Wray's Federal Bureau of Intimidation

The FBI's already tarnished public image is deteriorating. Recent incidents are shining a light on the agency's increasing targeting of Americans for activities the bureau has labeled as domestic terrorism. In the latest revelation, the FBI spied on Catholics in a clear violation of the First Amendment.  

During the last 18 months, the FBI has used its assets to go after Americans speaking out at school board meetings, coordinated with social media companies to suppress speech, illegally spied on a political campaign and surveilled black activists. The conduct is taking a toll on trust in the FBI.

The latest NBC News Poll, conducted in July, found that only 37% of registered voters surveyed had a positive view of the FBI.  In the same poll in October of 2018, more than half of Americans (52%) viewed the FBI favorably.  That's a precipitous fall that should concern FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Apparently, it doesn't.

How else can you explain Wray's testimony before a Congressional committee about reports the FBI targeted so-called "radical traditionalist" Catholics as potential domestic terrorists? 

The director testified in July before the House Judiciary Committee about the disturbing allegation.  A smiling Wray under withering interrogation assured members the FBI's action was limited "to a single office" in Richmond, VA. He claimed it was a regrettable blunder that he immediately halted.  

The clamor died down until House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan requested an un-redacted copy of the Richmond office's memo.  The agency document divulged the Richmond office relied on information from field offices in Los Angeles and Portland for contributions to the threat assessment.

The new information proves that Wray's statements  were inaccurate. And that's being overly charitable. The agency's actions were not limited to a single office.  If multiple offices were involved, how could the FBI director be so ill informed about his department's probe?

The FBI memo reviewed by the committee reveals "radical traditionalist" Catholics" were targets over concerns their beliefs may be interpreted as violent views.  Volatile issues cited in the memo include views on "abortion rights" and "LGBTQ protections," writes the National Catholic Register.

The FBI memo appears to imply that being pro-life or holding beliefs that there are only two genders (male and female) are tangentially related to violent, extremest views, which threaten public safety. This  appears to criminalize the doctrine of the Catholic Church.  

Included in the memo is an Orwellian recommendation that FBI agents attempt to recruit traditionalist Catholics to keep tabs on so-called "radical traditionalists" in their congregation.  The FBI conduct smacks of Soviet-style efforts to intimidate houses of worship that don't embrace government dogma.    

Let's make it clear what is going on at the highest levels of government in Washington. If your beliefs run counter to government doctrine, then the FBI considers you a potential terrorist threat. The chilling inference is that religious theology must align with the federal government's doctrine.   

The FBI's action is a direct threat to the First Amendment guarantee of the free exercise of religion and sends a frightening message about the practice of faith.  Whatever your political affiliation, this is a stunning abuse of power.  Do you want the FBI criminalizing Americans religious beliefs? 

What's ironic is the FBI appears to have no interest in investigating the rise in attacks on Catholic Churches. Last year there were at least 272 incidents in 43 states, including arson, vandalism, the beheading of statues, smashed windows and gravestone defaced with swastikas and anti-Catholic slurs. 

The spike in violence appears to have escalated after the leak of the Supreme Court's draft proposal to overturn Roe V Wade. In anticipation of the final decision, abortion activists unleashed a wave of angry protests against pro-life pregnancy centers and Catholic Churches. 

The result was an increase in anti-Catholic rhetoric from politicians, government officials and activists. It is ironic, since Pew Research polls have shown 56% of Catholic believe abortion should be legal. That is almost the same percentage of all Americans (61%) who support abortion. 

Instead of snooping on Catholics, the FBI should be dedicating resources to address the rising attacks against all churches.  A recent Hostility Against Churches report, authored by the Family Research Council, found that incidents in the first three months of this year are three times higher than last year. 

The research council study identified 420 incidents, including gun-related incidents and bomb threats from January 2018 to September 2022.  The FRC warns the "anger and division" in American society endangers not only churches but erodes religious freedom.

Christians aren't the only ones being targeted. Antisemitic incidents skyrocketed 36% last year. A report from the Anti-Defamation League found there were 3,697 incidents of harassment, vandalism and assaults targeting Jewish people and communities.  

The report concludes that public officials, including some in Congress, famous artists and social media stars have been "instrumental in normalizing longstanding antisemitic tropes."  To some, lack of action by federal law enforcement implies the threats do not rise to level of FBI concern.  

