Pamela Geller's Blog, page 4

Saturday Night Cinema: Stalag 17

Tonight's Saturday Night Cinema is a vastly entertaining comedy-drama directed by the singular creative genius, Billy Wilder, one of my favorites. Wilder balances drama, satire and comedy in this roiling adventure. William Holden won his first and only Best Actor Oscar in this fascinating film in a POW camp.

Bosley Crowther's 1953 NY Times film review:

A cracker jack movie entertainment has been made from "Stalag 17," the play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski that scored on Broadway two years ago. Produced and directed by Billy Wilder for the greater glory of Paramount and played by an all-male cast of experts, sparked by William Holden, Harvey Lembeck and Robert Strauss, this film version of the comedy-drama of American airmen in a German prison camp becomes a humorous, suspenseful, disturbing and rousing pastime on the Astor's screen.

Just like the play before it—which is faithfully followed, by the way—this film shows much more than the rompings of playful fellows that the ads might let you believe. Romping there is aplenty among the bored and restless prisoners battened down in the shabby and cluttered bunkhouse of Barrack 4 in Stalag 17. And the intensity of these rompings, which represent the normal spirits and grim despairs of healthy young men without incentives and without feminine companions, gives vitality to the film.

Conflicts in Camp

But the taut fascination of the offering is not in the comedy and the japes; it is in the unending conflicts among a campful of volatile men. And these conflicts are not confined only to the clashes between prisoners and guards; they extend with particular virulence within the group of supposed countrymen and friends.

As in the play, the tension resides in the knowledge that there is a "stool pigeon" doing his deadly mischief among the prisoners in Barrack 4—a "stoolie" who gives the fatal signal on a valiant endeavor to escape and slips to the guards damaging evidence against a new arrival in the camp. Suspected at first is one fellow who is a shrewd, calculating type—a cool, enterprising "operator"—whom one might naturally look at askance. But, again, the excitement is compounded when it is realized that he is not the man, and when this fellow, for vital self-protection, sets out to find the culprit—and does.

Although Mr. Wilder and his helper in preparing the script, Edwin Blum, have stuck pretty close to the original, they have also done several things that, in this corner's estimation, have considerably improved the play. For one, they have moved into the open of the camp compound for many scenes, achieving not only more color but more excitement in the episodes of escapes. One sequence, in which the two chief comics, Mr. Lembeck and Mr. Strauss, use the ruse of pretending to be painters to get into an adjacent camp, containing Russian women prisoners, is one of the funniest in the film.

But the major achievement of their revisions is in the character Mr. Holden plays—that of the clever "operator"—who becomes a positive and arresting force. Here he is not a pleasant fellow; he is strictly at bat for No. 1. He smokes cigars, scratches matches on other's clothing and is acquisitive right down the line. He takes bets against his own companions and operates a make-shift race track and a whisky still. But he has nerve, ingenuity and a certain valor. Mr. Holden plays him exceedingly well.

Cynical Display of Realism

Indeed, as a consequence of this character, there emerges something in this film that considerably underscores the drama. It is a cynical sort of display of effectiveness in a group dilemma of a selfish philosophy and approach. It isn't pretty, but it is realistic—another comment on the shabbiness of war. It goes with a certain hollow jesting about the Geneva conventions and the Red Cross.

As for the other performers—Mr. Lembeck as a Jewish wisecracker, Mr. Strauss as his oafish pal, Richard Erdman as chief of the barrack, Otto Preminger as warden of the camp, Don Taylor as the new arrival, Sig Ruman as a thick-headed guard, Peter Graves as the barrack security officer and many, many more—they help weave the close and crackling fabric of what is certainly one of this year's most smashing films.

