The Onion
July 22, 2016
WASHINGTON—Bowing their heads as they solemnly shuffled single-file past Capitol Hill, leaders from around the world reportedly poured into Washington, D.C. this week to pay their last respects to the dying nation.
“Given all this great country has achieved, I felt it was important to take the time to come here today in order to show my appreciation and say my final goodbyes,” said German chancellor Angela Merkel, one of over 200 presidents and prime ministers who flew to the U.S. capital to share their favorite memories of the 240-year-old nation and tell the country just how much it always meant to them before it was too late. “When it became clear that time was running out, I felt I had to come here and see this wonderful country one last time, as it has been a dear friend of ours. Sure, we didn’t see eye to eye on everything, but we knew it always meant well. While this is certainly a sad occasion, at least we can take comfort knowing that it had a full, rich life and that this was just its time to go.”
Sources confirmed that Pakistan’s president, Mamnoon Hussain, delivered his deepest sympathies on behalf of the Chinese delegation, which was unable to make the trip.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
IS BERNIE SANDERS A JEW OR AN ATHEIST?
Embarrassing leaked Democratic National Committee email suggests using Bernie’s religious beliefs against him would be a good way to assure Hillary’s nomination
Wikileaks released a number of embarrassing emails from the DNC that it obtained from a hacker. Some of these emails show that the DNC was dead set against Bernie Sanders securing the Democratic Party nomination, something that Sanders claimed during his campaign.
Here is one of those emails. It was sent to DNC Communications Director Luis Miranda and Deputy Communications Director Mark Paustenbach by DNC CFO Brad Marshall.
From:MARSHALL@dnc.org
To: MirandaL@dnc.org, PaustenbachM@dnc.org, DaceyA@dnc.org
Date: 2016-05-05 03:31
Subject: No shit
It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.
No shit … what an appropriate subject title.
My opinion is that Bernie is an Israel-hating ersatz Jew, not far removed from being an atheist.
The Quran says that Jews who break the Sabbath are turned into apes and swine. And during WW2 when I was in the Army, I learned from the Southern good old boys that “a Jew is nothing but a nigger turned inside out.”
So, oy vey, what in the fuck am I … an ape, swine, or a nigger turned inside out? Will someone please tell me before I become schizophrenic!
Wikileaks released a number of embarrassing emails from the DNC that it obtained from a hacker. Some of these emails show that the DNC was dead set against Bernie Sanders securing the Democratic Party nomination, something that Sanders claimed during his campaign.
Here is one of those emails. It was sent to DNC Communications Director Luis Miranda and Deputy Communications Director Mark Paustenbach by DNC CFO Brad Marshall.
From:MARSHALL@dnc.org
To: MirandaL@dnc.org, PaustenbachM@dnc.org, DaceyA@dnc.org
Date: 2016-05-05 03:31
Subject: No shit
It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.
No shit … what an appropriate subject title.
My opinion is that Bernie is an Israel-hating ersatz Jew, not far removed from being an atheist.
The Quran says that Jews who break the Sabbath are turned into apes and swine. And during WW2 when I was in the Army, I learned from the Southern good old boys that “a Jew is nothing but a nigger turned inside out.”
So, oy vey, what in the fuck am I … an ape, swine, or a nigger turned inside out? Will someone please tell me before I become schizophrenic!
WOMEN WHO WILL AND WILL NOT BE GUEST SPEAKERS AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
Frank Borelli, editor of Officer.com, has provided a list of these women who have been invited as guest speakers at the DNC:
Mrs. Astrid Silva Gavel is an “undocumented immigrant” who has done well for herself. Although she is in our country ILLEGALLY (which makes her a criminal since she’s committing a crime in an on-going manner), she has earned a good education (working on her third college degree) and not broken the law (except for that whole illegal immigration thing).
Ms. Gwen Carr – the mother of Eric Garner. Eric Garner was made famous when he died OF A HEART ATTACK after being arrested. He resisted arrest and was placed into a submission hold by police officers. He was obese and had a number of documented physical ailments, all of which contributed to his death from cardiac arrest after he fought the police.
Ms. Sybrian Fulton – Trayvon Martin’s mother. It’s interesting that Trayvon Martin wasn’t shot by the police but was held up by the mainstream media as a victim of racism. He was portrayed as an innocent victim killed by a racist white man. In truth, evidence showed that he was shot by a Hispanic man who was defending himself from a potentially lethal assault committed by Martin. Trayvon’s death was a shame but the shooting was 100% justifiable and demonstrated as such by a trial.
Ms. Maria Hamilton – mother of Dontre Hamilton. I admit to being confused by this inclusion. Dontre Hamilton’s name isn’t so well known. Why? Because the mainstream media couldn’t spin the events enough. Dontre Hamilton attacked a police officer, taking his baton and hitting the police officer in the neck before being shot by the officer he’d attacked. Hamilton was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and the officer was somehow expected to know this and take it into consideration as he defended himself from a potentially lethal attack. The officer lost his job over the incident even though his shooting of Hamilton was justified under any reasonable examination.
Ms. Lucia McBath – mother of Jordan Davis. Jordan Davis was murdered by a man named Michael Dunn, who had no connection or relation to law enforcement, and who was convicted of first degree murder. I am at a loss as to why Ms. McBath might be speaking except that her son was one more young African American male killed by a gun and they might be able to leverage her presence to support gun control.
Ms. Lezley McSpadden – Michael Brown’s mother. In case any of us have forgotten, Michael Brown was the man who committed a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store and then attacked Officer Darren Wilson, trying to take Wilson’s gun. Even the Department of Justice couldn’t find any wrong doing on Officer Wilson’s part and the autopsy clearly showed that the mainstream media’s narrative of Brown being shot in the back OR being shot while his hands were up was all false. Brown, a convicted criminal who was actively trying to kill a police officer was, and is, held up as an example of racially motivated excessive force used by the police.
Mrs. Geneva Reed-Veal – mother of Sandra Bland. Her daughter committed suicide while in a holding cell. There is absolutely zero evidence that there was anything suspicious about her suicide, but that hasn’t stopped all of the rumors and innuendo from flying about police involvement in her death.
Fraternal Order of Police vice president Roosevelt Poplar said the speaker list was “a slap in the face to our men and women and their families,” whose loved ones were gunned down, “especially in the past weeks when we've had eight officers assassinated.”
Now here is my list of women who were not invited as guest speakers at the DNC:
Kathleen Willey, Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Jones – these three women could speak about how they were sexually assaulted by Bill Clinton
Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers – these two women could speak about their sexual relations with Bill Clinton.
Also countless other women Bill fucked while married to the Hildebeast.
The mothers and widows of the Americans who lost their lives in the Benghazi attacks.
And the mothers and widows of police officers assassinated by black killers in recent weeks.
