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Sunday, April 29, 2018

The Moral of Alfie’s Death & Socialized DEATH PANELS


John R. Houk
© April 29, 2018

The British baby Alfie Evans passed away 2:30 AM 4/28/18 British time. You can mark his death and remember it as an atrocity to human sensibilities. You’ll have to remember it because I can almost guarantee it that media outlets on both the Left and Right will phase this out from reporting significance. As far as the media is concerned, the dramatic story of little Alfie has come to an end.

BUT the lessons that must be remembered as the moral of the story is that a government in charge of socialized medicine will decide your fate despite the compassion of affluent people, influential people and compassionate foreign governments. When the government has absolute control of life and death, your unalienable rights granted by the Creator are sure to be violated to the point of murder.

Essentially little Alfie was murdered by the British government that had allowed the construct of a socialized medical DEATH PANEL decided Alfie was beyond saving to the point that panel refused to allow compassion from outside the DEATH PANEL’s authority to have a shot. TWO DAYS AFTER life support was forced to end, little Alfie died probably suffering without life sustaining help.

****************************
BREAKING: Alfie Evans has died


April 28, 2018 - 4:07 am EST

LIVERPOOL, England, April 28, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) — Alfie Evans died today in a Liverpool children’s hospital at 2:30 a.m. local time.

Despite last-minute interventions, including the Italian government’s gift of citizenship to the infant, the child died four days after doctors at the Alder Hey NHS (National Health Service) Foundation ignored his parents’ wishes and removed him from a ventilator.

His mother Kate James informed well-wishers of the boy’s death by posting a message on the “Alfie’s Army Official” Facebook page.

“Our baby boy grew his wings tonight at 2:30 am,” the young mother wrote. “We are heart broken. Thank you everyone for all your support.”

“My gladiator lay down his shield and gained his wings at 02:30... absolutely heartbroken... I LOVE YOU MY GUY,” Thomas Evans said.

Alfie James Evans was a baptized Catholic, like his father. His mother belongs to the Reformed tradition. If a baptized child before the age of reason dies, he goes straight to heaven, according to Catholic teaching.

“Baptized and under ‘the age of reason’, he does not need our prayers,” tweeted Dr. Joseph Shaw, a Catholic ethicist at Oxford University. “His family, and everyone else involved, do.”

In a statement issued on its website, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, England, said: “We wish to express our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to Alfie’s family at this extremely distressing time. All of us feel deeply for Alfie, Kate, Tom and his whole family and our thoughts are with them. This has been a devastating journey for them and we would ask that their privacy and the privacy of staff at Alder Hey is respected.”

On Monday, Alfie’s father Thomas Evans posted a video on Facebook saying that when the hospital staff removed Alfie’s ventilator at 9:17 p.m., he was able to breathe on his own. The toddler lived for more than four days without the machine.

In the video, Evans said his son’s fingers were beginning to turn blue and Alfie was losing color.

“Alfie’s sustained his life since 17 minutes past nine,” Thomas Evans said. “He’s needing oxygen but the hospital won’t give him any.”

In the video, he said his son’s fingers were beginning to turn blue and Alfie was losing color. However, after the parents gave the child mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the child began to breathe on his own. Later Alfie was given oxygen.

Alfie’s aunt Sarah Evans posted a message on the “Alfie’s Army Official” Facebook page soon before he died asking supporters for prayers.

“Our warrior is needing prayers and 100 deep breathes sending to Alfie,” she wrote. “Inhale and exhale then do another 100 please. Please pray for our warrior.”


[Blog Editor: Here is the video linked above:


Posted by LifeSiteNews
Published on Apr 23, 2018]

It is a tragic ending to a sad story that began shortly after Alfie was born to his then-teenage parents. In July 2016, he was referred to hospital for a “divergent squint” (one eye turning outwards). By the time he was four months old, his mother noticed other troubling signs. Alfie’s smile had become less frequent, he was sleeping too much, and he showed little interest in interactions and playing with toys. By six months, he showed signs of significant developmental delay. An MRI showed that his brain was not developing properly.

Alfie was admitted to Alder Hey hospital’s emergency department on December 14, 2016 after an episode of coughing, high temperature and, according to a subsequent court decision, “rhythmic jerking of all four limbs and his jaw.” The boy was diagnosed with acute viral bronchiolitis and a possible prolonged febrile convulsion. He began to jerk again, and these seizures worsened the next day. Alfie was then treated with Midazolam and then, on the 16th, with Vigabatin instead. A doctor described him as “comatose” from this time forward. On December 19, it was discovered that Alfie had a slow breathing rate and apnea (pauses in breathing). Alfie went into cardiac arrest and was given an oxygen mask.

He was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, and was later diagnosed with pneumonia. In January 2017, Alfie’s parents were warned he might die. Nevertheless the boy recovered from pneumonia, albeit without any improvement to the health of his brain. Doctors from Alder Hey and additional doctors consulted by Alfie’s parents agreed that the child had a fatal neurodegenerative disorder. It remained undiagnosed to the end.

When Alfie’s condition declined, the hospital began to pressure his parents to remove him from life support.

They refused to give permission. Undeterred, the hospital went to court to argue that ending treatment was in the child’s best interests. On February 20, 2018, Mr. Justice Heydon of the UK Supreme Court ruled that it was in Alfie’s “best interests” to discontinue treatment, to be removed from his life support, and to receive palliative care at Alder Hey.

Alfie’s parents appealed the decision before the UK Court of Appeal and the UK Supreme Court before pleading their case before the European Court of Human Rights this March. The ECHR ruled that their appeal to take their son elsewhere in the European Union was “inadmissible” and that the child’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights were not being violated. The court also refused to block Heydon’s decision that Alfie’s doctors could remove the boy’s life support.

Alder Hey then applied to the High Court to set a date for his treatment to end. Alfie’s parents responded with more appeals, all of which were denied.

