Oklahoma approves largest single-day commutation in U.S. history
By Kim Bellware
The Washington Post
November 3, 2019
In a flurry of signatures Friday afternoon, Oklahoma moved one step closer to shucking its distinction as the state with the highest incarceration rate in the United States. On Monday afternoon, 527 people serving low-level drug and nonviolent offenses will go free in what Oklahoma lawmakers are calling the largest single-day commutation in both state and U.S. history.
The commutation is a success for criminal justice reform efforts in a state that has a long history of harsh sentencing practices and high incarceration rates. It’s also evidence of the Republican-dominated legislature’s willingness to move closer in line with the majority of voters who favor a less punitive approach. The historic commutations come amid nationwide efforts to reduce punishment of low-level crimes and move the U.S. prison system in a more rehabilitative — or at least less punitive — direction.
Criminal justice reform advocates like Ryan Kiesel, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma, agreed that the commutation news signaled a change but cautioned that the road ahead will be a long one.
“From the 30,000-foot view, the criminal justice landscape is light-years ahead of where it was three or four years ago,” Kiesel told The Washington Post. “It would have been impossible before State Question 780 passed in Oklahoma; that signaled to lawmakers there was an appetite for reform.”
In 2016, Oklahoma voters approved State Question 780 and 781, a pair of ballot measures that reclassified certain simple drug possession and nonviolent property crimes under $1,000 as misdemeanors instead of felonies and mandated that the cost savings would go to drug treatment and rehabilitation services. In January, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers voted to make the 2016 laws apply retroactively.
The commutations are just a fraction of the state’s 26,334-person state prison population, but they mean a second chance for the hundreds of incarcerated people who will be freed as a result.
Rose Ortiz of Gainesville, Tex., will be among those outside the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McLoud, Okla., on Monday waiting to welcome a loved one home. Ortiz’s daughter, Calista, will be released and reunited with her husband and five kids — including a baby whom she gave birth to in prison.
Ortiz told The Post on Saturday that she had doubts at first when she heard her daughter would be eligible for early release. Calista had tried before to get a reduction in her roughly seven-year sentence for drug possession even as she helped other women successfully file for their own early-release petitions.
“When you hear that, you wonder, ‘Is this really going to happen?’” Ortiz said.
At a Friday news conference announcing that the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board had unanimously voted to recommend the sentences of 527 state inmates be commuted, first-term Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt declared that “today, we’re implementing the will of the people.”
“They’ve got a lot of paperwork to do,” Stitt said of the secretary of state’s office. “I’ve got to sign 450 of these this afternoon.” Once the parole board makes a recommendation to commute a sentence, it then passes to the governor for final approval.
Stitt, who campaigned on reducing the prison population, noted that the Oklahoma Department of Corrections anticipated it will have “about 2,000 empty beds in our system” by the end of the year. The figure prompted an attendee at the news conference to call out, “Amen!”
On Friday, the first day the retroactive law took effect, 814 prisoners applied for commutation consideration, according to the state Pardon and Parole Board. The state said the mass commutations will save taxpayers an estimated $11.9 million based on costs projected if the eligible prisoners served their full sentences.
Stitt said that in addition to releasing prisoners whose sentences were no longer consistent with their since-reclassified crimes, the Department of Corrections for the first time in state history held a “reentry” fair behind prison walls. Prisoners being released Monday, along with those scheduled for release in the next six months, were connected with services such as housing and counseling support. In some cases, prisoners were able to secure state ID cards or driver’s licenses before their release; though crucial, such documentation can be difficult to obtain for people returning from prison. The effort, Stitt said, was coordinated by a mix of state, local, nonprofit and faith groups.
With a majority of Oklahoma voters supportive of criminal justice reforms, lawmakers in the heavily red state where Republican legislators outnumber Democrats 3 to 1 are increasingly embracing a platform long associated with progressives.
Kris Steele, a Republican who served in the state legislature from 2000 to 2012, is now the executive director of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform. In his view from within the state’s Republican Party, Steele said criminal justice reform was barely on the radar during his time in the legislature.
“For the first three or four elections, the methodology was to run a platform of ‘tough on crime.’ Political consultants advised that. There were even predesigned mail pieces with that messaging,” Steele told The Post.
By contrast, during the most recent election cycle, Steele couldn’t recall a major Republican candidate who ran on a punitive platform. “I think the vast majority of candidates and incumbents ran a corrections reform message.”
Steele said he suspects a few factors are behind the Oklahoma Republicans’ embrace of criminal justice reform. One is a realization that over-incarceration is the definition of inefficient government, producing neither increased public safety nor less crime for the cost. There’s also the issue of faith: The messages of criminal justice reform align with the same values at the center of Christianity, such as redemption, grace, forgiveness and second chances.
But a third factor Steele identifies is more stark: Oklahoma’s incarceration rate is more than 10 times that of Canada, according to the Tulsa-based nonprofit think tank Oklahoma Policy Institute, meaning more than 1 in 100 Oklahoma adults is locked up at any given time.
“The sad reality is, we’ve reached a point of saturation, given our high incarceration rate: If it’s not your loved one, chances are, it’s a friend,” Steele said. “The proximity, in many ways, has changed people’s thinking.”
That’s not to say Oklahoma will be pivoting hard toward reform with any speed. As Steele notes, local district attorneys and law enforcement allies are among the staunchest, and most effective, holdouts. “They tend to be very effective in the legislature in thwarting or slowing these [reform] efforts,” he said.
For Ortiz, who will see her daughter outside of prison walls for the first time in two years, the wait has been long enough. “We’ve missed having her around as a mom, sister and daughter,” Ortiz said.
Monday’s reunion for Calista will probably include dinner with her siblings and will definitely include a lot of hugs for her children — especially the baby. Ortiz said that because she lives 2½ hours from the prison, the family wasn’t able to bring the baby to visit as often as Calista would have liked.
“When you have a little baby, every day is important. Every week, every month is important,” Ortiz said. She reflected on her daughter’s time incarcerated and added, “She’s had to miss a lot.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: California has seen a notable rise in its crime rate since the state’s criminal justice reforms went into effect … and so will Oklahoma. As a result of those reforms, San Francisco now has the highest property crime rate per capita in the nation.
The inmates benefitting the most from the commutations are the drug dealers who copped a plea to the lesser crime of possession because that would give them a much shorter sentence than for trafficking in drugs … and they constitute the vast majority of inmates serving time for possession.
As for that crap about non-violent offenders, it must be noted that today’s nonviolent criminal may turn out to be tomorrow’s violent criminal.
__________
MASS COMMUTATIONS IN OKLAHOMA
by Bob Walsh
The law was changed recently in Oklahoma, decriminalizing minor drug charges retroactively. The powers that be decided to get a jump on things (not unreasonable I guess since this is something that will HAVE TO BE done soon anyway) and issued 450 commutations of sentence, the largest one-day action along these lines in the US since forever.
I wonder how far the pendulum is going to swing before it swings back?
Here in the formerly great state of California we have not only decriminalized almost everything but we also just shitcanned the felony murder rule, which will from an operational standpoint make it much harder to get convictions in many and perhaps most murder beefs.
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
AND BETO WANTS TO TAKE THAT AR-15 AWAY FROM HER
Heavily pregnant mother uses an AR-15 to kill a home intruder after two men burst into her Florida home, pistol whipped her husband and grabbed their 11-year-old daughter
Daily Mail
November 4, 2019
Jeremy King, from Lithia in Florida, was at home with his wife when two armed men barged in and attacked him.
His wife, who is eight months pregnant, was in the back bedroom and looked out to see what was going on. Mr King said one of the men then shot at her. She retreated, grabbed an AR-15 and returned fire.
Deputies later found a man dead in a nearby ditch. The other gunman ran off after the fatal shot was fired. Investigators are still looking for the second gunman.
__________
NOBODY "NEEDS" AN AR-15
But They Can Sure Come In Handy Sometimes
by Bob Walsh
Wednesday night two masked men broke into a home in Lithia, Florida at 9 p.m. One of the men grabbed the couple's 11-year old daughter, the other pistol whipped and head stomped the husband.
The man's wife, who is 8 months pregnant, was in the back bedroom when she heard the disturbance. When she stuck here head around the corner of the door one of the bad guys threw a shot at her. She shot back, with an AR-15.
The cops found one of the intruders about 200 feet from the front door, face down in a ditch, very dead. The husband ended up with a broken eye stocket and a concussion.
The AR-15 was legally owned and possessed by the family.
Daily Mail
November 4, 2019
Jeremy King, from Lithia in Florida, was at home with his wife when two armed men barged in and attacked him.
His wife, who is eight months pregnant, was in the back bedroom and looked out to see what was going on. Mr King said one of the men then shot at her. She retreated, grabbed an AR-15 and returned fire.
Deputies later found a man dead in a nearby ditch. The other gunman ran off after the fatal shot was fired. Investigators are still looking for the second gunman.
__________
NOBODY "NEEDS" AN AR-15
But They Can Sure Come In Handy Sometimes
by Bob Walsh
Wednesday night two masked men broke into a home in Lithia, Florida at 9 p.m. One of the men grabbed the couple's 11-year old daughter, the other pistol whipped and head stomped the husband.
The man's wife, who is 8 months pregnant, was in the back bedroom when she heard the disturbance. When she stuck here head around the corner of the door one of the bad guys threw a shot at her. She shot back, with an AR-15.
The cops found one of the intruders about 200 feet from the front door, face down in a ditch, very dead. The husband ended up with a broken eye stocket and a concussion.
The AR-15 was legally owned and possessed by the family.
MEXICO CANNOT DEFEAT CARTELS, SO IT WILL NOW DO BATTLE WITH UBER
Mexican National Guard to Crack Down on Uber as Drug War Rages
By Andrea Navarro
Bloomberg
October 30, 2019
Mexico’s militarized police force, already grappling with a surge in drug violence and immigration, has a new mission: to stop people from hailing an Uber at airports.
The Mexican National Guard has been charged with conducting sting operations at the country’s 56 airports to make sure that only taxis with a federal permit are allowed to load passengers, according to a statement by the Ministry. The operation comes after the Ministry met with the nation’s taxi association, and will include government communications and transportation officials.
The Uber crackdown adds to the workload of security forces who already are struggling with rising homicides this year. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has drawn criticism for releasing the son of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman after a gun battle this month, has also assigned the Guard to stop undocumented immigrants along Mexico’s southern border in response to demands from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Uber announcement triggered an immediate backlash on social media, with people wondering if airport raids are really the best use of the national police force, especially after a recent shootout in Michoacan left 14 state police officers dead, and another in the state of Guerrero left one soldier and 14 civilians dead.
“The use of public force in sting operations at airports would represent a threat to users’ rights to choose their mode of transport,” Uber said in a statement, adding it was willing to engage in negotiations with the government to improve competition in the sector.
In response to the criticism, Deputy Interior Minister Ricardo Peralta said the assignment won’t represent any “special” operations since the restrictions of who can operate in federal areas are already mandated by law. The taxi association said it was surprised to hear Peralta’s comments, which appeared to dial down the tone of the agreement, Reforma newspaper reported, and that they would engage in blockades if it is not honored.
Earlier this month, 4,000 taxi drivers took to Mexico City’s streets, blocking major avenues and access to the capital’s airport to protest against digital ride-hailing platforms like Uber, Didi and Cabify.
In 2016, the country’s antitrust regulator Cofece said taxi services at the Mexico City airport were operating under relative monopolistic practices that were causing inflated prices.
By Andrea Navarro
Bloomberg
October 30, 2019
Mexico’s militarized police force, already grappling with a surge in drug violence and immigration, has a new mission: to stop people from hailing an Uber at airports.
The Mexican National Guard has been charged with conducting sting operations at the country’s 56 airports to make sure that only taxis with a federal permit are allowed to load passengers, according to a statement by the Ministry. The operation comes after the Ministry met with the nation’s taxi association, and will include government communications and transportation officials.
The Uber crackdown adds to the workload of security forces who already are struggling with rising homicides this year. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has drawn criticism for releasing the son of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman after a gun battle this month, has also assigned the Guard to stop undocumented immigrants along Mexico’s southern border in response to demands from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Uber announcement triggered an immediate backlash on social media, with people wondering if airport raids are really the best use of the national police force, especially after a recent shootout in Michoacan left 14 state police officers dead, and another in the state of Guerrero left one soldier and 14 civilians dead.
“The use of public force in sting operations at airports would represent a threat to users’ rights to choose their mode of transport,” Uber said in a statement, adding it was willing to engage in negotiations with the government to improve competition in the sector.
In response to the criticism, Deputy Interior Minister Ricardo Peralta said the assignment won’t represent any “special” operations since the restrictions of who can operate in federal areas are already mandated by law. The taxi association said it was surprised to hear Peralta’s comments, which appeared to dial down the tone of the agreement, Reforma newspaper reported, and that they would engage in blockades if it is not honored.
Earlier this month, 4,000 taxi drivers took to Mexico City’s streets, blocking major avenues and access to the capital’s airport to protest against digital ride-hailing platforms like Uber, Didi and Cabify.
In 2016, the country’s antitrust regulator Cofece said taxi services at the Mexico City airport were operating under relative monopolistic practices that were causing inflated prices.
Monday, November 04, 2019
ARIZONA COP SHAMES EVERY COLIN KAEPERNICK SUPPORTER
Paralyzed for 14 years, Peoria officer stands for national anthem
By Monica Garcia
azfamily.com
October 28, 2019
PHOENIX -- Fourteen years after a Peoria Police officer was paralyzed in the line of duty, he is once again standing, thanks to an amazing new wheelchair.
He made his big debut during the opening ceremony at the Special Olympics Arizona.
“I was touched. I just think of everything that I’ve been through, that I’ve gone through, to get to that point,” said William Weigt with the Peoria Police Department.
Just two weeks before Christmas in 2005, Weigt was shot while pursuing a suspect.
“It was just a drug deal gone bad,” Weigt said. “Suspect just got out of his vehicle and started shooting.”
Weigt was hit in the shoulder just above his vest.
“It hit a rib and ricocheted back down to my spine,” said Weigt.
He was immediately paralyzed and would never walk again, but no one said anything about standing.
Fourteen years after the shooting, Weigt is now an Honor Guard Investigator who can be seen at the Special Olympics Arizona opening ceremonies on Friday night.
“Being a veteran of the United States Army, not being able to stand for that flag for many years, I still love it,” said Weigt.
He was not only standing again—but was presenting the American Flag.
“When everything hushed and the drums started, I’m telling you, everything just went right into place,” said Weigt.
By Monica Garcia
azfamily.com
October 28, 2019
PHOENIX -- Fourteen years after a Peoria Police officer was paralyzed in the line of duty, he is once again standing, thanks to an amazing new wheelchair.
He made his big debut during the opening ceremony at the Special Olympics Arizona.
“I was touched. I just think of everything that I’ve been through, that I’ve gone through, to get to that point,” said William Weigt with the Peoria Police Department.
Just two weeks before Christmas in 2005, Weigt was shot while pursuing a suspect.
“It was just a drug deal gone bad,” Weigt said. “Suspect just got out of his vehicle and started shooting.”
Weigt was hit in the shoulder just above his vest.
“It hit a rib and ricocheted back down to my spine,” said Weigt.
He was immediately paralyzed and would never walk again, but no one said anything about standing.
Fourteen years after the shooting, Weigt is now an Honor Guard Investigator who can be seen at the Special Olympics Arizona opening ceremonies on Friday night.
“Being a veteran of the United States Army, not being able to stand for that flag for many years, I still love it,” said Weigt.
He was not only standing again—but was presenting the American Flag.
“When everything hushed and the drums started, I’m telling you, everything just went right into place,” said Weigt.
BORIS WINS ONE.....KIND-OF / SORT-OF
by Bob Walsh
Boris Johnson the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has managed to get his general election. It is scheduled for December 12. He wants enough backing for his Brexit plan so that he can finally follow the will of the people, expressed three years ago, to get the fuck out of the European Union, hopefully with an exit deal or plan so that international trade in the area does not grind to a halt.
How well his plan will succeed is open to debate. The E.U. gave the U.K. and extension from 10-31-19 to 01-31-20. It is distinctly possible that, come January 31, the E. U. will just say WE ARE TIRED OF THIS SHIT and pull the plug. That is, however, far from a sure thing. A lot of things that the U.K. really needs are no longer made in the U. K. (like many medications and body bags). If they just break away the tax and import situation becomes something that must be settled out very quickly. Even the physical structure is an issue. Actual places for conducting customs inspections and passport examinations do not exist any more. Due to the long-standing political situation the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is likely to become a shooting gallery if there is an attempt to reestablish a hard border.
The people voted OUT. Much of the political ruling class and the intelligencia have repeatedly said BAD IDEA and are standing in the way of an orderly exit, in hopes that they can stall Brexit to death if people are unwilling to go out with a no-deal Brexit.
At some point the can will run out of road to be kicked down. Who will win, the peasants or the masters? I am betting on the peasants, but I would not be the farm on it. Maybe just next week's lunch money.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The election to pull out of the EU was extremely close and the legitimacy of the results were hotly debated. Boris may not get the results he wants in the forthcoming election.
Boris Johnson the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has managed to get his general election. It is scheduled for December 12. He wants enough backing for his Brexit plan so that he can finally follow the will of the people, expressed three years ago, to get the fuck out of the European Union, hopefully with an exit deal or plan so that international trade in the area does not grind to a halt.
How well his plan will succeed is open to debate. The E.U. gave the U.K. and extension from 10-31-19 to 01-31-20. It is distinctly possible that, come January 31, the E. U. will just say WE ARE TIRED OF THIS SHIT and pull the plug. That is, however, far from a sure thing. A lot of things that the U.K. really needs are no longer made in the U. K. (like many medications and body bags). If they just break away the tax and import situation becomes something that must be settled out very quickly. Even the physical structure is an issue. Actual places for conducting customs inspections and passport examinations do not exist any more. Due to the long-standing political situation the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is likely to become a shooting gallery if there is an attempt to reestablish a hard border.
