The Thing Is, The Voices Are Really There
by Bob Walsh
Joe Biden, AKA Senile Joe The Hairsniffer, held a sort-of half-assed internet town hall meeting along with some other old white guy yesterday, mayor somebody from somewhere. Joe seemed to be using an earbud. It didn't do him any good. He can't read a cue card, the can't read a telePrompter, and when the earbud says something he puts his hand up to his ear like he is trying to chase away a mosquito. He is so ruined mentally that he can't seem to understand the earbud is giving him information and directions.
His presentation made Madonna when she was doing an inteview stoned some years ago look good by comparison. About five words in he lost his train of thought or suffered from brain lock but forgot to apply his mouth lock or SOMETHING.
The Dems are pushing hard to get both conventions cancelled. I am fully confident they will try like the devil to get any possible debates cancelled as well. Right now I don't think Joe could win a debate with a golden retriever, and the dog would be a lot cuter as well. Trump would have him so turned around he wouldn't know what planet he was on let alone what office he was running for.
This is going to make his choice (if he really will have one) very, very important to a lot of people. Assuming the decrepit old fart actually got elected I am unsure he would make it to inauguration day let alone thru his first year. The cat fight for that #2 spot is going to be something to behold.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
SO, DID TWITTER JUST STEP IN A HUGE STEAMING PILE OF EXCREMENT ?
by Bob Walsh
Twitter and similar problems are, generally speaking, immune from lawsuit because they have been considered to be forums and not publishers. That may have just changed.
Twitter has just decided it is appropriate to "fact check" the President's tweets. They have, thus far, done this ONLY to Trump as far as I know. Clearly the powers that be at Twitter hate Trump. That's cool. They can do that. However, if they become a publisher (or a public utility) they can easily move from being largely legally immune from the crazy shit people post to a not-so-much position.
I admit to being of two minds about Twitter. It is an open sewer, where any dingaling can post pretty much anything and pretend to be a "real" journalist. In addition I wish to hell Trump would stay off of it. However it does give him a direct pipeline to the people without being filtered by content monitors, handlers or lawyers. Many of Trump's followers dig it. Others tolerate it.
I can't believe the people at Twitter are idiots. They are, however, partisans. It is conceivable to me that their decision makers told their lawyers to pound sand and they were going to do what they wanted to do.
Oh well, what the hell. Lawyers have to do something to earn their pound of flesh.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Trump's threat to issue an executive order shutting down social media is an empty threat because he does not have the power to do so.
Twitter and similar problems are, generally speaking, immune from lawsuit because they have been considered to be forums and not publishers. That may have just changed.
Twitter has just decided it is appropriate to "fact check" the President's tweets. They have, thus far, done this ONLY to Trump as far as I know. Clearly the powers that be at Twitter hate Trump. That's cool. They can do that. However, if they become a publisher (or a public utility) they can easily move from being largely legally immune from the crazy shit people post to a not-so-much position.
I admit to being of two minds about Twitter. It is an open sewer, where any dingaling can post pretty much anything and pretend to be a "real" journalist. In addition I wish to hell Trump would stay off of it. However it does give him a direct pipeline to the people without being filtered by content monitors, handlers or lawyers. Many of Trump's followers dig it. Others tolerate it.
I can't believe the people at Twitter are idiots. They are, however, partisans. It is conceivable to me that their decision makers told their lawyers to pound sand and they were going to do what they wanted to do.
Oh well, what the hell. Lawyers have to do something to earn their pound of flesh.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Trump's threat to issue an executive order shutting down social media is an empty threat because he does not have the power to do so.
HOUSTON'S POLICE CHIEF CONDEMNS MINNEAPOLIS COPS
Houstonians gather to honor George Floyd, and protest police brutality
By Natasha Geigel
Fox 26
May 26, 2020
HOUSTON - Before moving to Minneapolis, George Floyd was a resident in Houston’s Third Ward.
Hundreds of residents from the community gathered at Emancipation Park for a vigil in his honor, and to protest against police brutality.
Floyd was killed Monday night in Minneapolis. Police accused him of being a criminal, but tonight the Houston man was honored in Third Ward, remembered as a gentle giant, with a huge heart.
Milton Carney, a close friend who calls Floyd a brother, tells FOX 26, “He was doing good. He had got there he obtain some property, like I said, he had just called me. We was high-fiving and talking on the phone about, you know, you just got your first piece of property, man that means it’s working. You’re gonna be alright.”
Johnny Phillips is another close friend who said, "Growing up in the community homes, you know, he was just a young guy that was athletic, fun to be around, and was lovable."
The crowd held a moment of silence to honor their friend who died while handcuffed, with a Minneapolis Police Officer putting weight with his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, causing Floyd to pass out, and die in the hospital. Floyd was well-known and respected in the community.
“He was like a big teacher, he was educated," Cal Wayne said this about Floyd. "He wasn’t a dumb man, he had a scholarship, he went to college, you know what I’m saying, and he was on the path to doing better. Like I said, and he was non-violent.”
Emotions ran high when HPD Officer tried to address the crowd, but for the most part was peaceful.
Attendees said tonight was about honoring their brother.
“I want him to be remembered as a good person, that he was. And he’s going to be remembered as that. And he’s going to get justice, something is going to happen.” says Carney.
Some people who attended the vigil say that this is just the beginning for them, and are making plans to head Minneapolis in their quest to see justice served.
__________
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo: George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police ‘should be condemned’
By Jay R. Jordan
Chron
May 27, 2020
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo condemned the police killing of George Floyd, a Houston native who died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers earlier this week.
