Fired-up John Fetterman, in latest non-woke take, rips hypocrisy of South Africa going to int'l court over Israeli 'genocide'



Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman kept up his eye-opening, non-woke behavior Wednesday when he blasted the hypocrisy of South Africa going to international court against Israel for the Jewish nation's "genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza.

What are the details?

Speaking at the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, the Pennsylvania lawmaker — donned in his standard shorts and hoodie — first took some time ripping into terror group Hamas over its deadly surprise attack against Israel in October, the Washington Examiner said.

An angry Fetterman called Hamas "a group of cowards" and said its members "hide in tunnels, they hide behind civilians, they attack, kill, and mutilate children [and] women!" He also demanded that pro-Palestinian advocates "stop talking about proportion" in regard to Israel's military response to Hamas.

“They shot their best shot on Oct. 7, and they would have taken more lives if they could have, but they couldn’t do it,” Fetterman added.

Shifting gears, Fetterman told the crowd that while he was on the subject of Hamas' "genocide," South Africa has plenty to answer for in that department — yet it's still going to trial against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

"Maybe South Africa ... ought to sit this one out when it comes to criticizing the behavior of other nations!" Fetterman barked. "Sit it out!”

— (@)

The Examiner said Fetterman calling out South Africa referred to the murder of white farmers there, which led to riots alleging the murders were evidence of attempted genocide.

Anything else?

Fetterman has been getting heat from progressives over his headline-grabbing, non-woke takes of late:

  • In December, Fetterman declared he's "not a progressive," reportedly called the gigantic number of border crossings "astonishing," and said that such concerns aren't xenophobic, and repeated his belief that Democratic New Jersey lawmaker Bob Menendez should be expelled from the U.S. Senate.
  • In November, Fetterman trolled anti-Israel protesters being handcuffed at the U.S. Capitol by walking past them while waving a miniature Israeli flag.
  • In October, Fetterman called out lawmakers from his own party who jumped the gun to blame Israel for a Gaza hospital bombing when it was soon revealed Hamas was behind the deadly act.
  • That same month, Fetterman also announced he would highlight the identities of those Hamas abducted: "My office will display every last one of the innocent Israelis kidnapped by Hamas until they are safely returned home. We won't stop sharing their stories until then."
  • Fetterman also said in October, "Now is not the time to talk about a ceasefire. We must support Israel in efforts to eliminate the Hamas terrorists who slaughtered innocent men, women, and children. Hamas does not want peace, they want to destroy Israel. We can talk about a ceasefire after Hamas is neutralized."

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Federal judge halts USDA program that bans white farmers saying lawsuit against it could be successful



A federal judge on Thursday halted the USDA loan forgiveness program exclusive to farmers of color, saying that a group of white farmers who have sued for discrimination over being banned from the government program have a good chance of winning.

What are the details?

NBC News reported that Judge William Griesbach of Wisconsin's Eastern District, issued an order placing the program on a temporary hold, wherein he wrote that the white farmers "are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim" that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "use of race-based criteria in the administration of the program violates their right to equal protection under the law."

Rick Esenberg, president and general counsel of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) — who represents the white farmers — said in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Court recognized that the federal government's plan to condition and allocate benefits on the basis of race raises grave constitutional concerns and threatens our clients with irreparable harm."

He added, "The Biden administration is radically undermining bedrock principles of equality under the law."

The judge's move stops the USDA from issuing debt relief payments to thousands of minority farmers, despite the agency vowing to begin their payouts this month.

In reaction to the decision, USDA spokesman Matt Herrick said in a statement:

"We respectfully disagree with this temporary order and USDA will continue to forcefully defend our ability to carry out this act of Congress and deliver debt relief to socially disadvantaged borrowers. When the temporary order is lifted, USDA will be prepared to provide the debt relief authorized by Congress."

What else?

The Washington Post explained:

The assistance program, which was passed by the Senate in March as part of the Biden administration's $1.9 trillion stimulus relief package, sought to correct long-standing disadvantages faced by Black, Latino, and other minority farmers in getting loans from banks and the government.

The program is open to any producer who is black, Native American, Hispanic, Asian American or Pacific Islander, yet white producers do not qualify.

But shortly after it passed, WILL sued on behalf of five farmers from four states, saying the program for "socially disadvantaged" farmers is unconstitutional because it is race-based.

Since then, seven more plaintiffs have joined that suit, and separate legal challenges on behalf of other white farmers have also been filed against the program.

White farmers sue feds over being banned from government program 'solely due to their race'



A group of white Midwestern farmers has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration for racial discrimination over being banned from a loan forgiveness program offered only to farmers of color, due to the fact that they are ineligible "solely due to their race."

What are the details?

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty is representing the plaintiffs from Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and Ohio in their suit against U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack and Farm Service Agency administrator Zach Ducheneaux.

Their complaint argues that a loan program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for "socially disadvantaged" farmers is unconstitutional because it is race-based.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that the program "pays up to 120% of direct or guaranteed farm loan balances for producers who are Black, American Indian or Alaskan native, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian American or Pacific Islander." But white producers do not qualify.

"Were plaintiffs eligible for the loan forgiveness benefit, they would have the opportunity to make additional investments in their property, expand their farms, purchase equipment and supplies, and otherwise support their families and local communities," the lawsuit reads. "Because plaintiffs are ineligible to even apply for the program solely due to their race, they have been denied the equal protection of the law and therefore suffered harm."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture explains on its website the reasoning behind the race-based program, stating:

"USDA recognizes that socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers have faced systemic discrimination with cumulative effects that have, among other consequences, led to a substantial loss in the number of socially disadvantaged producers, reduced the amount of farmland they control, and contributed to a cycle of debt that was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, socially disadvantaged communities saw a disproportionate amount of COVID-19 infection rates, loss of property, hospitalizations, death, and economic hurt."

One of the plaintiffs in the suit is Adam Faust, a dairy farmer and double amputee. He told the Journal Sentinel, "There should absolutely be no federal dollars going anywhere just based on race. The economic impact from COVID-19 didn't hurt any race more than another as far as agriculture goes."

The AP noted that "minority farmers have maintained for decades that they have been unfairly denied farm loans and other government assistance," adding that "the USDA in 1999 and 2010 settled lawsuits from Black farmers accusing the agency of discriminating against them."