Christopher Wray needs to be hauled before Congress and questioned about what the FBI is doing to stop the rising violence against religions and religious people.  The FBI's mission is to uphold the Constitution, which guarantees the right to practice religion free from intimidation.

Americans religious beliefs are not subject to FBI oversight.  Period.  

Anti-Semitism: The Scourge That Won't Subside

The world cannot seem to shake more than one-thousand years of Anti-Semitism.  Despite determined efforts to stamp out all hate crimes, persecution of Jews continues unabated.  Even in America, Jews are being targeted in larger numbers than ever for their religious beliefs.

Recently, many Americans recoiled in horror after a gunman mowed down 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.  They were marked for assassination by their executioner for practicing their Jewish faith.  The victims were innocent people whose "crime" was their Jewishness.

Coincidentally, within days of the slaughter, the FBI released data showing Jewish people and institutions were most frequently targeted, accounting for 58.1 percent of all religious based hate crime.  Muslims ranked a distant second at 18.6 percent.  The FBI data is for the year 2017.

The mainstream media as expected needed a scapegoat for the increase in violence against Jews.  To no one's surprise they blamed the rhetoric of President Trump for the murderous rampage.  That may be the most nonsensical, unsubstantiated charge ever leveled against this president.

The president's son-in-law Jared Kushner is Jewish.  Mr. Trump's daughter Ivanka, who is married to Kushner, converted to Judaism.  The couple's children are being raised in the Jewish faith.  Mr. Trump has been the most pro-Israel president in history.

Name just one anti-Jewish statement uttered by Mr. Trump.  Or a Anti-Semitic tweet.  You can't do it because none exist.  The media and politicians know that too but they are never, ever going to expose the No. 1 Jew Hater in America. 

The truth is that the mainstream media, politicians and black leaders are afraid to point the finger at the prime source of Anti-Semitism in this country.  His name is Minister Louis Farrakhan, an 84-year-old African-American who bills himself as the leader of the Nation of Islam.

Despite his decades-long openly Anti-Semitic crusade, no one dares condemn him.  He has the ear of powerful politicians.  He has been photographed with everyone from Barrack Obama to Democratic senators and representatives  Their silence is tacit endorsement for his poisonous hatred.

When he is not denigrating Jews, this pseudo minister rallies his followers to support his favored politicians.  In 1988, he exhorted his disciples to back Jesse Jackson's bid for the Democratic Party nomination.  He was back in the news in 1995, helping organize the 'Million Man March,"

These activities give him a certain cache among politicians, especially Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus.  But make no mistake about his putrid ideology.  This man is a Jew hating psychopath who at times has all but called for genocide against Jews.

In his latest rant, Farrakhan compared Jews to "termites," borrowing the same description the German Nazis used during their bloodthirsty campaign to exterminate the Jewish race.  Not a single African-American senator or representative had the guts to castigate this vile man. Not one.

The Anti-Defamation League, a pro-Jewish group, cited a recent report that social media harassment of Jewish Americans increased during the latest election.  While social media platforms regularly censor conservative views, Farrakhan is treated with kid gloves.  He is The Untouchable.

Imagine if anyone was preaching this same kind of hatred against Muslims.  The national uproar would be deafening.  Why does this nation and others tolerate blatantly anti-Jewish hate speech? There is only one conclusion to draw.  Anti-Semitism exists because we allow it. 

A few Swastikas spray painted on synagogues is treated as a prank.  A smashed widow at a Jewish shop is just a petty crime.  Even the horrific Pittsburgh murders did not generate the same level of inflamed news coverage as school shootings or the most recent carnage at a California bar and grill.

As long as the Louis Farrakhan's of the world are freely allowed to spew venom about Jews without any retribution, the level of violence against Jews will only increase.  If our politicians won't stand up against this wretched evil man, then the American people must take matters in their own hands.

A nation that condones anti-Semitism is destined to follow the road that leads to Nazism.  That may sound like hyperbole to some of you, but remember the German people refused to raise their voices while Hitler's goon squads rounded up Jews and sent millions to their deaths.  Silence is consent.