Acevedo took to Twitter on Wednesday morning condemning the officer’s actions.
“The death of #GeorgFloyd should be condemned by all in law enforcement and our extended community,” Houston’s top cop tweeted. “His death serves as a stark reminder that when bad policing happens, it disproportionately impacts communities of color and poor communities. This is what players are protesting.”
Acevedo attached a screengrab of an earlier tweet of his showing support for athletes such as Colin Kaepernick, whose peaceful protests over police brutality have been met with hostile reactions.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Acevedo should be tarred and feathered and run out of Houston on a rail for apparently siding with that sorry Colin Kaepernick asshole.
By Natasha Geigel
Fox 26
May 26, 2020
HOUSTON - Before moving to Minneapolis, George Floyd was a resident in Houston’s Third Ward.
Hundreds of residents from the community gathered at Emancipation Park for a vigil in his honor, and to protest against police brutality.
Floyd was killed Monday night in Minneapolis. Police accused him of being a criminal, but tonight the Houston man was honored in Third Ward, remembered as a gentle giant, with a huge heart.
Milton Carney, a close friend who calls Floyd a brother, tells FOX 26, “He was doing good. He had got there he obtain some property, like I said, he had just called me. We was high-fiving and talking on the phone about, you know, you just got your first piece of property, man that means it’s working. You’re gonna be alright.”
Johnny Phillips is another close friend who said, "Growing up in the community homes, you know, he was just a young guy that was athletic, fun to be around, and was lovable."
The crowd held a moment of silence to honor their friend who died while handcuffed, with a Minneapolis Police Officer putting weight with his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, causing Floyd to pass out, and die in the hospital. Floyd was well-known and respected in the community.
“He was like a big teacher, he was educated," Cal Wayne said this about Floyd. "He wasn’t a dumb man, he had a scholarship, he went to college, you know what I’m saying, and he was on the path to doing better. Like I said, and he was non-violent.”
Emotions ran high when HPD Officer tried to address the crowd, but for the most part was peaceful.
Attendees said tonight was about honoring their brother.
“I want him to be remembered as a good person, that he was. And he’s going to be remembered as that. And he’s going to get justice, something is going to happen.” says Carney.
Some people who attended the vigil say that this is just the beginning for them, and are making plans to head Minneapolis in their quest to see justice served.
__________
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo: George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police ‘should be condemned’
By Jay R. Jordan
Chron
May 27, 2020
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo condemned the police killing of George Floyd, a Houston native who died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers earlier this week.
Acevedo took to Twitter on Wednesday morning condemning the officer’s actions.
“The death of #GeorgFloyd should be condemned by all in law enforcement and our extended community,” Houston’s top cop tweeted. “His death serves as a stark reminder that when bad policing happens, it disproportionately impacts communities of color and poor communities. This is what players are protesting.”
Acevedo attached a screengrab of an earlier tweet of his showing support for athletes such as Colin Kaepernick, whose peaceful protests over police brutality have been met with hostile reactions.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Acevedo should be tarred and feathered and run out of Houston on a rail for apparently siding with that sorry Colin Kaepernick asshole.
PROTEST OR RIOT? ..... BOTH!
George Floyd's death sparks large protests, confrontations with Minneapolis police
By Li Cohen
CBS News
May 26, 2020
Large crowds gathered Tuesday to protest at the site where a man was violently arrested the night before. George Floyd, who was black, repeatedly told a white police officer kneeling on his neck that he couldn't breath. But despite Floyd's pleas for his life, the officer didn't let up for more than seven minutes, and Floyd died hours later. The incident was caught on video by an onlooker.
The case is drawing comparisons to the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in a 2014 confrontation in the New York City borough of Staten Island after being placed in a chokehold by police.
People gathered on the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue, where Floyd was arrested for suspicion of forgery outside a deli. After he was taken into custody and the incident that followed, the 46-year-old was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to CBS Minnesota.
Four police officers were fired Tuesday for their roles in the incident. The FBI is staking part in the investigation.
Protesters marched roughly two miles from the site of the arrest to the Minneapolis Police's 3rd Precinct building. According to CBS Minnesota, officers dressed in riot gear formed a barrier around the precinct, and videos show them using smoke bombs or tear gas, as well as flash grenades, against the demonstrators.
Along with videos of more peaceful protests, several videos posted on Twitter also show protesters throwing bricks and rocks at police cars, and smashing windows. CBS Minnesota reported that at least one officer has been injured.
There was no word on any protesters being arrested.
One protester tweeted a video of a fellow demonstrator getting hit in the head with an apparent rubber bullet.
Andy Mannix, a Star Tribune reporter, posted updates of the events on social media as they unfolded Tuesday. He tweeted footage of people dousing each other with milk after being hit with tear gas, and many hiding behind shopping carts from a nearby Target as they continued the standoff with police. Even when it started pouring rain, hundreds could still be seen protesting.
Mannix says he was shot in the thigh with a rubber bullet while covering the protests.
Mannix also photographed another man who was shot twice with marker rounds, once in his torso, and the other his arm. Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted Tuesday night that, "Shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at unarmed protesters when there are children present should never be tolerated. Ever. What is happening tonight in our city is shameful. Police need to exercise restraint, and our community needs space to heal."
Though he hasn't made any remarks since the protests began, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said earlier in the day that what happened to Floyd was "horrible," and "completely and utterly messed up."
"Being black in America should not be a death sentence," he posted on Twitter. "This man's life matters. He matters. ... I believe what I saw and what I saw is wrong on every level."
