Evil Penevil

Antisemitism is the world's oldest and most long-lived conspiracy theory. Blaming Jews for everything from missing children and poisoned wells to 9/11 and world wars has been a common thread in almost every country in the world. The belief that Jews have undue influence and intend to "take over" the world was the most significant cause of the Holocaust and the resulting loss of six million lives. Some conspiracy theories are harmless, but antisemitism has caused huge amounts of suffering for Jews for not just centuries but millennia. All over the world, Jews are facing a renewed wave of hatred. People who scoff at other conspiracy theories embrace antisemitism and use it to justify discriminatory treatment of Jews. Individuals with mental problems also seem drawn to antisemitism. One shocking example: That's why all of use, Jews and non-Jews alike, need to shoot down antisemitic conspiracy theories whenever and wherever they show up. I get a fair amount of practice doing just that on the AN board, even though the Mods do an admirable job in removing blatant examples.

Before I answer your questions in detail, I do have to make a few points clear. Revoking a U.S. visa or Permanent Resident Card (green card) is an administrative procedure. Criminal charges or a conviction in a court trial are not required for a non-US citizen to lose their legal status in the U.S. This has been explained many times, but I'm happy to do it again. Studying, working, visiting or living in the U.S. are NOT constitutionally guaranteed rights for non-citizens; they are privileges extended by the U.S. government, basically at its whim. The U.S. government can at any time withdraw a non-citizen's privilege of remaining on U.S. soil for any reason it chooses. The U.S. isn't alone. This is a principle which most national governments follow regarding foreigners in their countries.. It's definitely true that a non-citizen with a valid U.S. visa or green card enjoys the same rights of free speech and assembly as a U.S. citizen. However, the moves to revoke the legal status of Mahmoud Khalil, Mohsen Mahdawi and a string of other pro-Hamas activists aren't the result of any words or actions protected by the First Amendment. The Hamactivists have, in the eyes of the Trump Administration, violated the terms under which they were granted permission to remain in the U.S. Their continued presence in the U.S. would be contrary to U.S. interests. OK, on to your two questions: No criminal charges have been filed so far against Mahdawi. Remember, criminal charges or a criminal conviction aren't necessary to revoke a green card. They aren't even part of the due process followed in revocation proceedings. According to The New York Times, Mahdawi "stands accused of undermining the U.S. foreign policy goal of halting antisemitism." The reasoning behind this accusation, which amounts to proof in this case, is described in the Times article. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/nyregion/rubio-mahdawi-deportation-letter.html Again, he isn't facing criminal charges, so their won't be a trial in a judicial court. Mahwadi will have the opportunity to contest the order for his removal from the U.S. in an immigration court before an immigration judge. Keep in mind immigration courts are NOT part of the Federal judicial system, but are administrative units of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which is part of the Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/eoir The decision which the immigration judge will make isn't whether Mahwadi is guilty or innocent, Instead, the immigration judge will rule on whether the Secretary of State has presented sufficient evidence to justify Mahwadi's removal. In the recent case involving Mahmoud Khalil, the judge ruled the government had presented sufficient evidence and the deportation of Khalil could go ahead. In the Khalil case, this is the evidence Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25894225-dhs-documents-mahmoud-khalil/#document/p5. When Khalil was arrested in NYC, he was given a Notice to Appear which explained the decision to deport Khalil. https://clearinghouse.net/doc/156881/ Finally, the government gave a very detailed account of the case against Khalil in their response to a filing in Federal court by Khalil's lawyers for his immediate release and a stop to the deportation proceedings. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25866289-119122326097/ It's a lot of documents to wade through, but they clearly indicate the procedures in place to guarantee Khalil, Mahwadi and the other Hamactivists fair treatment and due process.

A bit of a late update to this thread: USAC Cultural Affairs commissioner resigns amid antisemitism allegations Undergraduate Students Association Council Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo announced Tuesday that they will resign amid allegations of antisemitic discrimination. During the council’s Tuesday meeting, Verdugo said she would resign from her role – which she has held for nearly three years – over concerns for her personal safety. https://dailybruin.com/2025/02/05/usac-cultural-affairs-commissioner-resigns-amid-antisemitism-allegations Verdugo resigned so she wouldn't have to face a formal university hearing on the charges of antisemitism.

