Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Caribbean-Latin America

Milei is defying expectations and pulling the Argentinian economy out of a leftist-engineered death spiral

2024-05-11

[BLAZE] Since taking office in December, Javier Milei, Argentina's self-proclaimed "anarcho-capitalist" president, has taken a "chainsaw" to his predecessors' failed leftist policies and increasingly to critics' doubts.
Madonna - 1996
Recent economic signals out of the South American nation indicate Milei's free market reforms could ultimately usher Argentina from ruin to renaissance.

BACKGROUND
Argentina was one of the world's richest nations in the early 20th century. However, it was reduced to a shambles after six major military coups and several decades of unchecked spending. A 2016 paper in the Journal of Development Studies indicated that Argentina, which has defaulted on its sovereign debt nine times, was the only country in the world considered to be "developed" in the year 1900 but "developing" in 2000.

When the country's former leftist President Alberto Fernandez left office late last year, Argentina owed $44 billion to the International Monetary Fund; had a trade deficit of $43 billion; had international creditors knocking at the door; had nearly half of its population stuck in abject poverty; and was poised to see inflation exceed 211%.

Milei had no plans of seeing his socialist predecessors' destructionist campaign through to its inevitable conclusion. After all, he had campaigned instead on executing his so-called Chainsaw Plan.

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Olde Tyme Religion

Vatican ‘Orgasm-gate' May Be the Last Straw for Argentinean Cardinal

2024-01-11

[Breitbart] Writings from the Vatican’s controversial doctrinal czar exploring intimate details of male and female orgasm has been dubbed the last straw for his meteoric but scandal-ridden career.

Víctor Manuel “Tucho” Fernández, a close personal friend and ghostwriter for Pope Francis, whom the pontiff called to Rome to lead the Vatican’s powerful doctrinal office, elevating him to the rank of cardinal, has provoked a veritable ecclesial earthquake with the recent discovery and translation of a graphic sexual text comparing orgasm to mystical union with God.

“Let’s not forget that women have a rich venous plexus around the vagina, which maintains a good blood flow after orgasm,” Fernández wrote in his 1998 book Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality. “That’s why she is usually insatiable. She needs to release the pelvic congestion, and when this does not happen, after orgasm she may want more.”

Madonna or whore? A little too simplistic, even for me.

“The woman requires more time, more dedication. She needs the man to give her something extra after he has achieved his own satisfaction,” he added.

Fernández said this week that he had cancelled Mystical Passion not long after it was published and “never allowed it to be reprinted.”

Mystical Passion made sense at the time but it is a book “that I certainly would not write now,” he told Crux, an online Catholic news outlet.

What many observers have found most troubling about the book is not its prurient exploration into the nitty gritty of human orgasm — as odd as it may be considering its authorship — but rather an entire chapter recounting conversations with a 16-year-old girl about her erotic visions of Jesus.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Carlson Interview - Argentina's Milei Warns U.S.: Socialism Is ‘Violent, Murderous, Impoverishing'

2023-09-20

[PJ] "Never embrace the ideals of socialism," leading Argentinian presidential candidate Javier Milei warned Americans in his interview with Tucker Carlson.

Socialism has been hurting Argentina for years, including the country’s current horrible inflation crisis, which is probably why Milei is leading in presidential polls ahead of his country’s next election. Tucker Carlson interviewed Milei last week, and the presidential candidate denounced socialism while warning America against the pernicious philosophy.

"Socialism is a violent, murderous, and impoverishing phenomenon," Milei told Tucker (transcription by MRC Business’s Tom Olohan). He urged the promotion of "ideals of freedom" to counter socialism. He also suggested impressing the necessity of ordinary workers on businesses. We must "wage a cultural war," he insisted.

Milei cautioned Americans, "Never embrace the ideals of socialism. Never allow yourselves to be seduced by the siren song of social justice. Don’t get caught up in that terrible concept that where there is a need there is a right."