__________
New video shows George Floyd being dragged from his car without resisting arrest, handcuffed and manhandled on sidewalk before being 'murdered' by Minneapolis cop who knelt on his neck
Daily Mail
May 27, 2020
The video shows the moment Floyd was forcibly removed from his vehicle by two officers from the Minneapolis Police Department and placed in handcuffs on 38th and Chicago.
Officers were filmed wrestling with Floyd as they attempt to place him in handcuffs.
CCTV footage from a nearby restaurant appears to show the start of the altercation between Floyd and the officers on the scene. Floyd is handcuffed in the footage and appears to be complying with the officers as they escort him to the waiting police car. Moments later the 46-year-old was pinned to the ground by an officer and in disturbing footage can be heard pleading with the cop to stop, saying 'please, please, I can't breathe' and 'My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts.'
Witnesses at the scene urged the officer to stop, with one pointing out that the suspect was not resisting arrest.
__________
Eric Garner's mother says video of George Floyd saying 'I can't breathe' as white cop kneels on his neck before he died is a 'recurring nightmare' because it strikes a harrowing resemblance to her son's 2014 death
Daily Mail
May, 27, 2020
The mother of Eric Garner has been left horrified by the harrowing video of an unarmed black man crying ‘I can’t breathe’ while being pinned down by a white cop in Minneapolis – a case bearing a striking resemblance to her son’s 2014 death in New York.
Gwen Carr, whose 27-year-old son died after he was placed in an apparent chokehold by a NYPD officer, said she could barely stomach watching the video of George Floyd, 46, who was filmed passing out on the ground on Monday after four officers arrested him for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a local deli.
Floyd later died in hospital in an incident that is now under investigation by the FBI and has triggered a national outcry, with thousands of protesters to taking to the streets in anger.
‘It was déjà vu all over again,’ Carr told NBC. ‘It's like a reoccurring nightmare,’ she said.
Carr said the news of Floyd’s death has forced her to relieve the searing pain of her son’s similar and brutal demise.
‘It was just like me reliving my son’s murder all over again,’ Carr told PIX11. ‘It’s just so horrifying how these police officers come into our neighborhoods and terrorize and brutalize.’
‘Tears are in my eyes because it’s like it’s happening to me again and again. Why does this keep on happening over and over again?’
Carr added that she cannot see ‘any justification’ for the force used by the officers. ‘To put your knee on someone's neck, you are obstructing their breathing. That is completely a no-no,’ she told NBC.
‘Why would you keep your knee there?’ she asked, insisting that Floyd clearly needed help. ‘After three minutes, you don't realize that this man is saying that he can't breathe? And he's struggling, struggling for life?
While Minneapolis has moved much more quickly to fire the officers who contributed to Floyd’s death, Carr said she hopes his surviving family members attain justice much sooner than she did.
‘I hope this family doesn’t need to suffer like I suffered for six years,’ she said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Carr feels she got justice when officer Daniel Pantaleo got fired. But the firing was a grave injustice to Pantaleo who was just trying to restrain Garner, a 400 pound 6'2" giant, who was resisting a lawful arrest. Pantaleo was fired at the persistent insistence of Sandinista-loving Mayor Bill de Blasio.
By Li Cohen
CBS News
May 26, 2020
Large crowds gathered Tuesday to protest at the site where a man was violently arrested the night before. George Floyd, who was black, repeatedly told a white police officer kneeling on his neck that he couldn't breath. But despite Floyd's pleas for his life, the officer didn't let up for more than seven minutes, and Floyd died hours later. The incident was caught on video by an onlooker.
The case is drawing comparisons to the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in a 2014 confrontation in the New York City borough of Staten Island after being placed in a chokehold by police.
People gathered on the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue, where Floyd was arrested for suspicion of forgery outside a deli. After he was taken into custody and the incident that followed, the 46-year-old was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to CBS Minnesota.
Four police officers were fired Tuesday for their roles in the incident. The FBI is staking part in the investigation.
Protesters marched roughly two miles from the site of the arrest to the Minneapolis Police's 3rd Precinct building. According to CBS Minnesota, officers dressed in riot gear formed a barrier around the precinct, and videos show them using smoke bombs or tear gas, as well as flash grenades, against the demonstrators.
Along with videos of more peaceful protests, several videos posted on Twitter also show protesters throwing bricks and rocks at police cars, and smashing windows. CBS Minnesota reported that at least one officer has been injured.
There was no word on any protesters being arrested.
One protester tweeted a video of a fellow demonstrator getting hit in the head with an apparent rubber bullet.
Andy Mannix, a Star Tribune reporter, posted updates of the events on social media as they unfolded Tuesday. He tweeted footage of people dousing each other with milk after being hit with tear gas, and many hiding behind shopping carts from a nearby Target as they continued the standoff with police. Even when it started pouring rain, hundreds could still be seen protesting.
Mannix says he was shot in the thigh with a rubber bullet while covering the protests.
Mannix also photographed another man who was shot twice with marker rounds, once in his torso, and the other his arm. Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted Tuesday night that, "Shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at unarmed protesters when there are children present should never be tolerated. Ever. What is happening tonight in our city is shameful. Police need to exercise restraint, and our community needs space to heal."
Though he hasn't made any remarks since the protests began, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said earlier in the day that what happened to Floyd was "horrible," and "completely and utterly messed up."
"Being black in America should not be a death sentence," he posted on Twitter. "This man's life matters. He matters. ... I believe what I saw and what I saw is wrong on every level."