STALAG 17, screen play by Billy Wilder and Edwin Blum, based on the play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski; directed and produced by Mr. Wilder for Paramount Pictures. At the Astor.
Sefton . . . . . William Holden
Lieutenant Dunbar . . . . . Don Taylor
Oberst Von Scherbach . . . . . Otto Preminger
Stosh (Animal) . . . . . Robert Strauss
Harry . . . . . Harvey Lembeck
Hoffy . . . . . Richard Erdman
Price . . . . . Peter Graves
Duke . . . . . Neville Brand
Schulz . . . . . Sig Ruman
Manfredi . . . . . Michael Moore
Johnson . . . . . Peter Baldwin
Joey . . . . . Robinson Stone
Blondie . . . . . Robert Shawley
Marko . . . . . William Pierson
Cookie . . . . . Gil Stratton Jr.
Bagradian . . . . . Jay Lawrence
Geneva Man . . . . . Erwin Kalser
Triz . . . . . Edmund Trzcinski
German Lieutenant . . . . . Harold D. Maresch

British Jihadi 'Abu Layth' Tweets About Going To Syria And His Experiences With Other Western Jihadi Fighters There

Western Muslims waging jihad and "inspiring" others to slaughter in the cause of Islam.

British Jihadi 'Abu Layth' Tweets About Going To Syria And His Experiences With Other Western Jihadi Fighters There MEMRI

"Abu Layth Al-Khorasani," who began tweeting in June 2013, is, according to his tweets, a Salafi of Khorasani (Afghan) origin who grew up in the U.K. His early tweets focused mainly on Islamic da'wa and the preaching of Salafi values. He also appears to have been in Afghanistan during Ramadan (July-August) 2013.

In October 2013, Abu Layth travelled to Syria with two or more other jihadis, presumably from the U.K.; this was determined by accounts by one of the jihadis he travelled with – Abu Qa'qaa' (for Abu Qa'qaa's account, see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 5529, On Tumblr, British Member Of ISIS Who Recently Arrived In Syria Opens Q&A Session With Readers, Explains How He Reached His Destination, Quotes Bin Laden And Al-Awlaki, Speaks About His Jihadi Companions, November 20, 2013). As of this writing, Abu Layth has posted 1,005 Tweets and has 829 followers. 

Abu Layth is one of many Western jihadis in Syria who are using Twitter and other social media to share their experiences.

The following are tweets by Abu Layth following his arrival in Syria:

 

In Video, Protesters In The Netherlands Issue Calls Of Support Jihad in Holland

The call is the same everywhere around the world. "Misunderstanders" -- only the apologists misunderstand.

In Video, Protesters In The Netherlands Issue Calls Of Support For ISIS, Jabhat Al-Nusra, Refer To ISIS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi As Their Emir MEMRI

On December 26, 2013, a video showing a group of Muslim protestors somewhere in the Netherlands was posted on to YouTube and the Shumoukh Al-Islam forum. The video was titled "Supporters of the Islamic State [of Iraq and Al-Sham, ISIS] in Holland," and it featured a group of Muslim, who held a street protest somewhere in the Netherlands, where they raised Al-Qaeda's black banners, a sign condemning democracy, and issued calls in support of ISIS, Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN), and their leaders, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani, respectively. 

 

Awaiting Execution for 'Blasphemy' under Sharia, Catholic Asia Bibi writes to 'Islam is Peace' Pope Francis

Asia Bibi can expect little help from a Pope who just declared "authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence."

Bibi is being prosecuted under Islamic law in a Muslim country governed by the sharia. How much more authentic can you get, Pope Francis?

Imprisoned Pakistani Catholic Asia Bibi writes to Pope Francis saying only God can free her
(thanks to Robert Spencer)

Asia Bibi is in prison awaiting execution on false accusations of blasphemy. Only God can free her because Christians in the West don't dare to speak out on her behalf: "Talk about extreme, militant Islamists and the atrocities that they have perpetrated globally might undercut the positive achievements that we Catholics have attained in our inter-religious dialogue with devout Muslims." -- Robert McManus, Roman Catholic Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, February 8, 2013

So Asia Bibi and other Pakistani Christians accused of blasphemy have no friend, no protector, and no spokesman.