Madonna - Don't Cry For Me Argentina

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-Short Attention Span Theater-

'Material Girl' Had to Be ‘Brought Back from the Dead' with Narcan Injection

2023-07-06

[Gateway] Madonna had to be ’brought back from the dead’ with a Narcan injection, according to Radar Online.

Pop icon Madonna was rushed to New York City hospital on Saturday after being found unresponsive at her residence, Page Six reported.

"On Saturday, June 24, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection which lead to a several-day stay in the ICU," according to the post.

"Her health is improving, however, she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected."

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-Short Attention Span Theater-

Madonna intubated in ICU after being found unresponsive in NYC

2023-06-29

[NYP] Madonna has been rushed to a New York City hospital after being found unresponsive, Page Six has exclusively revealed.

The pop icon, 64, was discovered at a residence on Saturday before being admitted to the ICU where she was intubated overnight.

Madonna’s longtime manager, Guy Oseary, shared on Instagram Wednesday that his client had "developed a serious bacterial infection which led to a several-day stay in the ICU."

The "Vogue" crooner is now out of the intensive care unit and recovering in a regular ward of the unidentified hospital.

The singer’s oldest daughter, Lordes Leon, 26, has reportedly been by her superstar mother’s bedside throughout the entire ordeal.

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-Great Cultural Revolution

U.S. Kids Can't Read, Write, or Do Math But Are NO.1 In Critical Race Theory

2021-10-17

[Mercer] America’s crumbling education system is in the news. On October 5th, Joe Biden managed to disgorge some dismal indicators as to the future prospects of America’s youth compared to the rest of the developed world.

Joe didn’t quite say it, but America’s kids, the product of an obscenely well-funded school system, rank last in the developed world in reading, writing and math, making homegrown retardation a far more pressing problem in modern-day America than homegrown terrorism.

Yet conservatives have kept insisting, throughout the Covid lockdowns and quarantines, that kids were missing out on an education because they were out of school.

To paraphrase Joan Rivers, how can you miss out on a rash? (When Madonna accused Lady Gaga of stealing her music, the great, late, lady Joan wanted to know how you could steal a rash.)

A particularly startling fact caught my attention in the Economist. "At 15, children in Massachusetts, where education standards are higher than in most states, are so far behind their counterparts in Shanghai at math, that it would take them more than two years of regular education to catch up."

This last fact is enormously telling and alarming. It tells you that America’s best schools and students can’t compete with the world’s best.

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Cyber

UK rapper Wiley goes on hours-long anti-Semitic Twitter rant

2020-07-26

[IsraelTimes] Music star posts canards about Jews, money and the Ku Klux Klan; watchdogs call for Twitter to take action; musician dropped by management team.

British rapper Wiley came under fire Friday after he posted a stream of anti-Semitic tweets which included claims of connections between the Jewish community and the Ku Klux Klan, as well as repeated tropes about Jews and money.

"There are 2 sets of people who nobody has really wanted to challenge #Jewish & #KKK but being in business for 20 years you start to undestand [sic] why ... Red Necks Are the KKK and Jewish people are the Law...Work that out," the grime artist tweeted to his nearly half a million followers.

Why on earth would a Brit get indignant about American groups to a British audience? It would‘ve made more sense if he went on about yobs and Brexiteers or something. But really, they’re exploding on Twitter as if it were gun s3x, unable to stop themselves anymore.

On Saturday morning, Wiley’s management team announced they were dropping him, the Guardian reported. The musician’s manager, John Woolf, said A-List Management had "cut all ties" with the artist.

Despite Twitter’s policies on hate speech, the tweets were still up on Saturday morning and Wiley’s account appeared to still be active, although he later posted a message on Instagram saying that he had been suspended from Twitter. His tweets remained up on the site and were still able to be seen.

He also posted anti-Semitic content on Instagram, which also appeared not to have been deleted.

The Hope not Hate watchdog said in a statement that Twitter needed to take responsibility.