Pope Francis repeatedly spoke out in support of Alfie’s parents, and an Italian priest, Fr. Gabriele Brusco, offered spiritual help to the Evans family until he was recalled to London.

On Friday, April 20, the UK High Court denied Alfie’s parents’ final appeal that they be allowed to continue caring for their son and ordered Alder Hey remove his life support on April 23.

For all LifeSite coverage of the Alfie Evans case, click here.
____________________________
The Moral of Alfie’s Death & Socialized DEATH PANELS
John R. Houk
© April 29, 2018
___________________________
BREAKING: Alfie Evans has died



Saturday, April 28, 2018

Methinks Brennan Up to His Neck in Treason Collusion


John R. Houk
© April 28, 2018

I just read an interesting article in in the Conservative Tribune about John Brennan the former CIA Director under the Obama Administration. I found it interesting because of the veiled threats Brennan has been directing toward President Trump’s tweets.

Today’s Gateway Pundit covered Trump’s tweet relating to the House Intelligence Committee Report issue via the GOP majority, exonerating the President from any collusion with the Russians in the 2016 election:

Just Out: House Intelligence Committee Report released. “No evidence” that the Trump Campaign “colluded, coordinated or conspired with Russia.” Clinton Campaign paid for Opposition Research obtained from Russia- Wow! A total Witch Hunt! MUST END NOW!

To which Brennan tweeted back at 10:29 AM (4/27/18):

A highly partisan, incomplete, and deeply flawed report by a broken House Committee means nothing. The Special Counsel’s work is being carried out by professional investigators—not political staffers. SC’s findings will be comprehensive & authoritative. Stay tuned, Mr. Trump….

The veiled threat: “Stay tuned, Mr. Trump”.

The Gateway Pundit explains why Brennan’s veiled threat is pathetic:

The “professional investigators” Brennan is referring to on Mueller’s team is a who’s who of corrupt and conflicted Obama and Hillary cronies.  As we reported over the past year Mueller’s team consists of the following:

·        Rush Atkinson, an attorney on detail from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section at the Department of Justice
— Donated $200 to Clinton in 2016

·        Peter Carr – DOJ spokesman under Barack Obama.

·        Andrew Goldstein, a public corruption prosecutor on detail from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York
 Worked under Trump-basher Preet Bharara in the liberal New York southern district.

·        Adam Jed, an appellate attorney on detail from DOJ’s Civil Division. — Defended Obamacare at the DOJ.

·        Elizabeth Prelogar, an appellate attorney on detail from the Office of the Solicitor General. -Fluent in Russian; former law clerk to Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan.

·        James Quarles, a former partner at WilmerHale and a former assistant special prosecutor for the Watergate Special Prosecution Force. –Former assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force.

·        Jeannie Rhee, a former partner at WilmerHale who has served in the Office of Legal Counsel at DOJ and as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. — Rhee is a Clinton Foundation Lawyer and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel under Barack Obama.

·        Brandon Van Grack, an attorney on detail from the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
— Led a grand jury inquiry in Northern Virginia scrutinizing former Trump associate Michael Flynn’s foreign lobbying.

·        Aaron Zebley, a former partner at WilmerHale who has previously served with Mueller at the FBI and has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. — Worked with Robert Mueller at the WilmerHale firm. 

·        Zainab Ahmad, a top national security prosecutor on detail from U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York.

·        Michael Dreeben, an appellate attorney on detail from the Office of the Solicitor General, described by former colleagues as one of the brightest criminal law experts of the past two generations.

Peter Strzok and his mistress Lisa Page were thrown off of the investigation after Trump-hating text messages between the two FBI agents were discovered by the IG.

The above people are the crack Special Prosecution team Brennan tweeted about who are Crooked Hillary affiliates. Apparently, John Brennan’s CIA was an also a Crooked Hillary campaign affiliate. Indeed, it is becoming apparent that Brennan may have been a go-between Crooked Hillary and Russians perhaps facilitated by the British Intelligence agency known as  Government Communications Headquarters or simply the acronym GCHQ.

Judge Andrew Napolitano had made the connection between GCHQ spying on Donald Trump and was nearly fired for it at Fox News. I have suspicion that is pure conjecture mind you, that the power of John Brennan’s leadership of the CIA had something to do with threatening Napolitano over the GCHQ spying on Trump.

The Conservative Tribune has a story on the corrupt John Brennan.

******************************
Respected Conservative Mag: CIA Director Colluded with Foreign Powers To Destroy Trump

By JOE SAUNDERS
APRIL 26, 2018 AT 10:20AM

[Blog Editor: CT has an about minute-and-half video introducing article. I can’t figure out how to embed it. And Soooo, I found a Youtube video that is essentially an electronic voice reading this article outloud.}


Published on Apr 26, 2018

READ THE REST or read below

This is definitely not the collusion case liberals are trying to make, but it’s one Americans should be thinking about.

When the lefty British newspaper The Guardian published an article earlier this month touting the role of British intelligence agencies in fomenting suspicions that the Donald Trump campaign had been aided by Russia, The Guardian editors were no doubt hoping to feed Americans doubts about the duly elected president.

But a writer for the conservative magazine American Spectator had an entirely different take on it — and argued it points the finger back at the kind of “Deep State” obstruction to the Trump administration that Trump supporters have been warning about since before Trump’s inauguration.

In an April 19 piece, Spectator writer George Neumayr wrote that The Guardian had unintentionally provided proof that former CIA Director John Brennan was using any weapon that came to hand to try to ensure the election of Hillary Clinton in 2016 — and keep his own job.

“John Brennan’s CIA operated like a branch office of the Hillary campaign, leaking out mentions of this bogus investigation to the press in the hopes of inflicting maximum political damage on Trump,” Neumayr wrote.

According to The Guardian report from April 13, the British Government Communications Headquarters (an outfit better known as “GCHQ,” devoted to gathering intelligence through electronic signals monitoring) learned in 2015 of “‘interactions’ between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents.”

