[Majorityrights News] Alex Navalny, born 4th June, 1976; died at Yamalo-Nenets penitentiary 16th February, 2024 Posted by Guessedworker on Friday, 16 February 2024 23:43.
[Majorityrights Central] A couple of exchanges on the nature and meaning of Christianity’s origin Posted by Guessedworker on Tuesday, 25 July 2023 22:19.
[Majorityrights News] Is the Ukrainian counter-offensive for Bakhmut the counter-offensive for Ukraine? Posted by Guessedworker on Thursday, 18 May 2023 18:55.
On Tuesday a federal judge ruled against a group of Asian American students who claimed that Harvard discriminated against them in their admissions policy. The full decision is here. There is no question that Asian American students face a disadvantage in gaining admission to Harvard. The question is why and whether Harvard is responsible for it.
The reason that it is harder for Asian Americans to get into Harvard is that their “personal ratings” (a subjective evaluation of personal qualities) are, on average, significantly lower than for white applicants. The federal judge, Allison D. Burroughs, wrote: “the Court therefore concludes that the data demonstrates a statistically significant and negative relationship between Asian American identity and the personal rating assigned by Harvard admissions officers, holding constant any reasonable set of observable characteristics.”
However, the Judge also held that the plaintiffs could not prove that the lower personal ratings are the result of “animus” or ill-motivated racial hostility towards Asian Americans by Harvard admissions officials.
This leaves the question of why Asian American applicants were being deemed to have, on average, poorer personal qualities than white applicants. The court entertained two theories. Judge Burroughs wrote that: “It is possible that the self-selected group of Asian Americans that applied to Harvard during the years included in the data set used in this case did not possess the personal qualities that Harvard is looking for at the same rate as white applicants . . .”
It is disappointing that a federal judge would indulge in that sort of conjecture. Surely the burden should be on Harvard to prove that its lower evaluation of the personal characteristics of Asian Americans is not the result of racial bias rather than vice versa. The court must be aware of various stereotypes of Asian Americans as “grinds” and math geeks who lack personality. The burden should be on Harvard to prove that such stereotypes are not at play here.
The judge wrote that the racial gap between the evaluation of Asian Americans and whites was small, but they are statistically significant. By definition, that means that it is very unlikely the gap is the result of chance. The court should be demanding that Harvard explain the gap or change their approach. Asian Americans cannot be expected to prove that they have personalities that are as admirable as whites. Given the racial gap, Harvard should have to prove that its evaluation system is fair.
The court’s second explanation for the racial “personal rating” gap is that there is racial bias in the evaluations by teachers and counselors. The judge wrote: “teacher and guidance counselor recommendations seemingly presented Asian Americans as having less favorable personal characteristics than similarly situated non-Asian American applicants . . . Because teacher and guidance counselor recommendation letters are among the most significant inputs for the personal rating, the apparent race-related or race-correlated difference in the strength of guidance counselor and teacher recommendations is significant.” This seems like a smoking gun showing that Asian American applicants are victims of discrimination. Nonetheless, the court ruled in favor of Harvard because she reasoned that: “Harvard’s admissions officers are not responsible for any race-related or race-correlated impact that those letters may have.”
Judge Burroughs should have ruled the other way here. If Harvard is knowingly using instruments that are racially biased (the counselor and teacher recommendations) and does not compensate for that bias, then Harvard’s process is biased. If Harvard didn’t already know the letters were biased, it knows it now.
To be fair to Harvard, it is between a rock and a hard place in some ways. When it relies on objective tests like the SAT’s it is often accused of using an instrument that is biased against African Americans. When it uses a subjective tool such as counselor and teacher letters, it must now contend with the fact that they are biased against Asian Americans. So the Harvard admissions officers are hardly a group of villains. But the judge is wrong to suggest that Harvard can take a “not our fault” approach to demonstrable anti-Asian bias in the letters that it relies upon. Difficult though it may be, Harvard must do better.
....
by Evan Gerstmann
I’ve always been interested in how we should balance individual and minority rights with majority rule. After several years practicing law in New York city, I found my true calling as a college professor and researcher. I’ve written about campus free speech, same-sex equality and racial justice for Cambridge University, The University of Chicago, and Harvard University. My latest book is “Campus Sexual Assault: Constitutional Rights and Fundamental Freedoms”.
Posted by DanielS on Monday, 30 September 2019 21:00.
Statue of Bandera in Western Ukraine.