Several American celebrities have defended, promoted or praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan or echoed his anti-Semitic rhetoric over the past several weeks, including Madonna, former NBA player Stephen Jackson, NFL player DeSean Jackson, TV star Nick Cannon and rapper Ice Cube.

All but Ice Cube apologized.

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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Coronavirus roundup

2020-05-02

Denmark says spread has not accelerated since reopening began

[Jpost] The spread of Covid-19 in Denmark has not accelerated since the country began a gradual loosening of restrictions in mid-April, the State Serum Institute, which is responsible for preparedness against infectious diseases, said on Thursday. The so-called R rate, which shows the average number of infections one person with the virus causes, has increased slightly in the past two weeks but remains below 1.0, the institute said.

"However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened...
there are no signs that the COVID-19 epidemic is accelerating," it said.

Denmark's coronavirus rate of infection has RISEN from 0.6 to 0.9 since schools re-opened

New York' 289 deaths in 24 hours 'lower than it has been,' Cuomo says
[NYPOST]

Whistleblower claims British hospitals are still deliberately sending elderly patients to care homes 'to die' by discharging them before Covid-19 test results come through - as part of NHS 'soul destroying' culture of freeing up beds

Javits Center field hospital set to close after treating just 1,000 coronavirus patients - but FEMA will keep a stockpile of supplies and equipment at the site to prepare for a second wave

Does 500% surge in heart attacks reveal coronavirus was already killing New Yorkers in mid-February - and where it started?

Texas has record spike in deaths on the eve of lifting lockdown as New Hampshire becomes latest state to announce gradual reopening over the next 10 days

Massachusetts veteran's home where a third of residents have died in coronavirus outbreak is blasted by dead resident's daughter who wrote 'is my father still alive?' on car windows after no information for 30 hours

Germany sees number of infections rise for the fifth day in a row as country nervously watches to see effects of easing lockdown

Minnesota nursing home reveals 47 of their residents have died from coronavirus and more than half have been infected

Madonna tests positive for COVID-19 antibodies, ready to ''breathe'' the air
[PAGESIX]

Nearly 5K meat plant workers have coronavirus, CDC says
[NYPOST] Nearly 5,000 workers at the country’s meat processing plants have tested positive for the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)

coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)

...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control.

The US agency tested workers at more than 100 meat processing plants in 19 states and found that nearly 3 percent of them had the virus that has killed more than 60,000 Americans and sickened more than 3 million around the world, according to CNBC.

The CDC warned that the real percentage of infected workers could be even higher, as testing limitations prevented it from being able to get a complete picture of the scale.

"The recognized risk to meat and poultry facility operation requires prompt action to decrease risks to workers, preserve facility function, and maintain the food supply," CDC researchers said.
Poster: Fred

How Britain's R number plummeted when we went into lockdown... now random test of 100,000 people will help officials track the rate when draconian restrictions are lifted
Poster: Skidmark

#breaking Japan Health Ministry reports 261 new coronavirus cases & 26 deaths on Friday.

Total infections: 15,257 (14,545 on land & 712 on cruise ship)

Total deaths: 471 (458 on land & 13 on cruise ship)

State of emergency to be extended by about one month. Details on Monday.
— Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) May 2, 2020

#BREAKING Europe's virus death toll passes 140,000, according to AFP tally pic.twitter.com/pzWSiFFsvO
— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 1, 2020

#France's death toll from Covid-19 rises by 218 to 24,594

Follow our live updates on #coronavirus here: https://t.co/vY4fVgAjuk
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) May 1, 2020

The Global confirmed cases: of coronavirus reached 3,267,867 and the total deaths became 233,560 while 1,020,446 have been recovered.#BaghdadPost #coronavirus #CoronaVirusUpdates #COVID19 #CoronaAlert #COVID__19 pic.twitter.com/6bg8UYPE1E
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) May 1, 2020

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Home Front: Culture Wars

Viral Prerequisites and Nationalist Lessons in Time of Plague

2020-03-31

[American Greatness] - President Donald Trump has courted endless controversies for promoting nonconventional policies and entertaining contrarian views. From the outset, he oddly seemed to have believed that having navigated the jungles of the Manhattan real estate market‐crooked politicians, mercurial unions, neighborhood social activists, the green lobby, leery banks, cutthroat rivals‐better prepared him for the job than did a 30-year tenure in the U.S. Senate.