GCHQ gathered more information over the next six months with the help of other countries — Western nations as well as the former Soviet republic of Estonia.

That information was passed to Brennan — then still heading the CIA — in the summer of 2016. And, according to Neumayr, Brennan wasted no time passing it on to lawmakers from both parties, probably in hopes of it leaking to the media.

“Any other CIA director would have disregarded such a flaky tip, recognizing that Estonia was eager to see Trump lose (its officials had bought into Hillary’s propaganda that Trump was going to pull out of NATO and leave Baltic countries exposed to Putin),” Neumayr wrote. “But Brennan opportunistically seized on it, as he later that summer seized on the half-baked intelligence of British spy agencies (also full of officials who wanted to see Trump lose).”

Basically, according to Neumayr, Brennan was desperate to keep his position as head of the CIA and knew a Trump victory would mean the end of the Obama-Clinton era, and a new beginning for U.S. intelligence agencies.

Now, anyone who’s followed the news since 2016 knows full well that Brennan has made no secret of his loathing for President Trump — and that Trump publicly despises the former CIA director.

Brennan’s infamous Twitter posting regarding the richly deserved firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is notorious for just how personal the attack on Trump was:



But what Brennan apparently didn’t count on was that time would prove how right that firing was. The damning Justice Department Inspector General’s report proved that. (Ironically, the report was released on the same day that The Guardian published its paen to the work of British intelligence in undermining Trump.)

To Neumayr, The Guardian piece is just one more brick in the wall of proof that Brennan was the one who colluded with foreign powers to influence the presidential campaign of 2016. And he did it with the help of the anti-Trump American media.

“Were the media not so completely in the tank for Obama and Hillary, all of this political mischief would make for a compelling 2016 version of All the President’s Men,” Neumayr wrote near the end of his piece. “Instead, the public gets a steady stream of Orwellian propaganda about the sudden propriety of political espionage.”

Anyone who’s followed the news since 2016 knows that’s true too, and the sentence gives a nice touch of credibility to the rest.

Neumayr’s piece isn’t the collusion case liberals are hoping to make. But it’s definitely one Americans who care about the country should be thinking very hard about.
__________________________
Methinks Brennan Up to His Neck in Treason Collusion
John R. Houk
© April 28, 2018
________________________
Respected Conservative Mag: CIA Director Colluded with Foreign Powers To Destroy Trump

Copyright ©2017 Liftable Media Inc. All rights reserved. [Blog Editor: Yup, these guys are way behind in updating their copyright year.]


Conservative Tribune is a platform for conservative voices talking about political and cultural news that matters.

It is an unapologetic purveyor of truth and clearly promotes the values of family, personal responsibility, limited government, and individual freedom.

Conservative Tribune is one of the largest websites in the United States and is a top 100 site according to Alexa.com.

Since joining Liftable Media in 2015 the site has doubled its reader base, with around 25 million unique American visitors every month.

Conservative Tribune consistently outperforms other digital publishers on Facebook.


Friday, April 27, 2018

Looking at the Incel Movement


John R. Houk
© April 27, 2018

Alek Minassian of the Toronto Massacre infamy, had his day in a Canadian Court where the interested found out he is being charged with 10 counts of murder and 13 counts of attempted murder. As far as I know Minassian has not confessed to the reason for the attack. This post is based on the speculative motive for the massacre. That being Minassian was a part of the subculture group of mostly men who believe they are a part of the Incel Movement. Incel = involuntarily celibate.

These dudes feel that beautiful women will only form relationships with hunky men leaving out in the cold plain nerd-like socially maladjusted men. You’d almost feel sorry for these lost souls except they have evolved from a self-pitying lot to a hate group that despises primarily gorgeous gals. Sam Louie MA, LMHC writing for Psychology Today demonstrates the sympathetic element:

They’re teased for being virgins (“virgin-shaming”).  This is a new societal shift that has radically changed within the past two decades.  It wasn’t long ago when you may have been shamed for being sexual outside of marriage, now you’re shamed if you haven’t had sex before marriage. … In short, the worldview is if you haven’t had sex by 30, you must be not only sexually inadequate, defective, and inept but also socially.

They’re also teased or bullied for being socially awkward or being different.  This oftentimes can be due to physical disabilities, physical characteristics (weight, height, facial features, acne, etc.), and a lack of understanding social cues (not knowing when to start or stop talking, not knowing how much to share and possibly over-sharing in certain situations to name a few). 

Combine this with their social isolation along with hobbies and interests that lend themselves to public mockery … Incels (short for involuntary celibate) have a tendency to gravitate towards activities that are less socially threatening thus online role-playing games and activities where your profile can be anonymous such as World of Warcraft are very popular within this demographic.  Other interests include collecting comic books, interest in Pokemon, and Japanese Manga.  And for some, they’ve also have had the additional burden of being ostracized for their ethnic background.

READ ENTIRETY (The Incel Movement: The sexual, social, recreational, and racial implications; By Sam Louie; Psychology Today; 4/25/18)

If you Google the Incel Movement, you will discover many Leftist MSM and extreme Leftist sources that are more than happy to describe the movement’s characteristics. The reason being Incels are not only social awkward misogynists, but also these same guys tend to be extremely Right Wing often described as the Alt-Right (which the Left loves to group with Neo-Nazis, Skin Heads, KKK, White Nationalists and so on). Source – Heavy.com.

Heavy.com found a Youtube video that profiles the typical Incel:


Published on May 26, 2014

Elliot Rodger, accused of killing six people and injuring 13 others in a rampage in which he also died, published a 140-page, biographical manifesto. In it, he chronicles the evolution of his own hate and despair. WSJ's Jason Bellini reports.

Thanks to Left-leaning Google I found some unpleasant info on the Incel Movement and its early development. I’m going to cross post Flare.com thoughts. I know nothing about Flare.com, but its home page seems to emphasize the entertainment industry. Then I am going to cross post the National Post’s rather lengthy profile of Alek Minassian.