Mrs. Astrid Silva Gavel is an “undocumented immigrant” who has done well for herself. Although she is in our country ILLEGALLY (which makes her a criminal since she’s committing a crime in an on-going manner), she has earned a good education (working on her third college degree) and not broken the law (except for that whole illegal immigration thing).
Ms. Gwen Carr – the mother of Eric Garner. Eric Garner was made famous when he died OF A HEART ATTACK after being arrested. He resisted arrest and was placed into a submission hold by police officers. He was obese and had a number of documented physical ailments, all of which contributed to his death from cardiac arrest after he fought the police.
Ms. Sybrian Fulton – Trayvon Martin’s mother. It’s interesting that Trayvon Martin wasn’t shot by the police but was held up by the mainstream media as a victim of racism. He was portrayed as an innocent victim killed by a racist white man. In truth, evidence showed that he was shot by a Hispanic man who was defending himself from a potentially lethal assault committed by Martin. Trayvon’s death was a shame but the shooting was 100% justifiable and demonstrated as such by a trial.
Ms. Maria Hamilton – mother of Dontre Hamilton. I admit to being confused by this inclusion. Dontre Hamilton’s name isn’t so well known. Why? Because the mainstream media couldn’t spin the events enough. Dontre Hamilton attacked a police officer, taking his baton and hitting the police officer in the neck before being shot by the officer he’d attacked. Hamilton was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and the officer was somehow expected to know this and take it into consideration as he defended himself from a potentially lethal attack. The officer lost his job over the incident even though his shooting of Hamilton was justified under any reasonable examination.
Ms. Lucia McBath – mother of Jordan Davis. Jordan Davis was murdered by a man named Michael Dunn, who had no connection or relation to law enforcement, and who was convicted of first degree murder. I am at a loss as to why Ms. McBath might be speaking except that her son was one more young African American male killed by a gun and they might be able to leverage her presence to support gun control.
Ms. Lezley McSpadden – Michael Brown’s mother. In case any of us have forgotten, Michael Brown was the man who committed a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store and then attacked Officer Darren Wilson, trying to take Wilson’s gun. Even the Department of Justice couldn’t find any wrong doing on Officer Wilson’s part and the autopsy clearly showed that the mainstream media’s narrative of Brown being shot in the back OR being shot while his hands were up was all false. Brown, a convicted criminal who was actively trying to kill a police officer was, and is, held up as an example of racially motivated excessive force used by the police.
Mrs. Geneva Reed-Veal – mother of Sandra Bland. Her daughter committed suicide while in a holding cell. There is absolutely zero evidence that there was anything suspicious about her suicide, but that hasn’t stopped all of the rumors and innuendo from flying about police involvement in her death.
Fraternal Order of Police vice president Roosevelt Poplar said the speaker list was “a slap in the face to our men and women and their families,” whose loved ones were gunned down, “especially in the past weeks when we've had eight officers assassinated.”
Now here is my list of women who were not invited as guest speakers at the DNC:
Kathleen Willey, Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Jones – these three women could speak about how they were sexually assaulted by Bill Clinton
Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers – these two women could speak about their sexual relations with Bill Clinton.
Also countless other women Bill fucked while married to the Hildebeast.
The mothers and widows of the Americans who lost their lives in the Benghazi attacks.
And the mothers and widows of police officers assassinated by black killers in recent weeks.
YOU ARE BNG TRACKED
By Harry Dunne
I don't think living completely off the grid can be accomplished in the USA.
Everything you do is tracked. Vehicle registration, driver’s license, hunting license, professional licenses, utilities, shopping habits, banking, professional organizations and other people you know who are listed as known associates along with relatives all combine to paint an intelligence picture of you.
All the info is sold to companies such as Nexus-Lexus who provide it to private companies and individuals for a fee. Law Enforcement (LE) also retrieves most of its LE classified intel from these companies for a fee. Most LE agencies at least midsized or greater employ trained analysts who gather intel for LE needs.
TCIC/NCIC [Texas Crime Information Center/National Crime Information Center] can only collect certain information such as stolen vehicles and property and wanted requests. Tracking someone is different.
Most criminals know this information is out there. It is almost impossible to stay off the grid. That's why they get caught.
The next time you fill out the CVS discount card to save 10 cents on a gallon of milk, remember that the info is being shared.
There are several ways to thwart tracking intel, but it can only buy time because people are creatures of habit.
I don't think living completely off the grid can be accomplished in the USA.
Everything you do is tracked. Vehicle registration, driver’s license, hunting license, professional licenses, utilities, shopping habits, banking, professional organizations and other people you know who are listed as known associates along with relatives all combine to paint an intelligence picture of you.
All the info is sold to companies such as Nexus-Lexus who provide it to private companies and individuals for a fee. Law Enforcement (LE) also retrieves most of its LE classified intel from these companies for a fee. Most LE agencies at least midsized or greater employ trained analysts who gather intel for LE needs.
TCIC/NCIC [Texas Crime Information Center/National Crime Information Center] can only collect certain information such as stolen vehicles and property and wanted requests. Tracking someone is different.
Most criminals know this information is out there. It is almost impossible to stay off the grid. That's why they get caught.
The next time you fill out the CVS discount card to save 10 cents on a gallon of milk, remember that the info is being shared.
There are several ways to thwart tracking intel, but it can only buy time because people are creatures of habit.
JOHN KERRY DECLARES AIR CONDITIONERS AND REFRIGERATORS JUST AS BIG A THREAT AS ISIS
The Secretary of State says hydrofluorocarbons, the refrigerants used in air conditioners and refrigerators, pose as big a threat to "life on the planet" as the threat of terrorism
By John Siciliano
Washington Examiner
July 22, 2016
Air conditioners and refrigerators pose as big a threat to "life on the planet" as the threat of terrorism, Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday.
Kerry was in Vienna negotiating a global climate deal to phase out chemicals used as refrigerants in basic household and commercial appliances such as air conditioning and refrigerators, called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. The chemicals are a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions that many scientists blame for contributing to global warming.
Kerry made the remarks as part of a pep talk for negotiators working through the weekend to amend a 1987 treaty called the Montreal Protocol to deal with the chemicals.
"Yesterday, I met in Washington with 45 nations — defense ministers and foreign ministers — as we were working together on the challenge of [the Islamic State], and terrorism," he said. "It's hard for some people to grasp it, but what we — you — are doing here right now is of equal importance because it has the ability to literally save life on the planet itself."
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy is one of the U.S.'s lead negotiators in the discussions in Vienna. She said Thursday that one of her goals is to move the HFC agreement into force by the end of the year.
The global deal would match new EPA regulations to ban HFCs in the United States and promote alternative chemicals for use in appliances.
The EPA's rules, together with the negotiations in Vienna, are part of the president's climate agenda for his final year in office.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The world is no doubt in a cycle of global warming to which hydro carbon emissions contribute very little. If you do away with air conditioners, more people are liable to die from heat-related problems than from the hydrofluorocarbons Kerry is so alarmed about.