__________
New video shows George Floyd being dragged from his car without resisting arrest, handcuffed and manhandled on sidewalk before being 'murdered' by Minneapolis cop who knelt on his neck
Daily Mail
May 27, 2020
The video shows the moment Floyd was forcibly removed from his vehicle by two officers from the Minneapolis Police Department and placed in handcuffs on 38th and Chicago.
Officers were filmed wrestling with Floyd as they attempt to place him in handcuffs.
CCTV footage from a nearby restaurant appears to show the start of the altercation between Floyd and the officers on the scene. Floyd is handcuffed in the footage and appears to be complying with the officers as they escort him to the waiting police car. Moments later the 46-year-old was pinned to the ground by an officer and in disturbing footage can be heard pleading with the cop to stop, saying 'please, please, I can't breathe' and 'My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts.'
Witnesses at the scene urged the officer to stop, with one pointing out that the suspect was not resisting arrest.
__________
Eric Garner's mother says video of George Floyd saying 'I can't breathe' as white cop kneels on his neck before he died is a 'recurring nightmare' because it strikes a harrowing resemblance to her son's 2014 death
Daily Mail
May, 27, 2020
The mother of Eric Garner has been left horrified by the harrowing video of an unarmed black man crying ‘I can’t breathe’ while being pinned down by a white cop in Minneapolis – a case bearing a striking resemblance to her son’s 2014 death in New York.
Gwen Carr, whose 27-year-old son died after he was placed in an apparent chokehold by a NYPD officer, said she could barely stomach watching the video of George Floyd, 46, who was filmed passing out on the ground on Monday after four officers arrested him for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a local deli.
Floyd later died in hospital in an incident that is now under investigation by the FBI and has triggered a national outcry, with thousands of protesters to taking to the streets in anger.
‘It was déjà vu all over again,’ Carr told NBC. ‘It's like a reoccurring nightmare,’ she said.
Carr said the news of Floyd’s death has forced her to relieve the searing pain of her son’s similar and brutal demise.
‘It was just like me reliving my son’s murder all over again,’ Carr told PIX11. ‘It’s just so horrifying how these police officers come into our neighborhoods and terrorize and brutalize.’
‘Tears are in my eyes because it’s like it’s happening to me again and again. Why does this keep on happening over and over again?’
Carr added that she cannot see ‘any justification’ for the force used by the officers. ‘To put your knee on someone's neck, you are obstructing their breathing. That is completely a no-no,’ she told NBC.
‘Why would you keep your knee there?’ she asked, insisting that Floyd clearly needed help. ‘After three minutes, you don't realize that this man is saying that he can't breathe? And he's struggling, struggling for life?
While Minneapolis has moved much more quickly to fire the officers who contributed to Floyd’s death, Carr said she hopes his surviving family members attain justice much sooner than she did.
‘I hope this family doesn’t need to suffer like I suffered for six years,’ she said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Carr feels she got justice when officer Daniel Pantaleo got fired. But the firing was a grave injustice to Pantaleo who was just trying to restrain Garner, a 400 pound 6'2" giant, who was resisting a lawful arrest. Pantaleo was fired at the persistent insistence of Sandinista-loving Mayor Bill de Blasio.
WHERE IS BLM? WHERE ARE THE RIOTS? WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE? ... OH, IT'S JUST BLACKS KILLING BLACKS, NOT A WHITE COP KILLING A BLACK MAN
49 shot, 10 fatally in deadliest Chicago Memorial Day weekend since 2015
Sun-Times Media Wire
May 26, 2020
CHICAGO -- Ten people are dead and 39 others are wounded so far in weekend shootings in Chicago, the deadliest Memorial Day weekend since 2015, when 12 people were killed.
Despite the state's stay-at-home order, the weekend's death toll has already surpassed last year's holiday weekend, when seven people were killed and 34 were injured during the period from 5 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Tuesday.
In 2018, seven people died and 30 others were wounded. In 2017, six people were killed and 44 others were wounded. In 2016, six people were killed and 56 wounded.
At the beginning of Memorial Day weekend - the unofficial start of summer - Chicago Police Supt. David Brown announced opening a Summer Operations Center to centralize police resources in an effort to tamp down on summer gun violence.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Superintendent Brown said going forward, there will be a Summer Mobile Team that will put additional officers on the street for each weekend this summer as well as putting officers on administrative duties over to work downtown, on the lakefront and on the CTA.
The most recent fatal shooting was Monday evening in Garfield Park on the West Side.
Two men, 45 and 52, were standing on the sidewalk about 8:30 p.m. in the 2800-block of West Wilcox Street when someone in a white sedan fired shots, Chicago police said.
The 45-year-old, who was shot in the head and torso, was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, police said. The Cook County medical examiner's office hasn't released details about his death.
The older man was shot in the leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: You celebrate Memorial Day weekend your way, let them celebrate Memorial Day weekend their way!
__________
WELCOME TO CHICAGO ... DUCK ... INCOMING
by Bob Walsh
David Brown has been the Chief of Police (Superintendent is his actual title) in Chicago for a month. Over the Memorial Day weekend there were 49 people shot in Chicago with ten fatalities among them.
Brown remarked that most of them were gang shootings, over territory. (Does that make them OK ?)
Chicago racked up 200 homicides total for the year by the end of the holiday weekend.
Sun-Times Media Wire
May 26, 2020
CHICAGO -- Ten people are dead and 39 others are wounded so far in weekend shootings in Chicago, the deadliest Memorial Day weekend since 2015, when 12 people were killed.
Despite the state's stay-at-home order, the weekend's death toll has already surpassed last year's holiday weekend, when seven people were killed and 34 were injured during the period from 5 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Tuesday.