"Imprisoned Pakistani Catholic Asia Bibi Writes to Pope Francis Saying Only God Can Free Her," by Jeremy Reynalds for Assist News, January 4:

According to an article in the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines News Service (CBCP News) relying on a Dec. 31 report in the Italian daily Tempi, Asia Bibi said, "I also hope that every Christian has been able to celebrate the Christmas just past with joy. Like many other prisoners, I also celebrated the birth of the Lord in prison in Multan, here in Pakistan."

She continued by saying that "only God will be able to free me" and made a point of thanking the 'Renaissance Education Foundation" that helped make her "dream come true" to live Christmas with her husband and children by bringing them to Multan.

"I would have liked to be in St. Peter's for Christmas to pray with you," she told Pope Francis, "but I trust in God's plan for me and hopefully it will be achieved next year."

Bibi is awaiting the conclusion of an appeals process after being incarcerated for four and a half years without trial.

Working as a farmhand in June 2009, she was asked to fetch water for some of her co-workers. She complied, but some of her Muslim colleagues refused to drink the water as they considered Christians to be "unclean."

CBCP News said arguments followed (there was already a running feud between Bibi and a neighbor over property damage), and witnesses maintain that Bibi verbally abused the two women, their religion, and the prophet Muhammad.

A few days later, complaints were made to a cleric about these alleged derogatory comments, resulting in a mob coming to her house and beating her and members of her family.

Bibi was rescued by the police but, under pressure from the crowd, they charged her under Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code, the country's notorious anti-blasphemy law.

"I am very grateful to all the churches that are praying for me and fighting for my freedom," CBCP News said she continued in the letter.

Bibi added, "I do not know how long I can go on and on. If I am still alive, it is thanks to the strength that your prayers give me. I have met many people who speak and fight for me. Unfortunately still to no avail. At this time I just want to trust the mercy of God, who can do everything, that all is possible. Only He can liberate me."

Bibi was also grateful to all the people who work and raise funds for her cause. She then talked about her daily hardships.

"This winter I am facing many problems: my cell has no heating and no suitable door for shelter from the bitter cold," CBCP News said she told the Pope. "Also the security measures are not adequate, I do not have enough money for daily needs, and I am very far from Lahore so my family cannot help me."

She concluded by asking Pope Francis to accept her best wishes for the new year. "I know you pray for me with all your heart," she wrote. "And this gives me confidence that one day my freedom will be possible. Certain to be remembered in your prayers, I greet you with affection. Asia Bibi, your daughter in the faith."

 

Monstrous Info on Muslim Savages' Lynching of Jewish Soldiers: They were hanged, Their bodies were tossed to a pack of bloodthirsty rioters, who proceeded to tear their bodies apart with their bare hands and eat their organs

In 2000, two IDF reservists were lynched in Ramallah by a mob of Palestinian savages. New info has been revealed: after they were hanged, their bodies were tossed to a pack of bloodthirsty rioters, who proceeded to tear their bodies apart with their bare hands and eat their organs.

The Israeli government freed the Muslim terrorist who gleefully waved his bloody hands after the lynching of the two Israeli soldiers. Another release for "peace."

Details of 2000 Ramallah Lynch of IDF Soldiers Revealed Israel News, (hat tip Ty)

Transcripts from the interrogations of terrorists who killed Yossi Avrahami and Vadim Nurzhitz released, show utter barbarism.

The Yediot Aharonot newspaper revealed Tuesday new details of the brutal murders of reservists Yossi Avrahami and Vadim Nurzhitz (z"l). The soldiers were lynched in Ramallah in October 2000.

The soldiers lost their way to their base on October 12, 2000, ending up in the Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled city of Ramallah by mistake. PA police forces took the two into custody. 

Word reached local PA residents that undercover Israeli agents were being held in the building; some 1000 rioters reportedly gathered outside. The IDF declined to take action to rescue the soldiers; they were eventually stormed by the rioters. 

One PA terrorist, Aziz Salha, got to the soldiers first, where he brutally murdered them - stabbing, beating, and dismembering them along with other rioters. He famously then stuck his bloodstained hands out of the window of the room where the two were held, eliciting cheers from the crowd. 