Ukrainian Nationalism and its Demons from the Past
By Sébastien Meuwissen at Visigrad Post
Poland/Ukraine – On January 1st, 2019, several thousands of Ukrainians marched in the streets of Kiev, Lviv and Khmelnytskyï (Western Ukraine) to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of Stepan Bandera. These past years, there were plenty of similar processions in Ukraine, in particular in the Western part. Thousands of young Ukrainians take part in these nationalists marches, where they wave flags picturing Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych. Even though they contributed to the creation of an independent Ukraine, the two men have been guilty of many war crimes in their collaboration with Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Nowadays Bandera and Shukhevych remain controversial historical figures. For some they are national heroes and for others they are criminals.
A territory coveted by its powerful neighbours
In a matter of territorial size, Ukraine is the third biggest country in Europe (behind Russia and France). The name “Ukraine” (in Ukrainian: Україна [ukrɑˈjinɑ]) was used for the first time in reference to the territory of Kievian Rus in the XIIth century. Throughout its history this huge territory was targeted by many invasions and was annexed by some European powers.
During the XVIIth century almost the entire territory of what is now Ukraine fell under the control of the Kingdom of Poland-Lithuania. Later during the XVIIIth and XIXth centuries, the Austro-Hungarian (at the West) and Russian (in the Center and at the East) empires shared this Eastern European territory. After the First World War, Poland reappeared on European maps and took most of the Western parts while USSR took the rest of the territory under its control.
The Soviet context and the “Holodomor”
Ukraine suffered tremendously from soviet occupation. The most obvious example of this harsh time is certainly the Soviet caused famine of 1932-1933. The Ukrainian famine named “Holodomor” (in Ukrainian: голодомо́р, extermination by hunger) is seen by many people as a mass murder that can be related to a genocide (even though this event isn’t in a lot of history books).
In a period of just a year and a half, this starvation caused the death of six to eight million people, according to various sources, with two to five millions solely in Ukraine. Even though most of the victims were ethnically Ukrainians, they were not the only ones afflicted by the murderous policy of Stalin (hundreds of thousands of Russians, Tatars and Kazakhs also died).
A coveted multicultural area
During the first half of the XXth century, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions considerably grew in Western Ukraine. According to a population census from 1931 the Ukrainians (mostly Orthodox) constituted the major part of the local population (64%) in the Western region of Volhynia. Other ethnic and religious groups were the Poles (15,6%), the Jews (10%), Germans (2,3%) and other groups less numerous (Czech, Slovaks, Belorussians, …). (1) The already existent tensions between these various groups would considerably grow during the ’30s to evolve into a true hate during the Second World War.
At this time two Ukraines seemed to emerge. On one hand the Western Ukraine that was earlier under Polish and Austrian influence and on the other hand the russified Eastern Ukraine. To the eyes of Ukrainian independentists, Poland and the USSR were hereditary enemies of the Ukrainian nation and should be fought to allow for the creation of an independent Ukrainian state. This was precisely this goal of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (or OUN), created in 1929.
The strategy of the OUN to reach the creation of an independent Ukraine included violence and terrorism against those who were seen as enemies of an independent Ukraine. Among those cited as the “external” enemies of Ukraine – Poland and USSR – and the “internal” enemies, so to say all people who weren’t ethnically Ukrainian or suspected to collaborate with the enemy. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (or UPA) was a paramilitary nationalist army engaged in a series of conflicts during the Second World War. It was composed by various fighter groups of the OUN. The OUN and the UPA had for leaders, respectively, Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych.
Collaboration with Nazi Germany
A few years later, the Second World War began. In 1940, many Western Ukrainians saw Nazi Germany like a partner susceptible to help the creation of an independent Ukrainian state. Hitler was considered a symbol of hope in front of the soviet domination. The act of restoration of the Ukrainian state from the 30th of June, 1941, is very clear on this:
“3. The newly formed Ukrainian state will work closely with the National-Socialist Greater Germany, under the leadership of its leader Adolf Hitler which is forming a new order in Europe and the world and is helping the Ukrainian People to free itself from Muscovite occupation.” (2)
On April 28 the division “SS Galizien” was created. It was a military formation mostly made up by Ukrainian volunteers from the region of Galicia (Western Ukraine). Under the initiative of the Wehrmacht, the SS Galizien division slaughtered practically the entirety of the Jewish population of this region.