The people voted OUT. Much of the political ruling class and the intelligencia have repeatedly said BAD IDEA and are standing in the way of an orderly exit, in hopes that they can stall Brexit to death if people are unwilling to go out with a no-deal Brexit.
At some point the can will run out of road to be kicked down. Who will win, the peasants or the masters? I am betting on the peasants, but I would not be the farm on it. Maybe just next week's lunch money.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The election to pull out of the EU was extremely close and the legitimacy of the results were hotly debated. Boris may not get the results he wants in the forthcoming election.
DENIZENS OF CALIFORNIA PREFER IT IF THEIR ELECTRICITY WORKS
by Bob Walsh
Yes, people who live in the formerly great state of California actually like it if their air conditioning and micro-waves and TVs actually have power for them. They hate it if oil is produced in or transported thru the state, but they want the electricity.
The new Public Safety Power Shut-offs that have nailed up to 2 million bodies at a shot are irritating them. They is badly hurting small businesses and actually killing people, though not that many, not directly at least.
PG&E does these shut-offs when a combination of conditions, normally very low humidity and very high wind, increase the chance of their power lines interacting badly with the local flora and starting a fire. Two such fires last year have pushed PG&E into bankruptcy court. The problem with these shut-offs is that once you do them you can't just flip the switch and start them back up. Live people have to eyeball each foot of high power line to check for damage before they do so. That means it takes about 48 hours to get power back after such a shut-off even if there was zero damage to the equipment.
Governor Newsom is pissed off by that and is trying to get some political mileage out of it. He is pretty much flat-out threatening to take over PG&E if they do not quickly come up with a plan. We will see how that shakes out.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Denizens ... Are those some kind of lizards?
Yes, people who live in the formerly great state of California actually like it if their air conditioning and micro-waves and TVs actually have power for them. They hate it if oil is produced in or transported thru the state, but they want the electricity.
The new Public Safety Power Shut-offs that have nailed up to 2 million bodies at a shot are irritating them. They is badly hurting small businesses and actually killing people, though not that many, not directly at least.
PG&E does these shut-offs when a combination of conditions, normally very low humidity and very high wind, increase the chance of their power lines interacting badly with the local flora and starting a fire. Two such fires last year have pushed PG&E into bankruptcy court. The problem with these shut-offs is that once you do them you can't just flip the switch and start them back up. Live people have to eyeball each foot of high power line to check for damage before they do so. That means it takes about 48 hours to get power back after such a shut-off even if there was zero damage to the equipment.
Governor Newsom is pissed off by that and is trying to get some political mileage out of it. He is pretty much flat-out threatening to take over PG&E if they do not quickly come up with a plan. We will see how that shakes out.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Denizens ... Are those some kind of lizards?
FAKE MEXICAN BITES THE ELECTORAL DUST
by Bob Walsh
That well-known fake Mexican, Robert Francis O'Rourke, bit the electoral dust over the weekend. He finally recognized he got about as much real traction as a Pinto with bald tires on a frozen lake.
Beto (as he styled himself) was the media darling for a while, before Mayor Pete stole his thunder. He did this based on loosing, albeit sort-of closely, to Ted Cruz for the Texas senate seat in 2018.
Another even more failed flash-in-the-pan, Kamala Harris, announced that she is pulling back and dumping staff to concentrate (i. e. throw a Hail Mary) on the Iowa Caucuses coming up in less than 100 days. That will almost certainly be a do-or-die point in her campaign.
O'Rourke is trying to make the existential threat of climate change and his overwhelming desire to take guns away from honest, law-abiding gun owners the focal points of his bid. So far, it ain't working. He has so far declined to endorse any of the other 1, 837 candidates still running for the Democrat party nomination.
That well-known fake Mexican, Robert Francis O'Rourke, bit the electoral dust over the weekend. He finally recognized he got about as much real traction as a Pinto with bald tires on a frozen lake.
Beto (as he styled himself) was the media darling for a while, before Mayor Pete stole his thunder. He did this based on loosing, albeit sort-of closely, to Ted Cruz for the Texas senate seat in 2018.
Another even more failed flash-in-the-pan, Kamala Harris, announced that she is pulling back and dumping staff to concentrate (i. e. throw a Hail Mary) on the Iowa Caucuses coming up in less than 100 days. That will almost certainly be a do-or-die point in her campaign.
O'Rourke is trying to make the existential threat of climate change and his overwhelming desire to take guns away from honest, law-abiding gun owners the focal points of his bid. So far, it ain't working. He has so far declined to endorse any of the other 1, 837 candidates still running for the Democrat party nomination.
WITH A WIFE LIKE HILLARY, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY BILL RAPED JUANITA
Ronan Farrow: Bill Clinton 'credibly accused of rape' by Juanita Broaddrick
By Valerie Richardson
The Washington Times
November 3, 2019
Author and journalist Ronan Farrow, whose reporting provided a leading impetus for the #MeToo movement, said that former President Bill Clinton was “credibly accused of rape” by Juanita Broaddrick, an allegation “overdue for revisiting.”
Asked by HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher if the former president could have survived sexual misconduct allegations in today’s political climate, Mr. Farrow replied, “Bill Clinton is a different conversation.”
“He has been credibly accused of rape,” Mr. Farrow said during a Friday panel discussion. “That has nothing to do with gray areas. I think that the Juanita Broaddrick claim has been overdue for revisiting.”
In 1999, Ms. Broaddrick came forward with a claim that Mr. Clinton raped her in her hotel room in Little Rock in 1978, when he was Arkansas attorney general and running for governor. He has denied the accusation through attorneys.
Mr. Farrow, who won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on accusations of sexual assault and harassment against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, also said that public opinion on Mr. Clinton appears to be turning.
“I’m heartened by the fact that people now routinely express outrage about Bill Clinton, and particularly those more serious allegations about him,” said Mr. Farrow, author of “Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators.”
The subject came up during a discussion of last week’s resignation of Rep. Katie Hill, California Democrat, following reports that she engaged in sexual affairs with subordinates.
“Could Bill Clinton, if he had done what he did in 1998, survive today, or would his own party have thrown him under the bus?” asked Mr. Maher.
Mr. Clinton was impeached after being charged by the House with lying under oath and obstruction of justice stemming from a sexual harassment claim brought by Paula Jones and his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, but the Senate acquitted him on both counts.
Ms. Broaddrick responded Sunday with a blast at Democrats and NBC News, which featured her accusations in a “Dateline NBC” interview that aired Feb. 24, about two weeks after the Senate’s Feb. 12 to acquit.
“All Democrats in Congress refused to read my interview with [independent counsel] Ken Starr during the impeachment process … and of course, NBC’s Andy Lack held my ‘Dateline’ interview until impeachment was over,” she tweeted.
By Valerie Richardson
The Washington Times
November 3, 2019
Author and journalist Ronan Farrow, whose reporting provided a leading impetus for the #MeToo movement, said that former President Bill Clinton was “credibly accused of rape” by Juanita Broaddrick, an allegation “overdue for revisiting.”
Asked by HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher if the former president could have survived sexual misconduct allegations in today’s political climate, Mr. Farrow replied, “Bill Clinton is a different conversation.”
“He has been credibly accused of rape,” Mr. Farrow said during a Friday panel discussion. “That has nothing to do with gray areas. I think that the Juanita Broaddrick claim has been overdue for revisiting.”
In 1999, Ms. Broaddrick came forward with a claim that Mr. Clinton raped her in her hotel room in Little Rock in 1978, when he was Arkansas attorney general and running for governor. He has denied the accusation through attorneys.
Mr. Farrow, who won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on accusations of sexual assault and harassment against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, also said that public opinion on Mr. Clinton appears to be turning.
“I’m heartened by the fact that people now routinely express outrage about Bill Clinton, and particularly those more serious allegations about him,” said Mr. Farrow, author of “Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators.”
The subject came up during a discussion of last week’s resignation of Rep. Katie Hill, California Democrat, following reports that she engaged in sexual affairs with subordinates.
“Could Bill Clinton, if he had done what he did in 1998, survive today, or would his own party have thrown him under the bus?” asked Mr. Maher.
Mr. Clinton was impeached after being charged by the House with lying under oath and obstruction of justice stemming from a sexual harassment claim brought by Paula Jones and his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, but the Senate acquitted him on both counts.
Ms. Broaddrick responded Sunday with a blast at Democrats and NBC News, which featured her accusations in a “Dateline NBC” interview that aired Feb. 24, about two weeks after the Senate’s Feb. 12 to acquit.
“All Democrats in Congress refused to read my interview with [independent counsel] Ken Starr during the impeachment process … and of course, NBC’s Andy Lack held my ‘Dateline’ interview until impeachment was over,” she tweeted.
JEDGAR DESERVES TO HAVE THE NEW FBI HQ BUILDING NAMED AFTER HIM
J. Edgar 'Hell no': Black leaders say 'racist' Hoover's name has no business on new FBI HQ
By Jeff Mordock
The Washington Times
October 28, 2019
Black lawmakers want to strip J. Edgar Hoover’s name from the proposed new FBI headquarters because they think he was a racist, outraging longtime agents who say America’s culture of political correctness and victimhood has gone too far.
The fight is bursting into public view again as the FBI inches toward building a new headquarters, a plan that has been simmering for nearly a decade.
“J. Edgar Hoover was an abomination on our history,” said Rep. Karen Bass, California Democrat and chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “I think they should find a name more reputable than J. Edgar Hoover. I mean, all that came out about him after his death: the way he threatened people, what he did in the African American community, what he did to Martin Luther King, what he did to the LGBT community, I could go on and on.”
But former agents say the legacy of the FBI’s first and longest-serving director has been unfairly demonized. They say Hoover’s civil rights record is solid and cite his willingness to send FBI agents to the South to help blacks vote and his opposition to Japanese internment camps during World War II.
“As a former agent, I am disappointed in the FBI for not doing more to defend Mr. Hoover’s legacy,” said William D. Brannon, a 30-year FBI veteran and chairman of the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the legacy of Hoover through scholarships to underprivileged college students.
Since his death in 1972, Hoover’s legacy has been mixed. Critics say he harassed civil rights leaders, discriminated against gay federal workers and amassed incriminating evidence to blackmail political figures. His supporters point to his extraordinary efforts to modernize law enforcement. Creating the FBI’s fingerprint database and bringing forensic science into criminal investigations are among his accomplishments.
The FBI declined to comment on whether the Hoover name will survive the transition to a new headquarters.
Determined to prove the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was under the influence of communists, the FBI kept the civil rights leader under constant surveillance from the mid-1950s until his 1968 assassination. Although FBI wiretaps did not uncover communist ties, the bureau did discover lurid details about King’s sex life.
Historians have suggested Hoover spied on King to discredit him and derail the civil rights movement. Tens of thousands of FBI documents released years ago detail the bureau’s animosity toward the civil rights leader. One memo describes King as an “unprincipled opportunistic individual,” and another calls him “the most dangerous and effective Negro leader in the country.”
“J. Edgar Hoover’s legacy of counterintelligence programs was very disruptive to African American leadership in the black community along with other minority communities,” said Rep. Andre Carson, Indiana Democrat, who said he contacted the FBI years ago about changing the name of its headquarters.
In 1964, Hoover called King “the most notorious liar in the country,” which led to a meeting between the two. Andrew King, a longtime aide of King, has publicly stated that there “was not even an attitude of hostility” during the meeting.
Mr. Brannon said Hoover got an unfair rap for spying on the civil rights leader and noted that the wiretap warrants were approved by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
Within the bureau, Hoover’s record on race is complicated. The bureau hired its first black agent in 1919, nearly a full 20 years before the military integrated. A handful of blacks worked as agents for the FBI in the 1920s, but the bureau’s illustrious academy did not accept its first black candidate until 1962.
“If you look at the history of the FBI, they really didn’t encourage diversity until 1972 or 1973 when we started hiring female agents,” said Lew Schiliro, a former head of the FBI’s New York field office. “It’s unfair to lay that all on Hoover because it was a reflection of the times he was in.”
Previous efforts to remove Hoover’s name from the FBI headquarters gained little traction. Rep. Steve Cohen, Tennessee Democrat, introduced legislation to expunge Hoover’s name in 2015, but the measure didn’t go anywhere. A year later, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, wrote to the General Services Administration saying it would be a mistake to name a new building after the controversial director.
Former agents said the FBI would be turning its back on the agency’s history if it abandons the Hoover name.
Hoover transformed a bureau tarnished by corruption and incompetence, creating a strict code of conduct and a stringent hiring process for agents.
“He really is the father of modern law enforcement,” said John F. McCaffrey, director of the J. Edgar Hoover Institute and a former agent. “We need to recognize that. He did things like establish an identification division, he brought science to law enforcement. He may have had his shortcomings, but his accomplishments were tremendous, and we want to see him recognized.”
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus who spoke with The Washington Times were largely opposed to keeping Hoover’s name.
“Hell, no,” said Rep. Cedric L. Richmond, Louisiana Democrat.
But one Congressional Black Caucus member, Rep. Val Butler Demings, Florida Democrat, said it should be up to the agents to decide whether the bureau will continue to honor Hoover.
“I think it’s really important to understand how the men and women of the bureau feel about the first FBI director,” she said. “I think it’s really important to listen to them.”
Mr. Schiliro said most agents would oppose any name change.
“You have to honor tradition and history regardless of the faults people might have,” he said. “Agents of my generation are just profoundly against something like this. J. Edgar Hoover was the FBI for so many years. To wipe out that sense of tradition and history would be a huge mistake.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: One of my most memorable moments as a professor at College of the Mainland was a discussion I had with Larry Stanley, the school’s president. I cannot remember how the name of Jedgar came up, but Stanley told me he would fire anyone at the college who spoke kindly of J. Edgar Hoover. I told him, “Then you better start with me!”
Stanley also refused to lead a college staff assembly with the Pledge of Allegiance during the start of Iraq War 1. Then he refused to let me lead the pledge, telling me, “This is not the place nor the time for this,” and that he feared the school’s Marxists would walk out if the pledge were to be held.
As for J. Edgar Hoover, none of the FBI directors who followed him could wipe his shoes. The FBI has been diminishing in stature ever since Jedgar’s death.
Fuck the Black Caucus!
By Jeff Mordock
The Washington Times
October 28, 2019
Black lawmakers want to strip J. Edgar Hoover’s name from the proposed new FBI headquarters because they think he was a racist, outraging longtime agents who say America’s culture of political correctness and victimhood has gone too far.
The fight is bursting into public view again as the FBI inches toward building a new headquarters, a plan that has been simmering for nearly a decade.
“J. Edgar Hoover was an abomination on our history,” said Rep. Karen Bass, California Democrat and chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “I think they should find a name more reputable than J. Edgar Hoover. I mean, all that came out about him after his death: the way he threatened people, what he did in the African American community, what he did to Martin Luther King, what he did to the LGBT community, I could go on and on.”
But former agents say the legacy of the FBI’s first and longest-serving director has been unfairly demonized. They say Hoover’s civil rights record is solid and cite his willingness to send FBI agents to the South to help blacks vote and his opposition to Japanese internment camps during World War II.
“As a former agent, I am disappointed in the FBI for not doing more to defend Mr. Hoover’s legacy,” said William D. Brannon, a 30-year FBI veteran and chairman of the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the legacy of Hoover through scholarships to underprivileged college students.
Since his death in 1972, Hoover’s legacy has been mixed. Critics say he harassed civil rights leaders, discriminated against gay federal workers and amassed incriminating evidence to blackmail political figures. His supporters point to his extraordinary efforts to modernize law enforcement. Creating the FBI’s fingerprint database and bringing forensic science into criminal investigations are among his accomplishments.
The FBI declined to comment on whether the Hoover name will survive the transition to a new headquarters.
Determined to prove the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was under the influence of communists, the FBI kept the civil rights leader under constant surveillance from the mid-1950s until his 1968 assassination. Although FBI wiretaps did not uncover communist ties, the bureau did discover lurid details about King’s sex life.
Historians have suggested Hoover spied on King to discredit him and derail the civil rights movement. Tens of thousands of FBI documents released years ago detail the bureau’s animosity toward the civil rights leader. One memo describes King as an “unprincipled opportunistic individual,” and another calls him “the most dangerous and effective Negro leader in the country.”
“J. Edgar Hoover’s legacy of counterintelligence programs was very disruptive to African American leadership in the black community along with other minority communities,” said Rep. Andre Carson, Indiana Democrat, who said he contacted the FBI years ago about changing the name of its headquarters.
In 1964, Hoover called King “the most notorious liar in the country,” which led to a meeting between the two. Andrew King, a longtime aide of King, has publicly stated that there “was not even an attitude of hostility” during the meeting.
Mr. Brannon said Hoover got an unfair rap for spying on the civil rights leader and noted that the wiretap warrants were approved by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
Within the bureau, Hoover’s record on race is complicated. The bureau hired its first black agent in 1919, nearly a full 20 years before the military integrated. A handful of blacks worked as agents for the FBI in the 1920s, but the bureau’s illustrious academy did not accept its first black candidate until 1962.
“If you look at the history of the FBI, they really didn’t encourage diversity until 1972 or 1973 when we started hiring female agents,” said Lew Schiliro, a former head of the FBI’s New York field office. “It’s unfair to lay that all on Hoover because it was a reflection of the times he was in.”
Previous efforts to remove Hoover’s name from the FBI headquarters gained little traction. Rep. Steve Cohen, Tennessee Democrat, introduced legislation to expunge Hoover’s name in 2015, but the measure didn’t go anywhere. A year later, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, wrote to the General Services Administration saying it would be a mistake to name a new building after the controversial director.
Former agents said the FBI would be turning its back on the agency’s history if it abandons the Hoover name.
Hoover transformed a bureau tarnished by corruption and incompetence, creating a strict code of conduct and a stringent hiring process for agents.
“He really is the father of modern law enforcement,” said John F. McCaffrey, director of the J. Edgar Hoover Institute and a former agent. “We need to recognize that. He did things like establish an identification division, he brought science to law enforcement. He may have had his shortcomings, but his accomplishments were tremendous, and we want to see him recognized.”