Raise your voices.  We are Americans.  We don't condone hatred of any religious group. Those who embrace hatred do not deserve a public platform despite our First Amendment guarantee of Free Speech.  It is time to muffle Farrakhan and banish this religious bigot from the American stage. 

Anti-Semitism: The World Remains Silent Again

President Obama worries obsessively about anti-Muslim backlash in the face of extremism that he refuses to acknowledge draws its inspiration from the Islamic religion.  At last week's "violent extremism" summit, Obama lectured America on its need for tolerance toward Muslims.

His concern is detached from reality.  Statistics show that Jews, not Muslims, are more often targeted for assault and violence in increasing numbers worldwide.  Even the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently reported American Jews were ten times more likely to be targeted for abuse than Muslims.

Despite the overwhelming evidence, no political leader has confronted the president over his moral equivocation over anti-Semitism. Obama's hand-wringing over prejudicial statements about Islam, stands in stark contrast to his callous dismissal of attacks on Jews, both here and abroad.

Violent anti-Semitic assaults in the United States increased 82 percent in 2013, the latest year for which figures are available.  The numbers were provided by the Anti-Defamation League, a worldwide organization founded in 1913 to fight anti-Semitism.  The president's concern has been muted.

While the media has been focused on the recent killing of three Muslims near the University of North Carolina, significantly less news attention was showered on the cowardly murders of three Jews gunned down outside two community centers near Kansas City last year.  

But America's anti-Semitic incidents, while deeply disturbing, are a mere shadow of what is happening in Europe.  Those senseless murders of four people at a Paris kosher deli last month were just the latest ruthless attack aimed at Jews in France.

Last year, eight synagogues were attacked in Paris.  One synagogue, located in a Paris suburb, was firebombed by an angry mob of 400.  A kosher supermarket and pharmacy were smashed and looted as crowds chanted, "Death to Jews."

This frightening rise in aggression prompted 7,200 French Jews to emigrate to Israel last year, twice the number for 2013.  Despite this human flight, the apologetic European media has tried to downplay the wretched Jew-hating and attempted to blame the Jewish withdrawal on economic and social factors.  

Conditions aren't much better for Jews outside France.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United Kingdom reached the highest level ever reordered last year.  There were 1,168 cases of violence, property damage, abuse and threats against Britain's 291,000 Jews.   Britain's Home Secretary called the trend "deeply concerning."

In Germany last year, Molotov cocktails were lobbed into a synagogue, while a Berliner called on Allah to "destroy the Zionist Jews."  There also have been ugly incidents in Frankfurt and Hamburg as Germany has been hauntingly reminded of the grisly atrocities from its past.

Seventy years after the end of the Holocaust, Jews are being forced out of Europe again.  Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu urged Jews to repatriate to their home country after the most recent attack, a brutal killing of a Jewish man outside a synagogue in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Today 82 percent of the world's 16.7 million Jews live in either Israel or the U.S.  France has the largest European Jewish population (475,000), but as noted earlier their numbers are dwindling.  In 1939, there were 9.5 million Jews in Europe, compared to about 1.4 million today, according to Pew Research.

In Arab countries, Jews are leaving in droves.  As an example, in 1948 there were 265,000 Jews living in Morocco, but their numbers have shrunk to 2,500. In Algeria, once home to 140,000 Jews, there is not a single Jew residing within its borders. Muslims in these countries are openly hostile to Jews.

In the midst of this Jewish exodus fueled by intolerance, the world has remained closemouthed, particularly this U.S. president.  Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, once penned the following admonition about the Nazis' evil campaign to exterminate Jews:

"Who would allow such a crisis to be committed?  How could the world remain silent?"

World leaders today have no excuse for making the same mistakes governments did in the 1930's.  If you turn a blind eye to hatred, it oozes from every twisted misfit until it consumes the world. Silence only guarantees the inevitable human tragedy will follow.

It is time for leaders, beginning with President Obama, to speak up in defense of Jews.  The president can start by welcoming Benjamin Netanyahu with open arms to the United States on March 3 when he addresses Congress on issues facing Jews and Israel.

However, Obama has made it clear Netanyahu is unwelcome because of some silly protocol snit.  If Obama snubs the Israeli leader, then he sends exactly the wrong signal to Jews at perhaps one of the worst times in Jewish history.

Today's anti-Semitism demands that world leaders stand with Jews against the zealots of hatred.