We often discuss the deafening silence of professors and writers in the face of campaigns to cancel or censor conservative writers. Indeed, many have supported blacklisting and censorship.
That disturbing silence is evident this week after Amazon appeared to deplatform Ryan Anderson and his best-selling book, “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement.”
Now various conservative sites are objecting that a documentary on conservative Justice Clarence Thomas has been reportedly removed from Amazon’s streaming service — a glaring omission during Black History Month.
Amazon has not responded to inquiries as to why the Thomas documentary is no longer available, so it is not clear if this was an intentional or negligent act.
Given the controversy over the Anderson book, the sudden unavailability has triggered objections.
A search this morning still found no availability of the book. I have not read the book and I am unfamiliar with Anderson’s arguments. However, my concern is not with the merits of its arguments but the effort to prevent others from reading such arguments.
The intentional removal of the book would be another raw example of private censorship. This is the very danger that I discussed in my recent testimony before the House on efforts to use private companies to implement a system of viewpoint controls. There is a great divide on the issue of how to define gender and how legally to address different genders. This book is part of that national dialogue. However, instead of responding to such book with counterarguments, many want to silence the author to prevent others from reading or hearing his views.
The Thomas controversy is still unfolding but again there is a concern about Amazon’s manipulation of access to opposing views. It appears that you can find a DVD version if you put in the term “DVD” but critics have noted that it is difficult to find as opposed to documentaries on justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A search say that the video is unavailable for streaming. It is hard to judge the controversy at this early date. However, Thomas has been repeatedly snubbed by the Black History Museum and other groups due to his conservative ideology. He should be celebrated during Black History month. I strongly disagree with some of Thomas’ views but his life is a remarkable story of achievement.
Clarence Thomas was born on the Georgia coast in Pin Point, Georgia, on June 23, 1948. He grew up speaking Gullah, the creole dialect. His home was a one-room shack with dirt floors and no plumbing. He grew up without a Dad, who left him at two. As a result, at the age of seven he and his younger brother were sent to live with their grandfather, Myers Anderson, and his wife in Savannah, Georgia. He used his Catholic education to overcome segregation and prejudice to eventually go to Holy Cross and gained admission to Yale, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania law schools. After a series of legal positions, he became the chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1982 and later became just the second African American to join the Court.
That would seem an incredible life to highlight during Black History month.
What concerns me most is that members are sending letters demanding to know why cable companies are still allowing people to watch Fox News while they say nothing about removing books like Anderson’s. Indeed, as previously discussed, members in the recent House hearing repeatedly stated that they support free speech but not a single Democrat expressly opposed calls for Fox News to be taken off the air.
Yet, when it comes to censorship, members are neither silent nor subtle. When Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey came before the Senate to apologize for blocking the Hunter Biden story before the election as a mistake, senators pressed him and other Big Tech executive for more censorship. Rather than addressing the dangers of such censoring of news accounts, Senator Chris Coons pressed Dorsey to expand the categories of censored material to prevent people from sharing any views that he considers “climate denialism.” Likewise, Senator Richard Blumenthal seemed to take the opposite meaning from Twitter, admitting that it was wrong to censor the Biden story. Blumenthal said that he was “concerned that both of your companies are, in fact, backsliding or retrenching, that you are failing to take action against dangerous disinformation.” Accordingly, he demanded an answer to this question:
“Will you commit to the same kind of robust content modification playbook in this coming election, including fact checking, labeling, reducing the spread of misinformation, and other steps, even for politicians in the runoff elections ahead?”
“Robust content modification” has a certain appeal, like a type of software upgrade. It is not content modification. It is censorship. If our representatives are going to crackdown on free speech, they should admit to being advocates for censorship. Indeed, leading academics had the integrity recently to declare that they believe that “China is right” about censorship.
It now appears that Amazon “robustly” removed a best-selling book on gender because it objects to the conclusions reached by the author. The response from Blumenthal and other members? Crickets.
North Kivu, in the eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where on 22 February, the Italian ambassador to the DRC, Luca Attanasio; Italian carabiniere, Vittorio Iacovacci and Mustapha Milambo, the Congolese UN driver were killed, there have already been several more massacres of innocent civilians, reports the Catholic news service, Agenzia Fides.
A local based NGO, the Centre for the Promotion of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights (CEPADHO), in a message to Agenzia Fides, has detailed the massacres since the killing of the Italian Ambassador.
According to CEPADHO, at least 23 civilian victims have died in attacks in the areas of Beni (North Kivu) and Irumu (Ituri) within the last few days: 17 in Kisima in the Ruwenzori district, one in Oicha (capital of the Beni region), 2 in Kokola in the Beni-Mbau district and 3 in Kpolimumu, Irumu district.