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus who spoke with The Washington Times were largely opposed to keeping Hoover’s name.
“Hell, no,” said Rep. Cedric L. Richmond, Louisiana Democrat.
But one Congressional Black Caucus member, Rep. Val Butler Demings, Florida Democrat, said it should be up to the agents to decide whether the bureau will continue to honor Hoover.
“I think it’s really important to understand how the men and women of the bureau feel about the first FBI director,” she said. “I think it’s really important to listen to them.”
Mr. Schiliro said most agents would oppose any name change.
“You have to honor tradition and history regardless of the faults people might have,” he said. “Agents of my generation are just profoundly against something like this. J. Edgar Hoover was the FBI for so many years. To wipe out that sense of tradition and history would be a huge mistake.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: One of my most memorable moments as a professor at College of the Mainland was a discussion I had with Larry Stanley, the school’s president. I cannot remember how the name of Jedgar came up, but Stanley told me he would fire anyone at the college who spoke kindly of J. Edgar Hoover. I told him, “Then you better start with me!”
Stanley also refused to lead a college staff assembly with the Pledge of Allegiance during the start of Iraq War 1. Then he refused to let me lead the pledge, telling me, “This is not the place nor the time for this,” and that he feared the school’s Marxists would walk out if the pledge were to be held.
As for J. Edgar Hoover, none of the FBI directors who followed him could wipe his shoes. The FBI has been diminishing in stature ever since Jedgar’s death.
Fuck the Black Caucus!
AOC SUPPORTS BROOKLYN’S ‘FUCK THE POLICE’ PROTESTERS
In effect, AOC encouraged NYC subway fare jumping and disrespect for the police
After close to a thousand anti-police protesters in Downtown Brooklyn Friday shouted obscene insults at NYPD cops, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed her solidarity with the ugly mob by tweeting:
“Ending mass incarceration means challenging a system that jails the poor to free the rich. Arresting people who can’t afford a $2.75 fare makes no one safer and destabilizes our community. New Yorkers know that, they’re not having it, and they’re standing up for each other.”
The protesters had large banners that read “Fuck the police” and “Don’t let these pigs touch us.” They scrawled “Fuck NYPD” and “NYPD KKK,” on a bus with a white marker. Other acts of vandalism occurred, including the trashing of police cars.
The protesters were mainly demonstrating against the arrest of fare jumpers.
By supporting the mob, AOC was in effect encouraging NYC subway fare jumping and disrespect for the police.
By the end of 2018, fare evasion had already cost the city’s transit system $215 million.
After close to a thousand anti-police protesters in Downtown Brooklyn Friday shouted obscene insults at NYPD cops, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed her solidarity with the ugly mob by tweeting:
“Ending mass incarceration means challenging a system that jails the poor to free the rich. Arresting people who can’t afford a $2.75 fare makes no one safer and destabilizes our community. New Yorkers know that, they’re not having it, and they’re standing up for each other.”
The protesters had large banners that read “Fuck the police” and “Don’t let these pigs touch us.” They scrawled “Fuck NYPD” and “NYPD KKK,” on a bus with a white marker. Other acts of vandalism occurred, including the trashing of police cars.
The protesters were mainly demonstrating against the arrest of fare jumpers.
By supporting the mob, AOC was in effect encouraging NYC subway fare jumping and disrespect for the police.
By the end of 2018, fare evasion had already cost the city’s transit system $215 million.
LOUSY HOT SAUCE BOTTLES USED TO CONCEAL METH
Australian police seize $210 million worth of crystal meth hidden in sriracha bottles
By Yaron Steinbuch
New York Post
October 31, 2019
These sriracha bottles were packing more than heat.
Four men were arrested after authorities in Australia seized 400 kilos (880 pounds) of crystal meth worth about $210 million concealed in bottles of the hot chili sauce imported from the US, officials said.
Australian border police targeted an air cargo consignment that had arrived at a freight facility in Sydney on Oct. 15. The consignment was declared to contain the sauce, but police noted inconsistencies.
Officers found 768 bottles of sriracha, “with presumptive testing returning a positive indicator for methylamphetamine (ice),” New South Wales state police said in a statement Thursday.
On Oct. 20, a 36-year-old man was arrested outside a home in Plumpton. The following day, detectives arrested two Victoria men, 30 and 34, in a parking lot of a Sydney hotel, officials said.
Police searched a vehicle in the parking lot and seized eight boxes containing bottles of sriracha, box cutters, bags and gardening gloves.
A search warrant also was executed at a hotel suite, where 26 boxes of sriracha and four mobile phones were seized.
The three Aussies were charged with attempt to possess a commercial quantity and the unlawful importing of a border controlled drug.
A fourth man, 45, was arrested Thursday outside a home at Edensor Park and charged with possessing identity information to commit an indictable offense.
“This has been a complex investigation and we know the methylamphetamine in this import was headed for a clandestine lab in the Sydney Metropolitan area for the extraction process to occur,” State Crime Commander Stuart Smith said in a statement.
“We will conduct further investigations with our law enforcement partners to identify other people linked to the group,” he added.
The seizure has prevented about 4 million hits of crystal methamphetamine hitting the streets, said Matt O’Connor, acting regional commander for the Australian Border Force, Reuters reported.
Crystal meth is known as “ice” due to its little white “crystals” and glass-like appearance.
The Plumpton and Victoria men were held without bail pending court hearings in December. The fourth suspect was granted conditional bail and is due in court Nov. 28.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I once bought a bottle of sriracha after having seen it in a couple of Chinese restaurants. After the second use, I threw the shit away. It had a real lousy taste. Tabasco tastes much better. But Cholula Hot Sauce is best of all, and that’s what I use on all kinds of food.
Cholula Hot Sauce is manufactured in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico, and licensed by José Cuervo.
Try Cholula. It’s in the bottle with the wooden ball top. You’ll like it.
By Yaron Steinbuch
New York Post
October 31, 2019
These sriracha bottles were packing more than heat.
Four men were arrested after authorities in Australia seized 400 kilos (880 pounds) of crystal meth worth about $210 million concealed in bottles of the hot chili sauce imported from the US, officials said.
Australian border police targeted an air cargo consignment that had arrived at a freight facility in Sydney on Oct. 15. The consignment was declared to contain the sauce, but police noted inconsistencies.
Officers found 768 bottles of sriracha, “with presumptive testing returning a positive indicator for methylamphetamine (ice),” New South Wales state police said in a statement Thursday.
On Oct. 20, a 36-year-old man was arrested outside a home in Plumpton. The following day, detectives arrested two Victoria men, 30 and 34, in a parking lot of a Sydney hotel, officials said.
Police searched a vehicle in the parking lot and seized eight boxes containing bottles of sriracha, box cutters, bags and gardening gloves.
A search warrant also was executed at a hotel suite, where 26 boxes of sriracha and four mobile phones were seized.
The three Aussies were charged with attempt to possess a commercial quantity and the unlawful importing of a border controlled drug.
A fourth man, 45, was arrested Thursday outside a home at Edensor Park and charged with possessing identity information to commit an indictable offense.
“This has been a complex investigation and we know the methylamphetamine in this import was headed for a clandestine lab in the Sydney Metropolitan area for the extraction process to occur,” State Crime Commander Stuart Smith said in a statement.
“We will conduct further investigations with our law enforcement partners to identify other people linked to the group,” he added.
The seizure has prevented about 4 million hits of crystal methamphetamine hitting the streets, said Matt O’Connor, acting regional commander for the Australian Border Force, Reuters reported.
Crystal meth is known as “ice” due to its little white “crystals” and glass-like appearance.
The Plumpton and Victoria men were held without bail pending court hearings in December. The fourth suspect was granted conditional bail and is due in court Nov. 28.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I once bought a bottle of sriracha after having seen it in a couple of Chinese restaurants. After the second use, I threw the shit away. It had a real lousy taste. Tabasco tastes much better. But Cholula Hot Sauce is best of all, and that’s what I use on all kinds of food.
Cholula Hot Sauce is manufactured in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico, and licensed by José Cuervo.
Try Cholula. It’s in the bottle with the wooden ball top. You’ll like it.
CAUGHING DURING A HEART ATTACK TO STAY ALIVE IS PURE HOGWASH
I recently received an email from a friend with a massage that said that by breathing deeply and coughing vigorously, heart attack victims can stay alive until help arrives. The message ended by urging that it be passed on. That immediately made me think the advice was phony. And sure enough, the message was pure hogwash. In fact, coughing during a heart attack can be dangerous.
In case you received the same or a similar email, here is an article from The New York Times.
The Claim: You Can Keep Yourself Alive by Coughing During a Heart Attack
By Anahad O’Connor
The New York Times
March 21, 2006
THE FACTS Many Americans know how to perform CPR in an emergency to save someone who slips into cardiac arrest. But a recent widely circulated (and unsigned) e-mail message poses a compelling question: what if you find yourself in need of CPR and there is no one around to perform it?
According to the message, if you feel the radiating chest pains and lightheadedness that often signal a heart attack, you can keep yourself conscious by breathing deeply and coughing vigorously. This supposedly increases oxygen levels and squeezes the heart, allowing blood to circulate.
But experts say the "cough CPR" claim is largely untrue. It may have started because patients having angiograms are sometimes asked to cough forcefully when they have sudden abnormal heartbeats. Coughing deeply can help a person on the verge of passing out — a sign of cardiac arrest — until treatment can be given.
But for someone having a heart attack that does not result in cardiac arrest, coughing can be extremely dangerous. And since most people are not able to tell the difference, coughing during a heart attack is almost always a bad idea, according to the American Heart Association.
A study published in 1998 did find that the technique could be useful for people who suffer from a rare condition known as Stokes-Adams syndrome, which causes heart arrhythmias and frequent fainting. But in typical cases, doctors recommend a tried-and-true technique: call for help and pop an aspirin — quickly.
THE BOTTOM LINE Coughing during a heart attack can be dangerous.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Will people ever learn that when they get an email which tells them to pass it on, the message is almost always as phony as a nine dollar bill?
In case you received the same or a similar email, here is an article from The New York Times.
The Claim: You Can Keep Yourself Alive by Coughing During a Heart Attack
By Anahad O’Connor
The New York Times
March 21, 2006
THE FACTS Many Americans know how to perform CPR in an emergency to save someone who slips into cardiac arrest. But a recent widely circulated (and unsigned) e-mail message poses a compelling question: what if you find yourself in need of CPR and there is no one around to perform it?
According to the message, if you feel the radiating chest pains and lightheadedness that often signal a heart attack, you can keep yourself conscious by breathing deeply and coughing vigorously. This supposedly increases oxygen levels and squeezes the heart, allowing blood to circulate.
But experts say the "cough CPR" claim is largely untrue. It may have started because patients having angiograms are sometimes asked to cough forcefully when they have sudden abnormal heartbeats. Coughing deeply can help a person on the verge of passing out — a sign of cardiac arrest — until treatment can be given.
But for someone having a heart attack that does not result in cardiac arrest, coughing can be extremely dangerous. And since most people are not able to tell the difference, coughing during a heart attack is almost always a bad idea, according to the American Heart Association.
A study published in 1998 did find that the technique could be useful for people who suffer from a rare condition known as Stokes-Adams syndrome, which causes heart arrhythmias and frequent fainting. But in typical cases, doctors recommend a tried-and-true technique: call for help and pop an aspirin — quickly.
THE BOTTOM LINE Coughing during a heart attack can be dangerous.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Will people ever learn that when they get an email which tells them to pass it on, the message is almost always as phony as a nine dollar bill?
Sunday, November 03, 2019
TRUMP PLANS TO MAKE AMERICA GREATER
EXCLUSIVE: If reelected, the President will annex the Gulf of Mexico and rename it Gulf of the USA
By Pamela Putz
The Unconventional Gazette
November 3, 2019
Upon our promise not to ask him any questions about the impeachment proceedings or any of the derogatory things said about him by the mainstream media, President Trump agreed to give TUG an exclusive interview. We met in the Oval Office Study of the White House.
Pamala Putz: Thank you Mr. President, TUG really appreciates your giving us an exclusive interview.
President Trump: You’re very welcome Pan. It’s my pleasure.
P: When we negotiated for this interview, you said you wanted to talk about making America greater.
T: That’s right. When I ran for President, I promised to make America great again. I’ve kept that promise. Our military is once again the strongest military in the world, stronger than the armed forces of China and Russia. And we have a robust economy and the lowest unemployment rate in modern history. And when I am reelected, I promise to make America greater.
P: You told us you had an important announcement to make about making America grater.
T: That’s right. In January 2021, I will annex the Gulf of Mexico. I have drawn a straight line from Key West to Brownsville, Texas. The gulf above that line will be renamed as the Gulf of the USA and it will become American territory.
P: But Mr. President, with all due respect, I don’t think international law will allow you to do that.
T: International law can go to hell! Don’t forget, I’m for America first. Besides that, if China can claim the South China Sea by building islands in it, I sure as hell can claim the Gulf of the USA. If necessary, I’ll build a number of islands along that line from Key West to Brownsville.
P: But where will you get all the sand, rocks and cement needed to build those islands.
T: From China, of course. But if they have that big one [earthquake] next year in California, I’ll use the rubble of LA and San Francisco to build them. … Ha ha Pam, that’s a joke.
P: And how are you going to pay for the building of those island? I’m sure it will cost a lot more than your border wall.
T: Well, I’m not going to raise taxes to pay for them. I’ll seize the assets of Iran and Russia that we hold. And I might do the same with Mexico. … Hmm, I might just do that to pay for the wall.
P: Let me get back to international law.
T: Forget it Pam. What are they going to do … declare war on us? Ha, they know that on the snap of my fingers, I can reduce any country that attacks us to radioactive dust.
P: You mentioned Mexico. Isn’t Mexico going to get extremely angry when you rename the Gulf?
T: So? What are they going to do about it? I’ll tell you what … other than squawking about it, they can’t do squat.
P: Now that you’ve made America great again, what about all those MAGA caps?
T: I’m way ahead of you. I’ve already ordered thousands of small stickers of my picture that can be used to cover the last letter on the MAGA caps. Then my supporters will have a cap that reads MAG with my picture on them. By the way, those stickers will be on sale at my campaign offices at $4.99 per sticker. And my supporters will also be able to purchase the new MAG caps for $19.99.
P: Mr. President, please allow me to ask you one question regarding the Turkish-Kurdish dispute. You praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a great leader and friend when almost everyone else describes him as a brutal dictator. What about that?
T: I’ve always had trouble with his strange name. I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks of him. ... Pam, I’m sorry, but I’ve got an important meeting in about five minutes.
P: Thank you for your time, Mr. President.
By Pamela Putz
The Unconventional Gazette
November 3, 2019
Upon our promise not to ask him any questions about the impeachment proceedings or any of the derogatory things said about him by the mainstream media, President Trump agreed to give TUG an exclusive interview. We met in the Oval Office Study of the White House.
Pamala Putz: Thank you Mr. President, TUG really appreciates your giving us an exclusive interview.
President Trump: You’re very welcome Pan. It’s my pleasure.
P: When we negotiated for this interview, you said you wanted to talk about making America greater.
T: That’s right. When I ran for President, I promised to make America great again. I’ve kept that promise. Our military is once again the strongest military in the world, stronger than the armed forces of China and Russia. And we have a robust economy and the lowest unemployment rate in modern history. And when I am reelected, I promise to make America greater.
P: You told us you had an important announcement to make about making America grater.
T: That’s right. In January 2021, I will annex the Gulf of Mexico. I have drawn a straight line from Key West to Brownsville, Texas. The gulf above that line will be renamed as the Gulf of the USA and it will become American territory.
P: But Mr. President, with all due respect, I don’t think international law will allow you to do that.
T: International law can go to hell! Don’t forget, I’m for America first. Besides that, if China can claim the South China Sea by building islands in it, I sure as hell can claim the Gulf of the USA. If necessary, I’ll build a number of islands along that line from Key West to Brownsville.
P: But where will you get all the sand, rocks and cement needed to build those islands.
T: From China, of course. But if they have that big one [earthquake] next year in California, I’ll use the rubble of LA and San Francisco to build them. … Ha ha Pam, that’s a joke.
P: And how are you going to pay for the building of those island? I’m sure it will cost a lot more than your border wall.
T: Well, I’m not going to raise taxes to pay for them. I’ll seize the assets of Iran and Russia that we hold. And I might do the same with Mexico. … Hmm, I might just do that to pay for the wall.
P: Let me get back to international law.
T: Forget it Pam. What are they going to do … declare war on us? Ha, they know that on the snap of my fingers, I can reduce any country that attacks us to radioactive dust.
P: You mentioned Mexico. Isn’t Mexico going to get extremely angry when you rename the Gulf?
T: So? What are they going to do about it? I’ll tell you what … other than squawking about it, they can’t do squat.
P: Now that you’ve made America great again, what about all those MAGA caps?
T: I’m way ahead of you. I’ve already ordered thousands of small stickers of my picture that can be used to cover the last letter on the MAGA caps. Then my supporters will have a cap that reads MAG with my picture on them. By the way, those stickers will be on sale at my campaign offices at $4.99 per sticker. And my supporters will also be able to purchase the new MAG caps for $19.99.
P: Mr. President, please allow me to ask you one question regarding the Turkish-Kurdish dispute. You praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a great leader and friend when almost everyone else describes him as a brutal dictator. What about that?
T: I’ve always had trouble with his strange name. I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks of him. ... Pam, I’m sorry, but I’ve got an important meeting in about five minutes.
P: Thank you for your time, Mr. President.
INTERESTING 9-1-1 LAWSUIT
by Bob Walsh
Back in 2015 two women were stabbed and badly injured in a home invasion attack in Salt Lake City. It seems that their 911 dispatch is handled by a private firm, Priority Dispatch Corp, who allegedly screwed the pooch on their call.