In 2018, seven people died and 30 others were wounded. In 2017, six people were killed and 44 others were wounded. In 2016, six people were killed and 56 wounded.
At the beginning of Memorial Day weekend - the unofficial start of summer - Chicago Police Supt. David Brown announced opening a Summer Operations Center to centralize police resources in an effort to tamp down on summer gun violence.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Superintendent Brown said going forward, there will be a Summer Mobile Team that will put additional officers on the street for each weekend this summer as well as putting officers on administrative duties over to work downtown, on the lakefront and on the CTA.
The most recent fatal shooting was Monday evening in Garfield Park on the West Side.
Two men, 45 and 52, were standing on the sidewalk about 8:30 p.m. in the 2800-block of West Wilcox Street when someone in a white sedan fired shots, Chicago police said.
The 45-year-old, who was shot in the head and torso, was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, police said. The Cook County medical examiner's office hasn't released details about his death.
The older man was shot in the leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: You celebrate Memorial Day weekend your way, let them celebrate Memorial Day weekend their way!
__________
WELCOME TO CHICAGO ... DUCK ... INCOMING
by Bob Walsh
David Brown has been the Chief of Police (Superintendent is his actual title) in Chicago for a month. Over the Memorial Day weekend there were 49 people shot in Chicago with ten fatalities among them.
Brown remarked that most of them were gang shootings, over territory. (Does that make them OK ?)
Chicago racked up 200 homicides total for the year by the end of the holiday weekend.
HOPALONG BILL
Bill Clinton is accused of having an affair with Ghislaine Maxwell
By Alana Goodman and Daniel Halper
New York Post
May 27, 2020
Bill Clinton had an affair with British-born socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of helping recruit underage victims for notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to a blockbuster new book.
The ex-president — who denies cheating on wife Hillary Clinton with Maxwell — reportedly engaged in the romps during overseas trips on Epstein’s private plane, a customized Boeing 727 that’s since become known as the “Lolita Express.”
The nation’s 42nd head of state also repeatedly sneaked out to visit Maxwell at her Upper East Side townhouse, as detailed in this exclusive excerpt.
Excerpt from “A Convenient Death: The Mysterious Demise of Jeffrey Epstein,” by Alana Goodman and Daniel Halper, out June 2
Clinton was allegedly carrying on an affair with at least one woman in Epstein’s orbit, but she was well over the age of consent.
Ghislaine Maxwell, a constant presence at the ex- president’s side during these trips, was the primary reason Clinton let Epstein ferry him around the world.
“[Bill] and Ghislaine were getting it on,” a source who witnessed the relationship said in an interview. “That’s why he was around Epstein—to be with her.”
The source explained that reporters have been missing the point about the Clinton- Epstein relationship by focusing on Epstein’s sex crimes. “[Clinton’s] stupid but not an idiot,” the source says, dismissing the idea that the ex- president was sexually involved with children.
Clinton’s primary interest in Epstein was the woman he once dated and who allegedly helped procure her ex-boyfriend’s future victims.
“You couldn’t hang out with her without being with him,” the source said of the Epstein-Clinton relationship.
“Clinton just used him like everything else,” the source explains.
In this case, Epstein was being used as an alibi while he hooked up with Maxwell.
The relationship between Clinton and Maxwell was not confined to these overseas junkets. It continued in New York City, where Clinton on multiple occasions visited Maxwell’s own private townhome at 116 East Sixty-fifth Street, an $11 million pad that runs a touch below seven thousand square feet, much more modest than Epstein’s palatial townhome a few blocks north. (Maxwell purchased it in 2000 for a mere $4.95 million.)
The coziness between the former president and the charming British socialite drew notice in New York social circles. Clinton and Maxwell were spotted dining together at the Madison Avenue Italian mainstay Nello, according to a 2002 New York magazine article, which described Maxwell as a “man-eater” in the same paragraph. When Clinton went stag to a New York education charity gala in late 2001 — Hillary declined to attend — Maxwell was reportedly at his side.
The relationship also carried over to the Clinton Global Initiative and Clinton Foundation. Maxwell became somewhat of a fixture at these events. It was there where she was even served court papers about her participation in Epstein’s abuse.
On July 31, 2010 Maxwell was among the few guests to attend Chelsea Clinton’s wedding at the former Astor estate in Rhinebeck, New York. This auspicious event followed an embarrassing incident for Maxwell.
“Only a few months earlier, while attending the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City, at the end of an Indian summer, in September 2009, a process server walked through the packed lobby of the Sheraton Hotel…and served Ghislaine Maxwell papers for a deposition,” the journalist Conchita Sarnoff recalls.
“Maxwell…was huddled in a small group talking to other guests” as the server approached her. He “called out her name and…with so many people surrounding her, Maxwell was unsuspecting. She confirmed her identity and he served her notice. The deposition was in relation to Epstein’s sexual abuse case. The server left at once,” Sarnoff writes in her book, TrafficKing.
“Ironically, photographs of Maxwell taken by a private investigator who accompanied the process server showed Maxwell receiving notice while standing beneath a human trafficking banner. Human trafficking was the Conference’s theme at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative,” she writes.
“Maxwell never appeared at the deposition claiming, the day prior to her testimony she had to immediately return to England to care for her dying mother. At the time of that trip,…the elder Mrs. Maxwell was not gravely ill. Not long after the deposition was scheduled, Maxwell was spotted again in New York. As a British subject there was nothing the attorneys could do to force her to take the deposition.”