Has the nationality of the trounced tourist ever been confirmed? Is he indeed Russian?

The Hamas medics were shot while seated in vehicles, so it's likely they were hit in the head or upper body.

Israeli military rescue spaniel stolen by Hamas Billy the spaniel is reported to have run towards troops after hearing them speaking Hebrew - Instagram A Cavalier King Charles spaniel feared abducted by Hamas in the Oct 7 attacks has been rescued in Gaza 18 months later. The female dog, called Billy, is reported to have run towards Israeli troops operating in the southern city of Rafah after hearing them speaking Hebrew. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/israeli-military-rescue-spaniel-stolen-by-hamas/ar-AA1D20ER?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&cvid=ff685f14520e485cebdb5b099300ddb0&ei=13 It's clear the IDF engages in humanitarian missions of the highest order! Yay, Billy!

You have it backwards. Fat women were seen as status symbols in some parts of Africa, Asia and Oceania. Even in Thailand! The video below was supposedly taken in a village on Phuket Island. AQOYjyxj-rY1dUQq9sYr0tDEBU3s5OeZpFzKIDUkOfc-DuGC8thUW6AaiMEQSGK81tqixObqhO3rmAq_qLRfJo9-.mp4

There are 1.1 million foreign students on visas in the U.S. In addition, there are tens of thousands who have remained illegally in the U.S. after their visas have expired. That's a hell of a lot of people for DHS and the State Dept. to keep track of their activities. Every day hundreds pf foreign students have their visas revoked for mundane stuff like flunking out of or quitting their courses as well as shoplifting, drunk driving and other traffic offenses. A smaller number get involved in more serious crimes like drug dealing, burglary, fraud, etc. Pro-Hamas activism has until recently fallen between the cracks because U.S. authorities relied on campus administrations to report illegal activities by foreign students. The admin at many universities sympathized with the Palestinian cause and failed to do so when it came to support of Hamas.

Broadly speaking, foreign citizens who are permitted to study in the U.S. are expected to obey the laws of the U.S. and the rules of the educational institution they attend. Violation of either can be grounds for loss of their visa. Remember, a student visa is a privilege, not a right, and revoking a visa is an administrative procedure that doesn't require a criminal trial or conviction. The State Department Web site on student visas includes a page called "Ineligibilities and Waivers: Laws." It lists reasons for denying a student visa. Those same reasons can also result in failure to renew or revocation of an existing visa. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/waivers.html#visa Take a look at "Section 212{a} of the Immigration and Nationality Act," then "Criminal and related grounds" and "Security and related grounds." They give numerous examples of the types of activities forbidden to foreign students in the U.S. Again, for what seems like the hundredth time, it isn't a free speech issue. Mohsen Mahdawi, Mahmoud Khalil and other student activists have gone far beyond lawful protest. They have participated in encampments and occupation of buildings, which are illegal. Columbia Encampment Is Not Peaceful.mp4

Can you think of a better place for the homeland for the world's Jews? For about 1,500 years, Jews have been saying "Next year in Jerusalem" during the Passover celebration. A series of wars deprived Jews of their historic homeland, a decision by the United Nations returned it to them. What could (and did) go wrong was the hatred Muslims and Arabs have shown towards Jews for centuries.

Thank you. I hope his nationality can be confirmed.

Would it somehow give Israelis credibility if the Israeli government and IDF allowed Hamas terrorists to slaughter the citizens of the world's only Jewish majority state?

The best way to honor the memory of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust is to support the state of Israel. A national homeland for the world's Jews behind secure borders is the best deterrent to a future attempt to wipe out Jews. None of us should be blind to the wave of antisemitism that is once again sweeping the world. The 7.4 million Jews in Israel are standing against many times that number of Arabs, Muslims and other antisemites who want to see them dead.