The bad guy, Robert Berger, 48, entered the house thru a window. As the girls fought with him one managed to call 911 and yelled out their home address while the fight was going on. Neighbors also called 911 as they heard the midnight hoorah going on in the normally quiet house. The girls made a total of FOUR calls to 911 over a period of 15 minutes. None of the four phone calls had anyone dispatched on them.
Eventually a cop who was on the street on another call where Berger had attempted to break in earlier heard the ruckus and responded independently. He shot Berger deader than dog shit.
The spokeshole for the company stated, "We recognize this was a very unfortunate situation."
My admittedly limited understanding of the law in this case would indicate that a private company does NOT enjoy the limited immunity that government employees, especially police officers or police department employees, might have in this case. It could turn out very interesting indeed.
Back in 2015 two women were stabbed and badly injured in a home invasion attack in Salt Lake City. It seems that their 911 dispatch is handled by a private firm, Priority Dispatch Corp, who allegedly screwed the pooch on their call.
The bad guy, Robert Berger, 48, entered the house thru a window. As the girls fought with him one managed to call 911 and yelled out their home address while the fight was going on. Neighbors also called 911 as they heard the midnight hoorah going on in the normally quiet house. The girls made a total of FOUR calls to 911 over a period of 15 minutes. None of the four phone calls had anyone dispatched on them.
Eventually a cop who was on the street on another call where Berger had attempted to break in earlier heard the ruckus and responded independently. He shot Berger deader than dog shit.
The spokeshole for the company stated, "We recognize this was a very unfortunate situation."
My admittedly limited understanding of the law in this case would indicate that a private company does NOT enjoy the limited immunity that government employees, especially police officers or police department employees, might have in this case. It could turn out very interesting indeed.
IN DE BLASIOVILLE, PROTESTERS EXPRESS THEIR HATRED OF NYPD COPS
Anti-cop protesters in Brooklyn blast fare evasion crackdown
By Alex Taylor and Catherine Kast
New York Post
November 1, 2019
Close to a thousand anti-police protesters descended on Downtown Brooklyn Friday night, blocking traffic, vandalizing a city bus and shouting obscene insults at NYPD cops.
The demonstration formed soon after 7 p.m. on the streets near the Barclays Center, with protesters unfurling large banners that read “Fuck the police” and “Don’t let these pigs touch us.” The crowd began dispersing by 9 p.m.
The demonstration was in response to a planned crackdown on fare evasion by the NYPD — and two controversial police actions in Brooklyn subway stations in recent weeks.
In one of the incidents, an NYPD cop sent straphangers scrambling in terror when he pointed his pistol toward a window from the platform at the Franklin Avenue station in Brooklyn.
In another incident, an officer was caught on camera slugging a 15-year-old boy in a wild melee at the Jay Street-MetroTech station in Downtown Brooklyn.
“That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” one protester, a 31-year-old woman who works in media said. “I mean, it’s monstrous. My fucking tax dollars are going to this? It doesn’t make sense.”
As the protesters fanned out in the streets Friday, a group surrounded a nearby MTA bus and vandalized it with stickers and anti-cop graffiti.
“Fuck NYPD” and “NYPD KKK,” they scrawled on the bus with white marker.
“They were banging on the bus, and then a kid with a white mask and a hoodie … used a marker to mark the bus,” one passenger said after getting off.
“I’m not gonna lie, it was scary,” another passenger said.
The demonstrators also made their way into the nearby Hoyt/Schemerhorn station, jumping over the turnstile and shouting obscenities at NYPD officers stationed there.
One subway rider urged the protesters to stop yelling at the officers in the station, only for the crowd to turn on her and begin hurling insults in her direction.
“I live here. This is my subway stop. I felt bad seeing the police getting bullied,” said Eve Hyman, 46, a high school teacher.
Hyman added that she’s sympathetic to the protesters message, but hates their “vitriol” and “outrage.”
__________
Teen punched in face by cop during Brooklyn subway brawl to sue city for $5M
By Andrew Denney
New York Post
October 30, 2019
A 15-year-old who was punched in the face by an NYPD cop last week during a wild brawl at a Brooklyn subway station that was captured in viral videos plans to sue the city for $5 million.
Benjamin Marshall filed a notice of his intention to sue Wednesday, claiming he was “doing nothing wrong” when a melee broke out in the Jay Street-MetroTech station on Oct. 25 between a group of teens and a dozen officers from the 84th Precinct.
Marshall’s father, Anthony Noel, said at a news conference that his son was headed into the subway station to retrieve his backpack when he was slugged by a cop.
“While he was there he was punched multiple times by one of New York’s Finest — which should never happen,” Noel said. “If you look at the video you would see he was laying on the ground. There were about six cops on his back. One had his knee on his neck. Benjamin was crying out ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.’ ”
Police were initially called to the station for reports of a fight between two groups that then spilled into the Downtown Brooklyn transit hub.
According to medical reports that Rubenstein distributed to reporters, Marshall suffered a concussion from the incident.
Victoria Noel, Marshall’s mother, claimed her son was held by police for 11 hours without medical attention.
Marshall was accused of decking an officer in the face, his mother said — a charge that Marshall denies.
The teen’s lawyer, Sanford Rubenstein, said there is a pending criminal complaint against Marshall for the alleged assault but the city’s Corporation Counsel — which brings cases in Family Court — has not yet determined if it will officially charge him.
The NYPD didn’t immediately respond to request for comment on whether he is facing charges or the other allegations in his suit.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Police Commissioner James O’Neill declined to comment on the case directly but said the matter is under investigation.
“The officer involved is on non-enforcement duty,” O’Neill said. “But first and foremost, there shouldn’t be any fighting on subway platforms, especially by teenagers, because it is in an inherently unsafe place.”
Several pols, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams — who is himself a former cop — and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, have called for a formal investigation into the incident.
In the wake of the fight, an unidentified police officer who was caught throwing punches was transferred from the 84th Precinct to the Brooklyn detective squad, sources told The Post. The officer has been the subject of several reports filed with the Civilian Complaint Review Board — some of which were for use of force issues, sources said.
The city’s Law Department declined to comment on the notice of claim.
By Alex Taylor and Catherine Kast
New York Post
November 1, 2019
Close to a thousand anti-police protesters descended on Downtown Brooklyn Friday night, blocking traffic, vandalizing a city bus and shouting obscene insults at NYPD cops.
The demonstration formed soon after 7 p.m. on the streets near the Barclays Center, with protesters unfurling large banners that read “Fuck the police” and “Don’t let these pigs touch us.” The crowd began dispersing by 9 p.m.
The demonstration was in response to a planned crackdown on fare evasion by the NYPD — and two controversial police actions in Brooklyn subway stations in recent weeks.
In one of the incidents, an NYPD cop sent straphangers scrambling in terror when he pointed his pistol toward a window from the platform at the Franklin Avenue station in Brooklyn.
In another incident, an officer was caught on camera slugging a 15-year-old boy in a wild melee at the Jay Street-MetroTech station in Downtown Brooklyn.
“That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” one protester, a 31-year-old woman who works in media said. “I mean, it’s monstrous. My fucking tax dollars are going to this? It doesn’t make sense.”
As the protesters fanned out in the streets Friday, a group surrounded a nearby MTA bus and vandalized it with stickers and anti-cop graffiti.
“Fuck NYPD” and “NYPD KKK,” they scrawled on the bus with white marker.
“They were banging on the bus, and then a kid with a white mask and a hoodie … used a marker to mark the bus,” one passenger said after getting off.
“I’m not gonna lie, it was scary,” another passenger said.
The demonstrators also made their way into the nearby Hoyt/Schemerhorn station, jumping over the turnstile and shouting obscenities at NYPD officers stationed there.
One subway rider urged the protesters to stop yelling at the officers in the station, only for the crowd to turn on her and begin hurling insults in her direction.
“I live here. This is my subway stop. I felt bad seeing the police getting bullied,” said Eve Hyman, 46, a high school teacher.
Hyman added that she’s sympathetic to the protesters message, but hates their “vitriol” and “outrage.”
__________
Teen punched in face by cop during Brooklyn subway brawl to sue city for $5M
By Andrew Denney
New York Post
October 30, 2019
A 15-year-old who was punched in the face by an NYPD cop last week during a wild brawl at a Brooklyn subway station that was captured in viral videos plans to sue the city for $5 million.
Benjamin Marshall filed a notice of his intention to sue Wednesday, claiming he was “doing nothing wrong” when a melee broke out in the Jay Street-MetroTech station on Oct. 25 between a group of teens and a dozen officers from the 84th Precinct.
Marshall’s father, Anthony Noel, said at a news conference that his son was headed into the subway station to retrieve his backpack when he was slugged by a cop.
“While he was there he was punched multiple times by one of New York’s Finest — which should never happen,” Noel said. “If you look at the video you would see he was laying on the ground. There were about six cops on his back. One had his knee on his neck. Benjamin was crying out ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.’ ”
Police were initially called to the station for reports of a fight between two groups that then spilled into the Downtown Brooklyn transit hub.
According to medical reports that Rubenstein distributed to reporters, Marshall suffered a concussion from the incident.
Victoria Noel, Marshall’s mother, claimed her son was held by police for 11 hours without medical attention.
Marshall was accused of decking an officer in the face, his mother said — a charge that Marshall denies.
The teen’s lawyer, Sanford Rubenstein, said there is a pending criminal complaint against Marshall for the alleged assault but the city’s Corporation Counsel — which brings cases in Family Court — has not yet determined if it will officially charge him.
The NYPD didn’t immediately respond to request for comment on whether he is facing charges or the other allegations in his suit.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Police Commissioner James O’Neill declined to comment on the case directly but said the matter is under investigation.
“The officer involved is on non-enforcement duty,” O’Neill said. “But first and foremost, there shouldn’t be any fighting on subway platforms, especially by teenagers, because it is in an inherently unsafe place.”
Several pols, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams — who is himself a former cop — and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, have called for a formal investigation into the incident.
In the wake of the fight, an unidentified police officer who was caught throwing punches was transferred from the 84th Precinct to the Brooklyn detective squad, sources told The Post. The officer has been the subject of several reports filed with the Civilian Complaint Review Board — some of which were for use of force issues, sources said.
The city’s Law Department declined to comment on the notice of claim.
SAWZALLS CUTTING RIGHT THROUGH TRUMP BORDER WALL
Smugglers in Mexico are SAWING through sections of Trump's 'virtually impenetrable' border wall using power tools that cost less than $100
Daily Mail
November 2, 2019
Smuggling gangs in Mexico are sawing through the Trump administration's border wall using popular power tools, like a reciprocating saw, that costs less than $100 at hardware stores.
Daily Mail
November 2, 2019
Smuggling gangs in Mexico are sawing through the Trump administration's border wall using popular power tools, like a reciprocating saw, that costs less than $100 at hardware stores.
BUT WILL HE BE CRIMINALLY CHARGED IN THE WOMAN’S DEATH?
Texas officer who shot at dog but killed woman resigns
Associated Press
November 1, 2019
ARLINGTON, Texas - A Texas police officer who accidentally shot and killed a woman when he fired repeatedly at a dog charging at him has resigned.
A statement from Arlington police says Officer Ravi Singh resigned Friday, concluding the department's internal investigation of the Aug. 1 shooting death of Margarita Brooks. The findings of a criminal investigation will be presented to a grand jury.
The officer and other emergency workers were sent to check on a woman who appeared to be passed out in a grassy area in the Fort Worth suburb.
Body camera video showed the officer called out to the woman when a barking dog charged him. The officer backed away, drew his weapon and fired at the dog.
The woman yelled out after the shots were fired. The dog - believed to be the woman's - survived.
Associated Press
November 1, 2019
ARLINGTON, Texas - A Texas police officer who accidentally shot and killed a woman when he fired repeatedly at a dog charging at him has resigned.
A statement from Arlington police says Officer Ravi Singh resigned Friday, concluding the department's internal investigation of the Aug. 1 shooting death of Margarita Brooks. The findings of a criminal investigation will be presented to a grand jury.
The officer and other emergency workers were sent to check on a woman who appeared to be passed out in a grassy area in the Fort Worth suburb.
Body camera video showed the officer called out to the woman when a barking dog charged him. The officer backed away, drew his weapon and fired at the dog.
The woman yelled out after the shots were fired. The dog - believed to be the woman's - survived.
ANTI-GUN VIOLENCE ACTIVIST KILLS HER THREE CHILFREN AND HERSELF BY USING A GUN
Deaths of Deer Park mother, 3 children ruled a murder-suicide
By Tulsi Kamath
Click2Houston
October 31, 2019
The deaths of three children and their mother in their Deer Park home Tuesday have been ruled a murder-suicide following autopsies by the medical examiner's office, officials announced Friday.
Deer Park officers discovered the four bodies when they conducted a welfare check at a home on New Orleans Street near Georgia Avenue Tuesday morning.
The mother, 39-year-old Ashley Auzenne, was determined to be the suspect in the murder-suicide. Officials believe she killed her children: 11-year-old Parrish, 9-year-old Elanor and 7-year-old Lincoln.
Police said the bodies were found in various locations inside the house and all of them had gunshot wounds.
The handgun police believe Ashley Auzenne used to kill her children and herself was found in the house.
By Tulsi Kamath
Click2Houston
October 31, 2019
The deaths of three children and their mother in their Deer Park home Tuesday have been ruled a murder-suicide following autopsies by the medical examiner's office, officials announced Friday.
Deer Park officers discovered the four bodies when they conducted a welfare check at a home on New Orleans Street near Georgia Avenue Tuesday morning.
The mother, 39-year-old Ashley Auzenne, was determined to be the suspect in the murder-suicide. Officials believe she killed her children: 11-year-old Parrish, 9-year-old Elanor and 7-year-old Lincoln.
Police said the bodies were found in various locations inside the house and all of them had gunshot wounds.
The handgun police believe Ashley Auzenne used to kill her children and herself was found in the house.
CONVICTIONS IN CASES INVOLVING DIRTY DEA AGENT NOW QUESTIONABLE
1997 murder conviction under review after corrupt DEA agent convicted of perjury
By Brandon Walker
Click2Houston
October 29, 2019
HOUSTON - The conviction of a former Drug Enforcement Administration Agent has raised new questions about a decades-old homicide case in Houston.
Lamar Burks, 46, was convicted of murder in 2000, accused in the June 1997 shooting death of Earl Perry. While Burks has maintained his innocence, he lost two appeals. However, recent allegations of coercion, as well as newly uncovered evidence, has Burks' legal team pushing for the case to be revisited, if not overturned.
What happened?
It was a crime scene strewn about the parking lot of a late-night eatery on Cavalcade Street in Houston's Fifth Ward. Earl Perry, then 28 years old, was shot to death. Perry's body lay in the corner of the parking lot of what was T's Restaurant, located on the 3800 block of Cavalcade Street. Witnesses on scene told Houston police a dice game resulted in a commotion, leading to gunfire.
Perry was shot three times, according to his autopsy report.
The fatal blow was to his back. Investigators recovered one die next to his body. Prosecutors initially charged Burks in connection with Perry's murder in 1998, although that charge was dropped after the sole witness recanted – claiming it was a case of mistaken identity.
Burks' apparent freedom wouldn't last, however. He was reindicted in 2000 after a new witness, Randy Lewis, came forward, testifying Burks was the gunman to a grand jury.
Both Burks and a man named Derevin Whitaker were charged in Perry's death, although the charge against Whitaker would soon be dismissed. Burks was tried and found guilty. A second man, Clayton Brown, was found guilty, as well. Brown served a five-year sentence.
Nineteen years later, both Brown and Lewis have said Lamar Burks was not the gunman and was not at the scene of the crime on June 30, 1997. Burks has maintained his innocence, insisting he was in Opelousas, Louisiana for his sister's wedding the week of the murder. His legal says phone records and a photograph of Burks at the wedding corroborate his claim.
Set up?
At the center of the investigation were two DEA agents – Chad Scott and Jack Schumacher. A federal jury convicted Scott on seven counts in August. Scott is accused of perjury, obstruction of justice and falsifying government records, among other allegations. The charges stem from Scott's work as a DEA agent in Louisiana after he was transferred out of the Houston area.
Burks' alleges Scott is guilty of the same in his case – and both Lewis and Brown now allege Scott coerced them into providing false statements, court documents said.
Harris County District Attorney: Burks' conviction valid
In a statement to KPRC2, Dane Schiller, spokesman for Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. "We have no reason to doubt the integrity of Burks' conviction.
"An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for next month, and we will make our position know to the court at that time."
By Brandon Walker
Click2Houston
October 29, 2019
HOUSTON - The conviction of a former Drug Enforcement Administration Agent has raised new questions about a decades-old homicide case in Houston.
Lamar Burks, 46, was convicted of murder in 2000, accused in the June 1997 shooting death of Earl Perry. While Burks has maintained his innocence, he lost two appeals. However, recent allegations of coercion, as well as newly uncovered evidence, has Burks' legal team pushing for the case to be revisited, if not overturned.
What happened?
It was a crime scene strewn about the parking lot of a late-night eatery on Cavalcade Street in Houston's Fifth Ward. Earl Perry, then 28 years old, was shot to death. Perry's body lay in the corner of the parking lot of what was T's Restaurant, located on the 3800 block of Cavalcade Street. Witnesses on scene told Houston police a dice game resulted in a commotion, leading to gunfire.
Perry was shot three times, according to his autopsy report.
The fatal blow was to his back. Investigators recovered one die next to his body. Prosecutors initially charged Burks in connection with Perry's murder in 1998, although that charge was dropped after the sole witness recanted – claiming it was a case of mistaken identity.
Burks' apparent freedom wouldn't last, however. He was reindicted in 2000 after a new witness, Randy Lewis, came forward, testifying Burks was the gunman to a grand jury.
Both Burks and a man named Derevin Whitaker were charged in Perry's death, although the charge against Whitaker would soon be dismissed. Burks was tried and found guilty. A second man, Clayton Brown, was found guilty, as well. Brown served a five-year sentence.