Furthermore, I hardly think we are going to be gunned down, run over, or blown to bits by our air conditioners and refrigerators.
By John Siciliano
Washington Examiner
July 22, 2016
Air conditioners and refrigerators pose as big a threat to "life on the planet" as the threat of terrorism, Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday.
Kerry was in Vienna negotiating a global climate deal to phase out chemicals used as refrigerants in basic household and commercial appliances such as air conditioning and refrigerators, called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. The chemicals are a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions that many scientists blame for contributing to global warming.
Kerry made the remarks as part of a pep talk for negotiators working through the weekend to amend a 1987 treaty called the Montreal Protocol to deal with the chemicals.
"Yesterday, I met in Washington with 45 nations — defense ministers and foreign ministers — as we were working together on the challenge of [the Islamic State], and terrorism," he said. "It's hard for some people to grasp it, but what we — you — are doing here right now is of equal importance because it has the ability to literally save life on the planet itself."
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy is one of the U.S.'s lead negotiators in the discussions in Vienna. She said Thursday that one of her goals is to move the HFC agreement into force by the end of the year.
The global deal would match new EPA regulations to ban HFCs in the United States and promote alternative chemicals for use in appliances.
The EPA's rules, together with the negotiations in Vienna, are part of the president's climate agenda for his final year in office.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The world is no doubt in a cycle of global warming to which hydro carbon emissions contribute very little. If you do away with air conditioners, more people are liable to die from heat-related problems than from the hydrofluorocarbons Kerry is so alarmed about.
Furthermore, I hardly think we are going to be gunned down, run over, or blown to bits by our air conditioners and refrigerators.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
A lady goes to her priest one day and tells him, “Father, I have a problem. I have two female parrots, but they only know how to say one thing.”
“What do they say?” the priest inquired.
“They say, ‘Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?’”
“That's obscene!,” the priest exclaimed,
Then he thought for a moment.
“You know,” he said, “I may have a solution to your problem. I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read the Bible. Bring your two parrots over to my house, and we'll put them in the cage with Francis and Peter. My parrots can teach your parrots to praise the Lord and worship, and your parrots are sure to stop saying that phrase in no time.”
“Thank you,” the woman responded, “this may very well be the solution.”
The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest's house. As he ushered her in, she saw that his two male parrots were inside their cage holding rosary beads and praying. Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them.
After a few minutes, the female parrots cried out in unison: “Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?”
There was stunned silence. Shocked, one male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed: “Put the beads away, Frank. Our prayers have been answered!”
“What do they say?” the priest inquired.
“They say, ‘Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?’”
“That's obscene!,” the priest exclaimed,
Then he thought for a moment.
“You know,” he said, “I may have a solution to your problem. I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read the Bible. Bring your two parrots over to my house, and we'll put them in the cage with Francis and Peter. My parrots can teach your parrots to praise the Lord and worship, and your parrots are sure to stop saying that phrase in no time.”
“Thank you,” the woman responded, “this may very well be the solution.”
The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest's house. As he ushered her in, she saw that his two male parrots were inside their cage holding rosary beads and praying. Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them.
After a few minutes, the female parrots cried out in unison: “Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?”
There was stunned silence. Shocked, one male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed: “Put the beads away, Frank. Our prayers have been answered!”
Sunday, July 24, 2016
MAN RIPS OFF CEILING PANEL ON CATHAY PACIFIC AIRBUS A350
A passenger caused a three-hour delay of a flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok when he thought he was opening an overhead luggage bin
280 passengers were all set to take off from Hong Kong to Bangkok on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 Wednesday when a slight snag occurred.
A man ripped off a ceiling panel on the airliner in the mistaken belief that he was opening an overhead luggage bin.
The airliner was a brand new Airbus A360. Mechanics were able to repair the damage without taking the aircraft out of service. The flight took off after a three-hour delay.
The unidentified passenger who ripped off the ceiling was allowed to stay on the flight.
I strongly suspect his 279 fellow passengers were either laughing at him or royally pissed off at him.
280 passengers were all set to take off from Hong Kong to Bangkok on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 Wednesday when a slight snag occurred.
A man ripped off a ceiling panel on the airliner in the mistaken belief that he was opening an overhead luggage bin.
The airliner was a brand new Airbus A360. Mechanics were able to repair the damage without taking the aircraft out of service. The flight took off after a three-hour delay.
The unidentified passenger who ripped off the ceiling was allowed to stay on the flight.
I strongly suspect his 279 fellow passengers were either laughing at him or royally pissed off at him.
IS KRAPMART ABOUT TO CLOSE DOWN?
By Bob Walsh
It seems that a lot of the store-level employees of K-Mart, a division of Sears Holding, seem to believe that K-Mart is about to go belly-up.
Many of their stores are totally cleaning out their stockrooms. Everything is going out on the floor. Management positions which are vacant are not being filled. About 1/3 of their stores have closed down recently.
Management says that the clearing out of back room stock is merely an inventory control mechanism and is not indicative of a prepared liquidation. Who knows, it might even be true.
It seems that a lot of the store-level employees of K-Mart, a division of Sears Holding, seem to believe that K-Mart is about to go belly-up.
Many of their stores are totally cleaning out their stockrooms. Everything is going out on the floor. Management positions which are vacant are not being filled. About 1/3 of their stores have closed down recently.
Management says that the clearing out of back room stock is merely an inventory control mechanism and is not indicative of a prepared liquidation. Who knows, it might even be true.
STOLEN SMARTPHONE’S ‘FIND MY PHONE’ APP LEADS TO SUSPECTS IN BRUTAL LAS VEGAS HOME INVASION
Suspects Jonathan Mika and Dominic Maratita were arrested after the app signal on the iPhone that had been stolen during an early morning home invasion led to an apartment
By Kiri Blakeley
Daily Mail
July 23, 2016
Police were easily able to trace suspects in a brutal home invasion when an iPhone stolen from the house was tracked through its 'Find My iPhone' software.
Two men identified as Jonathan Mika, 34, and Dominic Maratita, 41, of Las Vegas, were arrested after cops were led to an apartment Maratita was renting by following the signal from the 'Find My iPhone' app from a phone stolen from the residence, which pinpointed the suspects' location, according to Review Journal.
The suspects face six counts of robbery with a deadly weapon and six counts of first-degree kidnapping and charge each of burglary while in possession of a gun and possession of stolen property.
The invasion at the house on East Sierra Stone Lane began around 3am on Monday when one family member was playing video games. When the game mysteriously shut off, the person went to reset the Internet modem but discovered the power was off.
When the male family member went outside to check the power box, police say he was confronted by three people with a gun who forced him back inside the house.
The robbers then proceeded to knock down doors to other six family members' bedrooms and pistol whipping some in the head.
One member was pistol whipped so forcefully that he later needed stitches, reported the outlet.
At least one juvenile was in the home.
The family was then tied up and the premises was robbed of six guns, iPhones, at least one laptop and wallets, credit cards and IDs.