Other interesting posts on the Incel Movement:




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What You Need to Know About the Incel Movement & Its Potential Role in the Toronto Van Attack

By Sarah Boesveld, Chatelaine
Apr 26, 2018

A post about an “Incel Rebellion” appeared on suspect Alek Minassian’s Facebook page moments before the Toronto attack. But what does the term “incel” even mean—and what, if anything, did it have to do with his motivations?


As details of the van attack that claimed 10 lives and injured 15 in Toronto earlier this week continued to unfold, the term “incel” started appearing in headlines.

The term is Internet slang and shorthand for “involuntarily celibate,” which refers to a person (usually a man) who is not having sex or who is not in a romantic relationship because women have rejected him. It’s been co-opted by the “manosphere,” an online community that harbours a deep hatred and resentment of women, as an ideology that justifies hostility towards the opposite sex.

At a news conference Tuesday, Toronto Police Det-Sgt. Graham Gibson said Alek Minassian has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder. Gibson also said police were aware of and are investigating a “cryptic” Facebook post that referred to “incels” and was allegedly shared on the 25-year-old suspect’s account just before the killings. (Questions remain as to whether or not Minassian wrote the post himself.)  Despite the fact that most of the 10 victims in the attack were women, police said there is no evidence so far that Minassian was targeting women in particular. However, the investigation will consider whether or not the attack was motivated by misogyny.

Here’s what you need to know:

Where did the term “incel” come from to begin with?

This term now associated with misogyny was actually coined by a Toronto woman who craved a label for lacking sexual and romantic experience as she figured out her sexuality in university. The then-Carleton University student named Alana (she’s now in her 40s) created a website—Alana’s Involuntary Celibacy Project—which she hoped would be an inclusive space where women and men could share their experiences of being unwillingly alone. But the site quickly became dominated by men complaining about women being unwilling to sleep with them. She eventually abandoned the page, turned the URL over to a stranger and never followed up. “It feels like being the scientist who figured out nuclear fission and then discovers it’s being used as a weapon for war,” she told the Globe and Mail this week. “It’s not a happy feeling.”

Where did the movement go from there?

A lot of the men drawn to the incel world came from the pick-up artist community, which purports to teach men how to get women to date them. But according to the New York Times, incels are more extreme than so-called pick-up artists, believing the pick-up artists to be too “humanizing” of women. The most extreme incels have advocated for violence against women, including rape. They are also different from men’s rights activists, according to Arshy Mann, a DailyXtra writer who has been reporting on the Toronto “manosphere” and tweeted about the community on Tuesday.

Who are Stacy and Chad?

Incels have a code, referring to women as “Stacys” and sexually active men as “Chads.” They also deride sexually active people as “normies,” and seek to dehumanize them. Incel members have spread these ideas through Reddit and a site called 4chan—which is notorious for encouraging threatening behaviour such as doxxing (i.e., hacking and publishing personal information) women online.

What does this have to do with the Toronto attack?

It all comes back to the Facebook post Toronto police acknowledged in their press conference Tuesday. Posted on Minassian’s legitimate account allegedly minutes before the attacks was a message: “The Incel Rebellion has already begun!” The post read: “We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”

Who is Elliot Rodger?

In May 2014, 22-year-old Rodger killed six people and injured 14 others near the University of California in the Santa Barbara community of Isla Vista before killing himself in his car. Before heading out on his killing spree, Rodger uploaded a video to YouTube titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution,” in which he detailed the future attack and said he wanted to punish women for rejecting him, and slay sexually active men out of envy. Rodger has since become a hero in the incel community.

Why are there still questions about the Facebook post?

While Facebook confirmed the post came from an account registered to Minassian and the police acknowledged they are looking into it, it’s not 100 percent clear that Minassian wrote the post himself—it could be a hack or a hoax (online hoaxes have become common in the wake of mass killings, and the Toronto attack did come with the spread of misinformation and fake news online). Some incels online have celebrated the movement’s association with the killings. “I really want it to be true that the guy was an incel lmao,” the Toronto Star reported one commenter posting on the Incel.me forum. But the forum’s administrator this week said that, to their knowledge, Minassian had never posted on the site, nor did the community know him.

If Minassian was in fact influenced by the incel movement, it would strengthen the link between mass murder and hatred and violence toward women that has garnered greater attention in recent years.
++++++++
Toronto van attack suspect Alek Minassian’s interest in ‘incel’ movement the latest sign of troubled life


The story of Minassian’s ‘sad and confusing’ life comes fragmented from a cluster of people who knew him, but none who appear to have known him well

April 24, 2018 9:27 PM EDT
Last Updated April 26, 2018 12:47 PM EDT


Posted by National Post
Published on Apr 26, 2018

TORONTO — The distressing scope of criminal allegations against Alek Minassian were revealed in a packed Toronto courtroom — 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder — as glimpses of the man and a possible motive emerged after a rental van mowed through pedestrians along Toronto’s Yonge Street.

Just “minutes before” the van started its awful rampage along the sidewalks of one of Canada’s best known streets, deliberately striking pedestrians, Minassian posted a “cryptic message” on Facebook, said Toronto police Det.-Sgt. Graham Gibson.

The message says: “Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010, wishing to speak to Sgt 4chan please. C23249161. The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”


Decoding the post suggests a spark for the deadly trek may have been frustration over an inability to attract female companionship. The majority of the victims struck by the van were women, adding to the potential importance of the post.

Toronto police are investigating whether Minassian’s mental health or an interest in the incel movement are related to the van attack.

At 25, Minassian, who lived with his parents and his brother in a detached two-storey home in suburban Richmond Hill, just north of Toronto, is variously described as a failed solider who dropped out of basic training, a socially awkward student in a special needs class in high school where he was known for acting like a cat, a long-standing college student, a computer whiz and app developer, video game enthusiast and a self-declared “incel.”