Nineteen years later, both Brown and Lewis have said Lamar Burks was not the gunman and was not at the scene of the crime on June 30, 1997. Burks has maintained his innocence, insisting he was in Opelousas, Louisiana for his sister's wedding the week of the murder. His legal says phone records and a photograph of Burks at the wedding corroborate his claim.
Set up?
At the center of the investigation were two DEA agents – Chad Scott and Jack Schumacher. A federal jury convicted Scott on seven counts in August. Scott is accused of perjury, obstruction of justice and falsifying government records, among other allegations. The charges stem from Scott's work as a DEA agent in Louisiana after he was transferred out of the Houston area.
Burks' alleges Scott is guilty of the same in his case – and both Lewis and Brown now allege Scott coerced them into providing false statements, court documents said.
Harris County District Attorney: Burks' conviction valid
In a statement to KPRC2, Dane Schiller, spokesman for Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. "We have no reason to doubt the integrity of Burks' conviction.
"An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for next month, and we will make our position know to the court at that time."
Saturday, November 02, 2019
THE IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS COULD BE POTENTIALLY AS MESSY FOR THE DEMOCRATS AS FOR TRUMP
Trump may look like he’s on the ropes but he’s got US jobs flying, ISIS chiefs dying, and desperate Democrats launching an impeachment bid they can’t win – all of which spells a stunning KO in 2020
By Piers Morgan
Daily Mail
November 1, 2019
My favorite sporting anecdote involves the iconic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ world heavyweight-boxing clash between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
At the time, Ali was 32, and highly polarizing trash-talking Louisville Lip ex-champ was seven years older than the current champion Foreman, a ferocious undefeated warrior considered unbeatable by pugilist experts.
Very few gave Ali a chance of even lasting a few rounds against a man infamous for his ‘anywhere punch’ that broke something anywhere it hit.
And even fewer gave him a chance when he spent the first few rounds ignoring his trainer’s advice and sitting on the ropes, soaking up Foreman’s relentless barrage of fearsomely brutal punches.
This ‘rope-a-dope’ strategy seemed destined for inevitable humiliating failure, but there was method to Ali’s apparent madness.
Foreman grew increasingly enraged as Ali persistently taunted him into hitting him even harder. But he also grew increasingly tired.
And by the end of the eighth round, he was shattered.
At which point, Ali suddenly flew off the ropes and unleashed a devastating fusillade culminating in a savage left hook and right-hand hammer blow that knocked Foreman over and out.
It was the most stunning KO in boxing history, but it was something Foreman revealed afterwards that became so iconic.
‘I hit him in the third round so hard that he fell on me,’ Foreman said. ‘I thought, “That’s it!”’ But then he started screaming at me, “That all you got George? Show me something!” And I knew then I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
I thought of this when Democrats launched their formal bid yesterday to impeach President Donald Trump – an old friend of Ali’s with the same penchant for trash talk and hitting people who hit him even harder.
The vote to authorize rules for the impeachment inquiry, in the Democrat-dominated House of Representatives, fell almost entirely along party lines, 232-196.
But it was notable for two things: 1) No Republicans flipped and 2) Two Democrats voted against it.
The first point is significant because it indicates that so far, President Trump enjoys rock solid support from his own party in direct contrast to Bill Clinton at the same stage of his impeachment process in 1998 when 31 Democrats voted in favor of setting up a formal process for considering it.
The second point is also significant because it shows Democrat leaders driving this impeachment don’t even have rock solid support from their own party for it.
One of those two Democrats who voted against, New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew explained his decision by saying: ‘At the end of the day we’ll have the same president and same candidate and a failed impeachment process, and the only difference will be that the president will have been exonerated of charges.’
And therein lies the massive problem facing Democrats as they embark on this impeachment process – as things stand, it will almost certainly fail.
I warned several months ago that this Ukraine scandal was not a hill the Dems should choose to die on in their battle to unseat Trump.
It’s a strange case because Trump’s already admitted much of the allegation against him, readily conceding that yes he spoke to a foreign leader about investigating corruption before he would release US aid, and that he mentioned Joe Biden in connection with alleged corruption.
The only question remains whether he specifically demanded Ukraine’s president Zelensky investigate Biden, Trump’s possible rival in 2020, before he would release the $400 million in aid.
In other words, was there a direct ‘quid pro quo’ in which the US President deliberately withheld the aid money unless Ukraine dug dirt on his own domestic election rival?
Trump says no, and already those giving testimony appear to be giving completely conflicting statements on whether he did or not.
But whatever the truth, I remain far from convinced it’s an impeachable offence anyway.
As former Trump advisor Steve Bannon said on CNN last night, if Biden WAS involved in anything corrupt in the Ukraine while he was Vice-President, then that would surely be a perfectly legitimate thing for a current US president to demand was investigated?
And there are lots of very serious questions still to be answered about Biden’s son Hunter’s employment with a dodgy US energy firm while his dad was second most powerful man in America and spending a lot of time himself on political missions in the Ukraine.
So impeachment hearings could be potentially as messy for the Democrats as it is for Trump.
But the wider issue remains this: I don’t think this impeachment has a cat in hell’s chance of being successful, given the hyper-partisan nature of current US politics.
And it’s hard not to escape the conclusion the Democrats are reluctantly proceeding with it because they think it’s their best, perhaps only, way to stop Trump winning again in 2020.
In fact, some of them have admitted as much.
‘I’m concerned that if we don’t impeach this president, he will get re-elected’ said vehement anti-Trumper, Texas Rep. Al Green last May.
And that fear is almost certainly what’s really motivating this move.
But what the Democrats don’t seem to have realized, or have chosen to ignore in their self-righteous desperation to nail Trump for anything, is that a failed impeachment attempt will hugely help him get re-elected.
If zero Republicans have turned on Trump at the first hurdle in the House, why on earth should anyone expect 20 Republican senators to vote to convict him?
Especially when public opinion is so divided on the issue, with a new Washington Post/ABC News poll showing 49% of Americans supporting Trump being impeached but 47% opposing it.
Dig deeper into those poll results and they reveal that most Democrat voters (82%) support it, and most Republican voters (also 82%) oppose it. But the majority of Independents (49% to 47%) are against it.
None of this suggests Republican senators will come under anything like nough pressure to flip. Not unless there are new bombshell revelations that come out to game-change what we already know about Trump’s behavior in the Ukraine scandal.
And there’s another massive problem for the Democrats.
While all this is going on, the US economy continues to power away.
It emerged today that 128,000 jobs were added in October, way higher than the 75,000 expected.
August and September numbers were also revised sharply higher, and America is now enjoying record low unemployment for African-Americans and record high total unemployment.
Even Trump’s most vociferous media critics have had to grudgingly admit these are great stats.
As for the President, he’s rightly ecstatic about them.
Trump promised to get Americans back to work, and he is doing just that. He also promised to go after terrorists, and a few days ago, US special forces killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
So this has been a great week for President Trump in delivering on several of his key 2016 campaign promises.
In fact the only thing that could be even better for him as he heads into another election year is a failed attempt to impeach him – which is exactly what I think is going to happen.
That will fire up his base, demoralize his liberal opponents and on the back of a surging US economy, and successful war on terror, virtually guarantee him another win.
In fact, President Trump may well choose to borrow the words of his boxing idol Muhammad Ali and say to his fast-punching opponents: ‘That all you got, Dems?’
By Piers Morgan
Daily Mail
November 1, 2019
My favorite sporting anecdote involves the iconic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ world heavyweight-boxing clash between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
At the time, Ali was 32, and highly polarizing trash-talking Louisville Lip ex-champ was seven years older than the current champion Foreman, a ferocious undefeated warrior considered unbeatable by pugilist experts.
Very few gave Ali a chance of even lasting a few rounds against a man infamous for his ‘anywhere punch’ that broke something anywhere it hit.
And even fewer gave him a chance when he spent the first few rounds ignoring his trainer’s advice and sitting on the ropes, soaking up Foreman’s relentless barrage of fearsomely brutal punches.
This ‘rope-a-dope’ strategy seemed destined for inevitable humiliating failure, but there was method to Ali’s apparent madness.
Foreman grew increasingly enraged as Ali persistently taunted him into hitting him even harder. But he also grew increasingly tired.
And by the end of the eighth round, he was shattered.
At which point, Ali suddenly flew off the ropes and unleashed a devastating fusillade culminating in a savage left hook and right-hand hammer blow that knocked Foreman over and out.
It was the most stunning KO in boxing history, but it was something Foreman revealed afterwards that became so iconic.
‘I hit him in the third round so hard that he fell on me,’ Foreman said. ‘I thought, “That’s it!”’ But then he started screaming at me, “That all you got George? Show me something!” And I knew then I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
I thought of this when Democrats launched their formal bid yesterday to impeach President Donald Trump – an old friend of Ali’s with the same penchant for trash talk and hitting people who hit him even harder.
The vote to authorize rules for the impeachment inquiry, in the Democrat-dominated House of Representatives, fell almost entirely along party lines, 232-196.
But it was notable for two things: 1) No Republicans flipped and 2) Two Democrats voted against it.
The first point is significant because it indicates that so far, President Trump enjoys rock solid support from his own party in direct contrast to Bill Clinton at the same stage of his impeachment process in 1998 when 31 Democrats voted in favor of setting up a formal process for considering it.
The second point is also significant because it shows Democrat leaders driving this impeachment don’t even have rock solid support from their own party for it.
One of those two Democrats who voted against, New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew explained his decision by saying: ‘At the end of the day we’ll have the same president and same candidate and a failed impeachment process, and the only difference will be that the president will have been exonerated of charges.’
And therein lies the massive problem facing Democrats as they embark on this impeachment process – as things stand, it will almost certainly fail.
I warned several months ago that this Ukraine scandal was not a hill the Dems should choose to die on in their battle to unseat Trump.
It’s a strange case because Trump’s already admitted much of the allegation against him, readily conceding that yes he spoke to a foreign leader about investigating corruption before he would release US aid, and that he mentioned Joe Biden in connection with alleged corruption.
The only question remains whether he specifically demanded Ukraine’s president Zelensky investigate Biden, Trump’s possible rival in 2020, before he would release the $400 million in aid.
In other words, was there a direct ‘quid pro quo’ in which the US President deliberately withheld the aid money unless Ukraine dug dirt on his own domestic election rival?
Trump says no, and already those giving testimony appear to be giving completely conflicting statements on whether he did or not.
But whatever the truth, I remain far from convinced it’s an impeachable offence anyway.
As former Trump advisor Steve Bannon said on CNN last night, if Biden WAS involved in anything corrupt in the Ukraine while he was Vice-President, then that would surely be a perfectly legitimate thing for a current US president to demand was investigated?
And there are lots of very serious questions still to be answered about Biden’s son Hunter’s employment with a dodgy US energy firm while his dad was second most powerful man in America and spending a lot of time himself on political missions in the Ukraine.
So impeachment hearings could be potentially as messy for the Democrats as it is for Trump.
But the wider issue remains this: I don’t think this impeachment has a cat in hell’s chance of being successful, given the hyper-partisan nature of current US politics.
And it’s hard not to escape the conclusion the Democrats are reluctantly proceeding with it because they think it’s their best, perhaps only, way to stop Trump winning again in 2020.
In fact, some of them have admitted as much.
‘I’m concerned that if we don’t impeach this president, he will get re-elected’ said vehement anti-Trumper, Texas Rep. Al Green last May.
And that fear is almost certainly what’s really motivating this move.
But what the Democrats don’t seem to have realized, or have chosen to ignore in their self-righteous desperation to nail Trump for anything, is that a failed impeachment attempt will hugely help him get re-elected.
If zero Republicans have turned on Trump at the first hurdle in the House, why on earth should anyone expect 20 Republican senators to vote to convict him?
Especially when public opinion is so divided on the issue, with a new Washington Post/ABC News poll showing 49% of Americans supporting Trump being impeached but 47% opposing it.
Dig deeper into those poll results and they reveal that most Democrat voters (82%) support it, and most Republican voters (also 82%) oppose it. But the majority of Independents (49% to 47%) are against it.
None of this suggests Republican senators will come under anything like nough pressure to flip. Not unless there are new bombshell revelations that come out to game-change what we already know about Trump’s behavior in the Ukraine scandal.
And there’s another massive problem for the Democrats.
While all this is going on, the US economy continues to power away.
It emerged today that 128,000 jobs were added in October, way higher than the 75,000 expected.
August and September numbers were also revised sharply higher, and America is now enjoying record low unemployment for African-Americans and record high total unemployment.
Even Trump’s most vociferous media critics have had to grudgingly admit these are great stats.
As for the President, he’s rightly ecstatic about them.
Trump promised to get Americans back to work, and he is doing just that. He also promised to go after terrorists, and a few days ago, US special forces killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
So this has been a great week for President Trump in delivering on several of his key 2016 campaign promises.
In fact the only thing that could be even better for him as he heads into another election year is a failed attempt to impeach him – which is exactly what I think is going to happen.
That will fire up his base, demoralize his liberal opponents and on the back of a surging US economy, and successful war on terror, virtually guarantee him another win.
In fact, President Trump may well choose to borrow the words of his boxing idol Muhammad Ali and say to his fast-punching opponents: ‘That all you got, Dems?’
MAYBE WHITE COP FEARED BEING BEATEN TO DEATH BY BIG BLACK DICK
White cop breaks down in tears as he is sentenced to 12 years in prison for shooting and killing a mentally-ill black military veteran who was running NAKED and unarmed around an apartment complex
Daily Mail
November 1, 2019
Robert 'Chip' Olsen was responding to a call of a naked man behaving erratically outside an Atlanta-area apartment complex in March 2015 when he fatally shot 26-year-old Anthony Hill, an Air Force veteran who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD.
Olsen was convicted of one count of aggravated assault, two counts of violating his oath of office and one count of making a false statement.
Jurors acquitted him on two counts of felony murder.
DeKalb County Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson sentenced Olsen to a total of 20 years, with 12 years to serve in prison, followed by eight years of probation.
Daily Mail
November 1, 2019
Robert 'Chip' Olsen was responding to a call of a naked man behaving erratically outside an Atlanta-area apartment complex in March 2015 when he fatally shot 26-year-old Anthony Hill, an Air Force veteran who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD.
Olsen was convicted of one count of aggravated assault, two counts of violating his oath of office and one count of making a false statement.
Jurors acquitted him on two counts of felony murder.
DeKalb County Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson sentenced Olsen to a total of 20 years, with 12 years to serve in prison, followed by eight years of probation.
ERDOGAN HAS AT LEAST ONE ALLY IN CONGRESS
Ilhan Omar’s strange affinity for Turkey’s Islamist tyrant
By Post Editorial Board
New York Post
October 30, 2019
Rep. Ilhan Omar is showing a strange reluctance to cross Turkish tyrant Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
On Tuesday, she was the only Democrat to vote against a bill to impose sanctions on Turkey over Erdogan’s invasion of northeast Syria and also abstain on a separate bill to call out the century-old Armenian genocide.
Both passed with huge support: 405-11 on the bill noting that the Ottoman-era killing of 1.5 million Armenians was indeed genocide, 403-16 on the sanctions measure.
Turkish governments have long denied the Armenian genocide out of national pride. And of course the current government hates being called out on its Syrian incursion, especially its efforts to slaughter Syrian Kurds.
But most Democrats, understandably enough, saw the sanctions vote as a way to slap President Trump, who abruptly pulled US forces out of the way of Erdogan’s advance.
Omar says sanctions are part of a “failed foreign-policy playbook.” And she said she couldn’t support the genocide resolution because it didn’t mention “the transatlantic slave trade and Native American genocide.”
Looks to us more like the Islamist ruler of Turkey has at least one ally in Congress.
By Post Editorial Board
New York Post
October 30, 2019
Rep. Ilhan Omar is showing a strange reluctance to cross Turkish tyrant Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
On Tuesday, she was the only Democrat to vote against a bill to impose sanctions on Turkey over Erdogan’s invasion of northeast Syria and also abstain on a separate bill to call out the century-old Armenian genocide.
Both passed with huge support: 405-11 on the bill noting that the Ottoman-era killing of 1.5 million Armenians was indeed genocide, 403-16 on the sanctions measure.
Turkish governments have long denied the Armenian genocide out of national pride. And of course the current government hates being called out on its Syrian incursion, especially its efforts to slaughter Syrian Kurds.
But most Democrats, understandably enough, saw the sanctions vote as a way to slap President Trump, who abruptly pulled US forces out of the way of Erdogan’s advance.
Omar says sanctions are part of a “failed foreign-policy playbook.” And she said she couldn’t support the genocide resolution because it didn’t mention “the transatlantic slave trade and Native American genocide.”
Looks to us more like the Islamist ruler of Turkey has at least one ally in Congress.
FUN AND GAMES AT CERESO DE ATLACHOLOAYA PRISON
6 killed, 2 wounded in Mexican prison riot
Associated Press
October 30, 2019
MEXICO CITY -- Six inmates are dead and two are injured following a riot at a prison in Morelos state, just south of Mexico City.
Prisoners took four guards hostage, but they were apparently rescued unharmed.
The Morelos state interior secretary said the riot started Wednesday morning, and control of the facility was re-established a few hours later.
Pablo Ojeda said hundreds of police and military surrounded the penitentiary and trained dogs were used to regain control of the facility located just south of the city of Cuernavaca.
Local media reported one of the dead was an operator for the Jalisco drug cartel.
Associated Press
October 30, 2019
MEXICO CITY -- Six inmates are dead and two are injured following a riot at a prison in Morelos state, just south of Mexico City.
Prisoners took four guards hostage, but they were apparently rescued unharmed.
The Morelos state interior secretary said the riot started Wednesday morning, and control of the facility was re-established a few hours later.
Pablo Ojeda said hundreds of police and military surrounded the penitentiary and trained dogs were used to regain control of the facility located just south of the city of Cuernavaca.
Local media reported one of the dead was an operator for the Jalisco drug cartel.