Latest update says the accused arsonist, Cody Balmer, harbored "hatred" for Shapiro, but doesn't go into details of why. I wonder if Balmer will say he is anti-Zionist but not antisemitic. Cody Balmer was "harboring hatred" toward Shapiro before setting fire at Governor's Residence, documents say ... When asked what he would've done if confronted by the governor while inside the residence, the complaint said Balmer stated he would've "beaten him with his hammer." ... Cody Balmer's mother says her son is "mentally ill" Christie Balmer told CBS News that her son is "mentally ill and he went off his medication" before the attack on the Governor's Residence and that she had tried to get her son "picked up" last week by four different police departments. According to Christie Balmer, she couldn't get anybody to help. https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/cody-balmer-governors-residence-fire-josh-shapiro-harrisburg/

The writer of an article in The Telegraph would seem to agree with the OP: How Thailand turned its back on its backpackers https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/most-successful-rebrand-history-thailand-110000726.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall It's unrealistic, not to mention selfish, for anyone to expect Thailand to stay frozen in time and mired in poverty so that Westerners can enjoy cheap vacations. The unofficial motto of the French Foreign Legion is "March or die." The motto for backpackers and sex tourists should be "Adapt or move on." The answer seems obvious to me. If you don't enjoy Thailand any longer because it's gotten too expensive, too commercialized or too Westernized, find a country that suits you better.

Common sense. U.S. citizens, whether U.S. born or naturalized, can't be deported. As an immigration attorney, Nicole Micheroni would know this and therefore couldn't be scared or intimidated by an erroneous email. No need for me to make anything up. I'll leave that to you. I'm not assuming DHS is inept. I am acknowledging that it's possible DHS sent an email in error. There are at least 47.8 million immigrants and long-term nonimmigrants in the U.S. About 1.1 million have student visas. DHS sends out tens of thousands of emails every day and even the most efficient organizations can make a mistake. Slowly now, from the top, so you understand. Micheroni got a standard email sent to foreign residents of the U.S. whose temporary legal status to remain in the U.S. had expired or been revoked. Since U.S. born CITIZENS CANNOT BE DEPORTED under any circumstances, the only mistake to correct would be a follow-up email stating the first had be sent in error. It's no big thing.

Whatever security detail Gov. Josh Shapiro had- it's usually State Police- failed him badly. The suspect, Cody Balmer, jumped a wall, evaded State troopers, broke into the governor's mansion, used a Molotov cocktail to set the fire. then escaped the same way he came. How the hell that could have happened is mind-boggling. It's not yet known whether the attack was related to Shapiro's religion or support for Israel. Shapiro is an observant Jew who before the attack had celebrated the first night of Passover with a Seder, the traditional dinner, at which participants sing, "Next year in Jerusalem."

The IDF pushed the ambulances and other vehicles off the road with bulldozers to clear the road. The IDF crushed and buried the vehicles so they couldn't be driven again nor used to provide cover for new attacks.

Definitely. The headline of the topic is very misleading. DHS did not attempt to deport Nicole Micheroni; it sent her an email by mistake. The U.S. Supreme Court has held since the early 1800s that U.S. citizens, whether born in the U.S. or naturalized, cannot be deported or exiled. Nor can the U.S. refuse to readmit a citizen who has been abroad. Naturalized citizens who obtain citizenship fraudulently may have their citizenship revoked, but denaturalization has to precede any attempt to deport them. As an attorney, Nicole Micheroni would know this. It's a way for Micheroni to stoke fear and drum up business for her immigration attorney practice.

The use of the word "Semite" to refer to an ethnic group is outdated. The Encyclopedia Britannica explains it this way: "Semite, obsolete term, popularized in the 19th century, that originally described a member of any people who speak one of the Semitic languages, a family of languages that includes Arabic, Hebrew, Amharic, Aramaic, and Tigrinya, among others. The term was later used in an ethnic sense, even though there has never been a shared Semitic identity among Semitic-speaking peoples. When used in that sense, Semite often referred specifically to people of Jewish origin, regardless of what language they spoke, a reflection of the antisemitism that was concurrent in 19th-century Europe." https://www.britannica.com/topic/Semite The word "anti-Semitism" or "antisemitism" entered the English language in1881 from the German Antisemitismus, which had been coined by Wilhelm Marr, a German journalist and agitator who thought it sounded more scientific and academic than the older Judenhaß ("Jew hatred"). Marr himself is regarded as the "father of modern antisemitism," although he apparently renounced his anti-Jewish beliefs as an old man. https://njop.org/the-origin-of-word-anti-semitism/ Bottom line: the word "antisemitism" has never been used in the English language to mean anything but a hatred of Jews.