Before that, five civilians were killed in a massacre in Musandba (5 km northwest of Oicha), Beni-Mbau district and in a series of ambushes carried out on the Beni to Kasindi road.
ADF/MTM -a major perpetrator of violence in eastern Congo
There are several militias, mercenaries and terrorist groups operating in the eastern province of the DRC. However, CEPADHO has attributed the recent attacks on civilians to a rebel group, originally from Uganda, the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces).
The group has been carrying out attacks in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the 1990s, when the rebels arrived on the scene with a political agenda. They have since abandoned their political demands and degenerated into a terrorist militia group involved in trafficking minerals from the eastern DRC. In recent years, militias of the ADF have taken to calling themselves “Madinat Tawhid wa-l-Muwahidin (MTM).” Their alleged “affiliation” to the Islamic State (IS) is the subject of controversy and speculation.
NEW DELHI: As India and Europe prepare to meet this summer for a special informal summit, both sides are converging on key outcomes. On May 8, India, led by PM Narendra Modi, will hold a summit meeting with all 27 heads of government of the European Union in the Portuguese city of Porto. The summit will be followed by a bilateral meeting between Modi and Portuguese PM Antonio Costa, as well as a business round-table between Indian and European industry. European sources said Europe and India are now converging on their national and continental priorities. “We have five priorities. All these are priorities for India,” a source said. They described these as green transition, digital transition, social transition, resilience and “openness”, a reaffirmation of a multipolar world. “Europe believes there should be a multipolar Asia because India’s role in Asia is just as important as the relationship between Europe and Asia,” an EU official said. An early February ‘17+1’ summit between China and Eastern European countries saw an unprecedented six dropouts — Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and the three Baltic states — raising eyebrows among China watchers in Europe and Asia. Last week, Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission executive vice-president responsible for trade, said, “We recently had a high-level economic dialogue between the EU and India and we are also exploring options on what can be done in the area of trade, keeping in mind the EU-India summit.” The new trade strategy of the EU also refers to a partnership with India as one of the aims. Portugal took over the presidency of the EU in January. Interestingly, the first India-EU summit in 2000 was also under a Portuguese presidency, officials said. Europe has to approve its own climate law, with the aim of becoming the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. Digital transition, they said, is self-explanatory. Social transition has become important in the aftermath of the pandemic, which will include steps to protect citizens from the effects of the pandemic. “We will have a social summit simultaneously on the day of the India summit,” a source said. Economic resilience is crucial, as economies splutter after the pandemic. But the European side is looking at more than economic resilience as part of its priorities. A reaffirmation of “common values” will be on the cards — “democracy, rule of law and respect for minorities”. The last priority they list is “openness” — which is interpreted as being as much about pushing back against protectionism as it is about reiterating the importance of a multipolar world. India is one of the big votaries of a multipolar world. From the Indian perspective, the summit will give it an opportunity to showcase its commitment to climate, connectivity and trade and investment.
NEW DELHI: As India and Europe prepare to meet this summer for a special informal summit, both sides are converging on key outcomes at the summit. On May 8, India, led by prime minister Narendra Modi, will hold a summit meeting with all 27 heads of government of the European Union at the Portuguese city of Porto. The summit will be followed by a bilateral meeting between Modi and the Portuguese PM, Antonio Costa, as well as a business roundtable between Indian and European industry. European sources said Europe and India are now converging on their national and continental priorities. “We have five priorities. All these are priorities for India,” they said. These, they described as green transition, digital transition, social transition, resilience and “openness”, a reaffirmation of a multipolar world. “Europe believes there should be a multipolar Asia because India’s role in Asia is just as important as the relationship between Europe and Asia,” said European officials. An early February “17+1” summit between China and Eastern European countries saw an unprecedented six dropouts — Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and the three Baltic states — raising eyebrows among China watchers in Europe and Asia. Last week, Valdis Dombrovskis, commission executive vice-president responsible for trade said, “We recently had a high-level economic dialogue between the EU and India and we are also exploring options on what can be done in the area of trade, keeping in mind the EU-India Summit.” The new trade strategy of the EU also refers to a partnership with India as one of the aims. Portugal took over the presidency of the EU in January 2021. Interestingly, the first India-EU summit in 2000 was also under a Portuguese presidency, officials pointed out. Europe has to approve its own climate law, with the aim of becoming the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. Digital transition, they said, is self-explanatory. Social transition has become important in the aftermath of the pandemic, which will include steps to protect citizens from the effects of the pandemic. “We will have a social summit simultaneously on the day of the India summit,” sources said. Economic resilience is crucial, as economies splutter after the pandemic. But the European side is looking at more than economic resilience as part of their priorities. A reaffirmation of “common values” will be on the cards — “democracy, rule of law and respect for minorities.” The last priority they list is “openness” — which is interpreted as being as much about pushing back against protectionism as it is about reiterating the importance of a multipolar world. From the Indian perspective, the summit will give India an opportunity to showcase its commitment to climate, connectivity and trade and investment. India is one of the big votaries of a multipolar world, particularly a multipolar Asia. Indo-Pacific is expected to be a focus topic of conversation between the two sides. While India sees itself in the heart of the Indo-Pacific both in terms of geography and geo-strategy, three EU countries — France, Germany and the Netherlands — have published policy papers on the Indo-Pacific. This may get wider acceptance in the coming months.