The massacre of Volhynia
Once the Jewish population were eliminated, the Poles were targeted. It is principally in the Western region of Ukraine that the slaughter of the Polish minority took place. While the Second World War was raging, Ukrainian nationalist leaders commanded their supporters to slaughter the Polish population in the region. Here is a passage of the order given by the OUN on the 2nd of February 1944 to its members:
“Liquidate every inch of Polishness. Destroy the Catholic churches and other Polish cult places (…) Destroy the houses so there is no trace that someone lived there (…) Keep in mind that if something Polish remains, then Poles will come to claim our territories.” (3)
The groups of Ukrainian nationalists went to the towns of Galicia and Volhynia and killed between 40,000 and 60,000 people, mostly women and children. None were spared. On the 11th of July nearly 100 villages were plundered and the population was slaughtered in the most brutal way. Besides murdering the local population, the Banderas tortured with a rare atrocity. Despite the absence of resistance, civilians were killed in their houses, at school, in the churches, or in offices. As practiced later by the Soviet army, rape was largely used as a terror weapon.
The legacy and the demons from the past
The Polish writer Jan Zaleski said: “The Poles living in Volhynia were killed twice. The first time by a weapon and the second time by silence.” With these words he was referring to the way the history of the massacre of Volhynia is often avoided and to the Ukrainian denial of the atrocities that were committed. Besides the numerous crimes committed by the members of the OUN and the UPA, many Ukrainians consider the leaders of these organizations as national heroes. We can see as a proof the various monuments to the glory of Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych in the Western part of the country, particularly in the city of Lviv where they are regularly maintained.
Posted by DanielS on Wednesday, 25 September 2019 13:51.
What provokes this question, of course, is the speech’s heavy emphasis on putting the civic nation of America fist, ZOG-ed out as it is, with other European national leaders commended to put their nations first, as well, though most are now good and fucked in terms of immigrant numbers. That is, plain “nationalism” will be too soft to deal with ethnonational requirements - which entail not just immigration limitation, but large scale deportation and coordination over the problems that created the migratory gluts.
Furthermore, this call for nationalism does little to curb the misallocated fervor of America’s Evangelical Christian Zionists, a hugely problematic demographic to White interests - a demographic instrumental to Israeli Operation Clean Break, A.K.A. “Project For a New American Century” which has used the American military to effect regime change around Israel, beginning with Iraq and now taking aim at Iran and Syria.
In terms of domestic politics, Ethnonationalists might see the same creators of the problem and reaction now proposing a solution - while posed with more of a (((paleocon))) rather than (((neocon))) flavor, the problem - demographic - is baked in the cake and its instigators can present themselves as reasonable nationalists, thusly obstructing radical solutions while the problem manifests fully in a veritable Christian-cucked and civic nationalist holding pattern.
Nevertheless, as ethnonationalists, we might parlay the world-promulgated talking points that are in line with our interests and take advantage of their potential for much needed normalization and institutionalization after decades of international liberalization of our borders and bounds.
“The free world must embrace its national foundations. It must not attempt to erase them or replace them. Looking around, and all over, this large, magnificent planet, the truth is plain to see, if you want freedom take pride in your country. If you want democracy, hold on to your sovereignty, and if you want peace, love your nation. Wise leaders always put the good of their people and their own country, first. The future does not belong to globalists. The future belongs to patriots. The future belongs to sovereign and independent nations, who protect their citizens, respect their neighbors and honor the differences that make each country special and unique.
[...]
One of our most critical challenges is illegal immigration, which undermines prosperity, rips apart societies and empowers ruthless criminal cartels. Mass illegal immigration is unfair, unsafe and unsustainable for everyone involved. .... yet here in the United States and around the world there is a growing cottage industry of radical activists and non-governmental organizations that promote human smuggling. These groups encourage illegal migration and demand erasure of national borders. Today I have a message for those open border activists, who cloak themselves in the rhetoric of social justice. Your policies are not just. Your policies are cruel and evil. You are empowering criminal organizations that prey on innocent men women and children. You put your own false sense of virtue before the lives and well being of countless innocent people. When you undermine border security, you are undermining human rights and human dignity.
Many of the countries here today are coping with the challenges of uncontrolled migration. Each of you has the absolute right to protect your borders; and so, of course, does our country. Today, we must resolve together to end human smuggling, end human trafficking, and put these criminal networks out of business for good. To our country, I can tell you that we are working closely with our friends in the region, including Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Panama, to uphold the integrity of borders and ensure safety and prosperity for our people. I would like to thank Lopez Obrador of Mexico, for the great cooperation we are receiving; and for right now, putting 27,000 troops on our southern border.
[...]
The American people are absolutely committed to restoring balance to our relationship with China. Hopefully we can reach an agreement that will be beneficial for both countries. But as I have made very clear. I will not accept a bad deal for the American people.
[...]