When the stolen iPhone signal led to Maratita's home, Mika was found sitting outside the residence in a car that matched the description of the vehicle seen on the family's neighbor's home surveillance video during the time of the invasion, say police.
All items taken in the home invasion were recovered in the suspect's home, according to cops.
While Maratita denied ever being in the home, Mika reportedly told cops that he 'was homeless and trying to put a roof over his head.'
He also reportedly claimed that his role in the incident was to make sure no one got shot.
A third suspect that police believe acted as a lookout has not yet been found.
The pair are due in court August 8 and are being held without bail.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Smartphone, dumb crooks!
By Kiri Blakeley
Daily Mail
July 23, 2016
Police were easily able to trace suspects in a brutal home invasion when an iPhone stolen from the house was tracked through its 'Find My iPhone' software.
Two men identified as Jonathan Mika, 34, and Dominic Maratita, 41, of Las Vegas, were arrested after cops were led to an apartment Maratita was renting by following the signal from the 'Find My iPhone' app from a phone stolen from the residence, which pinpointed the suspects' location, according to Review Journal.
The suspects face six counts of robbery with a deadly weapon and six counts of first-degree kidnapping and charge each of burglary while in possession of a gun and possession of stolen property.
The invasion at the house on East Sierra Stone Lane began around 3am on Monday when one family member was playing video games. When the game mysteriously shut off, the person went to reset the Internet modem but discovered the power was off.
When the male family member went outside to check the power box, police say he was confronted by three people with a gun who forced him back inside the house.
The robbers then proceeded to knock down doors to other six family members' bedrooms and pistol whipping some in the head.
One member was pistol whipped so forcefully that he later needed stitches, reported the outlet.
At least one juvenile was in the home.
The family was then tied up and the premises was robbed of six guns, iPhones, at least one laptop and wallets, credit cards and IDs.
When the stolen iPhone signal led to Maratita's home, Mika was found sitting outside the residence in a car that matched the description of the vehicle seen on the family's neighbor's home surveillance video during the time of the invasion, say police.
All items taken in the home invasion were recovered in the suspect's home, according to cops.
While Maratita denied ever being in the home, Mika reportedly told cops that he 'was homeless and trying to put a roof over his head.'
He also reportedly claimed that his role in the incident was to make sure no one got shot.
A third suspect that police believe acted as a lookout has not yet been found.
The pair are due in court August 8 and are being held without bail.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Smartphone, dumb crooks!
SUSPECTED L.A. GANG MEMBER CHARGED IN THROWING MOLOTOV COCKTAILS AT BLACK FAMILIES DENIED BAIL
Francisco “Bones” Farias and his fellow Latino gang members tried to drive blacks out of a public housing complex area in Boyle Heights
By Stephanie Michaud
City News Service
July 21, 2016
A suspected gang member charged in a federal indictment with throwing Molotov cocktails through the windows of sleeping black families at the Ramona Gardens public housing complex in Boyle Heights two years ago in an alleged effort to drive them out of the area was denied bail Thursday.
Francisco “Bones” Farias, 25, of Whittier was deemed a flight risk and a threat to the community by U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Stevenson, who ordered the defendant detained pending trial in Los Angeles federal court.
Farias and six other men were charged in an indictment unsealed July 7 with planning and carrying out the May 12, 2014, attack, in which no one was physically injured and only minimal damage was reported.
The defendants also were charged for their alleged roles in a racketeering enterprise that used violence and intimidation to control the perceived territory of the Big Hazard street gang.
“Crimes targeting innocent people based on the color of their skin are among the most heinous crimes a community can suffer,” said Eileen M. Decker, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. “In this case, the crime was particularly disturbing since the targets of the criminal conduct included children.”
The residents were able to return to their homes the same day.
Farias’ attorney, Gerald Salseda, argued that his client should be set free to await trial because the allegations in the indictment stem from two years ago.
“Why does he suddenly become a danger now?” Salseda said, adding that Farias has been “80 percent complaint” with his probation in a concealed weapons case for which he was arrested a few months after the firebombing.
“There’s no evidence of any kind of violence,” the attorney said, asking that bail be set at $100,000.
However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Miller argued that Farias presented a clear danger to the community since black families still lived at Ramona Gardens.
“He put the lives of four families in direct danger of being incinerated as they slept,” Miller told the court, “simply because of the color of their skin.”
The prosecutor argued that Farias was also a flight risk since he faced a mandatory 20-year prison sentence if convicted.
“He’s very unlikely to comply” with any sort of pretrial release program, Miller said.
Additionally, any witnesses could be in danger since Big Hazard — an Eastside Hispanic gang that dates back to the 1940s — has a reputation for violence and retribution against those who cooperate with prosecutors, Miller said.
According to the indictment, 31-year-old Carlos “Creeper” Hernandez led a meeting of fellow Big Hazard members in early May 2014, when they plotted to hurl Molotov cocktails into units at Ramona Gardens, with the plan aimed at getting “the (N-words) out of the neighborhood.”
Hernandez and the other defendants met again on May 11, 2014 — Mother’s Day — and Hernandez distributed materials to be used during the firebombings, including disguises and gloves, prosecutors said.
The federal indictment also names Jose “Lil’ Moe” Saucedo, 22; Joseue “Malo” Garibay, 23; Edwin “Boogie” Felix, 23; Jonathan “Pelon” Portillo, 21; and Joel Matthew “Gallo” Monarrez, 21. They were all charged with conspiracy to violate civil rights; conspiracy to use fire and carry explosives to commit another federal felony; attempted arson of federal property; using fire and carrying explosives to commit another federal felony; aiding and abetting; and violent crime in aid of racketeering and interference with housing rights.
Hernandez and Farias were also charged with possessing, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Felix was also charged with making a false statement to the FBI.
Saucedo, Garibay, Portillo and Monarrez are facing up to 110 years in prison if convicted. Hernandez and Farias face between 20 years and up to life in prison, and Felix faces up to 115 years.
All defendants have been ordered detained pending trial.
By Stephanie Michaud
City News Service
July 21, 2016
A suspected gang member charged in a federal indictment with throwing Molotov cocktails through the windows of sleeping black families at the Ramona Gardens public housing complex in Boyle Heights two years ago in an alleged effort to drive them out of the area was denied bail Thursday.
Francisco “Bones” Farias, 25, of Whittier was deemed a flight risk and a threat to the community by U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Stevenson, who ordered the defendant detained pending trial in Los Angeles federal court.
Farias and six other men were charged in an indictment unsealed July 7 with planning and carrying out the May 12, 2014, attack, in which no one was physically injured and only minimal damage was reported.
The defendants also were charged for their alleged roles in a racketeering enterprise that used violence and intimidation to control the perceived territory of the Big Hazard street gang.