JEWS ACCUSED OF GETTING AIDS-INFECTED GIRLS TO FUCK AND INFECT MUSLIM YOUTH
Hamas: Normalization With Israel is Treachery
Israel Today
November 1, 2019
Hamas MP Marwan Abu Ras, who directs the Hamas faction in the Palestinian Arab parliament, said on Sunday that normalization with the “occupation state” (a reference to Israel) is a crime against Islam and betrayal on a national level.
He went on to condemn the recent resumption of direct flights from Israel to Morocco, which were stopped two decades ago. According to Abu Ras, any rapprochement with Israel is merely a cover for the “occupation” and the continuation of Israeli crimes of “oppression, killing and settlements.”
According to Abu Ras normalization only harms the Palestinian people and constitutes an “outright attack on Palestinian rights.”
Abu Ras publicly denied the Holocaust on Gaza television earlier this year. He claimed that antisemitism and the persecution of Jews throughout history are the result of “their deeds and crimes.”
In 2017, he claimed that the Jewish people were “the dirtiest nation” with “the worst moral values known to humanity,” accusing them of “recruiting AIDS-infected girls to commit fornication with Muslim youth.”
In 2012, Abu Ras also said that “every single disaster on the face of the earth” can be linked to the Jews.
Israel Today
November 1, 2019
Hamas MP Marwan Abu Ras, who directs the Hamas faction in the Palestinian Arab parliament, said on Sunday that normalization with the “occupation state” (a reference to Israel) is a crime against Islam and betrayal on a national level.
He went on to condemn the recent resumption of direct flights from Israel to Morocco, which were stopped two decades ago. According to Abu Ras, any rapprochement with Israel is merely a cover for the “occupation” and the continuation of Israeli crimes of “oppression, killing and settlements.”
According to Abu Ras normalization only harms the Palestinian people and constitutes an “outright attack on Palestinian rights.”
Abu Ras publicly denied the Holocaust on Gaza television earlier this year. He claimed that antisemitism and the persecution of Jews throughout history are the result of “their deeds and crimes.”
In 2017, he claimed that the Jewish people were “the dirtiest nation” with “the worst moral values known to humanity,” accusing them of “recruiting AIDS-infected girls to commit fornication with Muslim youth.”
In 2012, Abu Ras also said that “every single disaster on the face of the earth” can be linked to the Jews.
COLUMBIA U PROCLAIMS ANTI-SEMITISM HAS NO PLACE ON ITS CAMPUS, BUT REFUSES TO CURTAIL IT
Columbia University and Barnard College 'hotbed for hate,' report documenting 'systemic anti-Semitism' at the schools says
By Talia Kaplan
Fox News
October 24, 2019
A report released on Wednesday refers to Columbia University and its sister school, Barnard College, in New York City as “a hotbed for hate,” documenting “systemic anti-Semitism and an ingrained delegitimization of Israel” at the schools.
Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), an alumni network trying to combat campus anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias, released the 33-page report, which cited more than 100 incidents “that have contributed to a hostile climate” at the colleges since the 2016-17 academic year and included “anti-Semitic expressions, incidents targeting Jewish students and staff, and BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) activity.” The report recorded how the work of Columbia faculty members has allegedly targeted Jewish and Zionist students.
“These campuses are arguably the most prominent settings for university-based anti-Semitism in the United States,” the report said.
The report details incidents classified as anti-Semitism under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition: bigotry against Jewish people often used by the U.S. government and other governments.
One incident mentioned in the report is from November 2018 when a Columbia University Jewish professor’s office was vandalized with swastikas and an anti-Semitic slur was found spray-painted in red in the entryway to the Holocaust scholar’s office.
The report also documented an April 2018 Barnard’s Student Government Association letter reportedly urging administrators to divest from eight companies with ties to Israel.
“My generation of Jewish university students is expected to live in an environment, where the demonization of the Jewish state, the Jewish people, and Zionism are commonplace,” Barnard sophomore Donna Shashoua said. “This report reminds us that we must speak up and work with Columbia University administration to create a better campus climate, for ourselves, for future students, and for our entire community.”
The ACF report also documented a “die-in,” a form of protest in which participants simulate being dead, on Columbia’s campus, which was held in May. At the protest a student speaker with the group Students for Justice in Palestine reportedly read a statement that condoned terrorism and delegitimized Israel.
Ofir Dayan is a junior at Columbia University studying political science and the daughter of Dani Dayan, Israel’s consul general in New York.
She moved to New York from Israel to attend Columbia University and said she had experienced several anti-Semitic incidents at the University. Dayan said she has informed ACF about some of the incidents that had taken place on campus after she said Columbia University did not do anything to address them when she had reported them to school officials.
Dayan, the president of Columbia University’s Students Supporting Israel, said her group attended the die-in protest in May and also submitted a complaint: "Columbia decided to discard it and not do anything about it.”
Dayan said the “harassment” that Jewish and pro-Israel students face on campus has been documented and presented to Columbia University officials several times, but “there was always an excuse not to do something about it.”
”For example, when we complained about a professor, Hamid Dabashi, who wrote on his Facebook page comparing Israel to Isis, he was saying the only difference between Israel and Isis is that Israel has an army of columnists in The New York Times,” Dayan told Fox News.
“So when we complained to the University’s discrimination and equal opportunity office they said it’s his private Facebook page and freedom of speech so he can say whatever he wants. But at the end of the day he’s teaching classes and people who are sitting in his classes, mainly Jewish people, are scared of being graded by a professor who views them in this way.”
In May 2018, Dabashi, a tenured Columbia University professor of Iranian studies, was under fire for a controversial series of tweets he fired off following President Trump’s announcement the United States pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.
Dabashi, who also teaches comparative literature at the Ivy League school, blamed Israel for every “dirty” problem in the world in a tweet posted in May 2018.
Dabashi did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
“I don’t think Columbia is anti-Semitic, I am doing what I am doing because I love Columbia and want to make it a safer and better place for Jewish students,” Dayan told Fox News on Thursday.
A Columbia University spokesperson said in a statement sent to Fox News on Thursday, “Columbia is deeply proud of our thriving Jewish student, faculty and staff communities on campus, the contributions and accomplishments of our Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies Center, and the many other academic initiatives, public programs, and social events that are part of the fabric of Jewish life here.”
A statement sent to Fox News from a Barnard College spokeswoman said: “Barnard College values its vibrant Jewish community and is committed to providing all of our students, faculty, and staff with the support and resources they need to express their religious beliefs in a welcoming environment. Anti-Semitism has no place at Barnard and is a direct violation of our non-discrimination policy. We will continue to uphold the rights of everyone on our campus and provide students with the skills and abilities to think critically, deeply, and with moral courage about the complex world around them."
EDITOR’S NOTE: Columbia and Barnard are not he only campus hotbeds for the hatred of Jews. Hatred of Jews and demonization of Israel is widespread among America’s colleges and Universities. What is described in this report is rather mild compared to anti-Semitic acts that have occurred on other campuses.
By Talia Kaplan
Fox News
October 24, 2019
A report released on Wednesday refers to Columbia University and its sister school, Barnard College, in New York City as “a hotbed for hate,” documenting “systemic anti-Semitism and an ingrained delegitimization of Israel” at the schools.
Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), an alumni network trying to combat campus anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias, released the 33-page report, which cited more than 100 incidents “that have contributed to a hostile climate” at the colleges since the 2016-17 academic year and included “anti-Semitic expressions, incidents targeting Jewish students and staff, and BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) activity.” The report recorded how the work of Columbia faculty members has allegedly targeted Jewish and Zionist students.
“These campuses are arguably the most prominent settings for university-based anti-Semitism in the United States,” the report said.
The report details incidents classified as anti-Semitism under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition: bigotry against Jewish people often used by the U.S. government and other governments.
One incident mentioned in the report is from November 2018 when a Columbia University Jewish professor’s office was vandalized with swastikas and an anti-Semitic slur was found spray-painted in red in the entryway to the Holocaust scholar’s office.
The report also documented an April 2018 Barnard’s Student Government Association letter reportedly urging administrators to divest from eight companies with ties to Israel.
“My generation of Jewish university students is expected to live in an environment, where the demonization of the Jewish state, the Jewish people, and Zionism are commonplace,” Barnard sophomore Donna Shashoua said. “This report reminds us that we must speak up and work with Columbia University administration to create a better campus climate, for ourselves, for future students, and for our entire community.”
The ACF report also documented a “die-in,” a form of protest in which participants simulate being dead, on Columbia’s campus, which was held in May. At the protest a student speaker with the group Students for Justice in Palestine reportedly read a statement that condoned terrorism and delegitimized Israel.
Ofir Dayan is a junior at Columbia University studying political science and the daughter of Dani Dayan, Israel’s consul general in New York.
She moved to New York from Israel to attend Columbia University and said she had experienced several anti-Semitic incidents at the University. Dayan said she has informed ACF about some of the incidents that had taken place on campus after she said Columbia University did not do anything to address them when she had reported them to school officials.
Dayan, the president of Columbia University’s Students Supporting Israel, said her group attended the die-in protest in May and also submitted a complaint: "Columbia decided to discard it and not do anything about it.”
Dayan said the “harassment” that Jewish and pro-Israel students face on campus has been documented and presented to Columbia University officials several times, but “there was always an excuse not to do something about it.”
”For example, when we complained about a professor, Hamid Dabashi, who wrote on his Facebook page comparing Israel to Isis, he was saying the only difference between Israel and Isis is that Israel has an army of columnists in The New York Times,” Dayan told Fox News.
“So when we complained to the University’s discrimination and equal opportunity office they said it’s his private Facebook page and freedom of speech so he can say whatever he wants. But at the end of the day he’s teaching classes and people who are sitting in his classes, mainly Jewish people, are scared of being graded by a professor who views them in this way.”
In May 2018, Dabashi, a tenured Columbia University professor of Iranian studies, was under fire for a controversial series of tweets he fired off following President Trump’s announcement the United States pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.
Dabashi, who also teaches comparative literature at the Ivy League school, blamed Israel for every “dirty” problem in the world in a tweet posted in May 2018.
Dabashi did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
“I don’t think Columbia is anti-Semitic, I am doing what I am doing because I love Columbia and want to make it a safer and better place for Jewish students,” Dayan told Fox News on Thursday.
A Columbia University spokesperson said in a statement sent to Fox News on Thursday, “Columbia is deeply proud of our thriving Jewish student, faculty and staff communities on campus, the contributions and accomplishments of our Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies Center, and the many other academic initiatives, public programs, and social events that are part of the fabric of Jewish life here.”
A statement sent to Fox News from a Barnard College spokeswoman said: “Barnard College values its vibrant Jewish community and is committed to providing all of our students, faculty, and staff with the support and resources they need to express their religious beliefs in a welcoming environment. Anti-Semitism has no place at Barnard and is a direct violation of our non-discrimination policy. We will continue to uphold the rights of everyone on our campus and provide students with the skills and abilities to think critically, deeply, and with moral courage about the complex world around them."
EDITOR’S NOTE: Columbia and Barnard are not he only campus hotbeds for the hatred of Jews. Hatred of Jews and demonization of Israel is widespread among America’s colleges and Universities. What is described in this report is rather mild compared to anti-Semitic acts that have occurred on other campuses.
ISLAMIC STATE STILL DANGEROUS DESPITE BAGHDADI’S DEATH AT THE HANDS OF THE US ARMY’S DELTA FORCE
Counterterrorism experts say that while the killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a US raid dealt a massive blow to the jihadist group, its operatives, affiliates and proxies still pose a serious threat worldwide
Israel Hayom
October 28, 2019
The killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a US raid is a further blow to a jihadist group that once held a swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria, experts said, but the organization and its ideology remain dangerous.
Where once they confronted armies, the extremist Islamist group’s adherents have in recent years staged hit-and-run and suicide attacks. In some cases, the group has claimed responsibility for atrocities such as bombings in Sri Lanka in April that killed more than 250 people.
Islamic State’s involvement is not always proven, but even if the link is ideological rather than operational, it is still seen as a security threat in many countries in the Middle East and around the world.
Defeated by US-backed forces in Iraq, Islamic State has reverted to the guerrilla tactics it was once known for. Iraqi Security Forces routinely carry out operations against remnants of the Jihadist group, more than two years after its defeat.
Sleeper cells have regrouped in provinces including Diyala, Salahuddin, Anbar, Kirkuk, and Nineveh, where they have carried out frequent attacks, including kidnappings and bombings aimed at undermining the Baghdad government.
Although cells operate mostly in rural areas, burning crops and extorting local farmers, in February, two people were killed and 24 wounded when a car bomb went off in Mosul, once the group’s capital in Iraq.
The Pentagon said in January that ISIS was regenerating faster in Iraq than in Syria. Analysts estimated earlier this year that about 2,000 active combatants now operate in Iraq.
Having suffered serious military setbacks in Syria, ISIS slipped into the shadows, staging suicide bombings and ambushes. It has carried out bomb attacks in towns and cities in northern Syria in the past year, including targeting US forces.
Syrian Kurdish forces, who crushed the jihadists across the north and east with US help, have said they believe sleeper cells mushroomed in eastern Syria. They have warned of the risk posed by holding thousands of fighters in prisons, including foreigners from around the world.
That warning came into sharp focus this month when US President Donald Trump announced he was pulling American troops from northeastern Syria, opening the way for Turkey to launch an offensive targeting Kurdish fighters near its border.
Islamic State fighters still hold some ground in Syria’s remote central desert in territory otherwise held by the Damascus government.
Egypt has seen no large attacks over the past year, but smaller incidents persist and the military is mounting a campaign against Islamist insurgents, mainly on the Sinai Peninsula.
The military says several hundred combatants have been killed since it launched a major campaign in February 2018 to defeat fighters linked to Islamic State in Sinai.
ISIS terrorists have also carried out deadly bombings and shootings in Saudi Arabia, targeting security forces and minority Shiite Muslims, after the authorities crushed an al-Qaida insurgency more than a decade ago.
Baghdadi called for attacks against Saudi Arabia when the kingdom joined the US-led coalition in mounting airstrikes against his group. In his speeches, he also used derogatory terms when he referred to the rulers in Riyadh.
Kamran Bokhari, a director at Washington-based think-tank the Center for Global Policy, said earlier this year that Islamic State exists in the kingdom but Saudi security forces and intelligence service are "pretty much on top of things."
Islamic State announced a Yemeni affiliate in late 2014 as the country descended into civil war between the Saudi-backed government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
However, the group has since faced tough resistance from al-Qaida’s local branch, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and both groups fought each other, especially in the southern province of al-Bayda.
Al-Qaida and Islamic State are also fighting Shiite Houthis, which they see as heretics.
Islamic State has claimed several assassinations and bombings in south Yemen but has never held territory. Experts believe al-Qaida, with older and deeper tribal connections, poses a bigger threat in the war-torn country.
Nigerian group Boko Haram has carried out attacks in northeastern Nigeria since 2009 in pursuit of an Islamic caliphate. It has killed more than 30,000 people and forced 2 million to flee their homes. The group split in 2016 and one faction pledged allegiance to IS.
Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) has focused on attacking military bases in raids over the last year. It has become the dominant terrorist group in the region.
The extent of support provided by Islamic State to ISWAP is unclear and many security experts say the relationship is mainly in name rather than direct funding and logistical support.
In Afghanistan, Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), which took its name from a historical region that covered much of modern-day Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia, appeared in late 2014 in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where it retains a stronghold. It announced its formation in January 2015.
The group’s leadership has pledged allegiance to Baghdadi but it is not clear that ISIS-K has direct operational links with the main movement.
It has claimed attacks on civilian targets in cities including Kabul and fought the Afghan Taliban for control of a number of rural districts. US commanders say its forces number fewer than 2,000.
The movement is little understood and many Afghan officials in Kabul doubt the veracity of some of its claims of responsibility.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country and most people practice a moderate form of Islam. But there has been a resurgence in militancy and authorities have said they believe thousands of Indonesians draw inspiration from Islamic State, while about 500 Indonesians are thought to have gone to Syria to join the group.
The Philippines fears that extremists fleeing Iraq and Syria could find a safe haven in the jungles and remote villages of Muslim areas of Mindanao, where there is a long history of lawlessness, clan rivalry, and separatist and Islamist rebellion.
Several splinters of the myriad armed groups in the southern Philippines have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, although none are known to have been endorsed as its Southeast Asian affiliate.
Islamic State has often claimed responsibility for bombings and rebel clashes with government troops in Mindanao, but their veracity is often disputed.
Israel Hayom
October 28, 2019
The killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a US raid is a further blow to a jihadist group that once held a swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria, experts said, but the organization and its ideology remain dangerous.
Where once they confronted armies, the extremist Islamist group’s adherents have in recent years staged hit-and-run and suicide attacks. In some cases, the group has claimed responsibility for atrocities such as bombings in Sri Lanka in April that killed more than 250 people.
Islamic State’s involvement is not always proven, but even if the link is ideological rather than operational, it is still seen as a security threat in many countries in the Middle East and around the world.
Defeated by US-backed forces in Iraq, Islamic State has reverted to the guerrilla tactics it was once known for. Iraqi Security Forces routinely carry out operations against remnants of the Jihadist group, more than two years after its defeat.
Sleeper cells have regrouped in provinces including Diyala, Salahuddin, Anbar, Kirkuk, and Nineveh, where they have carried out frequent attacks, including kidnappings and bombings aimed at undermining the Baghdad government.
Although cells operate mostly in rural areas, burning crops and extorting local farmers, in February, two people were killed and 24 wounded when a car bomb went off in Mosul, once the group’s capital in Iraq.
The Pentagon said in January that ISIS was regenerating faster in Iraq than in Syria. Analysts estimated earlier this year that about 2,000 active combatants now operate in Iraq.
Having suffered serious military setbacks in Syria, ISIS slipped into the shadows, staging suicide bombings and ambushes. It has carried out bomb attacks in towns and cities in northern Syria in the past year, including targeting US forces.
Syrian Kurdish forces, who crushed the jihadists across the north and east with US help, have said they believe sleeper cells mushroomed in eastern Syria. They have warned of the risk posed by holding thousands of fighters in prisons, including foreigners from around the world.