Clinton, though he has a long history of being accused of sexual misconduct, has never been accused of engaging with an underage female with Epstein. Despite rampant speculation, in fact Clinton’s appetite was being fed by someone else entirely.
“I have seen reports saying or implying that I had sex with former president Bill Clinton on Little Saint James Island,” [Epstein accuser Virginia] Giuffre has said in court documents. “Former president Bill Clinton was present on the island at a time when I was also present on the island, but I have never had sexual relations with Clinton, nor have I ever claimed to have such relations. I have never seen him have sexual relations with anyone.”
Clinton has denied visiting Little Saint James, Epstein’s private “orgy island” in the US Virgin Islands, but Giuffre’s claim is bolstered by a new Netflix docu-series, “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,” out Wednesday. It features an interview with the island’s former longtime IT worker, Steve Scully, who claims to have seen Clinton and Epstein lounging on the porch of Epstein’s sprawling villa at a time when there were no other guests present. Clinton has acknowledged taking a “total of four trips” on Epstein’s plane, but has said he was completely unaware of the “terrible crimes” committed by the financier, who died Aug. 10 in an incident officially deemed a suicide by hanging in his Manhattan jail cell. During one trip, a 2002 excursion to Africa that also involved actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker, Clinton was photographed posing with Maxwell in the plane’s doorway. His spokesman, Angel Urena, said of Clinton’s reported affair with Maxwell, “It’s a total lie today, it’s a total lie tomorrow, and it’ll be a total lie years from now.” Maxwell’s lawyer, Laura Menninger, didn’t return an email seeking comment.
By Alana Goodman and Daniel Halper
New York Post
May 27, 2020
Bill Clinton had an affair with British-born socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of helping recruit underage victims for notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to a blockbuster new book.
The ex-president — who denies cheating on wife Hillary Clinton with Maxwell — reportedly engaged in the romps during overseas trips on Epstein’s private plane, a customized Boeing 727 that’s since become known as the “Lolita Express.”
The nation’s 42nd head of state also repeatedly sneaked out to visit Maxwell at her Upper East Side townhouse, as detailed in this exclusive excerpt.
Excerpt from “A Convenient Death: The Mysterious Demise of Jeffrey Epstein,” by Alana Goodman and Daniel Halper, out June 2
Clinton was allegedly carrying on an affair with at least one woman in Epstein’s orbit, but she was well over the age of consent.
Ghislaine Maxwell, a constant presence at the ex- president’s side during these trips, was the primary reason Clinton let Epstein ferry him around the world.
“[Bill] and Ghislaine were getting it on,” a source who witnessed the relationship said in an interview. “That’s why he was around Epstein—to be with her.”
The source explained that reporters have been missing the point about the Clinton- Epstein relationship by focusing on Epstein’s sex crimes. “[Clinton’s] stupid but not an idiot,” the source says, dismissing the idea that the ex- president was sexually involved with children.
Clinton’s primary interest in Epstein was the woman he once dated and who allegedly helped procure her ex-boyfriend’s future victims.
“You couldn’t hang out with her without being with him,” the source said of the Epstein-Clinton relationship.
“Clinton just used him like everything else,” the source explains.
In this case, Epstein was being used as an alibi while he hooked up with Maxwell.
The relationship between Clinton and Maxwell was not confined to these overseas junkets. It continued in New York City, where Clinton on multiple occasions visited Maxwell’s own private townhome at 116 East Sixty-fifth Street, an $11 million pad that runs a touch below seven thousand square feet, much more modest than Epstein’s palatial townhome a few blocks north. (Maxwell purchased it in 2000 for a mere $4.95 million.)
The coziness between the former president and the charming British socialite drew notice in New York social circles. Clinton and Maxwell were spotted dining together at the Madison Avenue Italian mainstay Nello, according to a 2002 New York magazine article, which described Maxwell as a “man-eater” in the same paragraph. When Clinton went stag to a New York education charity gala in late 2001 — Hillary declined to attend — Maxwell was reportedly at his side.
The relationship also carried over to the Clinton Global Initiative and Clinton Foundation. Maxwell became somewhat of a fixture at these events. It was there where she was even served court papers about her participation in Epstein’s abuse.
On July 31, 2010 Maxwell was among the few guests to attend Chelsea Clinton’s wedding at the former Astor estate in Rhinebeck, New York. This auspicious event followed an embarrassing incident for Maxwell.
“Only a few months earlier, while attending the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City, at the end of an Indian summer, in September 2009, a process server walked through the packed lobby of the Sheraton Hotel…and served Ghislaine Maxwell papers for a deposition,” the journalist Conchita Sarnoff recalls.
“Maxwell…was huddled in a small group talking to other guests” as the server approached her. He “called out her name and…with so many people surrounding her, Maxwell was unsuspecting. She confirmed her identity and he served her notice. The deposition was in relation to Epstein’s sexual abuse case. The server left at once,” Sarnoff writes in her book, TrafficKing.
“Ironically, photographs of Maxwell taken by a private investigator who accompanied the process server showed Maxwell receiving notice while standing beneath a human trafficking banner. Human trafficking was the Conference’s theme at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative,” she writes.
“Maxwell never appeared at the deposition claiming, the day prior to her testimony she had to immediately return to England to care for her dying mother. At the time of that trip,…the elder Mrs. Maxwell was not gravely ill. Not long after the deposition was scheduled, Maxwell was spotted again in New York. As a British subject there was nothing the attorneys could do to force her to take the deposition.”