“Crimes targeting innocent people based on the color of their skin are among the most heinous crimes a community can suffer,” said Eileen M. Decker, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. “In this case, the crime was particularly disturbing since the targets of the criminal conduct included children.”
The residents were able to return to their homes the same day.
Farias’ attorney, Gerald Salseda, argued that his client should be set free to await trial because the allegations in the indictment stem from two years ago.
“Why does he suddenly become a danger now?” Salseda said, adding that Farias has been “80 percent complaint” with his probation in a concealed weapons case for which he was arrested a few months after the firebombing.
“There’s no evidence of any kind of violence,” the attorney said, asking that bail be set at $100,000.
However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Miller argued that Farias presented a clear danger to the community since black families still lived at Ramona Gardens.
“He put the lives of four families in direct danger of being incinerated as they slept,” Miller told the court, “simply because of the color of their skin.”
The prosecutor argued that Farias was also a flight risk since he faced a mandatory 20-year prison sentence if convicted.
“He’s very unlikely to comply” with any sort of pretrial release program, Miller said.
Additionally, any witnesses could be in danger since Big Hazard — an Eastside Hispanic gang that dates back to the 1940s — has a reputation for violence and retribution against those who cooperate with prosecutors, Miller said.
According to the indictment, 31-year-old Carlos “Creeper” Hernandez led a meeting of fellow Big Hazard members in early May 2014, when they plotted to hurl Molotov cocktails into units at Ramona Gardens, with the plan aimed at getting “the (N-words) out of the neighborhood.”
Hernandez and the other defendants met again on May 11, 2014 — Mother’s Day — and Hernandez distributed materials to be used during the firebombings, including disguises and gloves, prosecutors said.
The federal indictment also names Jose “Lil’ Moe” Saucedo, 22; Joseue “Malo” Garibay, 23; Edwin “Boogie” Felix, 23; Jonathan “Pelon” Portillo, 21; and Joel Matthew “Gallo” Monarrez, 21. They were all charged with conspiracy to violate civil rights; conspiracy to use fire and carry explosives to commit another federal felony; attempted arson of federal property; using fire and carrying explosives to commit another federal felony; aiding and abetting; and violent crime in aid of racketeering and interference with housing rights.
Hernandez and Farias were also charged with possessing, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Felix was also charged with making a false statement to the FBI.
Saucedo, Garibay, Portillo and Monarrez are facing up to 110 years in prison if convicted. Hernandez and Farias face between 20 years and up to life in prison, and Felix faces up to 115 years.
All defendants have been ordered detained pending trial.
HILLARY LIES, COPS DIE
By Larry Elder
Creators.com
July 21, 2016
The fascinating thing about Hillary Clinton's lie that "African-Americans" are disproportionately killed by police is that she continues peddling it after the murders of three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge, which followed the ambush killings of five officers in Dallas. In both cases, the murderers were black men apparently convinced that the cops were out to get black people and who, therefore, sought to exact revenge.
President Barack Obama, too, talks about the "disparity" that blacks, compared to whites, are more likely to be killed by the police. That Obama — in lecturing about this so-called disparity — gets away with ignoring the disproportionate rate at which blacks, especially young blacks, commit violent crime is truly astonishing.
Should blacks, at 13 percent of the population, comprise 13 percent of doctors, 13 percent of lawyers and 13 percent of NBA players? If not, does this mean there is a "disparity" that we must address as a society? According to economist John Lott, teenage black males, compared to teen white males, are nine times more likely to commit murder — and the murder victim is almost always another young black man. What about that disparity, Mr. President?
It's also interesting to watch the reaction of those who believe Clinton and defend her position, even when they are confronted with the facts. Talk about — pardon the pun — shooting the messenger. When I told someone that, according to The Washington Post, of the 965 blacks killed by cops last year, less than 4 percent involved a white cop and unarmed black man, he sniffed, "Why should a cop kill anyone who is unarmed?" Well, take the case for Michael Brown, arguably the white police-black suspect encounter that launched the Black Lives Matter movement and its mantra, "Hands Up, Don't Shoot." Eyewitness testimony and physical evidence show that Brown charged the police officer and attempted to get the cop's gun. Unarmed does not mean non-threatening.
It's hard to believe that two Ivy League-educated lawyers, Obama and Clinton, do not understand things like statistics, ratios and how to properly interpret crime data to incorporate the rate at which crime is committed by young black men versus the rate at which crime is committed by young white men.
As Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute writes in The Wall Street Journal, "According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, blacks were charged with 62 percent of all robberies, 57 percent of murders and 45 percent of assaults in the 75 largest U.S. counties in 2009, though they made up roughly 15 percent of the population there."
This leads us to but one conclusion: Obama and Clinton are flat-out lying. The goal is obvious — to retain that monolithic black vote, without which Democrats cannot win at the presidential level.
Obama cannot brag about — and Clinton cannot run on — his economic record for blacks. Under his watch, black poverty is up. Net worth is down. The "wealth gap" between blacks and whites is at a 25-year high. And as to the employment of black men, their "labor force participation rate" (the percentage of those 20 years of age and over who are either working or looking for work) hit its lowest rate in December 2013 — well into Obama's second term and his economic "recovery." That low was the worst since 1972, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping such records. And since December 2010, black men's employment rate every single month to date has seen lower numbers than any month under all other presidents dating back to 1972.
So, what to do? Change the subject, of course. Make the election about "social justice." Prattle on about what Clinton calls the "school-to-prison pipeline." Never mind that this drive to induce paranoia among blacks has real-world consequences. As mentioned, already it has helped inspire murderers to kill officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. But it also causes police officers to be less proactive, fearing that they, too, will be accused of unfairly "profiling" blacks. Cops pull back. This police passivity means crime increases, the victims of which are disproportionately black, the very people Ms. Clinton claims to care so deeply about.
Lies get votes. But they also get people killed.
Creators.com
July 21, 2016
The fascinating thing about Hillary Clinton's lie that "African-Americans" are disproportionately killed by police is that she continues peddling it after the murders of three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge, which followed the ambush killings of five officers in Dallas. In both cases, the murderers were black men apparently convinced that the cops were out to get black people and who, therefore, sought to exact revenge.
President Barack Obama, too, talks about the "disparity" that blacks, compared to whites, are more likely to be killed by the police. That Obama — in lecturing about this so-called disparity — gets away with ignoring the disproportionate rate at which blacks, especially young blacks, commit violent crime is truly astonishing.
Should blacks, at 13 percent of the population, comprise 13 percent of doctors, 13 percent of lawyers and 13 percent of NBA players? If not, does this mean there is a "disparity" that we must address as a society? According to economist John Lott, teenage black males, compared to teen white males, are nine times more likely to commit murder — and the murder victim is almost always another young black man. What about that disparity, Mr. President?