That warning came into sharp focus this month when US President Donald Trump announced he was pulling American troops from northeastern Syria, opening the way for Turkey to launch an offensive targeting Kurdish fighters near its border.
Islamic State fighters still hold some ground in Syria’s remote central desert in territory otherwise held by the Damascus government.
Egypt has seen no large attacks over the past year, but smaller incidents persist and the military is mounting a campaign against Islamist insurgents, mainly on the Sinai Peninsula.
The military says several hundred combatants have been killed since it launched a major campaign in February 2018 to defeat fighters linked to Islamic State in Sinai.
ISIS terrorists have also carried out deadly bombings and shootings in Saudi Arabia, targeting security forces and minority Shiite Muslims, after the authorities crushed an al-Qaida insurgency more than a decade ago.
Baghdadi called for attacks against Saudi Arabia when the kingdom joined the US-led coalition in mounting airstrikes against his group. In his speeches, he also used derogatory terms when he referred to the rulers in Riyadh.
Kamran Bokhari, a director at Washington-based think-tank the Center for Global Policy, said earlier this year that Islamic State exists in the kingdom but Saudi security forces and intelligence service are "pretty much on top of things."
Islamic State announced a Yemeni affiliate in late 2014 as the country descended into civil war between the Saudi-backed government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
However, the group has since faced tough resistance from al-Qaida’s local branch, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and both groups fought each other, especially in the southern province of al-Bayda.
Al-Qaida and Islamic State are also fighting Shiite Houthis, which they see as heretics.
Islamic State has claimed several assassinations and bombings in south Yemen but has never held territory. Experts believe al-Qaida, with older and deeper tribal connections, poses a bigger threat in the war-torn country.
Nigerian group Boko Haram has carried out attacks in northeastern Nigeria since 2009 in pursuit of an Islamic caliphate. It has killed more than 30,000 people and forced 2 million to flee their homes. The group split in 2016 and one faction pledged allegiance to IS.
Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) has focused on attacking military bases in raids over the last year. It has become the dominant terrorist group in the region.
The extent of support provided by Islamic State to ISWAP is unclear and many security experts say the relationship is mainly in name rather than direct funding and logistical support.
In Afghanistan, Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), which took its name from a historical region that covered much of modern-day Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia, appeared in late 2014 in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where it retains a stronghold. It announced its formation in January 2015.
The group’s leadership has pledged allegiance to Baghdadi but it is not clear that ISIS-K has direct operational links with the main movement.
It has claimed attacks on civilian targets in cities including Kabul and fought the Afghan Taliban for control of a number of rural districts. US commanders say its forces number fewer than 2,000.
The movement is little understood and many Afghan officials in Kabul doubt the veracity of some of its claims of responsibility.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country and most people practice a moderate form of Islam. But there has been a resurgence in militancy and authorities have said they believe thousands of Indonesians draw inspiration from Islamic State, while about 500 Indonesians are thought to have gone to Syria to join the group.
The Philippines fears that extremists fleeing Iraq and Syria could find a safe haven in the jungles and remote villages of Muslim areas of Mindanao, where there is a long history of lawlessness, clan rivalry, and separatist and Islamist rebellion.
Several splinters of the myriad armed groups in the southern Philippines have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, although none are known to have been endorsed as its Southeast Asian affiliate.
Islamic State has often claimed responsibility for bombings and rebel clashes with government troops in Mindanao, but their veracity is often disputed.
Friday, November 01, 2019
THANK GOD FOR GOATS
Goats help save California's Reagan library from wildfire
By Omar Younis and Andrew Hay
Reuters
October 30, 2019
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- A herd of 500 goats helped save California’s Ronald Reagan library from a wildfire on Wednesday, after the voracious animals earlier this year ate flammable scrub surrounding the hilltop complex.
The hired goats munched through brush to create a fire break that slowed the blaze and let firefighters douse flames on Wednesday before they reached exhibits like an Air Force One jet and a piece of the Berlin Wall, a library spokeswoman said.
“We were told by one of the fire fighters that they believe that fire break made their job easier,” said Melissa Giller. “The brush only went so far, it didn’t reach the library, because the goats ate it all.”
The complex near Simi Valley is the second big southern California institution in as many days to be protected from a rash of wildfires by fire-prevention work.
Los Angeles’ J. Paul Getty Museum on Tuesday said its scrub clearance efforts slowed a blaze on its perimeter.
Driven by gale-force winds, the so-called Easy Fire surrounded the Reagan library on Wednesday morning, coming less than 50 feet from a hangar housing the Boeing 707 aircraft used by the former Republican president.
The site houses papers and memorabilia from Reagan’s 1981-1989 administrations, and the Cold War leader is buried there alongside his wife Nancy.
Given the high risk of wildfires in the area, the Reagan foundation hired the goats from local company 805 Goats in May to clear around 13 acres (5 hectares) of scrub.
With names including Vincent Van Goat and Selena Goatmez, the mainly Boer goats like to eat noxious weeds and other invasive species that fuel wildfires, said company owner Scott Morris, 43.
Morris had never touched a goat until last November, when he started the company, charging around $1,000 per acre cleared.
“At the end of the day, you kind of sit down and say ‘wow, we had an impact,’” said the former business consultant, who not only helped save the Reagan library on Wednesday, but helped a rancher rescue 100 goats trapped in a burning barn.
With California’s wildfires growing larger and more frequent due to rising temperatures and erratic winds, Morris said he would need to double his herd to meet soaring demand.
By 6 p.m. the Easy Fire had burned over 1,650 acres, forced around 30,000 people to evacuate their homes, and destroyed some structures, according to fire authorities.
“All the flames are gone, all we see are charred hillsides,” said Giller. “We feel the worst is over and the Reagan library is safe.”
By Omar Younis and Andrew Hay
Reuters
October 30, 2019
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- A herd of 500 goats helped save California’s Ronald Reagan library from a wildfire on Wednesday, after the voracious animals earlier this year ate flammable scrub surrounding the hilltop complex.
The hired goats munched through brush to create a fire break that slowed the blaze and let firefighters douse flames on Wednesday before they reached exhibits like an Air Force One jet and a piece of the Berlin Wall, a library spokeswoman said.
“We were told by one of the fire fighters that they believe that fire break made their job easier,” said Melissa Giller. “The brush only went so far, it didn’t reach the library, because the goats ate it all.”
The complex near Simi Valley is the second big southern California institution in as many days to be protected from a rash of wildfires by fire-prevention work.
Los Angeles’ J. Paul Getty Museum on Tuesday said its scrub clearance efforts slowed a blaze on its perimeter.
Driven by gale-force winds, the so-called Easy Fire surrounded the Reagan library on Wednesday morning, coming less than 50 feet from a hangar housing the Boeing 707 aircraft used by the former Republican president.
The site houses papers and memorabilia from Reagan’s 1981-1989 administrations, and the Cold War leader is buried there alongside his wife Nancy.
Given the high risk of wildfires in the area, the Reagan foundation hired the goats from local company 805 Goats in May to clear around 13 acres (5 hectares) of scrub.
With names including Vincent Van Goat and Selena Goatmez, the mainly Boer goats like to eat noxious weeds and other invasive species that fuel wildfires, said company owner Scott Morris, 43.
Morris had never touched a goat until last November, when he started the company, charging around $1,000 per acre cleared.
“At the end of the day, you kind of sit down and say ‘wow, we had an impact,’” said the former business consultant, who not only helped save the Reagan library on Wednesday, but helped a rancher rescue 100 goats trapped in a burning barn.
With California’s wildfires growing larger and more frequent due to rising temperatures and erratic winds, Morris said he would need to double his herd to meet soaring demand.
By 6 p.m. the Easy Fire had burned over 1,650 acres, forced around 30,000 people to evacuate their homes, and destroyed some structures, according to fire authorities.
“All the flames are gone, all we see are charred hillsides,” said Giller. “We feel the worst is over and the Reagan library is safe.”
NEW YORK MAY SOON FACE A TRULY SERIOUS RESURGENCE OF CRIME
Progressive AG Letitia James warns about New York’s coming criminal justice disaster
By Post Editorial Board
New York Post
October 30, 2019
Cash shortages aside, the reforms — which require defendants to be set free with no bail for all but a handful of violent crimes — are set to trigger a host of new public safety concerns, such as witness intimidation and allowing the accused to flee, this will probably suffice:
When even officials as progressive as state Attorney General Letitia James are warning of big problems with New York state’s latest criminal justice “fixes,” it’s time to worry.
At a Senate hearing Monday, James aide Kate Powers, on behalf of the AG, raised major red flags about reforms rushed through the Legislature this year — especially those requiring prosecutors to turn over all evidence within 15 days of an arraignment. That includes police and medical reports, videos, phone records, forensic findings, etc.
Powers praised lawmakers for moving to “mend our broken criminal justice system” and reform the discovery process. But she warned that “the challenges” of complying with the new mandates are “real.”
To comply, DAs with just a few attorneys for an entire county may have to “double” their support staffs, she noted. The largest offices, with the “most complex cases,” may need “investments in the double-digit millions.”
Even the state AG’s office, which handles a far smaller criminal caseload than county DAs, “will need a significant infusion,” to the tune of $10 million, Powers said. Yet there’s no sign the needed funds will be available.
Some DAs were even more blunt — and alarming: “The reforms, as drafted, are not practical,” railed Rensselaer County DA Mary Pat Donnelly. She blasted lawmakers for “playing roulette with public safety.”
Among other public safety concerns, the new rules greatly increase the chances for witness intimidation — since lawyers for the accused will know far sooner the names of those whom prosecutors might call to testify. Plus, DAs will have to drop some cases because they simply can’t meet the new requirements — especially when there’s no money to hire new staff.
Then, too, most accused will be sprung pending trial — only those charged with a handful of violent crimes will have to post bail. Expect more perps to flee before trial.
In short, New York may soon face a truly serious resurgence of crime.
It’s rare for this page to sympathize with officials demanding more taxpayer dollars. But state lawmakers clearly didn’t think through the consequences of these reforms.
Unless they fix the flaws and provide the funds to make the changes work before the new law kicks in Jan. 1, New Yorkers should brace for a major public safety disaster.
By Post Editorial Board
New York Post
October 30, 2019
Cash shortages aside, the reforms — which require defendants to be set free with no bail for all but a handful of violent crimes — are set to trigger a host of new public safety concerns, such as witness intimidation and allowing the accused to flee, this will probably suffice:
When even officials as progressive as state Attorney General Letitia James are warning of big problems with New York state’s latest criminal justice “fixes,” it’s time to worry.
At a Senate hearing Monday, James aide Kate Powers, on behalf of the AG, raised major red flags about reforms rushed through the Legislature this year — especially those requiring prosecutors to turn over all evidence within 15 days of an arraignment. That includes police and medical reports, videos, phone records, forensic findings, etc.
Powers praised lawmakers for moving to “mend our broken criminal justice system” and reform the discovery process. But she warned that “the challenges” of complying with the new mandates are “real.”
To comply, DAs with just a few attorneys for an entire county may have to “double” their support staffs, she noted. The largest offices, with the “most complex cases,” may need “investments in the double-digit millions.”
Even the state AG’s office, which handles a far smaller criminal caseload than county DAs, “will need a significant infusion,” to the tune of $10 million, Powers said. Yet there’s no sign the needed funds will be available.
Some DAs were even more blunt — and alarming: “The reforms, as drafted, are not practical,” railed Rensselaer County DA Mary Pat Donnelly. She blasted lawmakers for “playing roulette with public safety.”
Among other public safety concerns, the new rules greatly increase the chances for witness intimidation — since lawyers for the accused will know far sooner the names of those whom prosecutors might call to testify. Plus, DAs will have to drop some cases because they simply can’t meet the new requirements — especially when there’s no money to hire new staff.
Then, too, most accused will be sprung pending trial — only those charged with a handful of violent crimes will have to post bail. Expect more perps to flee before trial.
In short, New York may soon face a truly serious resurgence of crime.
It’s rare for this page to sympathize with officials demanding more taxpayer dollars. But state lawmakers clearly didn’t think through the consequences of these reforms.
Unless they fix the flaws and provide the funds to make the changes work before the new law kicks in Jan. 1, New Yorkers should brace for a major public safety disaster.
IS CALIFORNIA BECOMING PREMODERN?
California is nearing the logical limits of progressive adventurism in policy and politics
By Victor Davis Hanson
National Review
October 31, 2019
More than 2 million Californians were recently left without power after the state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric — which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year — preemptively shut down transmission lines in fear that they might spark fires during periods of high autumn winds.
Consumers blame the state for not cleaning up dead trees and brush, along with the utility companies for not updating their ossified equipment. The power companies in turn fault the state for so over-regulating utilities that they had no resources to modernize their grids.
Californians know that having tens of thousands of homeless in their major cities is untenable. In some places, municipal sidewalks have become open sewers of garbage, used needles, rodents, and infectious diseases. Yet no one dares question progressive orthodoxy by enforcing drug and vagrancy laws, moving the homeless out of cities to suburban or rural facilities, or increasing the number of mental hospitals.
Taxpayers in California, whose basket of sales, gasoline, and income taxes is the highest in the nation, quietly seethe while immobile on antiquated freeways that are crowded, dangerous and under nonstop makeshift repair.
Gas prices of $4 to $5 a gallon — the result of high taxes, hyper-regulation, and green mandates — add insult to the injury of stalled commuters. Gas tax increases ostensibly intended to fund freeway expansion and repair continue to be diverted to the state’s failing high-speed rail project.
Residents shrug that the state’s public schools are among weakest in the nation, often ranking in the bottom quadrant in standardized test scores. Elites publicly oppose charter schools but often put their own kids in private academies.
Californians know that to venture into a typical municipal emergency room is to descend into a modern Dante’s Inferno. Medical facilities are overcrowded. They can be as unpleasant as they are bankrupting to the vanishing middle class that must face exorbitant charges to bring in an injured or sick child.
No one would dare to connect the crumbling infrastructure, poor schools, and failing public health care with the non-enforcement of immigration laws, which has led to a massive influx of undocumented immigrants from the poorest regions of the world, who often arrive without fluency in English or a high-school education.
Stores are occasionally hit by swarming looters. Such Wild West criminals know how to keep their thefts under $950, ensuring that such “misdemeanors” do not warrant police attention. California’s permissive laws have decriminalized thefts and break-ins. The result is that San Francisco now has the highest property crime rate per capita in the nation.
Has California become premodern?
Millions of fed-up middle-class taxpayers have fled the state. Their presence as a stabilizing influence is sorely missed. About one-third of the nation’s welfare recipients live in California. Millions of poor newcomers require enormously expensive state health, housing, education, legal, and law-enforcement services.
California is now a one-party state. Democrats have supermajorities in both houses of the legislature. Only seven of the state’s 53 congressional seats are held by Republicans. The result is that there is no credible check on a mostly coastal majority.
Huge global wealth in high-tech, finance, trade, and academia poured into the coastal corridor, creating a new nobility with unprecedented riches. Unfortunately, the new aristocracy adopted mindsets antithetical to the general welfare of Californians living outside their coastal enclaves. The nobodies have struggled to buy high-priced gas, pay exorbitant power bills, and deal with shoddy infrastructure — all of which resulted from the policies of the distant somebodies.
California’s three most powerful politicians — House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Governor Gavin Newsom — are all multimillionaires. Their lives, homes, and privileges bear no resemblance to those of other Californians living with the consequences of their misguided policies and agendas.
The state’s elite took revolving-door entries and exits for granted. They assumed that California was so naturally rich, beautiful, and well-endowed that there would always be thousands of newcomers who would queue up for the weather, the shore, the mountains, and the hip culture.
Yet California is nearing the logical limits of progressive adventurism in policy and politics.
Residents carefully plan long highway trips as if they were ancient explorers charting dangerous routes. Tourists warily enter downtown Los Angeles or San Francisco as if visiting a politically unstable nation.
Insatiable state tax collectors and agencies are viewed by the public as if they were corrupt officials of Third World countries seeking bribes. Californians flip their switches unsure of whether the lights will go on. Many are careful about what they say, terrified of progressive thought police who seem more worried about critics than criminals.
Our resolute ancestors took a century to turn a wilderness into California. Our irresolute generation in just a decade or two has been turning California into a wilderness.
By Victor Davis Hanson
National Review
October 31, 2019
More than 2 million Californians were recently left without power after the state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric — which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year — preemptively shut down transmission lines in fear that they might spark fires during periods of high autumn winds.
Consumers blame the state for not cleaning up dead trees and brush, along with the utility companies for not updating their ossified equipment. The power companies in turn fault the state for so over-regulating utilities that they had no resources to modernize their grids.
Californians know that having tens of thousands of homeless in their major cities is untenable. In some places, municipal sidewalks have become open sewers of garbage, used needles, rodents, and infectious diseases. Yet no one dares question progressive orthodoxy by enforcing drug and vagrancy laws, moving the homeless out of cities to suburban or rural facilities, or increasing the number of mental hospitals.
Taxpayers in California, whose basket of sales, gasoline, and income taxes is the highest in the nation, quietly seethe while immobile on antiquated freeways that are crowded, dangerous and under nonstop makeshift repair.
Gas prices of $4 to $5 a gallon — the result of high taxes, hyper-regulation, and green mandates — add insult to the injury of stalled commuters. Gas tax increases ostensibly intended to fund freeway expansion and repair continue to be diverted to the state’s failing high-speed rail project.
Residents shrug that the state’s public schools are among weakest in the nation, often ranking in the bottom quadrant in standardized test scores. Elites publicly oppose charter schools but often put their own kids in private academies.
Californians know that to venture into a typical municipal emergency room is to descend into a modern Dante’s Inferno. Medical facilities are overcrowded. They can be as unpleasant as they are bankrupting to the vanishing middle class that must face exorbitant charges to bring in an injured or sick child.
No one would dare to connect the crumbling infrastructure, poor schools, and failing public health care with the non-enforcement of immigration laws, which has led to a massive influx of undocumented immigrants from the poorest regions of the world, who often arrive without fluency in English or a high-school education.