Uploaded on Apr 24, 2018

Harjit Sajjan is defending the militarys selection process after it was revealed that the Toronto van attack suspect was briefly a Forces member. The defence minister said Alek Minassian served for two months. Video provided by The Canadian Press...

It is his apparent embrace of the incel movement that helps decipher his odd Facebook post, which Facebook has confirmed as a legitimate post from Minassian’s account that has since been taken down by the company.

An “incel” is a portmanteau of “involuntary celibate” and came into wide recognition in 2014 after Elliot Rodger, 22, killed six and injured 14 in Isla Vista, California, before killing himself. In a manifesto, he said he needed to punish women for rejecting him and sexually active men for their success where he failed.

Within the incel subculture, which typically veers towards deep misogyny, “Chads” refer to the sexually successful men and “Stacys” to unattainable women.

Alek Minassian, a 25-year-old Richmond Hill, Ont., man is shown in this image from his LinkedIn page. A man accused of driving a van into pedestrians along a stretch of a busy Toronto street has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. Alek Minassian, of Richmond Hill, Ont., is also facing 13 counts of attempted murder. Handout via CP

As news of Minassian’s connection spread, some self-professed incels embraced it as a call to arms.

Some members of an incel-dedicated forum branded him “Saint Alek” and “St. Minassian.” Some suggested other ways to continue the attacks so the world of the sexually active would fear them.

“It is a good time to be an incel. Our brothers are launching their counter-attack, getting their revenge. Thank you,” one post reads. “They should be scared, this is what happens when you deny so many men love and affection for their entire lives,” said another.

“Well, he certainly got us noticed,” one member wrote. “It will be interesting to read about Alek’s story as more details about his life unfold. I’d love to know what exactly made him think he was an incel.”

A police officer walks past a van used in a deadly attack on pedestrians in Toronto on April 23, 2018. Craig Robertson/Postmedia Network

That story may one day become known, but for now, Minassian’s story comes fragmented from a cluster of people who knew him, but none who appear to have known him well.

Despite the violent language of some incels online, those who knew Minassian personally did not pin him as a violent character. Oddball, challenged, awkward, weird, infantilized, but not violent.

When Minassian was a student at Thornlea Secondary School​ in nearby Thornhill, Ont., he stood out for his unorthodox behaviour.

“I had classes with him. He was mentally unstable back then. He was known to meow like a cat and try to bite people; this is one sad and confusing story,” Alexander Alexandrovitch said of his former classmate in a Facebook post.


Minassian was “never intentionally violent” in school, he added.

Reza Fakhteh said he overlapped with Minassian for two years at Thornlea. He described Minassian as a special education student who rarely socialized and had no obvious friends.

“I never heard him speak beyond meowing at people,” Fakhteh wrote in a Facebook message. “His movements were erratic and just strange overall. He acted like a cat in every way.”

Fakhteh said he was shocked to hear that Minassian was named as a suspect in this kind of attack.

“The guy I remember from high school definitely wouldn’t be driving,” he said.

A man believed to be the father of Alek Minassian is escorted by Toronto Police from the 1000 Finch Avenue West Court Tuesday April 23, after the first court appearance of Minassian, who has been charged with murder and attempted murder in the Yonge and Finch van attack yesterday. Peter J Thompson/National Post

Ari Blaff, another former classmate said he was “an odd guy.”

“He had several tics and would sometimes grab the top of his shirt and spit on it, meow in the hallways and say, ‘I am afraid of girls.’ It was like a mantra.” While Minassian did not express strong ideological views or harass women, he was isolated and others privately made fun of him, Blaff said.

While in high school, he was an avid videogamer. A defunct Steam account, a video game software platform, that appears to be Minassian’s says he is better at shooting games than strategy games. It says he loves the Halo series — a franchise of science fiction-based first-person shooter games — and adds the gamer names of three players who he says are his “real life friends.”

Provincial records show the house, now guarded by police, belongs to Vahe and Sona Minassian. They bought the property in 1998 for $330,000.

The home (centre) of alleged van attack suspect Alek Minassian in Richmond Hill on Tuesday April 24. Peter J Thompson/National Post

In a story published in the Richmond Hill Liberal in 2009, a woman named Sona Minassian praised a local program for special needs children. The story said her son, who isn’t named, lived “with a form of autism known as Asperger’s syndrome.” He used the program, called Helpmate, to earn experience in an office setting.

In 2011, after high school graduation, Minassian enrolled at Seneca College in Toronto. His computer skills were put to use.

He worked as a paid research assistant, roughly four years ago, on a joint project with the college and an external business partner to develop an application to deal with data produced by health and wellness devices similar to Fitbits.

A man believed to be the father of Alek Minassian is escorted by Toronto Police from the 1000 Finch Avenue West Court Tuesday April 23, after the first court appearance of Minassian, who has been charged with murder and attempted murder in the Yonge and Finch van attack yesterday. Peter J Thompson for the National Post

A staff member at Seneca who had a few encounters with Minassian several years ago said he seemed to struggle with social interaction.

“He could have sort of normal conversation, but you could tell it wasn’t his strength,” said the staff member, who did not wish to be named. “It’s completely surreal to realize you know someone who (allegedly) killed 10 people.”

Seneca President David Agnew acknowledged his school’s connection Minassian in an email to students and staff Tuesday afternoon, obtained by the National Post.

“The reports associating the driver with Seneca are extremely troubling,” Agnew wrote. “Yet it is vital that we do not let this terrible act undermine our determination to be the peaceful, tolerant and inclusive society that is admired around the globe. We must grieve, and we must heal, but we must also resolve to carry on.”

Police arrest Alek Minassian after a van fatally struck pedestrians in Toronto on Monday. FTV_Huazhang/Twitter

One of the victims was a student at Seneca. “Our thoughts are with all those affected, including the family and friends of one of our students who died as a result of the tragic incident. Along with the rest of the city, and world, we are extremely troubled by yesterday’s events,” a statement for the college says.