It's also interesting to watch the reaction of those who believe Clinton and defend her position, even when they are confronted with the facts. Talk about — pardon the pun — shooting the messenger. When I told someone that, according to The Washington Post, of the 965 blacks killed by cops last year, less than 4 percent involved a white cop and unarmed black man, he sniffed, "Why should a cop kill anyone who is unarmed?" Well, take the case for Michael Brown, arguably the white police-black suspect encounter that launched the Black Lives Matter movement and its mantra, "Hands Up, Don't Shoot." Eyewitness testimony and physical evidence show that Brown charged the police officer and attempted to get the cop's gun. Unarmed does not mean non-threatening.
It's hard to believe that two Ivy League-educated lawyers, Obama and Clinton, do not understand things like statistics, ratios and how to properly interpret crime data to incorporate the rate at which crime is committed by young black men versus the rate at which crime is committed by young white men.
As Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute writes in The Wall Street Journal, "According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, blacks were charged with 62 percent of all robberies, 57 percent of murders and 45 percent of assaults in the 75 largest U.S. counties in 2009, though they made up roughly 15 percent of the population there."
This leads us to but one conclusion: Obama and Clinton are flat-out lying. The goal is obvious — to retain that monolithic black vote, without which Democrats cannot win at the presidential level.
Obama cannot brag about — and Clinton cannot run on — his economic record for blacks. Under his watch, black poverty is up. Net worth is down. The "wealth gap" between blacks and whites is at a 25-year high. And as to the employment of black men, their "labor force participation rate" (the percentage of those 20 years of age and over who are either working or looking for work) hit its lowest rate in December 2013 — well into Obama's second term and his economic "recovery." That low was the worst since 1972, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping such records. And since December 2010, black men's employment rate every single month to date has seen lower numbers than any month under all other presidents dating back to 1972.
So, what to do? Change the subject, of course. Make the election about "social justice." Prattle on about what Clinton calls the "school-to-prison pipeline." Never mind that this drive to induce paranoia among blacks has real-world consequences. As mentioned, already it has helped inspire murderers to kill officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. But it also causes police officers to be less proactive, fearing that they, too, will be accused of unfairly "profiling" blacks. Cops pull back. This police passivity means crime increases, the victims of which are disproportionately black, the very people Ms. Clinton claims to care so deeply about.
Lies get votes. But they also get people killed.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
ABU BAKR AL-BAGHDADI DECLARES ISIS WILL SURRENDER THE DAY TRUMP IS SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT
After listening to Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention in which he promised to destroy Islamic terrorism, the leader of ISIL (ISIS) is convinced he means what he says, and unlike Obama, he will do it
Braking News
Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), met with a small group of select journalists at his secret hideout in Syria. The journalists, including Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, were met by al-Baghdadi’s emissaries in Mosul, Iraq, blindfolded and driven to the hideout.
Al-Baghdadi singled out Friedman, saying “Mr. Friedman, I am welcoming you even though you are a Jew because you and your newspaper have consistently favored the oppressed Palestinians over the Zionist swine. May the blessings of Allah be upon you.”
The ISIS leader then said he had listened with great interest to the speech given by Trump on Thursday at the Republican National Convention. He is convinced that Trump means what he said when he promised to destroy Islamic terrorism, and unlike Obama, He will do it.
Whereas al-Baghdadi sees Obama as a sniveling weakling, he sees Trump as a strong resolute man.
“Bit by bit, we have been losing ground, but if and when Trump becomes President, all will be lost in a cloud of dust,” said al-Baghdadi. “I have it from sources withinin the Trump camp that he will use nuclear weapons against us.”
“I see no sense in carrying on our struggle against the infidels with Trump as President,” he continued, “so I hereby declare by Allah that on the day Mr. Trump is sworn in as President, my caliphate [ISIL] will surrender.”
When asked what he would do if Clinton were to win the election, the cleric first laughed, then said, “You cannot believe anything that ‘mamhoon sharmuta’ [homosexual bitch] says. If and when she becomes President, I will order my soldiers in America to step up their attacks on the infidels. Allahu Akbar!.”
When asked what made him call Clinton a homosexual, al-Baghdadi replied that his sources have told him that “Hillary Clinton and that Huma [Abedin] woman are engaged in a sinful relationship. Here those two women would be stoned to death, Allah be praised!”
Throughout the interview Al-Baghdadi appeared to be in some pain. When asked about this, he replied that he was still recovering from injuries he suffered in an air strike against him. He added that the attack killed several women and children.
Al-Baghdadi refused to answer any more questions or make any additional comments.
The journalists were blindfolded again and driven back to Mosul. They believe they met with al-Baghdadi in the Syrian city of Ar-Raqqah.
Braking News
Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), met with a small group of select journalists at his secret hideout in Syria. The journalists, including Thomas Friedman of The New York Times, were met by al-Baghdadi’s emissaries in Mosul, Iraq, blindfolded and driven to the hideout.
Al-Baghdadi singled out Friedman, saying “Mr. Friedman, I am welcoming you even though you are a Jew because you and your newspaper have consistently favored the oppressed Palestinians over the Zionist swine. May the blessings of Allah be upon you.”
The ISIS leader then said he had listened with great interest to the speech given by Trump on Thursday at the Republican National Convention. He is convinced that Trump means what he said when he promised to destroy Islamic terrorism, and unlike Obama, He will do it.
Whereas al-Baghdadi sees Obama as a sniveling weakling, he sees Trump as a strong resolute man.
“Bit by bit, we have been losing ground, but if and when Trump becomes President, all will be lost in a cloud of dust,” said al-Baghdadi. “I have it from sources withinin the Trump camp that he will use nuclear weapons against us.”
“I see no sense in carrying on our struggle against the infidels with Trump as President,” he continued, “so I hereby declare by Allah that on the day Mr. Trump is sworn in as President, my caliphate [ISIL] will surrender.”
When asked what he would do if Clinton were to win the election, the cleric first laughed, then said, “You cannot believe anything that ‘mamhoon sharmuta’ [homosexual bitch] says. If and when she becomes President, I will order my soldiers in America to step up their attacks on the infidels. Allahu Akbar!.”
When asked what made him call Clinton a homosexual, al-Baghdadi replied that his sources have told him that “Hillary Clinton and that Huma [Abedin] woman are engaged in a sinful relationship. Here those two women would be stoned to death, Allah be praised!”
Throughout the interview Al-Baghdadi appeared to be in some pain. When asked about this, he replied that he was still recovering from injuries he suffered in an air strike against him. He added that the attack killed several women and children.
Al-Baghdadi refused to answer any more questions or make any additional comments.
The journalists were blindfolded again and driven back to Mosul. They believe they met with al-Baghdadi in the Syrian city of Ar-Raqqah.
JERRY BROWN SWINGS BOTH WAYS
By Bob Walsh
The ever-unpredictable Governor Moonbeam again demonstrated his unpredictability today with two executive actions.
He vetoed the parole of Leslie Van Houten, one of the infamous Manson Family Girls, who has been doing life for the murder of the La Bianca’s in 1969. She was 19 when she took part in the butchery of Leno and Rosemary La Bianca.