The United States does not seek conflict with any other nation. We desire peace, cooperation and mutual gain with all. But I will never fail to defend America’s interests. One of the greatest security threats facing peace-loving nations in the world today is the repressive regime in Iran.
The regimes’ record of death and destruction is well-know to us all. Not only is Iran the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism, but Iran’s leaders are fueling the tragic wars in both Syria and Yemen. At the same time, the regime is squandering the nature’s wealth and future in a fanatical quest for nuclear weapons and a means to deliver them. We must never allow this to happen; to stop Iran’s path to nuclear weapons and missiles I withdrew the Unites States from the terrible Iran nuclear deal, which has very little time remaining; which did not allow for the inspection of important sites and did not cover ballistic missiles. Following our withdrawal, we have implemented severe economic sanctions on the country; hoping to free itself from sanctions, the regime has escalated its violent and unprovoked aggression; in response to Iran’s recent attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities we just imposed the highest level of sanctions on Iran’s central bank and sovereign wealth fund; all nations have a duty to act, no responsible government should subsidize Iran’s blood lust. As long as Iran’s menacing behavior continues, sanctions will not be lifted, they will be tightened.
Iran’s leaders will have turned a proud nation into just another cautionary tale of what happens when a ruling class abandons its people and embarks upon a crusade for personal power and riches. For 40 years the world has listened to Iran’s rulers as they lash-out at everyone else for the problems they alone have created. They conduct ritual chants of “death to America” and traffic in monstrous anti-Semitism. Last year, the country’s supreme leader stated Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor that has to be removed and eradicated. It is possible and it will happen. America will never tolerate such anti-Semitic hate. Fanatics have long used hatred of Israel to distract from their own failures.
[...]
The dictator, Maduro, is a Cuban puppet, protected by Cuban body guards, hiding from his own people, while Cuba plunders Venezuela’s oil wealth to sustain its own corrupt communist rule.
[...]
We will find more beautiful friendship and more harmony among nations than ever before. My fellow leaders, the path to peace and progress and freedom and justice and a better world for all humanity begins at home. Thank you, God bless you, God bless the nations of the world and God bless America. Thank you very much.”
The USA, particularly as its become more and more ZOG-ed, has a pretty good record for death and destruction too.
Slovenia: Citizen defense force formed to stop illegal migration
Citizens in the small central European state of Slovenia have formed a civil defense force to put a stop to illegal migrants entering their country from Croatia.
The Balkan route for migrants heading north from Turkey and Greece into Germany is well-known. However, thanks to Hungary’s national populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the classic Balkan route which starts from Turkey or Greece, goes through Serbia, and then into Hungary has been sealed off.
‘Replacement Migration’, as the United Nation puts it, now comes mainly comes through Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, and Austria. This is the alternative route that’s been established for illegal migrants to gain entry to Western and Northern Europe’s welfare states.
Andrei Sisko, red hat, instructs Slovenian border defenders.
But patriotic Slovenian citizens have come together to stop the relentless flow of illegal migration. The group of concerned citizens has formed a civil defense union to help the Slovenian army capture illegal migrants who’re trying to make their way through the country, Euronews reports.
“I think the only solution here is to send the army to the border, the situation is similar now as if you were opening the gates of a prison and saying we’re letting out all the prisoners, who would stay in there? a single,” said Blaz Zidar, a member of the defense force.
Andrei Sisko, the commander of the citizen’s group, says: “What is the goal? The aim is to educate people and volunteers to defend their country as needed and to help the military and police to control public order. In times of massive migrations from the African and Asian states, especially Muslims, it is important to protect our borders. Because a state that is unable to protect its border is not a sovereign state.”
Recently, during a visit to Slovenia’s southern border with Croatia, Prime Minister Marjan Sarec announced that his country would increase its border protection against illegal migrants.
About 35 additional troops have since been stationed at the border.
Citizens Form ‘Defense Force’ to Stop Illegal Immigration in Slovenia Group of ‘home guards’ patrol border to fight flood of migrants into country
A group of patriotic citizens has formed a border “defense force” to stop the flood of illegal immigration in their home country of Slovenia. Citizens decided to take matters into their own hands in the small central European state and formed the civil “home guards” to stop illegal migrants entering their country from Croatia.
The Balkan Route is used by migrants heading from the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa on their way to open borders Germany, and they illegally enter Slovenia via Croatia after passing through Greece and Turkey.
Posted by DanielS on Tuesday, 17 September 2019 14:45.
The moment some fat liberal fuck, working for an (((NGO))), informs 82 African invaders that they will be allowed to disembark into European civilization.