Clinton, though he has a long history of being accused of sexual misconduct, has never been accused of engaging with an underage female with Epstein. Despite rampant speculation, in fact Clinton’s appetite was being fed by someone else entirely.
“I have seen reports saying or implying that I had sex with former president Bill Clinton on Little Saint James Island,” [Epstein accuser Virginia] Giuffre has said in court documents. “Former president Bill Clinton was present on the island at a time when I was also present on the island, but I have never had sexual relations with Clinton, nor have I ever claimed to have such relations. I have never seen him have sexual relations with anyone.”
Clinton has denied visiting Little Saint James, Epstein’s private “orgy island” in the US Virgin Islands, but Giuffre’s claim is bolstered by a new Netflix docu-series, “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,” out Wednesday. It features an interview with the island’s former longtime IT worker, Steve Scully, who claims to have seen Clinton and Epstein lounging on the porch of Epstein’s sprawling villa at a time when there were no other guests present. Clinton has acknowledged taking a “total of four trips” on Epstein’s plane, but has said he was completely unaware of the “terrible crimes” committed by the financier, who died Aug. 10 in an incident officially deemed a suicide by hanging in his Manhattan jail cell. During one trip, a 2002 excursion to Africa that also involved actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker, Clinton was photographed posing with Maxwell in the plane’s doorway. His spokesman, Angel Urena, said of Clinton’s reported affair with Maxwell, “It’s a total lie today, it’s a total lie tomorrow, and it’ll be a total lie years from now.” Maxwell’s lawyer, Laura Menninger, didn’t return an email seeking comment.
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO STOP SOMEBODY FROM RAPING YOU? ... CLOSE YOUR LEGS
New Jersey judge whose anti-rape advice was 'close your legs' loses job
By Bruce Shipkowski
Associated Press
May 27, 2020
TRENTON, N.J. -- A judge who suggested that a woman seeking a restraining order could "close your legs" to prevent a sexual assault was removed from the bench Tuesday by the New Jersey Supreme Court and permanently barred from presiding over a courtroom.
The unanimous decision cited "repeated and serious acts of misconduct" by state Superior Court Judge John Russo Jr.
Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote that it would be "inconceivable" for Russo to preside over domestic violence or sexual assault matters after those comments.
The justices had recommended last summer that Russo be removed from the bench, and a three-judge advisory panel agreed in January.
Russo had been on unpaid suspension while appealing those decisions. His attorney, Amelia Carolla, declined to comment Tuesday.
In court filings and at a hearing in December, Russo expressed remorse for his comments to the woman and for joking about the exchange with court personnel afterward.
He also has argued that the Supreme Court's penalty is excessive because an advisory panel on judicial conduct had last year recommended a three-month unpaid suspension.
The woman appeared before Russo in 2016 seeking a restraining order against a man she said sexually assaulted her. According to a transcript of the exchange, when the woman described her encounter with the man, Russo asked her, "Do you know how to stop somebody from having intercourse with you?"
When the woman answered yes and said one method would be to run away, Russo continued, "Close your legs? Call the police? Did you do any of those things?"
He also made joking comments to staffers about the exchange after the woman had left the courtroom, according to a report issued by the judicial conduct committee.
Russo has contended that he was trying only to elicit more information and that he chose his words poorly, and that he has acknowledged his mistake.
The report by the three-judge panel noted four instances of misconduct - including a matrimonial matter for which he did not recuse himself even though he knew someone involved.
The instances didn't indicate dishonesty when taken separately, the panel found, but his testimony regarding two of the allegations "lacked candor, fabricated after-the-fact explanations for events, and displayed a lack of integrity that is unworthy of judicial office."
_________
ONE LESS TROGLODYTE WITH POWER
by Bob Walsh
John J. Russo was, and technically still is, a judge in the cesspool of New Jersey. He was removed from the bench and forbidden to preside over a courtroom Tuesday by the N J Supreme Court.
It seems that, when a woman came to him for a restraining order, he recommended that she just keep her legs closed. Pretty much nobody thought that was real helpful, or appropriate for a judge.
By Bruce Shipkowski
Associated Press
May 27, 2020
TRENTON, N.J. -- A judge who suggested that a woman seeking a restraining order could "close your legs" to prevent a sexual assault was removed from the bench Tuesday by the New Jersey Supreme Court and permanently barred from presiding over a courtroom.
The unanimous decision cited "repeated and serious acts of misconduct" by state Superior Court Judge John Russo Jr.
Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote that it would be "inconceivable" for Russo to preside over domestic violence or sexual assault matters after those comments.
The justices had recommended last summer that Russo be removed from the bench, and a three-judge advisory panel agreed in January.
Russo had been on unpaid suspension while appealing those decisions. His attorney, Amelia Carolla, declined to comment Tuesday.
In court filings and at a hearing in December, Russo expressed remorse for his comments to the woman and for joking about the exchange with court personnel afterward.
He also has argued that the Supreme Court's penalty is excessive because an advisory panel on judicial conduct had last year recommended a three-month unpaid suspension.
The woman appeared before Russo in 2016 seeking a restraining order against a man she said sexually assaulted her. According to a transcript of the exchange, when the woman described her encounter with the man, Russo asked her, "Do you know how to stop somebody from having intercourse with you?"
When the woman answered yes and said one method would be to run away, Russo continued, "Close your legs? Call the police? Did you do any of those things?"
He also made joking comments to staffers about the exchange after the woman had left the courtroom, according to a report issued by the judicial conduct committee.
Russo has contended that he was trying only to elicit more information and that he chose his words poorly, and that he has acknowledged his mistake.
