Written on 12 July 2017.

   Russian hackers did more than just crack open the email accounts of the DNC and Democratic consultants. They also created a host of accounts in social media for the express purpose of spreading “genuinely fake news.” That aspect of Russia’s disinformation campaign is being singled out not only as the most effective part of their 2016 operation, but the greatest threat going forward. But to make it work, the Russians needed help from an American source.

Investigators at the House and Senate Intelligence committees and the Justice Department are examining whether the Trump campaign’s digital operation – overseen by Jared Kushner – helped guide Russia’s sophisticated voter targeting and fake news attacks on Hillary Clinton in 2016.

   Russia ultimately had thousands of human agents and many times more automated “bots” busily creating stories that slammed Clinton and boosted Trump. The stories that this cyber army stuck together were not tossed randomly onto the net. They were carefully and directly targeted, often hitting potential Trump voters in the states and districts where they were most needed. A fact noted by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

[Senator Mark Warner] “It’s been reported to me—and we’ve got to find this out— whether they were able to affect specific areas in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, where you would not have been receiving off of whoever your vendor might have been, Trump versus Clinton, during the waning days of the election, but instead, ‘Clinton is sick’, or ‘Clinton is taking money from whoever for some source’ … fake news.

The answer for how Russia effectively targeted specific voters turns out to be … with help.

   In Florida, GOP organizer Aaron Nivens already talked publicly (and joyfully) about how he assisted Russian hackers with just such a problem in his state.

… going through what the hacker sent as someone who “actually knows what some of these documents mean,” the GOP consultant said he “realized it was a lot more than even Guccifer knew that he had.” …

More impressed after studying the voter-turnout models, Mr. Nevins told the hacker, “Basically if this was a war, this is the map to where all the troops are deployed.”

   And for anyone still pondering the “anything of value” portion of laws against colluding with foreign powers in an election, Nivens fills in that blank.

At another point, he told the hacker, “This is probably worth millions of dollars."

   Nivens helped the Russians determine the value of the documents, and showed them how to weaponize the district level models for maximum damage. Did Kushner play this role at a national level?

The Russians targeted women and African-Americans in two of the three decisive states, Wisconsin and Michigan, “where the Democrats were too brain dead to realize those states were even in play,” Warner said.  Twitter’s and Facebook’s search engines in those states were overwhelmed, he said, meaning they couldn’t discern fake news from real news.

Mark Sumner -- DailyKos

Written on 24 June 2017.

Turkish authorities have transferred the ownership of churches, houses of worship and cemeteries that have belonged to the Syriac community for over 1,600 years to Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) as part of a process of liquidation in Mardin province.

According to a story in the Agos daily on Friday, after Mardin became a metropolitan municipality in 2012 the Mardin Governor’s Office established a liquidation committee that transferred numerous properties of the Syriac community, such as churches, monasteries and cemeteries, to public institutions.

Properties belonging to the Syriac community that earlier were under the legal entity of villages were transferred to the Diyanet after those villages became neighborhoods under the 2012 legislation.

The Mor Gabriel Monastery Foundation appealed the decision but was rebuffed by the liquidation committee.

Kuryakos Ergün, chairman of the Mor Gabriel Monastery Foundation, told Agos that dozens of churches and monasteries had been transferred first to the Treasury and then to the Diyanet. He also added that cemeteries have been handed over to the Metropolitan Municipality of Mardin.

See the full report here

Update

Main opposition Republican People’s Party Istanbul deputy Selina Doğan has criticized the seizure of Syriac assets by Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs and said she was worried the same could happen to other minorities in Turkey, the Diken news website reported on Tuesday.

Doğan, who met with Syriac community representatives in Mardin, expressed concern about the confiscation and said: “We are worried that what is happening today with the Syriacs will be extended to other minority groups. We want justice for all minorities.”

Doğan added that seizing the property of the Syriac community contravened the agreement of Lozan (Lausanne), which ensured the property of various ethnic, religious and cultural communities in Turkey.