Here's what the IDF is up against when it comes to Hamas and "medics." A man wearing a medic's vest rushes to the body of a wounded or dead combatant, grabs his automatic rifle and tosses it to another combatant. The second the "medic" touches the rifle, he becomes a legit military target. The encounter took place in Jenin about one year ago. Palestinian quotMedicquot taking the weapon from a dead terrorist and giving it to another..mp4 Better quality video at the links below: https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/17rff07/west_bank_medic_takes_weapon_from_downed_militant/ https://www.reddit.com/r/2ndYomKippurWar/comments/17rfxtb/palestinian_medic_taking_the_weapon_from_a_dead/ I have no idea how many members of AN have actually been in military combat, but some of the pro-Palestinian posters don't seem to realize combat is the most chaotic situation you can imagine, especially in an urban environment against opponents who aren't uniformed. You shoot in the direction of whoever's firing at you. If a non-combatant gets in the way, that's the reality of urban guerilla war. It's terrible, tragic, cruel, immoral and every other negative term of which you can think, but it's almost impossible to avoid non-combatant deaths, given the nature of war in a dense urban environment. The only way to reduce non-combatant casualties is to reduce the number of armed engagements. The figures below from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs show a clear correlation between the number of deaths and major attacks launched by Hamas. It's not exactly rocket science, but if Hamas doesn't want Palestinians killed, it shouldn't attack Israel. It's as simple as that. Note that the UNOCHA data doesn't include Palestinian deaths in Gaza after Oct. 6, 2023. Those figures will be included once the U.N. has verified them. https://www.ochaopt.org/data/casualties Two factors exacerbate non-combatant deaths in Gaza: 1) the use of human shields by Hamas; and 2) Hamas' devotion to martyrdom. The use of human shields has been discussed dozens of times on AN, but I'll include some info on martyrdom. For Palestinians, a Rush to Claim ‘Martyrs’ Killed by Israel In one of the deadliest years for Palestinians, a tradition of political and armed groups claiming Palestinian “martyrs” clouds the distinction between civilian and fighter. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/31/world/middleeast/palestinian-martyrs-israel.html Bottom line: Palestinian non-combatant deaths aren't due to bloodthirsty tactics by the IDF, but because of the nature urban warfare and Hamas' willingness to sacrifice its own people.

No pro-Israel or Jewish group in the U.S. has called for restrictions on freedom of speech and lawful protest by pro-Palestine and anti-Israel groups. The calls for action against protesters has come regarding unlawful campus encampments, occupation of buildings, blocking streets, etc. And worse, Jewish students and sometimes Jews on the street and in synagogues have been subjected to harassment, name-calling and even physical assault. It's only illegal activities that aren't protected by the First Amendment which have come in for crackdowns.

Very, very good news! Made my year so far. One of the really bad guys, a vicious antisemite and Hamas supporter, looks likely to be deported from the U.S. It's a smidgeon of justice for all the pain he and his cohorts heaped on the Jewish students at Columbia U. It has nothing to do with free speech. Anti-Israel Columbia protester Mahmoud Khalil can be deported, judge rules, but it won’t happen immediately Mahmoud Khalil can be deported over his involvement in anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia University, an immigration judge ruled Friday in the closely watched case. ... But Khalil won’t be deported immediately — his lawyers will get the chance to fight the proceedings before a final determination is made. https://nypost.com/2025/04/11/us-news/columbia-protester-mahmoud-khalil-can-be-deported-judge-rules-but-it-wont-happen-immediately/

It's very hard to give a rational answer as to why Hamas doesn't release the hostages. Short answer: it doesn't make sense. Hamas took 251 hostages from Israel into Gaza. Where are they? A total of 251 people were taken in the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. We’re tracking what happened to each of them. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/hamas-hostages-israel-war-gaza/ Hostage Forum publishes health report for 24 living hostages, warns ‘time is running out’ Based on testimonies from freed hostages and propaganda videos, medical report details dire conditions of captivity including isolation, severe malnutrition and untreated injuries https://www.timesofisrael.com/hostage-forum-publishes-health-report-for-24-living-hostages-warns-time-is-running-out/ The health report describes how hostages are undergoing “physical and mental torture."

Here are better pics of QueeQueg. I bet his tattoos cost more than 5,000 baht.