Minassian’s LinkedIn page lists him as enrolled at Seneca from 2011 to 2018. Asked whether seven years was a peculiar length of study, Seneca spokeswoman Kayla Lewis said she couldn’t confirm any student’s enrolment due to privacy concerns, but did offer that “there’s no one-size-fits-all with students and their educational journeys.”

Minassian also appears to have been an aspiring software developer. Someone with that name registered an online Toronto parking app on Google Play.

A police officer adjusts a tarp covering a body on the sidewalk along Yonge Street near Finch Avenue after a man drove a rental truck down the sidewalk and hit and killed multiple pedestrians in Toronto, Ontario, April 23, 2018. Tyler Anderson/NATIONAL POST

Recently, Minassian joined the Canadian Armed Forces. A Department of National Defence spokesperson said he joined the army on Aug. 23, 2017, started his basic training at the military facility at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., that September and left the military on Oct. 25.

He had not progressed to weapons training by the time he was released.

“He did not complete his recruit training and requested to be voluntarily released from the CAF after 16 days of recruit training,” a DND spokesperson said.

His brief stint in the military also may shed light on his cryptic Facebook post. He identified himself as “Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010” — that would have been his rank as a newly recruited soldier and 00010 is the military’s designation for an infantryman.


The military’s job description for a 00010 Infantryman states: “Must close with and destroy the enemy. They come into direct contact with the enemy and hand-to-hand combat is likely.”

Neighbours said they did not know the family well but often saw them while out and about.

Elaha Jamal, who lives nearby, said it was as if the parents had to supervise Minassian and his brother constantly, and would not let them roam free, sometimes even holding his brother by the shirt at the scruff of the neck.

“They were not OK,” she said. “They were an older couple but they took care of these boys like they were babies.”

— With files from Richard Warnica, Joseph Brean and David Pugliese

Police officers stand by a covered body in Toronto after a van was driven into a crowd of pedestrians, killing at least 10, on April 23, 2018. Aaron Vincent Elkaim / AP
________________________
Looking at the Incel Movement
John R. Houk
© April 27, 2018
_________________________
What You Need to Know About the Incel Movement & Its Potential Role in the Toronto Van Attack

© 1996-2018 Rogers Media. All rights reserved.

_________________________
Toronto van attack suspect Alek Minassian’s interest in ‘incel’ movement the latest sign of troubled life

© 2018 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.  [Blog Editor: I did not get permission. If National Post or Postmedia asks to remove their portion of the post I will comply.]


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Thursday, April 26, 2018

Minassian Not an Islamic Terrorist but an Incel Terrorist?


John R. Houk
© April 26, 2018

Alek Minassian is the Toronto Massacre perpetrator of the April 23 crime that killed 10 and harmed at least 13 others when he ran a rented van through a crowd of people.


Many Conservatives and Counterjihad pundits speculated Minassian’s motive looked awfully like Islamic Terrorism because the act itself had all the fingerprints of past Islamic attacks against non-Muslims globally.

BUT it appears Minassian is of an Armenian descent and Armenians in their own republic are like 96% (or more) Christian. Also, a perusal of Minassian’s history indicates a bit of mental illness connected to autism or Asperger’s disease which witnesses would tell you they noticed odd behavior from childhood, secondary school and in time at a college and even a short stint in the Canadian army. (A good source on this break down is the National Post which I will cross post later)

Minassian’s murder motive may have been related to a movement he joined that congregates a group of dissatisfied men who can’t satisfy their lust with women. Those dissatisfied men call themselves a part of the “Incel” Movement or Rebellion – Incel as in “Involuntary Celibacy”.  The Incel topic is something I’ll address in a later post.

Due the immense similarity to Islamic Terrorism it is worth cross posting some insights by Paul Sutliff about the Islamic Terrorist tactic of motor vehicle mass murder. A tactic that Minassian may have caused some Islamic jealousy and a probable uptick perpetrated by Muslim terrorists.

JRH 4/26/18
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Why are Jihadi Vehicle Attacks Growing?


By Paul Sutliff
April 23, 2018

Introduction     
     
This article comes from a paper I wrote as part of my studies at Henley-Putnam University. Because of today's attack in Toronto, Canada, I am publishing parts of the paper here in hopes law enforcement and others will make use of it.

1.      Islamic Speeches that can be deemed contributory towards an attack

MEMRI.org posted a video and transcript 6473 of a February 2, 2018 sermon given by Imam Mohamed Moussa gave a sermon at the North Hudson Islamic Center in New Jersey that called on Islamic teachers to be mindful of what they say in sermons and schools that could be deemed incitement to violence[1]. According to his biography on the Graduate Theological Foundation Mohamad Moussa is the President of the Tri-State Imams Council, and is the Secretary General of Manara Institute. The importance of this call by Dr. Mohamad Moussa, is that it is a public recognition that a problem exists in mosques across the United States of Imams using rhetoric that can be deemed as inciting to violence. Dr. Mohamad Moussa is not alone in his recognition of this. MEMRI published a video and transcript in 2015 of Imam Tareq Yousef Al-Masri who addressed the most recent terror attack in Paris as he spoke in the Brooklyn Oulel-Albab Mosque on January 9th of 2015. In this sermon Yousef states:

Let us admit, without lying to ourselves, that we, the Muslims, are time bombs. When I say “we, the Muslims,” I do not mean every single Muslim, but Muslims of the religious sector are time bombs. When a sinner repents, the first thing he does is make a bomb. He blows it up and kills people. We must admit this. We cannot become immune if we do not admit this.[2]

While Yousef was not inciting violence he was recognizing that it does exist in mosques around the world including in the USA. Further on in the sermon, Yousef recognized who he believed were the scholars behind the violent rhetoric being spouted in mosques. This was an attempt to place a finger of blame against certain Islamic scholars while recognizing that a problem exists that needs to be addressed.