Renate Sommer, a member of the European Parliament from the Christian Democratic Union, part of the European People’s Party, also harshly criticized the decision and said the Syriacs were at risk of being wiped out in Turkey.

Update II

Syriacs living in southeastern Turkey are considering moving back to Europe after their assets, including churches were seized by the Treasury, Gazete Karınca reported. Following the confiscation of their properties, many Syriacs, one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, are temporarily returning to Europe to live together with their families and they are asking for a peaceful atmosphere to be ensured for these returns not to be permanent.

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Written on 30 June 2017.

   Since you began working for the man (your company), you’ve forked over a portion of every paycheck to the man (the government) in the form of Social Security Taxes. You haven’t had a choice in this matter.

Yes, a few semi-crackpots have told you that you can not pay these taxes if you disavow your SSN, but these types of people usually end up in standoffs with the government in remote locations.

   So what exactly are Social Security Taxes? Who do they benefit? Why do you pay them? And where the heck did this policy come from?

   You have burning questions and we have answers.

In this article, we’re going to spell out the who, what, and why of Social Security. We’ll answer your burning questions in a way that doesn’t confuse you or bore you senseless.

   Sounds good?

   Let’s get started.

Question #1: Where Did Social Security Come From?

   On August 14, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Originally the bill was going to be called the “Economic Security Act,” but it was changed to the equally boring “Social Security Act” when it was being evaluated by Congress.

   Those guys never have been known for their creativity or liveliness.

   Ernest Ackerman received the first payment ever – a whopping 17 cents. Even back in 1935, this was not a particularly large sum. Presumably, he saved this money so he could purchase a single beer after he retired.

   The program was already a rollicking success!

Question #2: What Is The Purpose Of Social Security?

   Most people think of Social Security as just a retirement program. This makes sense given that you can’t collect it before age 65 without a penalty. But, it also provides some life insurance and disability protection as well.

   Let’s say that, God forbid, you are in a terrible roller derby accident. It can happen to anyone.

   If you didn’t survive your accident, your dependents would receive benefits from Social Security. If you were severely disabled, you would also receive some compensation through what you had already contributed.

   In 2016, approximately one-fifth of the 60 million people who received Social Security benefits were either disabled or dependents of deceased workers.

   Now that you have this knowledge, you can go all out in your next roller derby tournament.

Question #3: Who Is Eligible For Social Security Benefits?

   If you’ve worked for 10 years or more, you’re probably eligible. In order to receive the minimum income of $1,260 per quarter, you need to have 40 credits (or quarters) of coverage.

   There are a few odd exceptions to this. Pastors have the option of choosing to not opt-in to Social Security. Federal employees hired before 1984 can’t participate and railroad workers usually get benefits through a different system.

   As long as you don’t fall into one of those categories, you should be solid.

Question #3: What Determines How Much You Receive In Benefits?

   The amount you end up receiving is based on the amount you earned over the course of your life. The more you earned and paid in taxes, the higher the amount (not percentage) you receive.

   Let’s say you’re a high-flying CEO earning a cool six-figure salary. You will pay a percentage of your salary in Social Security taxes, up to a maximum taxable amount of $118,500. When you retire (or are pushed out by a younger, better looking executive), you will receive benefits based on your earnings and what you paid in taxes.

   But here’s the thing: the higher your earnings, the lower percentage you earn in benefits. In other words, if you make 45 percent of the average wage, Social Security will replace about half of your income. If you earn more, Social Security will replace a lesser percentage. It’s a progressive benefit.

As you get older, your benefits will be adjusted based on the cost of living. This is to prevent you from sinking into poverty and being forced to panhandle for change.

   If you start drawing benefits early, you will receive a reduced amount.

Question #4: Why Is Social Security Important?

   When you see that chunk of change being removed from every paycheck, it can be tempting to think that Social Security is just a waste of your money. But it’s not.

   First, it’s an almost guaranteed retirement plan. The Social Security Administration estimates that 97 percent of people aged 60 – 89 receive benefits or will receive them. This functions as a safety net for retirees.

