USA: Veteran and famous newsman Dan Rather Compares Trump to Flying Cow Manure

President Donald Trump’s constant use of media is overwhelming Americans, according to veteran newsman Dan Rather.

His advice? The people need to see Trump’s rhetoric for what it is: propaganda meant to misinform and wear them down.

During an interview with CNN’s Brian Stelter, while they were discussing the rise of right-wing extremism around the globe, Rather took a moment to lament on Trump’s successes and failures in the digital age, and how he’s used new tools to his advantage.

In spite of his strengths in using social media, the Trump administration is apparently oblivious to the fact that right-wing extremism is on the rise online. Stelter asked Rather, “can [the White House] effectively respond to this rising threat of extremism on the internet” if they’re unaware of how it actually works?

“The answer is, not very well,” Rather said, per reporting from Newsweek. He further acknowledged that Trump has a lot of media tools at his disposal.

“Look, we have to deal with reality. This is a whole new age. And the president has the strongest, the most powerful platform for propaganda that humans have ever had. No president has ever had this kind of reach — the combination of television, radio, the internet, social media, tweets.”

Among the many difficulties with Trump’s use of media is the fact that he constantly uses it to disseminate false information.

Note EU-Digest: Republicans should start withholding support from what many people see as an unstable and unreliable person in the White House, if they don't, it could also be the end of the Republican party as a viable entity within the US political establishment.


Read more: Dan Rather Compares Trump to Flying Cow Manure | HillReporter.com

Democracy: Extremism and Censorship - by Samuel Westrop

• There are obvious shortcomings in the British government's demand that all "beliefs" deserve "mutual respect." While it is important in a free society to tolerate beliefs we dislike, we should not be required to "respect" them.
• If the government would stop funding and backing religious separatism, and start using existing laws to prosecute preachers who incite violence and promote terrorism, these measures would go a long way to preventing extremists from operating with impunity. Censorship, on the other hand, will harm everyone.

On May 27, a few weeks after the elections, Queen Elizabeth II addressed the British parliament with a speech that laid out a number of important proposed bills, including changes to immigration and the welfare system; a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, and, most importantly, a series of new measures to tackle Islamic extremism.

The "Extremism Bill," the government has announced, will "unite our country and keep you and your family safe by tackling all forms of extremism." It will also "combat groups and individuals who reject our values and promote messages of hate."

To achieve this, the government is attempting to establish a number of new proscriptive powers. "Banning Orders" would allow the Home Secretary to outlaw designated "extremist groups." "Extremism Disruption Orders" would restrict the activities of individual, designated "extremists." They would be prohibited from appearing on television, and would have to submit any publications, including social media posts, to the police for prior approval. "Closure Orders" would allow the government to shut down institutions, including mosques, used to promote extremism.

In addition, the government has announced plans to take "tough measures against [television] channels that broadcast extremist content."

Changes to background checks would also mean that companies could find out whether a potential employee is an extremist. If so, they would be barred from working with children.

Read more: Extremism and Censorship

India: the myth of 'Love Jihad'

In India, where religious tensions and violence are on the rise, Hindu extremists are accusing Muslims of practizing “Love Jihad”. India’s Muslims deny these accusations and claim that this is a conspiracy aimed at harming their community, which remains a minority in the country.

Read more: REPORTERS - India: the myth of 'Love Jihad' - France 24

Germany: Thousands march in Cologne to protest xenophobia

The western German city of Cologne has seen thousands march in a peaceful demonstration against xenophobia and right-wing extremism. The march comes amid worries of rising anti-immigration sentiment in Germany.

Read more: Thousands march in Cologne to protest xenophobia | News | DW.DE | 14.12.2014

German President Gauck challenges far-right

President Joachim Gauck has urged Germany to resist far-right extremists without fear. His remarks precede the 20th anniversary of anti-foreigner rioting in Rostock that shocked Germany shortly after its reunification. 

German head of state Gauck told the Ostsee Zeiting newspaper on Monday that at next weekend's remembrance in his home city he would show that Germany had "trained" really hard to develop a "defensive culture" against far-right extremism, and that "we will remain active."

"We won't hand over our fear as a present to the far-extremists; we won't let them prevail," Gauck said on Monday.

Read more: German President Gauck challenges far-right | News | DW.DE | 20.08.2012

Blind to Extremism: How Germany Overlooked the Threat from the Right

A horrifying trail of blood extends across the entire country -- and perhaps the most spine-chilling aspect of all is that so few people have noticed it. It's been a long time since Germans have staged candlelight vigils in memory of the victims of far-right violence. This gives the impression that politicians and the general public were busy with more important things than this form of murderous, everyday violence. But perhaps simply no one, aside from a small circle of committed citizens, saw the connection -- the hate that tied all the crimes together.

Now, Germany has been startled from its slumber. Ever since the discovery of an underground far-right terror group which apparently targeted Turkish small businessmen all across Germany for many years, the law enforcement agencies have been asking themselves how they could have overlooked something that is actually impossible to overlook.

There's a deep sense of shock and dismay. German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of a "disgrace for Germany" and German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich warned of "enormous damage to the trust that people have in our law enforcement agencies" in an interview with SPIEGEL. On Tuesday, the German parliament, the Bundestag, will deal with the issue. On Friday of last week, a large crisis summit was held in Berlin. Participants discussed every option that could be quickly implemented: a new joint center to curb far-right violence, more staff members for the special units of police and the public prosecutors' offices and a renewed attempt to ban the NPD. The government is trying to calm the public -- and also itself.

For more: Blind to Extremism: How Germany Overlooked the Threat from the Right - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

NPR: What Really Riles Muslim Extremists? - by Dinesh D'Souza

For the complete report from NPR click on this link

What Really Riles Muslim Extremists? - by Dinesh D'Souza

More insurgent bombings in Iraq. More Taliban strikes in Afghanistan. What's up with these people? Just Wednesday, a deadly car bomb exploded in Peshawar, Pakistan, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad. Is Islam the problem? Many atheists, and even some believers, would like us to believe that Muslim fanatics are doing this in the hope of going straight to heaven, so that they can enjoy the company of 72 virgins there. Some go as far as saying that religion itself is to blame, because it makes people susceptible to fanaticism, terrorism and violence. But this accusation against religion is nonsense. Even against Islam, it's questionable. Robert Pape's study of insurgency and suicide bombing shows that these actions have nothing to do with promises of heavenly reward. Rather, extremists are motivated by more mundane motives: they invaded our country, they stole our land, they raped my sister, and so on.

Whether or not this is true, Islamist terrorism is a special case. The original suicide bombers, the Japanese kamikazes, were not motivated by religion but rather by fanatical loyalty to the emperor. The Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka conduct suicide attacks in a desperate struggle over land and self-determination. If religion is the problem, where are the Buddhist suicide bombers? Nor has anyone been able to identify the Christian bin Laden, the Christian equivalent of al-Qaida or Hezbollah, or the Christian country today run along the lines of post-Khomeini Iran. Most people in the world believe in God and the afterlife, yet hardly any of them launch suicide attacks in the hope of going straight to heaven.

Beliefs in God and life after death have proven far less dangerous to society than the attempts to establish the God-free utopia. Fine, let's listen to the atheists who say we need to watch out for heaven-seeking Muslims bent on blowing up civilians and flying planes into buildings. But let's be just as vigilant against atheist fanatics like Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Ceausescu, Enver Hoxha, Fidel Castro and Kim Jong-il. These despots have collectively killed millions more than even bin Laden could ever dream of orchestrating in order to establish their version of heaven on Earth.