Certainly, candidate and then President Trump’s strident distrust of China was annoying to the American establishment. The Left saw China in rosy terms as the "Other" that just did things like airports, high-speed rail, and solar panels better than did America’s establishment of geriatric white male has-beens. Many on the Right saw China as a cash cow that was going to take over anyway, so why not milk it before the deluge?

...Trump certainly distrusted globalization. He has waged a veritable multifront war against the overreach of transnational organizations, whether that be the European Union or the various agencies of the United Nations. Even relatively uncontroversial steps, such as greenlighting experimental drugs and off-label uses of old medicines for terminal patients drew the ire of federal bureaucrats and medical schools as potentially dangerous or irrelevant in cost-benefit analyses.

Yet since the outbreak of the virus, Trump’s idiosyncratic sixth sense has come in handy. The country is united in its furor at China‐even if it is giving no credit to Trump for being years ahead of where it is now.

No longer is there a national debate over the evils of "protectionism" and "nationalism," but rather over how quickly and effectively can the U.S. return the manufacturing of key medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, strategically vital technologies, and rare earth metals to American shores.

...When Trump issued the key January 31 travel ban that suddenly stopped the arrival of 15,000 visitors per day to the United States from China, the Left was as outraged as it had been with the ban against Libya, North Korea, and Iran. Candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders saw an opening against their presumed 2020 opponent, and quickly sought to demagogue voters with "here-we-go-again" rhetoric that racist Trump is banning free travel of a marginalized people in his habitual "xenophobic" and "racist" fits.

That Trump shortly extended the ban to all of Europe‐and eventually was followed by almost all nations of the world‐did not mean he was not simultaneously caricatured as a nationalist rube. How odd that no prior critical major newspaper, network, or politician has now called for the end of such unnecessary and hurtful bans and the resumption of travel from China without further interruption‐especially now that we are told by CNN and MSNBC that the Communist Party apparat has all but ended the virus or at least is far more competent than the Trump Administration.

...When 150 million Americans were barricaded behind their doors, corporate lawyers did not deliver their food. Dropping Harvey Weinstein’s name to the guy shelving hand cleanser didn’t mean anything.

The chatterbox Rachel Maddows of the world were not growing fruits, beef, vegetables, and grains for those behind locked doors. Those pro-Chinese NBA stars were not needed to ensure toilet paper on the shelves, any more than loudmouths like Cher and Madonna were up all night in the emergency room or checking groceries at Costco. It was not the beautiful people, not the best and brightest, not the globetrotters and cognoscenti who were pulling the country through, but their antitheses, the rubes and assemblers who never learned to code.

We are learning, belatedly, that Trump was also rightly wary of transnationalism. The World Health Organization in the early weeks of the outbreak was mostly a paid-for Chinese megaphone. Its functionary director propagandized, on Chinese prompts, that the virus was likely not transmissible from human to human and that travel bans were ineffective and thus reflective of Trump’s repugnant views.

Americans were startled at how quickly the brotherhood of the European Union collapsed. Within days, individual countries were ignoring the Schengen open-borders rules and reinvented themselves as nations. None were eager to welcome in their neighbors. Few were willing to share medical supplies and key pharmaceuticals across ancient boundaries. And fewer still wished to allow even more illegal aliens from the Middle East and North Africa to continue to pour into their nations.