   Second, it’s available to all people, no matter how much they earned. Unlike some programs, where you get the shaft depending on your earnings, everyone has access to Social Security funds.

   Social Security matters for the United States, especially as the Baby Boomer generation hits the retirement age. Without it, many people would be left high and dry with very little in their bank account.

Question #5: Can You Live Off Social Security Benefits After You Retire?

   Unfortunately, Social Security doesn’t pay enough to let you purchase a Lamborghini or a house in the Hamptons. In fact, the benefits are actually smaller than many people realize.

   In 2016, the average benefit was only about $16,000 per year. Unless you’ll be living in a shack and eating noodles, that’s probably not enough to survive.

   And, to make things worse, the replacement rate for wages is falling. In 2016, Social Security replaced about 39 percent of past wages, but it’s going to fall to about 36 percent in the future.

   That being said, Social Security will still replace a significant portion of most people’s income and shouldn’t be discounted.

Question #6: Is Social Security Important For People Other Than Retirees?

   It sure is. It matters to a lot of children in the United States. In 2014, more than 6 million kids lived in homes that received some form of social security income. This includes dependents of retirees, deceased workers, and the disabled.

   You may not like giving up money for Social Security, but think about the kids. You care about kids, right? RIGHT?

    Social Security is also very important for minorities. Why? Because they often have less opportunity to save money and earn pensions. For those 65 and older, Social Security is 90% of income for Asian Americans, 45% for African Americans, and 52% for Latinos.

   Finally, Social Security is critically important for women. It’s common knowledge that women earn less than men, take more time out of the workforce, and live longer than men. This combination makes it critically important to women, especially those who survive their spouses. In fact, about 97% of survivor beneficiaries are women.

Question #7: What Would Happen To Retirees If They Didn’t Have Social Security?

   Just how important is Social Security to the elderly? Without it, 40% of those 65 or older would be below the poverty line. That is a huge number of people and will continue to grow as the Baby Boomer generation ages.

   With Social Security in place, only 10% of those retirees are below the poverty line.

Social Security is really important to a lot of people.

   In fact, 61 percent of elderly people rely on Social Security for the majority of their income. For one-third of those people, it represents 90% or more of their income.

   Removing Social Security would create a massive problem for those who are relying heavily on the benefits to keep them afloat.

Question #8: Will The Social Security System Continue As Is?

   That’s a bit of a dicey question. The Social Security Board of Trustees has said that, unless things change, funds will begin declining and 2020 and become depleted in 2034. When they are depleted, benefits will be paid out a reduced rate.

   That reduced rate will start at around 79% and decline to 73% by 2089.

   Of course, it’s not likely that you’ll be alive in 2089 unless science finds a way to dramatically increase the human lifespan. However, your kids will be alive, so this does affect them.

   Let’s hope they fix things before then.

Conclusion

   Clearly, Social Security isn’t a perfect system. It doesn’t have a huge payout after retirement and that payout will probably be smaller in the future. But it does play an enormous role in our society. Without it, millions of people would be in poverty.

   Additionally, it functions as a safety net of sorts, so that if something does happen to you, you’ll receive at least some income.

   Should you plan on living off Social Security? Of course not. But you can count on receiving something after age 65, and that’s a huge benefit.

John Hawthorne

Written on 23 June 2017.

   Nicht wenige Personen sehen sich derzeit als Führer aller Gläubigen, als amīr al-muʾminīn, als Kalif. Es gibt Kalifen der Ahmadiyya, der Ismaeliten, gewisser Sufi-Orden. Und es gibt oder gab Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, den selbsternannten Kalifen des Islamischen Staats – Daesh genannt. Neben ihm, der auf der Flucht oder tot ist, gibt es noch drei weitere religiöse Führer, die sich als amīr al-muʾminīn ansehen.