The crowd then dragged the bodies to a central square, beating them further before setting up a victory celebration. PA police forces did not attempt to intervene and in some cases, participated in the barbarism. 

A few weeks after the murder, the victims families filed a claim valuing 64 million shekels against the PA to the Jerusalem District Court. The victims were represented by attorneys Nitsana Darshan-Leitner and Roy Kochavi. 

Now, transcripts of the terrorists' remarks recorded during those proceedings have been released for the first time. 

Ra'ad A-Sheikh, a Ramallah cop spotted a red Ford Sierra approaching the station. He asked the soldiers what they were doing in the city.

"They told me they lost their way and they need to get to Beth-El," he said. Beth-El is close to Ramallah and is home to several central army bases in control of the Judea and Samaria region. 

"I led the soldiers into the police station, after the crowds outside the station began pressuring me," he claimed. 

The terrorist cop took the soldiers to the second floor of the station. "I took a length of iron pipe - about 25 centimeters or so - and went into the room where there were two reservists."

"I saw the soldier was alive and on his feet. I went over to the Russian soldier, and beat him with the tube I was holding in my hands. I then punched him in the head until the soldier began making gurgling noises."

PA policeman Tariq Tabesh also participated in the murder. "I saw a soldier on the floor, laying facedown, crying and saying things in Hebrew that I couldn't understand," he told investigators. "I hit him on the back three times." 

Salha told investigators that he entered the fray after seeing a car with an Israeli license plate parked outside the police station. Israeli cars bear yellow license plates; PA cars bear white plates. 

Salha alleged that the crowd encouraged him to enter the station. "I saw an Israeli soldier laying there, on his stomach," he stated. 

"I approached him and I saw a knife in his back right shoulder," he continued. "I took the knife from the back of the soldier and stabbed him in the back two or three times, and left the knife in his back. Others in the room continued to hit the soldier in the legs."

"After stabbing the soldier, I put my hand over his mouth to strangle him. I saw that my hands were stained with blood and my shirt covered in blood at the bottom, then went to the window and I waved my hands to people in the yard," he recounted.

"Then I returned from the window and saw the other soldier lying on his stomach in one corner of the room."

The trial against the terrorists is apparently still going, enraging the victims' families after over 13 years of waiting. Michael Nurzhitz, Vadim's brother, stated to the daily, "If I could sue the legal system [for taking so long], I would."

"As if it's not enough that the people who did this have not been punished for all that they did." 

Aziz Salha was released in 2011, as part of the terrorist exchange orchestrated between Hamas and Israel for Gilad Shalit.

Given the large number of people involved in the lynching, several of the participants have never been caught for the murders - or have been tried in court proceedings that have dragged on for equally as long.

Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner decried the length of the proceedings. "The Palestinian Authority has been exploiting its rights to a fair trial in order to conduct long discussions over nothing," she stated. 

 

Egyptian Astrologer Warns: In 2014, Saturn Enters Sagittarius, Making Jews Stronger

Make this 1002 Muslim contributions to civilization:

Egyptian Astrologer Warns: In 2014, Saturn Enters Sagittarius, Making Jews Stronger

In an end-of-year interview on Al-Nahar TV, Egyptian astrologer Sayyed Al-Shimi warned that whenever Saturn enters a fire sign, the Jews become stronger. Attributing various events, including the first World Zionist Congress, the Balfour Declaration, and the 1948, 1956, and 1967 wars, to the constellation of the stars, Al-Shimi warned that in December 2014, Saturn would enter Sagittarius again.

 

Following are excerpts from the interview, which aired on Al-Nahar TV and was posted on the Internet on December 31, 2013:

 

Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV

 

 

Sayyed Al-Shimi: "Saturn will enter the fire sign of Sagittarius. My late father and I have had a long history with Saturn entering fire signs. As Sheikh Daud Al-Antaki wrote, when Saturn enters any of the fire signs, the Jews grow stronger. Don't believe in this merely because I say so. It's been tested. We tested it, and it turned out that..."