2.      Terrorist Propaganda of Vehicle Attacks

Dr. Ahmet S. Yayla (2017) wrote of the Islamic State’s “Lone Wolf’s Handbook” and its possibility for cultivating terrorist actions within the USA. Dr. Yayla shared that the fourth chapter of this handbook was entitled “The Ultimate Human Lawn Mower.” Yayla then reminded the reader that ISIS had released a music video on the use of vehicles to kill in January of 2016. Yayla noted that this chapter advised the following:

a.        To get a large 4X4 truck and to weld knife-like metal blades on bumpers and around headlights to increase the causalities.

b.      Choose the most crowded places and drive over people as fast as possible to exact the most damage.

c.       Drivers are not to stop after the first hit and to keep driving over as many victims as possible.

d.      Choose the routes appropriately to ensure that there would be many other victims after the initial hit.

e.       These kinds of attacks should be considered as suicide missions.

f.        Driver assassins are advised to have weapons if possible and fight back until the very end.

g.      Leave a note crediting ISIS for the attack.[3]

Of special note here is the recommendation to acquire a larger vehicle to inflict maximum damage. Notable here is that this would likely require actors to rent vehicles. In Western society, a truck with knives protruding would likely be a target of law enforcement before any damage could be inflicted, this may account for a lack of reports of such vehicles in terror attacks.

a.       Historical Usage of Vehicle Attacks

When I originally was working on this article as a paper for Henley-Putnam University, an attack occurred in Germany. O'Donoghue (2018, April 07) wrote in the Daily Star that in Münster a vehicle attack was carried out resulting in the immediate death of three persons and the injuries of at least 30 others. O’Donoghue notes with as little information that she has at present, that the attack seemed to have similarities with an attack in Berlin in December of 2016 in which 12 people were killed and 48 others were injured. Traynor and Hickson (2016) described this as the attack on the Berlin Christmas Market. This attack utilized a stolen lorry. A lorry being a commercial type truck used to transport goods.

Helsel  (2016, August 4) wrote of a vehicle attack in France on Bastille Day, July 14. The attack claimed the lives of 85 people. The terrorist was killed. In this incident investigations revealed what that the terrorist selected his route than did what was called test runs in preparation.

Prokupecz, Levenson, and Gingras, B. (2017, November 06) wrote of a truck attack in New York City on October 31, 2017, which claimed the lives of 6 people with 11 being injured before the terrorist was shot but not killed. The truck was rented and a note was found near the truck giving ISIS credit for the attack.

Counter-Extremism Project (2018, March 16) recognized that there has been a series of vehicular terrorist related attacks documenting 36 cases since 2006, “collectively resulting in the deaths of at least 196 people and the injury of at least 1,050 others”[4]. Add in the statistics for this week and the number dead exceeds 200 while the number injured rises close to 1,100.

Counter-Extremism Project (CEP), documents individual terror acts. Noting the country of origin of the actors which never appears to be from within the country where the attack takes place. CEP notes that in some cases such as the attack at the Glasgow Airport on June 30, 2007 that vehicular mass was not enough and actors placed propane canisters for an intended maximum effect. This action has been seen multiple times, some of them in failed attempts, some of them seen in accidental explosions such as are described by Birnbaum, Booth, and Branigin (2017, August 17) after the Barcelona truck attack in June 2017.

The FBI saw truck attacks becoming a serious concern by 2010 and published “Use of Vehicle Ramming Tactics” (2010, December 13). Of special note are the indicators of a possible terror actor provided in this release. The FBI indicators are tempered with the very real possibility that “a ramming attack can be conducted with little to no warning”[5]. However, they indicators of a possible actor are only present when one or multiple indicators are given. Among the indicators shown are:

·        “Unusual modifications to commercial motor vehicles, heavy equipment, passenger cars, and sports utility vehicles (SUVs), such as homemade attempts to reinforce the front of the vehicle with metal plates.

·        The purchase, rental, or theft of large or heavy-duty vehicles or equipment, such as SUVs, trucks, or commercial motor vehicles, if accompanied by typical indicators such as nervousness during the purchase, paying in cash, or lack of familiarity with the vehicle’s operations.

·        Commercial motor vehicles or heavy equipment being operated erratically, at unusual times, or in unusual locations, particularly in heavy pedestrian areas.

·        Attempts to infiltrate closed areas where traffic usually moves, but where crowds are gathered, such as for street festivals or farmers’ markets.

·        A vehicle operator’s apparent unfamiliarity with commercial motor vehicle or heavy equipment operation (unable to back up; trouble with shifting; poor lane tracking; unfamiliarity with basic vehicle mechanics such as air brake operations, slack adjusters, fifth wheel operations, Jake brakes, engine type, or location of fire extinguishers and other emergency equipment)”.[6]

Of interest is the fourth indicator which speaks of observations of a vehicle in operation at unusual locations particularly heavy pedestrian zones. This behavior has been discovered after reviewing truck terror attacks that were committed. Celona, Fenton and Fears (2017, November 01) revealed that in the case of the New York City truck attack on October 31, 2017, security camera coverage revealed what could have been a test run and may have been multiple test runs.  

3.     Why are Vehicle Attacks happening more often?

Vehicle attacks are more likely to occur because:

·        No affiliation with a terror group is required.         

·        No specialized training is needed.

·        Planning can be brief.

·        Trucks and Vans are easy to rent or steal.

·        Little to no financial investment required.

·        Propaganda from the Islamic State and Al Qaeda encourage such acts.

·        No collaboration or consulting is required to achieve the terror attack.

·        Almost impossible for law enforcement to detect and prevent.

·        Death while committing the act requires no jail time.

While it is stated that it is almost impossible to detect, humans are communicative by nature. They write notes to themselves, talk to others and share what is on their mind. It is still possible that somehow, something could be known about a possible vehicle attack. Counterterrorism experts have a near impossible task to prevent all such acts.

