies of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas from Gaza after they were murdered in captivity. The family held Argentine citizenship.

"We are introducing a bill to change the name of Palestine Street to Bibas Family Street", said Senator Santoro, explaining: "It is important to remember and honor the victims of terrorism".

The Argentine presidential office announced last weekend that it had decided to declare two days of mourning in the wake of the murder of Kfir, Shiri and Ariel.

"It is monstrous that these events occurred in this century and their deaths were motivated by one reason: their being Jews", it was stated.

In addition, the office of President Millei called for Hamas to be 'turned to ashes'.

They're very wise to recommend clearing away a bad name for a street, and giving it a name dedicated to innocent and defenseless victims instead. Let's hope it goes through.

6 year old girl rescued from Lev Tahor

The Islamized Haredi cult may still be operating in Guatemala, but fortunately, there have been proper efforts to extract children from their clutches:

A 6-year-old girl was rescued from the Lev Tahor cult in Guatemala and transferred to the custody of her grandmother, who came especially from Israel.

This is the third case in recent weeks of children being reunited with their families.

Guatemala's Attorney General's Office confirmed that the girl was handed over to her grandmother after a comprehensive background check was conducted on the family. The grandmother will remain in Guatemala until the legal proceedings have been completed.

This rescue follows recent successes in closing down the cult. Last week, a Hasidic couple fled to the US with their children, and about three weeks ago, another family escaped from the cult.

This operation follows the authorities' raid last December on the cult compound, in which 160 abused and neglected minors were rescued. The children are still residing in the local welfare facilities.

One of the most angering things about Lev Tahor is that clans like them take away attention from more serious issues involving Islamofascism. One more reason why they must be dispersed altogether.

Transsexuality is all the Golden Globes staff cares about now

It would seem the Golden Globes award ceremony in Hollywood this Sunday has been putting all its eggs into the basket of an ideology that's come to be viewed as repellent by the USA public:

Transgenderism will play a major role at this year’s Golden Globes Awards on Sunday, with best picture frontrunners Emilia Perez and Conclave both featuring gender non-conformity as major plot points.

The 82nd annual Golden Globes, which will air live Sunday on CBS, faces an uphill battle with ratings, which have tanked in recent years as tens of millions of Americans have elected to tune out in order to avoid the woke sermonizing by wealthy celebrities.

Last year’s broadcast managed to draw just 9.4 million viewers — way down from pre-COVID years when the show would attract double that. As recently as 2020, about 18.4 million tuned in to watch the awards show. [...]

A Golden Globes win for Gascón wouldn’t be the first time the show has honored a transgender performer.

Two years ago, transgender star MJ Rodriguez — also a man who identifies as a woman — won for lead actress in a drama series for FX’s Pose.

Conclave is the best picture frontrunner in the drama category.

The Focus Features release dramatizes a power struggle in the Vatican over the election of a new pope. In a plot twist, the new pope turns out to be intersex — a “male” who possesses female reproductive organs.

It's sad how science fiction is being made to look like reality, or exploited for the sake of crude and perverse ideologies. Regrettably, one of the films did win a prize, even though Demi Moore won for best actress:

Emilia Perez took home the Golden Globes award for best picture comedy or musical on Sunday. It also won two other prizes for supporting actress Zoe Saldana and best non-English language movie.

The French-produced, mostly Spanish-language movie tells the story of a Mexican cartel boss who attempts to escape the drug trade by undergoing a sex-change operation to become a “woman.” Real-life transgender actor Karla Sofía Gascón — a biological man who identifies as a woman — plays the title role.

Gascón was tipped to win a best actress prize on Sunday, but Demi Moore prevailed for her performance in the body-horror movie The Substance.

Emilia Perez is widely expected to score multiple Academy Award nominations this week, with Netflix’s formidable publicity machine ratcheting up the buzz around the Jacques Audiard-directed movie.

When Netflix is involved, it's one more sign to stay away. And while Moore may have won the best actress award, the theme of her movie is just as awful. It's definitely time to stop watching the Golden Globes, based on where they're going.