...In short, Trump’s prior initiatives eased the implementation of many of his most effective orders during this crisis. And his general suspicions about China and globalization, his distrust of bureaucratic regulations, his support for domestic production of key industries, his promotion of the interests of farmers and frackers, and his vehement opposition to increased gun control, all reflect a world view of national and self-independence, in which Americans can only count on themselves and their fellow citizens.

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Home Front: Culture Wars

A Peek at America before 1950 and the Assault by the Left

2020-01-26

[American Thinker] Picture a neighborhood composed of low and middle income families, each with two parents, no homeless people, no street drugs, safe to walk the streets at night. Is this the figment of an overactive imagination? Well, it is in fact a peek at a neighborhood in New York City where the son of immigrant parents read The New York Times every morning in high school, before orchestra rehearsal. Me. The principal, strongly authoritarian and well loved, opened a weekly assembly of highly diverse youngsters by reading a psalm from the Bible. Tough-as-nails, yet tenderhearted teachers passed on a tradition of excellence in thought, expression, and civility while preparing us for a wide range of careers in a free and independent America.

This typical school of 1940s New York City had higher standards and grade profile than any counterpart today and operated on a budget far smaller in equivalent dollars than any current public school budget. In these "backward" times, the schools were free of substance abuse problems, sexual promiscuity, and identity problems. There was an abiding respect for the authority of teachers and parents and for the dignity of every person regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity. There were clubs in my school for religion, for foreign languages (including Latin). A Reporters’ Club recorded significant events for the school paper. There were toy drives for a local hospital . . . The list of extracurricular engagements was long.

I think it’s revealing that dictionaries in these "retrograde" times did not prefix definitions of words referring to high moral standards, such as virtue, with the phrase "regarded as." It did not have to be stated that opinion or "point of view" is not a valid basis for morality.

Where were we coming from? Where was I coming from? Well it was not from vengeance against America’s "sins," real and imagined ‐ the basis for any ideology that dismisses the human flaws in every person, including saints and heroes. The journey I took ‐ we took ‐ was down-to-earth and mindful of the power that gave us life, known worldwide as God by people of every degree of intelligence.

A childhood flashback and reflection will perhaps help bring some focus to a past that still speaks to the present. This was before World War II . . .

At a street in Brooklyn that was closed to traffic for several blocks, archways with curlicue designs were raised on wooden posts . Bunting and lights trimmed a parade route for a feast. At twilight the ornate arches burst into sparkling color, as the lights entwining them went on. The smell of roasted nuts, sweets, and sundry aromas of Italian cuisine floated through the air in eddies, as curb-side vendors turned the street and sidewalks into a mile-long buffet of deli-grade food. People thronged and milled along the chain of carts and tables, ate, drank, and gabbed in block-party style.

Before long there was a boom of drums, a splash of cymbals, a blare of brass and woodwinds from the direction of the church and la processione began. Musicians in white shirts played robust marches, while men in shirtsleeves carried la Madonna di Pompei along the route. When the preciously sculpted symbol of the Holy Mother returned to the front steps of the church, fireworks filled the sky with brilliant streaks of light and volleys of artificial thunder that thrilled little Tony (me) to his core.

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Europe

Giuseppe Conte Resigns, Blames Salvini ~~For Trying to Save Italy~~

2019-08-21

[TheGuardian] Italian PM resigns with attack on 'opportunist' Salvini

Giuseppe Conte tells Italian Senate that far-right leader has triggered political crisis to serve his own interests.

Giuseppe Conte has resigned as Italy's prime minister after blasting Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right League, as an "opportunist" for triggering a government crisis that could have "serious consequences" for Italy.

It's probably all about the immigrants, the islamophilia, the closing of gates to the hordes of murderous vermin.

Conte said he would formally resign his mandate to the president, Sergio Mattarella, after the close of the debate in the Senate on Tuesday.

The outgoing prime minister said that Salvini, deputy prime minister and interior minister, had betrayed Italian citizens after pulling the plug on the party's tempestuous alliance with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) earlier this month.