END NOTES

[1] MEMRI. (2018, February 2). NJ Imam Mohamed Moussa: We Have Started a Workshop Training U.S. Imams How to Avoid Incitement and Hate Speech. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.memri.org/tv/nj-imam-mohamed-moussa-workshop-training-american-imams-to-avoid-incitement/transcript

[2] MEMRI. (2015). Brooklyn Imam Tareq Yousef Al-Masri on Paris Terror Attacks: We Muslims Must Admit That We Are Time Bombs and We Hate Christians. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.memri.org/tv/brooklyn-imam-tareq-yousef-al-masri-paris-terror-attacks-we-muslims-must-admit-we-are-time-bombs

[3] Yayla, A. S. (2017, July 29). ISIS Tries to Activate Amateur Attackers in the West. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2017/07/29/isis-tries-to-activate-amateur-attackers-in-the-west/..

[4] Counter-Extremism Project. (2018, March 16). Vehicles as Weapons of Terror. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://www.counterextremism.com/vehicles-as-weapons-of-terror

[5] Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010, December 13). Terrorist Use of Vehicle Ramming Tactics. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://info.publicintelligence.net/DHS-TerroristRamming.pdf.

[6] Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010, December 13). Terrorist Use of Vehicle Ramming Tactics. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://info.publicintelligence.net/DHS-TerroristRamming.pdf.

REFERENCES

Anderson, J. W. (2006, January 31). Cartoons of Prophet Met With Outrage. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001316.html.

Birnbaum, M., Booth, W., & Branigin, W. (2017, August 17). Van plows into crowd in Barcelona, killing 13; second, related attempt is thwarted. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/van-swerves-into-crowds-in-barcelonas-popular-las-ramblas-district/2017/08/17/01556ed2-8365-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html?utm_term=.1965ad5dad7b.

Celona, L., Fenton, R., & Fears, D. (2017, November 01). Probers believe terror suspect made dry runs before NYC attack. Retrieved April 09, 2018, from https://nypost.com/2017/11/01/probers-call-terror-attack-suspects-nyc-visits-dry-runs.

Counter-Extremism Project. (2018, March 16). Vehicles as Weapons of Terror. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://www.counterextremism.com/vehicles-as-weapons-of-terror.

DOJ. (2008, September 30). Shareef Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Foiled Plot to Bomb Shopping Mall During Holiday Season. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2008/September/08-nsd-872.html.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010, December 13). Terrorist Use of Vehicle Ramming Tactics. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://info.publicintelligence.net/DHS-TerroristRamming.pdf.

Fernandez, M., Pérez-Peña, R., & Santos, F. (2015, May 04). Gunman in Texas Shooting Was F.B.I. Suspect in Jihad Inquiry. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/us/garland-texas-shooting-muhammad-cartoons.html.

GTF. (2017). Shaykh Mohamed Moussa, Ph.D. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.gtfeducation.org/faculty-staff/Moussa.cfm.
  
Helsel, P. (2016, August 4). Injured Man Dies Three Weeks After France Truck Attack, Bringing Toll to 85. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/france-truck-attack/injured-man-dies-three-weeks-after-france-truck-attack-bringing-n623231.

Jolly, B., Trayner, D., & Hickson, A. (2016, December 20). Lorry terror nut kills 12 and injures 50 by driving truck into crowd at Berlin Xmas market. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/571672/Berlin-Christmas-market-truck-crash-Germany-disaster.

Kosárová, D., & UÅ¡iak, J. (2017). The role of identity in the contemporary global terrorist movement. Politické Vedy, (4), 113-133. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1980909120?accountid=136858

MEMRI. (2015). Brooklyn Imam Tareq Yousef Al-Masri on Paris Terror Attacks: We Muslims Must Admit That We Are Time Bombs and We Hate Christians. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.memri.org/tv/brooklyn-imam-tareq-yousef-al-masri-paris-terror-attacks-we-muslims-must-admit-we-are-time-bombs.

MEMRI. (2018, February 2). NJ Imam Mohamed Moussa: We Have Started a Workshop Training U.S. Imams How to Avoid Incitement and Hate Speech. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.memri.org/tv/nj-imam-mohamed-moussa-workshop-training-american-imams-to-avoid-incitement/transcript.

Nowrasteh, A. (2016, September 13). Terrorism and immigration: A risk analysis. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/terrorism-immigration-risk-analysis.

O'Donoghue, R. (2018, April 07). Germany van HORROR: Truck rams crowds killing multiple people and injuring 30. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/694396/munster-truck-attack-terror-germany-crash-dead-injured.

Penketh, A., & Weaver, M. (2015, January 14). Charlie Hebdo poster burned in protest as Muslim leaders condemn cover. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jan/14/charlie-hebdo-poster-burned-muslim-protests.

Prokupecz, S., Levenson, E., & Gingras, B. (2017, November 06). Source: ISIS note found near truck used in Manhattan terror attack. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/31/us/new-york-shots-fired/index.html.

Smith, S. (2005, August 31). Four Accused Of L.A. Terror Plots. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/four-accused-of-la-terror-plots.

White, C. (2015, January 19). Deadly riots erupt in Islamic world over new Muhammad cartoons in Charlie Hebdo. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/19/islamic-riots-kill-as-charlie-hebdo-prophet-muhamm/.


Yayla, A. S. (2017, July 29). ISIS Tries to Activate Amateur Attackers in the West. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2017/07/29/isis-tries-to-activate-amateur-attackers-in-the-west/.
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Minassian Not an Islamic Terrorist but an Incel Terrorist?
John R. Houk
© April 26, 2018
___________________
Why are Jihadi Vehicle Attacks Growing?


BA Religion and Philosophy from Roberts Wesleyan College, MSED from Nazareth College of Rochester, currently a post-graduate student at Henley-Putnam University.

If you want a copy of my book, contact me on LinkedIn or here and I will send you one for $15 plus shipping.