What Brazilians now feel about lack of X

Some news on the reactions of Brazilian citizens to the disaster their pseudo-justice minister has caused by banning the use of the X platform in the country, in a move that's as much a blow to business as to free speech rights:

The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil divided users and politicians over the legitimacy of the ban, and many Brazilians on Sunday had difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence.

The shutdown of Elon Musk’s platform started early Saturday, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through mobile apps after the billionaire refused to name a legal representative to the country, missing a deadline imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The blockade marks an escalation in a monthslong feud between Musk and de Moraes over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation.

Brazil has been one of the biggest markets for X, with tens of millions of users.

“I’ve got the feeling that I have no idea what’s happening in the world right now. Bizarre,” entertainment writer and heavy X user Chico Barney wrote on Threads, a text-based app developed by Instagram that Barney was using as an alternative. “This Threads algorithm is like an all-you-can-eat restaurant where the waiter keeps serving things I would never order.” [...]

Lawmaker Bia Kicis said “the consequences of Alexandre de Moraes’ attacks to Elon Musk, X and Starlink will be regrettable for Brazilians.” She also urged Rodrigo Pacheco, the president of the country’s Senate, to act. Kicis has repeatedly urged Pacheco to open impeachment proceedings against the Supreme Court justice.

“We need to leave this state of apathy and stop the worst from happening,” the pro-Bolsonaro lawmaker, whose profiles were blocked by de Moraes in 2022, also said.

The former president said Saturday on Instagram that X’s departure from Brazil was “another blow to our freedom and legal security.”

“It not only affects our freedom of expression, but also undermines the confidence of international companies in operating on Brazilian soil, with impacts ranging from national security to the quality of the information that reaches our citizens,” Bolsonaro said.

A special page was launched on X revealing the illegal orders Moraes made, which Brazil's court is sadly upholding:

The social media platform X (formerly Twitter) began publishing the “Alexandre Files” files over the weekend in response to Brazilian Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who recently ordered the complete suspension of the platform in Brazil.

“Today, we begin shining a light on the abuses of Brazilian law committed by Alexandre de Moraes,” The Alexandre Files account said in an opening post on Saturday.

“We have been forced to share these orders because there is no transparency from the court, and the people who are being censored have no recourse to appeal,” the message continues. “Our own appeals have been ignored. And now the people of Brazil are denied access to X. Secret justice is no justice at all. Today, we say that must change.”

What's happened in Brazil could happen even here, in the USA, and anywhere else in the world if we're not careful.

Brazil becoming an autocracy

Brazil's government under Lula da Silva has made things worse, and their latest target is the X social media platform:

Brazilian Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes threatened on Wednesday to block access to X in Brazil if the social media platform does not appoint a legal representative in the country within 24 hours.

De Moraes, the equivalent of what in the United States would be a Supreme Court justice, subpoenaed X and its owner, Elon Musk, in a post made on the site itself on Wednesday night — a move that the STF itself reportedly described as “unprecedented,” as it marks the first time the Brazilian top court has subpoenaed someone on social media.

[...] Wednesday’s STF court order marks the latest development in the ongoing feud between de Moraes, a self-styled “anti-fake news” crusader, and Musk, who has claimed to refuse to comply with some of de Moraes’ censorship orders throughout 2024.

De Moraes has ordered numerous censorship actions over the past years against Brazilian citizens, journalists, comedians, and politicians supportive of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The judge maintains an active inquiry against individuals or organizations that allegedly propagate “fake news” and a separate probe intended to investigate so-called “anti-democratic digital militias” that spread “fake news” and “threaten democracy” in Brazil.

Sadly, if the following news is correct, the X platform has been suspended in Brazil:

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Friday ordered the suspension of Elon Musk’s social media giant X in Brazil after the tech billionaire refused to name a legal representative in the country, according to a copy of the decision seen by The Associated Press

The move further escalates the monthslong feud between the two men over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes had warned Musk on Wednesday night that X could be blocked in Brazil if he failed to comply with his order to name a representative, and established a 24-hour deadline. The company hasn’t had a representative in the country since earlier this month. De Moraes said the platform would remain blocked until it complies.