 

Interviewer: "What happened in the past in such a case?"

 

Sayyed Al-Shimi: "We discovered that Saturn entered the fire sign of Sagittarius when the first World Zionist Congress convened. The Balfour Declaration was released when Saturn was in the fire sign of Leo. The Haganah Brigades began organizing and helping the English in 1928, when Saturn was in the fire sign of Sagittarius. The 1948 war took place when Saturn was in the fire sign of Leo. The 1956 war took place when Saturn was in the fire sign of Sagittarius. The 1967 war took place when Saturn was in the fire sign of Aries.

 

"Between 1963-1967, my late father warned in his annual reports: 'Beware, Saturn will enter the sign of Aries in 1967, and this means that the Jews will grow stronger, just like in 1956 and in 1948.' 'Beware,' he said, 'something is about to happen.' But they refused to believe him. [...]

 

"After visiting the sign of Aries, Saturn entered the sign of Leo. This was in 1977, when Sadat visited Jerusalem. [...]

 

"The last time Saturn was in the fire sign of Leo occurred in 2006. I started warning them in 2004: 'Beware, when Saturn enters the sign of Leo, the Jews in Palestine will get stronger. Something leading to this will inevitably occur.' What happened? The Palestinian Authority split into Fatah and Hamas. Now Saturn is about to enter..."

 

Interviewer: "It all happens in fire signs? Saturn never enters a water sign, or whatever?"

 

Sayyed Al-Shimi: "It does enter water signs, but in December 2014, it will enter the fire sign of Sagittarius. Therefore, I hope that until December 2014, the Arab leaders must do whatever they can to resolve the Palestinian problem." [...]

 

France should allow Muslim headscarves, Arabic in schools -- report to PM

France's Muslim population has reached critical mass -- 10%. Forget about Arabic (the language of Islam) in the schools and headscarves. France should stop all Muslim immigration -- that is, if France wants to maintain a French identity. But this report is suggesting that France should relinquish it and embrace the jihad.

"It would no longer be up to immigrants to adopt French culture, but for France to abandon its own culture, language, history and identity to adapt to" ...... the sharia.

France should allow headscarves, Arabic in schools - report to PM," Reuters, Dec 13, 2013

French Muslims hang out by a shop in Toulouse March 27, 2012.

(Reuters) - France should reverse decades of strict secularism to integrate its immigrant population better, allowing Muslims to wear headscarves in schools and promoting Arabic teaching, according to an iconoclastic report commissioned by the prime minister.

The document, part of a government review of integration policy, sparked an outcry among conservative opposition politicians and unease among the governing Socialists.

It said France, with Europe's largest Muslim population, should recognise the "Arab-oriental dimension" of its identity, for example by changing street and place names, rewriting its history curriculum and creating a special day to honour the contribution of immigrant cultures.

Although ethnic statistics are officially banned, an estimated 5 million Muslims, originating mostly from former African colonies such as Algeria and Morocco, live in France.

Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who will chair a ministerial meeting next month on improving integration based partly on the report, told reporters there was no plan to drop the headscarf ban and distanced himself from the study.

"Just because I receive a report doesn't make it government policy," Ayrault said after the daily Le Figaro drew attention to the document, which was posted on the prime minister's official website last month.

Among the proposals presented by senior civil servant Thierry Tuot and a group of experts was to forbid authorities and the media to refer to people's nationality, religion or ethnicity, and the creation of a new offence of "racial harrassment".

They also recommended promoting the teaching of Arabic and African languages in French schools.

"BROKEN MODEL"

Ayrault said the aim was to recommend ways to fight discrimination and inequality to "get the republican model of integration working again because it has broken down".

Centre-right UMP party leader Jean-Francois Cope accused the government of pandering to the immigrant vote and denounced "an attempt to make multiculturalism the new model for France".

"It would no longer be up to immigrants to adopt French culture, but for France to abandon its own culture, language, history and identity to adapt to other people's cultures," he said in a statement.

Far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen said implementing the recommendations would be tantamount to "a declaration of war on the French people".