He also signed yet another anti-gun bill. This bill requires that virtually all firearms physically located in the formerly great state of California be serially numbered. A lot of older guns, sold before the Gun Control Act of 1968, were not numbered. I own one such gun, a Winchester single shot 22 rifle. It has no great collector’s value, numbering it would not destroy any collectors value. Nevertheless I resent it.
I wonder how long it will take the DOJ to establish a system for doing this. I am fairly sure to find out.
The ever-unpredictable Governor Moonbeam again demonstrated his unpredictability today with two executive actions.
He vetoed the parole of Leslie Van Houten, one of the infamous Manson Family Girls, who has been doing life for the murder of the La Bianca’s in 1969. She was 19 when she took part in the butchery of Leno and Rosemary La Bianca.
He also signed yet another anti-gun bill. This bill requires that virtually all firearms physically located in the formerly great state of California be serially numbered. A lot of older guns, sold before the Gun Control Act of 1968, were not numbered. I own one such gun, a Winchester single shot 22 rifle. It has no great collector’s value, numbering it would not destroy any collectors value. Nevertheless I resent it.
I wonder how long it will take the DOJ to establish a system for doing this. I am fairly sure to find out.
I CALL ‘BULLSHIT’ ON THIS ONE
By Bob Walsh
The CalGuns Foundation filed a FOIA request with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office on June 14. That request wanted to know the number of CCW permits the LASO had outstanding.
The LASO responded officially, for the record, that they had no such list or records. They are asserting that it will take them several months to go thru several thousand pages of documents to obtain this information.
It should be noted the CA law requires that the issuing agency maintain this information.
Sounds to me like the LASO is shoveling shit in hopes that CalGuns will go away. They won’t go away. Stalling and telling stupid lies only makes you look more stupid.
The CalGuns Foundation filed a FOIA request with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office on June 14. That request wanted to know the number of CCW permits the LASO had outstanding.
The LASO responded officially, for the record, that they had no such list or records. They are asserting that it will take them several months to go thru several thousand pages of documents to obtain this information.
It should be noted the CA law requires that the issuing agency maintain this information.
Sounds to me like the LASO is shoveling shit in hopes that CalGuns will go away. They won’t go away. Stalling and telling stupid lies only makes you look more stupid.
BE CAREFUL WHO YOU HANG OUT WITH, IT CAN BITE YOU ON THE ASS
By Bob Walsh
You might remember I wrote about Nicholas Batka, the N Y cop who ploughed down four people on a sidewalk in Brooklyn a couple of days back. One of them died.
Batka is now a former police officer, out on $300,000 bail. I guess maybe he was still on probation as it is almost impossible to fire a cop in four days if they are not probationary, at least in most of the U.S.
Turns out Batka was out drinking with two other cops that night. Those two officers were stripped of their guns and badges and are now on “modified duty” pending further investigation. They were not with Batka when he crashed, but……
Batka refused the blood test when he was busted, but I don’t think it is going to matter much. The young man is in deep doodoo, and deserves to be there. If his cop buddies did nothing to discourage him from driving drunk, they may also get bit in the ass.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Batka was indeed a probationary officer. He is facing eight charges, including manslaughter.
You might remember I wrote about Nicholas Batka, the N Y cop who ploughed down four people on a sidewalk in Brooklyn a couple of days back. One of them died.
Batka is now a former police officer, out on $300,000 bail. I guess maybe he was still on probation as it is almost impossible to fire a cop in four days if they are not probationary, at least in most of the U.S.
Turns out Batka was out drinking with two other cops that night. Those two officers were stripped of their guns and badges and are now on “modified duty” pending further investigation. They were not with Batka when he crashed, but……
Batka refused the blood test when he was busted, but I don’t think it is going to matter much. The young man is in deep doodoo, and deserves to be there. If his cop buddies did nothing to discourage him from driving drunk, they may also get bit in the ass.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Batka was indeed a probationary officer. He is facing eight charges, including manslaughter.
GLOBAL WARMING IS A BITCH….OR NOT
By Bob Walsh
The alpaca herds of the mountains of Peru are dying off in considerable number, causing a great deal of distress and hardship for those who raise and tend the herds. The cause, it is too damn cold. The government says 50,000 of the animals have died from the cold. They estimate this cold snap could kill off 300,000 of the critters.
A lot of sheep are also dying from the cold, but since they are not nearly as cute as the alpacas people don’t care so much, unless of course they are your sheep and you need them to keep your family alive.
The alpaca herds of the mountains of Peru are dying off in considerable number, causing a great deal of distress and hardship for those who raise and tend the herds. The cause, it is too damn cold. The government says 50,000 of the animals have died from the cold. They estimate this cold snap could kill off 300,000 of the critters.
A lot of sheep are also dying from the cold, but since they are not nearly as cute as the alpacas people don’t care so much, unless of course they are your sheep and you need them to keep your family alive.
AND SO AN ERA COMES TO AN END
By Bob Walsh
As I was driving home from the range today I heard an interesting news blurb on the car radio. The last VHS VCR is going to roll off the assembly line in Japan at the end of the month.
There are still any number of people who make VHS-DVD combo units, which come in handy for dubbing your VHS tapes onto DVD. They will also record onto VHS if you feel the need, and I do use mine fairly regularly to catch TV shows without the bother of hunting them down on the On Demand menu.
Nevertheless it is noteworthy IMHO. These things killed off the porno movie house industry. If you want one, you better grab one now. (Or at least check EBAY every now and then.)
As I was driving home from the range today I heard an interesting news blurb on the car radio. The last VHS VCR is going to roll off the assembly line in Japan at the end of the month.
There are still any number of people who make VHS-DVD combo units, which come in handy for dubbing your VHS tapes onto DVD. They will also record onto VHS if you feel the need, and I do use mine fairly regularly to catch TV shows without the bother of hunting them down on the On Demand menu.
Nevertheless it is noteworthy IMHO. These things killed off the porno movie house industry. If you want one, you better grab one now. (Or at least check EBAY every now and then.)
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST TEXAS VOTER ID LAW
BY Carter Sherman
Houston Press
July 20, 2016
The Texas voter ID law discriminates against minority Texans and violates the Voting Rights Act, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The U.S. Fifth Court of Appeals decision affirmed three previous, lower court rulings which also ruled that the 2011 law does not comply with the Voting Rights Act, which prevents racial discrimination in voting. The decision could be considered surprising for the appellate court, seen as one of the most conservative in the country, as the Houston Press has previously written. (But then again, they also recently ruled that the Second Amendment does not give regular people the right to own machine guns.)
Under the Texas law, the only forms of acceptable ID were a Texas personal ID card, a Texas Election Identification Certificate, a Texas license to carry a handgun, a U.S. military ID, a U.S. citizenship certificate or a U.S. passport. All of those IDs had to include a photo of the potential voter, with some exemptions (such as a religious objection to being photographed).