   Die saudischen Könige von Arabien, die ihr Land frech Saudi-Arabien genannt haben, sind dank verwandtschaftlicher Verflechtung mit dem Sektengründer Mohamed Abdul Wahhab zugleich oberste Priester der Wahhabiten, die sich als einzige echte Gläubigen ansehen und Anspruch auf die Führung des sunnitischen Islam erheben. König Salman verkörpert also das Kalifat der Wahhabiten.

   Sein Konkurrent und Erzgegner um die Führung der Gläubigen ist Ayatollah Ali al-Khamenei, oberster Priester des Iran und de facto Kalif der Schiiten (die den Titel nicht kennen), auch wenn seine Autorität gelegentlich von Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, dem obersten Schiitenpriester des Irak, bezweifelt wird.  Irans starke militärische Expansion in Irak, Syrien und Jemen unterstreicht den Führungsanspruch Khameneis in einer vom Niedergang der Sunniten und dem Aufstieg der Schiiten gezeichneten islamischen Welt.

   Ein weiterer Kalif hat in den letzten Monaten erstmals seinen Führungsanspruch der Welt unverhüllt präsentiert: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Präsident der Türkei. Er mischt jetzt in allen islamischen Fragen mit als sei er der Höchste. Ob in Malaysia, in Myanmar, in Libyen oder im Sudan, in Madagaskar oder in Bosnien, neuerdings auch in Katar, überall taucht Erdogan auf, baut Moscheen, schickt Emissäre oder ein Kriegsschiff, Waffen oder Nahrungsmittel.  Seiner Umtriebigkeit liegt eine religiöse Zielsetzung zugrunde: die Etablierung der Führerschaft der Moslembrüder in allen sunnitisch dominierten Staaten. Für Moshe Ya'alon ist Erdogan der Führer der Moslembrüder geworden, eine Rolle, die der Obertürke mit Eifer und grossem Einsatz wahrnimmt.

   Im Prinzip sind diese vier Kalifen einander spinnefeind: ihre Querelen dominieren das Geschehen in Nahen Osten, seit der Koloss USA auf seinen Führungsanspruch verzichtet hat. Erst Obamas Zurückhaltung in der Erkenntnis, dass man sich im Nahen Osten mit dem Versuch, Frieden zu bringen, nur Ärger einhandelt. Und nun die Konfusion im Weissen Haus, das von einem Extrem ins andere taumelt und amerikanische Innenpolitik exportiert. Weil Obama den pseudo-demokratischen Iran für respektabler hielt als die korrupten Golfmonarchien mit ihrem Terrorexport, muss Trump nun den Gegenpol, nämlich Saudi-Arabien, unterstützen, gegen den Iran und gegen Katar.

   Ausgerechnet Katar. Im Jahr 1965 hatte ich das Vergnügen, als vermutlich erster deutscher Journalist Katar zu besuchen. Doha war damals ein staubiges Nest mit Lehmgebäuden, dessen Bazarstrasse, der Suk, ziemlich lang war. Auf der Suche nach etwas Bemerkenswertem fuhr ich ein paar Kilometer nach Süden zu einem von den Türken erbauten Fort, Al Wajbah, Ort einer historischen Schlacht, in der die Kataris 1893 eine osmanische Einheit besiegten und damit den Beginn der Unabhängigkeit ihres Mini-Staats erkämpften. Nun sind die Türken nach 124 Jahren zurück in Katar mit ihrem Militär, um das Ländchen gegen die Glaubensbrüder in Saudi-Arabien und Abu Dhabi zu verteidigen.

   Saudi-Arabien, Bahrein, die Emirate, Ägypten und ein paar Mitläufer haben gemeinsam einen Boykott und eine Art Belagerung Katars verkündet, weil Katar angeblich den Terrorismus unterstützt. Das ist eine lächerliche Beschuldigung, denn alle Scheichtümer am Golf tun das in einer oder anderer Form, und der schlimmste Terrorpate ist fraglos Saudi-Arabien.