Around the world evangelicals have “never agreed” on politics and the term that denotes this group of followers of Jesus describes the enthusiasm for the DNA of Christianity, the new leader of the World Evangelical Alliance says.
“And you can see this around the globe. We have countries, in which we have evangelical members in Parliament, on the government side and in the opposition,” said Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher in his inaugural speech as WEA secretary general and CEO in Bonn, Germany.
“We did not agree on politics yesterday and we did not agree on politics in 1846,” he said on Feb. 27.
“This is not the secret of the evangelical movement,” said the new WEA CEO in a speech in which he spelled out the role of evangelical movement in the fight against religious persecution and for religious freedom.
The WEA head said that in 1846, the World Evangelical Alliance was the first large religious body speaking up for religious freedom.
“And that meant speaking up against State churches and against Christian nationalism – we know that this is even within our own ranks still a very ‘hot potato’ today” and “against the state pressing its religion and its thoughts on the Church.”
BELIEF IN PENTECOST
“We believe in the resurrection of Jesus and we believe in Pentecost where the Holy Spirit filled the believers, the members of the church.
Some may question the historical actuality say “it did not happen” or “does not need to have happened in real history.
Schirrmacher said, “We [as evangelicals] stand for the historicity of our faith.
“Jesus did receive new life from His Father, the Holy Spirit did fall on the believers. And then some will say: ‘that is evangelical.’ But we do not believe in this because we think of it as something confessional, something specific [only] we believe in.
“Rather, we think it’s the DNA of Christianity that we owe everything to what Jesus did and what the Holy Spirit does.”
When it comes to the Bible, evangelicals are deeply convinced that the Bible is the confession of the Church.
“The idea of a paper document that would rule the people comes from the Old Testament. The Torah in the Old Testament was above David, was above the king, was above everybody.
‘PAPER POPE’
“Some people mock us and say we have a ‘Paper Pope.’ We are proud to have a Paper Pope, because the Paper Pope assures that none of us, including me, are above the Word of God. (Photo: Courtesy Global Christian Forum)Dr. Casely Essamuah
“We all submit to the Word of God, no one is above it. No, there is [in fact] someone above him, it is Jesus himself, who is the center of Holy Scripture, and the Holy Spirit, who is the author of Holy Scripture – at least according to our belief.”
“And this is where we think that a movement like ours can bring together the huge emphasis of the Reformation 500 years ago on Holy Scripture with a lot of revival movements including our Pentecostal friends and our charismatic friends and their emphasis on the Holy Spirit as the only
“One who can transform us and can transform the world.” (Photo: Albin Hillert / WCC)Dr. Billy Wilson, member of the Pentecostal World Federation executive committee speaking at a Global Christian Forum gathering in Bogota, Colombia on April 27. 2018.
Among those who read greetings at the hybrid ceremony that was both live and virtual were Casely Essamuah secretary of the Global Christian Forum and Billy Wilson chairman of the Pentecostal World Fellowship and president of Oral Robert University in Oklahoma in the US.
“Jesus, it is now the gospel of salvation, the gospel of healing, the gospel that brings meaning to our lives, his passion, and purpose to our daily lives is needed now more than ever, as we are all behind closed doors and needing the presence of the one who comes to us and says, peace, my peace I give unto you,” said Essamuah in his message.
Forecasts by the Vietnamese Cong Thuong Industry & Trade newspaper say that Vietnamese businesses exporting fruit and vegetables to the Nordic and Northern Europe are believed to possess opportunities. The market however remains relatively small and the newspaper suggests Vietnamese businesses explore niche markets with organic and sustainable production to satisfy the growing trend for clean food in Northern Europe.
The import of tropical fruit has been decreasing in recent years and this has opened up opportunities for both existing and new exporters from developing countries including Vietnam. According to the Vietnamese trade office in Sweden, Northern European countries are very much dependent on imported fruits and vegetables due to unfavorable weather conditions and the region imports over 90 percent of fruits and 40 percent of vegetables from foreign sources.
The recent EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which took effect on August 1, 2020, has also generated considerable advantages for Vietnamese firms, as most tariffs on fresh fruit and vegetables have been slashed to zero percent, the trade office noted.