A spokesman for Socialist lawmakers, Thierry Mandon, said a distinction should be drawn between a healthy overall approach and some "extremist proposals", stressing there was no question of repealing a 2006 law that banned the wearing of headscarves and other religious symbols in schools.

France experienced a wave of youth riots in 2005 in poor, high-rise suburbs where many immigrants are concentrated, prompting calls for greater government action to improve the social and economic integration of young people of immigrant origin.

A tradition of republican secularism rooted in the 1789 French revolution and reinforced by the separation of church and state at the start of the 20th century has faced uncomfortable challenges from a growing Muslim minority.

Philosopher Alain Finkielkraut stirred controversy in October with a book entitled "L'identite malheureuse" (The unhappy identity) which argued that Islamism was undermining France's national identity. (Additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Andrew Roche)

 

Jihad Army Warns to Russia: "You'll Be Skiing on Mass Graves"

More threats of mass slaughter

"Electronic Army Of the Caucasus Emirate" Threatens Cyber War Against Russian Government Unless It Stops Preparations For Sochi Winter Olympics," MEMRI, January 3, 3014

On December 27, 2013, the website posted a video titled "Appeal by the Anonymous Caucasus #OpPayBackForSotchi2014." The "Anonymous Caucasus" describes itself as the "electronic army of the Caucasus Emirate" and has a website and accounts on Twitter and Facebook. In this video it warns the Russian government to stop its "activities" in Sochi (presumably the preparations for the Winter Olympics), otherwise the group will launch a cyber war against it in retaliation for the "Circassian genocide" of 1864.

The video, which is two minutes and 31 seconds in duration, shows still images of signs in English that read: "Putin, don't build your credibility on Circassian graves"; "Sochi 2014 – the hidden genocide"; "You'll be skiing on the mass graves"; "2014 Sochi Olympic winter games – Circassian genocide 150 anniversary".

Read The Full Report\

 

A Spell on an Open Thread

I

It's time for my Friday night open music thread. New York City is as cold as the Clinton marriage. So let's heat things up a bit. Nina Simone sings I Put a Spell on You. That'll send the right kind of shiver up your spine.

Nigeria: Christians Killed, Wounded After Muslims Attack Church During New Year's Eve Service

And what is the response to this unfathomable inhumanity? Jihadophobia -- that's what the Muslim world is flailing about in the wake of this relentless carnage.

Christian Bishop In Nigeria: ‘If Nigeria Falls To Islamist Extremists All Of Africa Will Be At Risk’

New Year's fireworks -- Islamic style.

Jihad in Kenya: New Year's grenade attack wounds 10 at tourist resort
"Moderate" Indonesia: Muslim Threats Force Cancellation of New Years Celebrations “they are not Islamic holidays”
New Year's bombing: Jihadists Bomb Popular Hotel in Somalia, at Least 11 killed

Islamic Herdsmen Attack Church; 3 Killed, 16 Injured

By BosNewsLife – “Suspected herdsmen from the mainly Muslim Fulani ethnic group stormed an evangelical church and fired shots during a New Year’s Eve worship service in central Nigeria, killing as many as three people and injuring 16 others, reports said Thursday, January 2.

Witnesses and officials told local media that gunmen began attacking the Church of Christ in All Nations (COCIN) at Maiakworigold Maikatako village in Bokkos Local Government Council of Plateau State late Tuesday, December 31.

Most people were killed or injured when worshipers tried to flee in different directions. Many of the injured were later rushed to hospitals in the cities of Jos and Barkin Ladi, Nigerian media reported.

The speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Titus Alams, reportedly said the attack overshadowed attempts to ‘sustain the current peace we are enjoying in the state.’

SECURITY URGED

Alams was quoted as saying that he urged security forces ‘to do everything in their power to fish out those responsible for this heinous crime against humanity’.

He appealed to the youths ‘to resist the urge of taking the law into their hands’ following the attack.

The latest violence comes amid growing concerns about rising Islamic extremism in Nigeria.” Read more.