   In Wirklichkeit werfen die Nachbarn Katar vor, die Moslem-Bruderschaft zu unterstützen und freundlich zu Iran zu sein. Katars Vorliebe für die Moslembrüder ist in der Tat bemerkenswert, denn sie sind Feinde aller Monarchien. Der populäre Fernsehprediger Yusuf al-Qaradawi gilt als spiritueller Leiter der Brüder und geniesst Gastrecht in Katar. Vielleicht ist es ihm gelungen, den jungen Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani von den Lehren der hundert Jahre alten Bruderschaft zu überzeugen. Die Mitglieder der Boykottfront jedenfalls hassen die Moslembruderschaft und nehmen Katars “Verrat” übel.

   Kaum hatten die Saudis den Boykott Katars verkündet, da eilte Brüder-Chef Erdogan den Kataris zu Hilfe, erst mit dem scheinheiligen Angebot, zu vermitteln und danach mit der Lieferung von Nahrungsmitteln, Waffen und Truppen. Dass das reiche Katar die Hilfe üppig belohnen wird, steht ausser Zweifel. Bleibt nur die Frage, wie es die Türken eines Tages wieder los werden wird. Als die Saudis alle Werke Yusuf al-Qaradawis verboten, eilten ihm türkische Religionsgelehrte prompt zu Hilfe, wie die türkische Nachrichtenagentur Anadolu berichtet: “Wir erklären, dass wir mit dem Katarischen Staat und Gelehrten wie Qaradawi sind, die gegen den Imperialismus stehen. Wir fordern, dass die irrationale Aktion gegen sie endet.”

   Dass die Türkei an allen Fronten für Katar und die Brüder kämpft, hat noch einen anderen Grund: angeblich hat Abu Dhabi durch den berüchtigten Palästinenserführer Mohamed Dahlan im vergangenen Jahr der Gruppe des Erdogan-Feindes Fethullah Gülen 3 Milliarden Dollar für die Durchführung eines Militärputsches in der Türkei gegeben. Der Putschversuch fand im Juli 2016 statt, aber Gülens Beteiligung ist mehr als fraglich. Die türkische Gerüchteküche brodelt wie immer und zögert nicht, einen fremden Kronprinzen,Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan von Abu Dhabi, zu beschuldigen.

   Ungewöhnlich ist das Verhältnis zwischen der Türkei und dem Iran. Die Türkei half dem Iran jahrelang kräftig, die westlichen Sanktionen zu unterlaufen, vor allem mit Goldhandel. Erdogan scheint den schiitischen Glaubensfeind zu bewundern: sein Bemühen, die Türkei, ihre Politik, ihr Bil;dungswesen und ihr Militär zu islamisieren deutet darauf hin, dass er eine demokratisch dekorierte Theokratie nach iranischem Vorbild anstrebt, wenn auch sunnitisch und mit einem Präsidenten statt einem Priesterkönig als oberstem Chef. Es könnte sein, dass Erdogan den Iran-freundlichen Kurs Katars massgeblich mitträgt. 

   Dass die deutsche Bundesregierung angeblich die Position Katars unterstützt ist eine unnötige und gefährliche Teilnahme an einer Schlammschlacht islamischer Sekten. Wer sich auf die Seite Saudi-Arabiens schlägt, fördert Salafisten und Dschihadisten weltweit; wer mit Katars Position sympathisiert, unterstützt die Moslem-Bruderschaft und den Iran. Egal, ob Saudi-Arabien, Katar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai oder Kuweit, alle Scheichtümer fördern irgendwelche islamischen Radikalisten, darunter al-Qaeda und Daesh, den Islamischen Staat und ihre Ableger in Jemen, Somalia, Libyen und Westafrika, Afghanistan, Pakistan und Südostasien.

   Nach wie vor ist Barack Obamas Prinzip, mit den Scheichtümern (einschliesslich der Türkei) so wenig Umgang wie möglich zu pflegen, das einzig richtige. Warten wir ab, wer von den diversen Kalifen als Sieger hervorgeht, vielleicht Ali al-Khamenei im Iran. Das wäre dann vor allem ein Problem Israels.

Heinrich von Loesch