Despite the optimistic market forecast, Cong Thuong newspaper noted that the market is relatively small when compared to others in Europe and 90 percent of vegetables imported to Northern Europe are grown in Europe and only 10 percent are imported from developing countries.
Because of that, the newspaper suggests that Vietnamese companies consider producing organic and convenience products, pointing out European consumers’ increasing preference for healthy diets with clean and natural food, as well as those that serve their busy lifestyles. The article said that Vietnamese businesses need to ensure that product quality meets requirements and more attention needs to be paid to sustainable and responsible production and business practices.
The newspaper stated that only products complying with sustainable standards will be accepted by Northern European consumers and brand building and product storytelling are also tools necessary for marketing new products, particularly those for niche markets.
THE ongoing formal political dialogue between Zimbabwe and the European Union, to normalise strained relations between the two, will continue despite the recent extension of sanctions on Harare by Brussels.
The EU extended its embargo against Zimbabwe a fortnight ago, citing alleged human right violations.
Harare opened formal dialogue with Brussels in 2019, which has culminated in a measured thawing of relations.
Another round of talks scheduled for December last year was cancelled as a result of Covid-19 and its attendant restrictions.
Dialogue between the two sides has now been elevated to Ministerial level.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade spokesperson Ms Constance Chemwai told The Sunday Mail that a date for the third round of talks was being finalised.
“The Cotonou Partnership Agreement Article 8 Political Dialogue between Zimbabwe and the European Union (EU) takes place twice a year as agreed between the two sides,” said Ms Chemwai.
“The dates for the third session of this dialogue are yet to be finalised. The agreed agenda of the political dialogue at the launch on June 3, 2019 covers a broad range of areas of focus that include investment, trade and economic development, humanitarian assistance, human rights, democracy, good governance and the rule of law, development co-operation and regional, continental and global co-operation.”
Asked whether the recent extension of sanctions will disrupt the dialogue process, she said, “No it will not.”
Responding to questions from The Sunday Mail, EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Timo Olkkonen, said continuing the dialogue process was essential.
“The EU and Zimbabwe held two formal political dialogues under Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement since 2019.
“The second political dialogue held in November 2019 was held at ministerial level, which was a welcome development in view of establishing a regular and formal engagement. The third meeting of the political dialogue was postponed last December due to the Covid-19 situation, but the EU is ready to have the next talks at the earliest occasion and once the situation allows.
“The meetings allowed for the continuation of discussions on topics that are of common interest and are priorities in EU-Zimbabwe relations: human rights, democratisation, rule of law and good governance; economic developments and reforms, the investment climate and implementation of our free trade agreement, the Economic Partnership Agreement; development cooperation, humanitarian assistance and global and regional partnerships”, Mr Olkkonen said.
The EU, he said, was keen to support Government in undertaking economic and political reforms.
The 28-member bloc imposed sanctions on Harare in 2002 but has been progressively reviewing the embargo in recognition of reforms being undertaken by Government.
Last year, the EU suspended sanctions against three senior Government officials — Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga; Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda; and the late former Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri.
“The EU is willing to engage with and support the government across a wide range of policy fields where we can bring EU co-operation and assistance to bear, especially with regard to governance and capacity building, based on a genuine government commitment,” said Mr Olkkonen.
“The EU is currently planning for its future co-operation with Zimbabwe so the timing would be opportune to discuss these issues.”
The incident took place on Friday morning in the town of Jangebe, in Nigeria’s Zamfara State.
Unidentified gunmen entered Jangebe Government Girls’ Secondary School around midnight, shooting sporadically.
The state’s Information Commissioner said they carried the girls off in vehicles and on foot. Security forces launched a search for the abducted schoolgirls.
Two attacks in quick succession
Friday’s attack follows on the heels of a similar kidnapping earlier last week.
One student was killed and 42 people were spirited off from a boarding school in the north-central state of Niger in the earlier incident. They were released on Saturday, according to the Zamfara State governor.
Nigerian Bishops sound alarm
The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria have decried the deteriorating situation in the country.
They released a press statement on 23 February, following on the heels of the first kidnapping but before this most recent attack.
“We are really on the brink of a looming collapse, from which we must do all we can to pull back before the worst overcomes the nation,” wrote the Bishops.
They said insecurity and corruption have put into question “the very survival of the nation.”
Host of threats
The Bishops also called on the government to step up to the challenge of seriously governing, especially as armed groups threaten to take the law into their own hands.
And they list a host of crises afflicting Nigerians, including “assassinations, Covid-19, kidnappings, murders, banditry, and armed robberies.”
“We, of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, with members from all parts of Nigeria, are very highly disturbed about the present state of instability in the land,” read the statement. “This must not be allowed to continue to fester and degenerate.”