Italy’s new globalist government invites NGOs to offload more migrants
A migrant transport ferry that has been continuously shuttling mostly military-aged migrant men into Europe this summer has announced that Italy’s new Liberal government has permitted it to offload 82 migrants at Lampedusa island.
Seventy percent of the individuals onboard the ship are military-aged men.
The ‘Ocean Viking’, a migrant transport vessel operated by the NGOs SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders, announced Saturday that Italian authorities gave the ship the go-ahead to begin sailing to Lampedusa island.
The ship reported that it had been six days since it had picked up this latest group of migrants before it was given permission to dock. 58 men, six women, and 17 minors are currently onboard the ship.
Previously, under the nationalist-populist Salvini government, Italy’s ports were closed to these NGO human transporters.
Now that leftist globalists are back in charge of Italy, the ports have seemingly been reopened to the third world masses.
Italy’s new government will once again begin allowing NGO human trafficker helpers to bring as many loads of mainly military-aged migrant man into Europe as possible.
Italy ‘puts an end’ to Salvini era as 82 rescued migrants allowed to dock
First time in 2019 a charity boat allowed to disembark on Italian soil
82 migrants rescued by the Ocean Viking will be allowed to dock on Italian island of Lampedusa ( AP Photo/Renata Brito )
A rescue ship carrying 82 refugees has received permission to dock on an Italian island, suggesting the hard line taken on such vessels by Matteo Salvini’s former government may be easing under the new coalition.
Ocean Viking’s crew said that after days of appealing for a port of safety, Italian authorities instructed them to sail to Lampedusa, a small Italian island between Malta and Tunisia.
It is the first time in 2019 that Italy’s government has granted a charity rescue boat permission to disembark.
Italy’s previous government, under a rigid anti-migrant policy led by League’s ethnonationalist leader Mr Salvini, banned charity rescue boats from entering Italy’s waters and disembarking migrants on the country’s shores.
But earlier this month, Mr Salvini lost power after he pulled out of a coalition with the Five Star Movement in the hope of triggering an early election he felt confident his party could win.
Instead the Five Star Movement formed an unlikely coalition with the Democratic Party, whose leader Nicola Zingaretti said in a clear dig at Mr Salvini: “We intend to put an end to the season of hatred, rancour and fear.”
Democratic Party leaders promised a fresh approach to migration, and have previously called for a more humane policy on migrant rescue boats, many of which have been forced to make illegal landings to ensure the safety of their passengers as a result of Mr Salvini’s policies.
In June the captain of Sea-Watch 3 was arrested after ramming a border police boat to dock at Lampedusa. In other cases the Italian authorities have seized ships and imposed heavy fines.
The 82 adults and children rescued by the Ocean Viking had been fleeing Libya, where refugees are currently sent in a deal agreed with the EU.
Charity SOS Mediterranée, which is running the ship alongside Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had been offered port of safety by Libya, but had refused it as it was “not a safe place for rescued people to be returned to”.
Describing those rescued on Ocean Viking, MSF Sea wrote on Twitter: “They tell our medics their skin was burned with melted plastic and they were beaten with sticks. These are just the physical injuries. There are even more horrific stories of abuse and exploitation that have left many with psychological wounds or trauma.”
The passengers had been rescued from two smaller boats – one a rubber dinghy without a working engine launched from Libya by human traffickers – on 8 and 10 September.
On Thursday, a 23-year-old Nigerian woman rescued by the Ocean Viking gave birth to a baby boy after being airlifted to Malta with her husband the previous day.
France and Germany have each agreed to take in a quarter of those onboard, and Italy 10 per cent, according to AFP.
Germany and other EU countries have advocated finding at least an interim solution to the impasse over rescues in the Mediterranean Sea, ahead of a meeting of the bloc’s interior ministers on 23 September in Malta.
Italy’s current and previous governments have insisted on more solidarity from fellow European Union nations, saying the migrants set out on their journeys seeking asylum or better economic conditions in Europe as a whole, not necessarily Italy.
Foreign minister Luigi Di Maio, who heads the Five Star Movement, said the Ocean Viking was only being given access to the southern island of Lampedusa because other European states had agreed to take in many of those on board.
“The new government has reopened its seaports [to migrants],” Mr Salvini said on Twitter on Saturday. “Italy returns to being Europe’s refugee camp. Abused by ministers, who hate the Italians.”
The moment some fat liberal fuck, working for an (((NGO))), informs 82 African invaders that they will be allowed to disembark into European civilization.
Statue of Bandera in Western Ukraine.
Andrei Sisko, red hat, instructs Slovenian border defenders.