Stores are occasionally hit by swarming looters. Such Wild West criminals know how to keep their thefts under $950, ensuring that such “misdemeanors” do not warrant police attention. California’s permissive laws have decriminalized thefts and break-ins. The result is that San Francisco now has the highest property crime rate per capita in the nation.
Has California become premodern?
Millions of fed-up middle-class taxpayers have fled the state. Their presence as a stabilizing influence is sorely missed. About one-third of the nation’s welfare recipients live in California. Millions of poor newcomers require enormously expensive state health, housing, education, legal, and law-enforcement services.
California is now a one-party state. Democrats have supermajorities in both houses of the legislature. Only seven of the state’s 53 congressional seats are held by Republicans. The result is that there is no credible check on a mostly coastal majority.
Huge global wealth in high-tech, finance, trade, and academia poured into the coastal corridor, creating a new nobility with unprecedented riches. Unfortunately, the new aristocracy adopted mindsets antithetical to the general welfare of Californians living outside their coastal enclaves. The nobodies have struggled to buy high-priced gas, pay exorbitant power bills, and deal with shoddy infrastructure — all of which resulted from the policies of the distant somebodies.
California’s three most powerful politicians — House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Governor Gavin Newsom — are all multimillionaires. Their lives, homes, and privileges bear no resemblance to those of other Californians living with the consequences of their misguided policies and agendas.
The state’s elite took revolving-door entries and exits for granted. They assumed that California was so naturally rich, beautiful, and well-endowed that there would always be thousands of newcomers who would queue up for the weather, the shore, the mountains, and the hip culture.
Yet California is nearing the logical limits of progressive adventurism in policy and politics.
Residents carefully plan long highway trips as if they were ancient explorers charting dangerous routes. Tourists warily enter downtown Los Angeles or San Francisco as if visiting a politically unstable nation.
Insatiable state tax collectors and agencies are viewed by the public as if they were corrupt officials of Third World countries seeking bribes. Californians flip their switches unsure of whether the lights will go on. Many are careful about what they say, terrified of progressive thought police who seem more worried about critics than criminals.
Our resolute ancestors took a century to turn a wilderness into California. Our irresolute generation in just a decade or two has been turning California into a wilderness.
RELEASING CONVICTS EARLY, OR NERLY ALL CRIMINAL SUSPECTS WITH NO BAIL, IS ANYTHING BUT REFORM
Get set for New York’s coming criminal justice disaster
By Joseph Giacalone
New York Post
October 24, 2019
Criminal justice reform is all the rage this political season. In practice, it entails “woke” politicians making decisions for communities where they don’t live in — and never will.
Releasing convicts early, or nearly all criminal suspects with no bail, is one element of such “reform.” It’s anything but reform — it sounds the death knell for police-community relations. It will further erode public trust in the police. Why? There is no plan. Most of these convicts/suspects released will reoffend. Then the police will be forced to deal with them. It’s already happening.
It’s only a matter of time before a situation goes sideways, and a police officer’s actions will be at the forefront of the discussion. The question won’t be, “Why was this criminal out on the street to begin with?” Or “who is responsible for this terrible decision”? Rather, the “reformers” and their media allies will denounce the police for failing to “de-escalate, or shoot him in the finger, or (just fill in the blank).”
Whether it’s physical force or deadly physical force, it won’t matter. A snippet of a cellphone video, an allegation, a rumor will rekindle anger without facts and anger without common sense. Then, these same politicians along with the anti-police crowd will blast the “police-are-the-enemy” mantra.
Each use of force incident, even the most justified, seem to be questioned these days by the false “reformers.” Uninformed opinion drives a wedge further between the police and the community they serve.
Do any of these reformers clamoring to close jails and defer jail time know that both jail and prison populations in New York, as well as crime, have been on the decline for decades? Against this backdrop, they think we should let everyone out and call it “reform.” It makes no sense.
Violence is already beginning to explode, from the Chinatown massacre guy to the friendly fire incident in the Bronx to a fresh officer-involved shooting in Brooklyn. What do these situations all have in common? The alleged perps were all out, awaiting trial on other violent cases.
Hope is not a plan. I can’t wait until January, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “reform” plan takes full effect, to see what happens next. I guarantee one thing, the police will be searching for all of these individuals that warrant out when they don’t show up for court. What do you think will happen when the police finally catch up to them? They will just surrender, right? If you believe that, I’d like to sell you a bridge over the East River.
This isn’t fear-mongering. Open your eyes. When police-community relations are bad, people are less likely to cooperate.
The police need help from the public to solve many violent crimes. But under the new rules going into effect Jan. 1, the identity of victims and witnesses will be known faster than before. Prosecutors will be forced to provide discoverable information within 15 days after arraignment.
Good luck getting anyone to help the police ever again. This will cause further victimization, higher crime rates, more mothers missing their sons.
Get used to it. This is “reform.”
By Joseph Giacalone
New York Post
October 24, 2019
Criminal justice reform is all the rage this political season. In practice, it entails “woke” politicians making decisions for communities where they don’t live in — and never will.
Releasing convicts early, or nearly all criminal suspects with no bail, is one element of such “reform.” It’s anything but reform — it sounds the death knell for police-community relations. It will further erode public trust in the police. Why? There is no plan. Most of these convicts/suspects released will reoffend. Then the police will be forced to deal with them. It’s already happening.
It’s only a matter of time before a situation goes sideways, and a police officer’s actions will be at the forefront of the discussion. The question won’t be, “Why was this criminal out on the street to begin with?” Or “who is responsible for this terrible decision”? Rather, the “reformers” and their media allies will denounce the police for failing to “de-escalate, or shoot him in the finger, or (just fill in the blank).”
Whether it’s physical force or deadly physical force, it won’t matter. A snippet of a cellphone video, an allegation, a rumor will rekindle anger without facts and anger without common sense. Then, these same politicians along with the anti-police crowd will blast the “police-are-the-enemy” mantra.
Each use of force incident, even the most justified, seem to be questioned these days by the false “reformers.” Uninformed opinion drives a wedge further between the police and the community they serve.
Do any of these reformers clamoring to close jails and defer jail time know that both jail and prison populations in New York, as well as crime, have been on the decline for decades? Against this backdrop, they think we should let everyone out and call it “reform.” It makes no sense.
Violence is already beginning to explode, from the Chinatown massacre guy to the friendly fire incident in the Bronx to a fresh officer-involved shooting in Brooklyn. What do these situations all have in common? The alleged perps were all out, awaiting trial on other violent cases.
Hope is not a plan. I can’t wait until January, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “reform” plan takes full effect, to see what happens next. I guarantee one thing, the police will be searching for all of these individuals that warrant out when they don’t show up for court. What do you think will happen when the police finally catch up to them? They will just surrender, right? If you believe that, I’d like to sell you a bridge over the East River.
This isn’t fear-mongering. Open your eyes. When police-community relations are bad, people are less likely to cooperate.
The police need help from the public to solve many violent crimes. But under the new rules going into effect Jan. 1, the identity of victims and witnesses will be known faster than before. Prosecutors will be forced to provide discoverable information within 15 days after arraignment.
Good luck getting anyone to help the police ever again. This will cause further victimization, higher crime rates, more mothers missing their sons.
Get used to it. This is “reform.”
A DRUG CARTEL JUST DEFEATED THE MEXICAN MILITARY IN BATTLE
Mexico is in a state of collapse, and Americans need to realize that the crisis underway south of the Rio Grande won’t stop at the border
By John Daniel Davidson
The Federalist
October 21, 2019
The southwest U.S. border might be quieter now than it was this spring at the height of the migrant crisis, but south of the Rio Grande the Mexican state is disintegrating.
Last Thursday in the city of Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, a battle erupted between government forces and drug cartel gunmen after the Mexican military captured two sons of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The elder son, Ivan, was quickly freed by his men, who overpowered government forces and secured his release. Ivan then launched an all-out siege of the entire city in an effort to free his younger brother, Ovidio.
The ensuing scene could have been mistaken for Syria or Yemen. Footage posted on social media Thursday showed burning vehicles spewing black smoke, heavily armed gunmen blocking roads, dead bodies strewn in the streets, and residents fleeing for cover amid high-caliber gunfire.
Armed with military-grade weapons and driving custom-built armored vehicles, cartel henchmen targeted security forces throughout Culiacan, launching more than one dozen separate attacks on Mexican security forces. They captured and held hostage eight soldiers, then kidnapped their families. Amid the fighting, an unknown number of inmates escaped from a nearby prison. At least eight people were killed and more than a dozen were injured.
The eight-hour battle ended when government forces, outgunned and surrounded, without reinforcements or a way to retreat, received an order directly from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to release their prisoner and surrender. Lopez Obrador later defended this decision, insisting that his security strategy is working and saying, “Many people were at risk and it was decided to protect people’s lives. I agreed with that, because we don’t do massacres, that’s over.”
The Mexican State Is Collapsing
The battle of Culiacan marks a turning point in the collapse of the Mexican state. There is now no doubt about who is in control of Sinaloa, let alone the rest of the country. Cartel forces seized a major regional capital city in broad daylight and defeated the national armed forces in open battle.
Violence is rampant across Mexico. Earlier in the week, more than one dozen police officers were massacred in a cartel ambush in western Mexico. A day later, 14 suspected gang members were killed by the Mexican Army. Homicides in Mexico this year are on track to surpass last year’s record total of more than 29,000.
Understand that the fighting in Culiacan is not just another episode in the “drug war,” nor is it merely an incident of organized crime. What’s happening Mexico right now is more like an insurgency. Yes, drug-trafficking is one of the things the cartels do, but it doesn’t nearly describe what they are or what role they’re playing in the disintegration of civil society in Mexico. Indeed, over the past decade cartels have diversified their economic activities to include everything from oil and gas production to industrial agriculture to offshore commercial fishing.
In other words, it’s fair to say that Mexico is now on a trajectory to become a vast gangland governed more by warlordism than by the state. The last time this happened was a century ago, during the decade-long Mexican Revolution, which eventually triggered the invasion and occupation of northern Mexico in 1916 by the U.S. Army, including the mobilization of the entire National Guard and a call for volunteers. Before it was over, U.S. forces attacked and occupied Nogales, Sonora, in 1918 and Ciudad Juarez in 1919.
Historically, insurgent and secessionist movements have bedeviled Mexico from its very beginnings. Civil wars and rebellions were endemic in Mexico throughout much of the 19th century, ceasing only with the Porfiriato and resuming with its collapse in 1910.
What’s different today is that Mexico, despite its corrupt and incompetent government, has a rising middle class and a growing economy. Unlike the Mexican state, the Mexican people have shown themselves to be more than capable of industrious and liberal self-government, not just in the success millions of them have achieved in the United States but also in the success of local governments throughout the country.
Set against the Mexican people is a Mexican state incapable of governing and a cartel insurgency that now controls vast swaths of both territory and industry. President Lopez Obrador will not push back on the cartels. He has never said a bad word about El Chapo or the Sinaloa Cartel, and even campaigned for cartel amnesty in 2017, but he does have a long history of associating his political rivals with organized crime.
He has said he wants to tackle the “root causes” of crime and violence, which he has said are poverty and lack of opportunity, and campaigned for president on slogans such as “hugs, not gunshots,” and “you can’t fight fire with fire.” In short, Lopez Obrador is not the man to rescue Mexico from the unfolding crisis.
The idea that a nation of 120 million people with whom the United States shares a 2,000-mile border and ever-increasing economic ties might spiral into collapse has not seriously occurred to the American people. We’ve had a century of relative peace on our southwest border, and aside from dealing with an occasional surge of illegal immigration, we have assumed that it will continue. It will not.
Culiacan should be a wake-up call that the war now underway in Mexico will not stay there, and that we’d better start thinking about what that will mean for America.
__________
American-Made .50-Caliber Rifles Help Fuel Mexican Cartel Violence
LAPPL News Watch
October 31, 2019
Mexican authorities were outgunned by criminal cartels in two notable incidents this month. In both cases, the criminals were armed with high-powered .50-caliber firearms.
First, on October 13, in the state of Michoacan, a police convoy was ambushed with .50-caliber sniper rifles, leaving 13 officers dead and nine wounded. Four days later, in the state of Sinaloa, the government was forced to abandon an operation to arrest the son of JoaquÃn “El Chapo” Guzmán, after his henchmen assaulted a Mexican military force with both sniper rifles and truck-mounted machine guns.
“We are seeing a full-out criminal insurgency in Mexico right now,” said Robert Bunker, an international security expert who teaches at the Army War College Strategic Studies Institute and has written about the use of .50-caliber rifles by Mexican cartels.
Often, the weapons come from the United States, where civilian sales of high-caliber sniper rifles are unregulated in all but three states.
By John Daniel Davidson
The Federalist
October 21, 2019
The southwest U.S. border might be quieter now than it was this spring at the height of the migrant crisis, but south of the Rio Grande the Mexican state is disintegrating.
Last Thursday in the city of Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, a battle erupted between government forces and drug cartel gunmen after the Mexican military captured two sons of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The elder son, Ivan, was quickly freed by his men, who overpowered government forces and secured his release. Ivan then launched an all-out siege of the entire city in an effort to free his younger brother, Ovidio.
The ensuing scene could have been mistaken for Syria or Yemen. Footage posted on social media Thursday showed burning vehicles spewing black smoke, heavily armed gunmen blocking roads, dead bodies strewn in the streets, and residents fleeing for cover amid high-caliber gunfire.
Armed with military-grade weapons and driving custom-built armored vehicles, cartel henchmen targeted security forces throughout Culiacan, launching more than one dozen separate attacks on Mexican security forces. They captured and held hostage eight soldiers, then kidnapped their families. Amid the fighting, an unknown number of inmates escaped from a nearby prison. At least eight people were killed and more than a dozen were injured.
The eight-hour battle ended when government forces, outgunned and surrounded, without reinforcements or a way to retreat, received an order directly from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to release their prisoner and surrender. Lopez Obrador later defended this decision, insisting that his security strategy is working and saying, “Many people were at risk and it was decided to protect people’s lives. I agreed with that, because we don’t do massacres, that’s over.”
The Mexican State Is Collapsing
The battle of Culiacan marks a turning point in the collapse of the Mexican state. There is now no doubt about who is in control of Sinaloa, let alone the rest of the country. Cartel forces seized a major regional capital city in broad daylight and defeated the national armed forces in open battle.
Violence is rampant across Mexico. Earlier in the week, more than one dozen police officers were massacred in a cartel ambush in western Mexico. A day later, 14 suspected gang members were killed by the Mexican Army. Homicides in Mexico this year are on track to surpass last year’s record total of more than 29,000.
Understand that the fighting in Culiacan is not just another episode in the “drug war,” nor is it merely an incident of organized crime. What’s happening Mexico right now is more like an insurgency. Yes, drug-trafficking is one of the things the cartels do, but it doesn’t nearly describe what they are or what role they’re playing in the disintegration of civil society in Mexico. Indeed, over the past decade cartels have diversified their economic activities to include everything from oil and gas production to industrial agriculture to offshore commercial fishing.
In other words, it’s fair to say that Mexico is now on a trajectory to become a vast gangland governed more by warlordism than by the state. The last time this happened was a century ago, during the decade-long Mexican Revolution, which eventually triggered the invasion and occupation of northern Mexico in 1916 by the U.S. Army, including the mobilization of the entire National Guard and a call for volunteers. Before it was over, U.S. forces attacked and occupied Nogales, Sonora, in 1918 and Ciudad Juarez in 1919.
Historically, insurgent and secessionist movements have bedeviled Mexico from its very beginnings. Civil wars and rebellions were endemic in Mexico throughout much of the 19th century, ceasing only with the Porfiriato and resuming with its collapse in 1910.
What’s different today is that Mexico, despite its corrupt and incompetent government, has a rising middle class and a growing economy. Unlike the Mexican state, the Mexican people have shown themselves to be more than capable of industrious and liberal self-government, not just in the success millions of them have achieved in the United States but also in the success of local governments throughout the country.
Set against the Mexican people is a Mexican state incapable of governing and a cartel insurgency that now controls vast swaths of both territory and industry. President Lopez Obrador will not push back on the cartels. He has never said a bad word about El Chapo or the Sinaloa Cartel, and even campaigned for cartel amnesty in 2017, but he does have a long history of associating his political rivals with organized crime.
He has said he wants to tackle the “root causes” of crime and violence, which he has said are poverty and lack of opportunity, and campaigned for president on slogans such as “hugs, not gunshots,” and “you can’t fight fire with fire.” In short, Lopez Obrador is not the man to rescue Mexico from the unfolding crisis.
The idea that a nation of 120 million people with whom the United States shares a 2,000-mile border and ever-increasing economic ties might spiral into collapse has not seriously occurred to the American people. We’ve had a century of relative peace on our southwest border, and aside from dealing with an occasional surge of illegal immigration, we have assumed that it will continue. It will not.
Culiacan should be a wake-up call that the war now underway in Mexico will not stay there, and that we’d better start thinking about what that will mean for America.
__________
American-Made .50-Caliber Rifles Help Fuel Mexican Cartel Violence
LAPPL News Watch
October 31, 2019
Mexican authorities were outgunned by criminal cartels in two notable incidents this month. In both cases, the criminals were armed with high-powered .50-caliber firearms.
First, on October 13, in the state of Michoacan, a police convoy was ambushed with .50-caliber sniper rifles, leaving 13 officers dead and nine wounded. Four days later, in the state of Sinaloa, the government was forced to abandon an operation to arrest the son of JoaquÃn “El Chapo” Guzmán, after his henchmen assaulted a Mexican military force with both sniper rifles and truck-mounted machine guns.
“We are seeing a full-out criminal insurgency in Mexico right now,” said Robert Bunker, an international security expert who teaches at the Army War College Strategic Studies Institute and has written about the use of .50-caliber rifles by Mexican cartels.
Often, the weapons come from the United States, where civilian sales of high-caliber sniper rifles are unregulated in all but three states.
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