Salvini is eager to exploit the League's growing popularity by bringing about snap elections.

"He is only looking after his own interests and those of his party," said Conte. "Calling on voters every year is irresponsible," Conte said, adding that the prospect of Salvini as Italy's next prime minister was "worrying".

By resigning, Conte has avoided a no-confidence vote sought by the League.

The power to dissolve parliament and call new elections rests with Mattarella, who could also seek the formation of a new parliamentary majority or install a technical government. The timing of Salvini's maneuver is sensitive as Italy must present its draft budget for 2020 by the end of September.

Conte said Salvini's choices in recent weeks revealed "poor institutional sensitivity" and "a serious lack of constitutional culture". He also criticised the minister's use of religious symbols in his constant campaigning across Italy, describing it is as "offensive to the faithful"
especially to other faiths.
Salvini kissed a rosary
the use of the reprehensible religious symbols
and retaliated in his response to Conte in the Senate, saying "I'll ask the Madonna for protection for as long as I live".

"I'm the only humble witness," he added. "My country matters more to me than the comfy seats [of power]".

He said that Italy's most pressing problem is its low birth rate, adding that his potential government would be one that supports a €50bn budget for 2020 that focused "on lowering taxes, the right to life...growth, investment."

As prime minister, he would "focus on Italians, not on Merkel or Macron ... I am proud, free and nationalist. Italy will be about children, who have a mum and a dad."
Italy looks to be in for a spin. Fingers crossed.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Former Miss Iraq lashes out against Pink Floyd's Roger Waters

2019-05-13

[Jpost] Ex-Pink Floyd member Roger Waters has been one of Israel's strongest critics. Now, less than a week before the Eurovision song contest is meant to take place in Tel Aviv, he has vamped up his anti-Israel efforts, calling on the world to boycott the Eurovision contest this year.

Former Miss Iraq, Sarah Idan, took to Twitter to speak out against Waters' recent rhetoric, condemning his support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

"An artist has power to inspire, wrote Idan. "Make sure you use your power for good and to bring people together. I never understood artists who boycott an entire country, you’re singing for people not for governments."

Roger Waters took to social media on Thursday afternoon to express his pride in a Swiss petition that demanded Eurovision "pull out of the finals in Tel Aviv," during which he compared Israelis to aliens, although "it's giving aliens a bad name."

Waters spoke of a conversation he had with BDS founder Omar Barghouti, who told him about the petition, which was signed by 136,000 Swiss people.

Two years ago, Idan's family left Iraq due to threats to their lives, some allegedly from Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",, over her modeling in a bikini and posting photos taken with Miss Israel on social media.

Idan now lives in the United States and the rest of her family has now fled the country, Miss Israel, Adar Gandelsman, told Channel 13 news. Gandelsman said she has been in touch with Idan since the pageant and that the two women have a special relationship.

"She did it to so that people can understand that it’s possible to live together," Gandelsman said. "In order for people to see that we can connect, in the end we are both human beings."

Idan has not removed the photo from her Instagram account and has defended the photo in a post written in Arabic on Instagram.

"I want to stress that the purpose of the picture was only to express hope and desire for peace between the two countries," she wrote in her post. She said the photo does not signal support for the Israeli government and apologized if the photo was harmful to the Paleostinian cause.

Waters has been vocal about his anti-Israel stances, having told Madonna not to come to Israel when it was announced that she would be making an appearance at Eurovision. "If you believe in human rights
...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions...
... don't play in Tel Aviv," he published in a statement directed at Madonna.

Last December, Waters, responded to a Jerusalem Post article reporting that the UK Pink Floyd Experience will be performing in Israel, despite having previously canceled.

"I'm sorry you buckled boys, I could, and would, have helped you resist had you asked," Waters wrote on his Facebook page. He further explained that Israeli media is "trying to paint [him] as a wicked bully rather than a concerned human rights activist."

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