This list of acceptable IDs is the shortest of any state's.
Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and other supporters of the law have long maintained that the law merely aims to protect against voter fraud.
In a Wednesday statement, Abbott said that the court “wrongly concluded the law had a discriminatory effect. Voter fraud is real, and it undermines the integrity of the election process.”
However, the case's plaintiffs' – including U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey, whose 33rd Congressional District takes in Dallas and Tarrant counties – argued that the law was really designed to keep black and Hispanic Texans from voting. Experts testified that even among registered voters, Hispanics and blacks were 195 percent and 305 percent – respectively – more likely than whites to lack the ID that the Texas law required.
Abbott also congratulated the court for reversing a lower court's ruling that the law had been passed with actually racist motives – but that's a bit of a simplification. The appellate court did decide that the district court's evidence for that conclusion was weak. Yet its ruling also pointed out, “There remains evidence to support a finding that the cloak of ballot integrity could be hiding a more invidious purpose… The absence of direct evidence such as a 'let's discriminate' email cannot be and is not dispositive,” or conclusive.
That ambiguity is what led the judges to send the decision back to a lower court, to decide whether or not to actually halt the law. However the law now can't be enforced – as currently written – in the upcoming 2016 elections.
“I am elated that after a long battle, Texans will once again be able to exercise one of their fundamental rights as U.S. citizens,” Veasey said in a statement Wednesday. “There is no more sacred right as an American than the right to vote.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: One thing is for sure. This ruling will make it easier for dead people to vote.
Houston Press
July 20, 2016
The Texas voter ID law discriminates against minority Texans and violates the Voting Rights Act, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The U.S. Fifth Court of Appeals decision affirmed three previous, lower court rulings which also ruled that the 2011 law does not comply with the Voting Rights Act, which prevents racial discrimination in voting. The decision could be considered surprising for the appellate court, seen as one of the most conservative in the country, as the Houston Press has previously written. (But then again, they also recently ruled that the Second Amendment does not give regular people the right to own machine guns.)
Under the Texas law, the only forms of acceptable ID were a Texas personal ID card, a Texas Election Identification Certificate, a Texas license to carry a handgun, a U.S. military ID, a U.S. citizenship certificate or a U.S. passport. All of those IDs had to include a photo of the potential voter, with some exemptions (such as a religious objection to being photographed).
This list of acceptable IDs is the shortest of any state's.
Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and other supporters of the law have long maintained that the law merely aims to protect against voter fraud.
In a Wednesday statement, Abbott said that the court “wrongly concluded the law had a discriminatory effect. Voter fraud is real, and it undermines the integrity of the election process.”
However, the case's plaintiffs' – including U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey, whose 33rd Congressional District takes in Dallas and Tarrant counties – argued that the law was really designed to keep black and Hispanic Texans from voting. Experts testified that even among registered voters, Hispanics and blacks were 195 percent and 305 percent – respectively – more likely than whites to lack the ID that the Texas law required.
Abbott also congratulated the court for reversing a lower court's ruling that the law had been passed with actually racist motives – but that's a bit of a simplification. The appellate court did decide that the district court's evidence for that conclusion was weak. Yet its ruling also pointed out, “There remains evidence to support a finding that the cloak of ballot integrity could be hiding a more invidious purpose… The absence of direct evidence such as a 'let's discriminate' email cannot be and is not dispositive,” or conclusive.
That ambiguity is what led the judges to send the decision back to a lower court, to decide whether or not to actually halt the law. However the law now can't be enforced – as currently written – in the upcoming 2016 elections.
“I am elated that after a long battle, Texans will once again be able to exercise one of their fundamental rights as U.S. citizens,” Veasey said in a statement Wednesday. “There is no more sacred right as an American than the right to vote.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: One thing is for sure. This ruling will make it easier for dead people to vote.
Friday, July 22, 2016
IS ‘THE SIEGE’ A PREVIEW OF HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL DEAL WITH ISLAMIC TERRORISM IN THE HOMELAND?
Would a President Donald Trump turn loose the Army to put down a Muslim terrorist threat to the homeland as depicted in the 1998 movie, The Siege
The other night I watched The Siege, a 1998 movie starring Denzel Washington as an FBI Agent.
The movie is about a number of Muslim terrorist bombings in New York City. When the FBI and local authorities are unable to capture the terrorists, the President declares martial law and turns loose the Army under the command of a hotshot general (Bruce Willis). The army rounds up all young Muslim men in New York and detains them in a sports stadium. And the general resorts to torturing a suspect for information before summarily executing him.
Trump has often said he will deal harshly with terrorists and resort to torture if necessary. In his speech to the Republican National Convention last night he promised to stop Islamic terrorism.
So is The Siege a preview of how President Trump will deal with Islamic terrorism in the homeland? Farfetched? Hmmm, I wonder ….. maybe not.
The other night I watched The Siege, a 1998 movie starring Denzel Washington as an FBI Agent.
The movie is about a number of Muslim terrorist bombings in New York City. When the FBI and local authorities are unable to capture the terrorists, the President declares martial law and turns loose the Army under the command of a hotshot general (Bruce Willis). The army rounds up all young Muslim men in New York and detains them in a sports stadium. And the general resorts to torturing a suspect for information before summarily executing him.
Trump has often said he will deal harshly with terrorists and resort to torture if necessary. In his speech to the Republican National Convention last night he promised to stop Islamic terrorism.
So is The Siege a preview of how President Trump will deal with Islamic terrorism in the homeland? Farfetched? Hmmm, I wonder ….. maybe not.
FEDERAL JUDGE TELLS STATE DEPARTMENT TO COUGH UP
By Bob Walsh
A federal judge has directed that the State Department MUST begin to produce emails from Hillary’s top aides in accordance with the FOIA request from the Republican National Committee.
U. S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said that, since the number of emails in the case has shrunk from about 750,000 to about 76,000 that it was a manageable request. She ordered State to start cranking them out at the rate of at least 500 pages per month. She also directed that the RNC could prioritize what they wanted first. State had earlier asserted that complying with the FOIA request would be “overly burdensome.”
The State Department FOIA guy says the department has the ability to process about 21,000 pages per month total. There are currently a LOT of FOIA requests pending for Hillary’s emails and those of her top aides.
A federal judge has directed that the State Department MUST begin to produce emails from Hillary’s top aides in accordance with the FOIA request from the Republican National Committee.
U. S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said that, since the number of emails in the case has shrunk from about 750,000 to about 76,000 that it was a manageable request. She ordered State to start cranking them out at the rate of at least 500 pages per month. She also directed that the RNC could prioritize what they wanted first. State had earlier asserted that complying with the FOIA request would be “overly burdensome.”
The State Department FOIA guy says the department has the ability to process about 21,000 pages per month total. There are currently a LOT of FOIA requests pending for Hillary’s emails and those of her top aides.
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