Brazil is an important market for X, which has struggled with the loss of advertisers since Musk purchased the former Twitter in 2022. Market research group Emarketer says some 40 million Brazilians, roughly one-fifth of the population, access X at least once per month.

X had posted on its official Global Government Affairs page late Thursday that it expected X to be shut down by de Moraes, “simply because we would not comply with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents.”

Advertising isn't as important an issue as free speech issues, and the way these Brazilian government officials are going about making petty issues is chilling in the extreme. This is bad news for free speech advocates and for Brazil's innocent citizens.

Update: here's more on the subject over here.

Anti-Israel monsters in Mexico tried to attack Israeli embassy

Shortly after the Mexican government stupidly followed up on South Africa's persecution of Israel at the ICC by offering to back it, an antisemitic riot broke out near the Israeli embassy in Mexico City, and the creeps who rioted even started a fire nearby:

Clashes broke out yesterday between police and rioters outside the Israeli embassy in Mexico during a rally against the country’s military offensive against the Hamas terror group in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, AFP journalists report.

Some protesters covered their faces and threw stones at riot police who blocked their path to the diplomatic complex in the city’s Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood.

Around 200 people joined the “Urgent action for Rafah” demonstration, about 30 of whom started to break down barriers preventing them from reaching the Israeli mission.

Police officers deployed tear gas and threw back the stones hurled at them by rioters.

It's thankful the local police were having none of this. But even if the number of rioters was less than what may be seen in some other countries where Islam is far more prevalent, this is still very disturbing. Here's more news:

The riot came after Mexico filed a declaration of intervention in South Africa’s “genocide” case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Well in that case, when president Manuel Lopez Obrador leaves office, it'll be just as well. If he had anything even remote to do with that step, he's got responsibility to shoulder here for encouraging thugs to attack the embassy. Considering this was also somebody who isn't seriously opposing the drug cartels in Mexico, this shouldn't be any more surprising.

3 more leaders of Lev Tahor cult convicted for child abuse

The last 3 leaders of the Islamic-style Haredi Lev Tahor cult have been convicted in a USA court for their crimes:

Three members of the extremist Jewish Lev Tahor religious cult were convicted of kidnapping two children by a New York court on Wednesday.

Brothers Yoil Weingarten, Yakov Weingarten and Shmiel Weingarten were convicted of child exploitation and kidnapping for their role in abducting a 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother from their mother’s home in the Catskills in New York in 2018.

The brothers were the last of nine suspects in the case to stand trial. All have been convicted or pleaded guilty, including Lev Tahor’s leader, Nachman Helbrans, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2022 for kidnapping and transporting minors for sexual purposes and other charges. Lev Tahor means “pure heart” in Hebrew.

“With this verdict, all nine Lev Tahor leaders and operatives charged for these heinous crimes have been held accountable,” the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York said in a statement, calling the defendants’ conduct “unthinkable.”

“Whether in the name of religion or any other belief system, subjecting children to physical, sexual, or emotional abuse will never be tolerated,” the statement said.

The brothers were convicted of all charges, including international parental kidnapping, coercion or enticement of a minor female, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. The sentencing will take place in the coming months. [...]

Lev Tahor Survivors told the New York Jewish Week that the Weingartens’ conviction “ends an abusive chapter that leaves most of the cult leadership in prison.”

“The void opens the greatest opportunity to dissolve the cult once and for all,” the group said. “We hope the authorities manage to cut off communication between the leadership behind bars and the members still trapped in Guatemala. If they do that, Lev Tahor will soon be a dark speck of history.”

One of the most offensive things about cults like these is that, not only is their vision of Judaism false, it also draws attention away from issues like Islamofascism, which Lev Tahor copied in at least a few ways, like the garments they forced women to wear. Such conduct is absolutely obscene and demeaning to women. It's precisely why these kind of "communities" are invalid.

Recalling one of the previous cult leaders only got 12 years in prison, it's to be hoped these latest 3 will receive more severe sentencing. What they did was a desecration of Judaism that'll now leave many victims scarred beyond belief.