The report by the three-judge panel noted four instances of misconduct - including a matrimonial matter for which he did not recuse himself even though he knew someone involved.
The instances didn't indicate dishonesty when taken separately, the panel found, but his testimony regarding two of the allegations "lacked candor, fabricated after-the-fact explanations for events, and displayed a lack of integrity that is unworthy of judicial office."
_________
ONE LESS TROGLODYTE WITH POWER
by Bob Walsh
John J. Russo was, and technically still is, a judge in the cesspool of New Jersey. He was removed from the bench and forbidden to preside over a courtroom Tuesday by the N J Supreme Court.
It seems that, when a woman came to him for a restraining order, he recommended that she just keep her legs closed. Pretty much nobody thought that was real helpful, or appropriate for a judge.
EMERALD BLACK WILL BE ABLE TO BUY A SHITLOAD OF EMERALDS WHEN HER LAWSUIT IS FINALLY SETTLED
Pregnant black woman who miscarried after California cops 'pulled her from a car, piled on top of her and stomped on her stomach leaving a shoe mark' sues police department
By Valerie Edwards
Daily Mail
May 27, 2020
A California woman has filed a lawsuit against a police department alleging that they pulled her from a car, piled on top of her and stomped her stomach, causing her to have a miscarriage.
Emerald Black alleged in the lawsuit filed on Monday that officers from the San Leandro Police Department caused her to have a miscarriage when she and her fiance were stopped in June 2019.
According to the lawsuit, police stopped the couple for 'bad registration tags'. During the stop, police reportedly asked Black and her fiance to step out of their vehicle.
Because she was 'visibly pregnant', Black asked officers if she could remain inside the vehicle.
Despite her request, the unidentified officers allegedly 'yanked Ms. Black from the car, taunted her, piled on top of her and stomped on her stomach leaving a show mark,' the lawsuit alleges.
Just days later, Black had a miscarriage, according to the lawsuit. Black alleges that her pregnancy ended 'as a result of the officers’ excessive force'.
Black also 'suffered other physical injuries, embarrassment, humiliation and emotional distress both from the incident and loss of her child,' the suit says.
She was never charged with a crime.
Her lawyer, Patrick Buelna, told Vice News that 'it's important to note that Ms. Black had committed absolutely no crimes, nor was she even suspected of any'.
'She was simply a passenger in the car being pulled over for a minor vehicle infraction,' Buelna added.
Buelna said Black wanted to remain in the vehicle because she was pregnant and 'had just left the hospital earlier that day and learned she was at risk for a miscarriage'.
'If officers were adamant about her exiting the car, they should have simply, and gently, assisted Ms. Black getting out of the car. Instead they treated her like she had just committed a violent felony,' Buelna told Vice.
Black is seeking general and punitive damages 'in a sum to be proven at trial'.
She is also suing for damages for loss of wages and income as well as medical expenses.
By Valerie Edwards
Daily Mail
May 27, 2020
A California woman has filed a lawsuit against a police department alleging that they pulled her from a car, piled on top of her and stomped her stomach, causing her to have a miscarriage.
Emerald Black alleged in the lawsuit filed on Monday that officers from the San Leandro Police Department caused her to have a miscarriage when she and her fiance were stopped in June 2019.
According to the lawsuit, police stopped the couple for 'bad registration tags'. During the stop, police reportedly asked Black and her fiance to step out of their vehicle.
Because she was 'visibly pregnant', Black asked officers if she could remain inside the vehicle.
Despite her request, the unidentified officers allegedly 'yanked Ms. Black from the car, taunted her, piled on top of her and stomped on her stomach leaving a show mark,' the lawsuit alleges.
Just days later, Black had a miscarriage, according to the lawsuit. Black alleges that her pregnancy ended 'as a result of the officers’ excessive force'.
Black also 'suffered other physical injuries, embarrassment, humiliation and emotional distress both from the incident and loss of her child,' the suit says.
She was never charged with a crime.
Her lawyer, Patrick Buelna, told Vice News that 'it's important to note that Ms. Black had committed absolutely no crimes, nor was she even suspected of any'.
'She was simply a passenger in the car being pulled over for a minor vehicle infraction,' Buelna added.
Buelna said Black wanted to remain in the vehicle because she was pregnant and 'had just left the hospital earlier that day and learned she was at risk for a miscarriage'.
'If officers were adamant about her exiting the car, they should have simply, and gently, assisted Ms. Black getting out of the car. Instead they treated her like she had just committed a violent felony,' Buelna told Vice.
Black is seeking general and punitive damages 'in a sum to be proven at trial'.
She is also suing for damages for loss of wages and income as well as medical expenses.
ONE FAST-THINKING OLD MAN
An elderly man in Queensland, Australia had owned a large property for several years.
He had a dam in one of the lower paddocks where he had planted mango and avocado trees.
The dam had been fixed up for swimming when it was built and he also had some picnic tables placed there in the shade of the fruit trees.
One evening the farmer decided to go down to the dam to look it over, as he hadn't been there for a while.
He grabbed a ten litre bucket to bring back some fruit.
As he neared the dam, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came closer he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his dam.
He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end.
One of the women shouted to him, 'We're not coming out until you leave!’
The old man frowned, 'I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the dam naked.'
Holding the bucket up he said, 'I'm here to feed the crocodile.’
In the blink of an eye, the old man had a a bunch of young naked women clinging onto him.
Moral: Old men may walk slow, but they can still think fast.
He had a dam in one of the lower paddocks where he had planted mango and avocado trees.
The dam had been fixed up for swimming when it was built and he also had some picnic tables placed there in the shade of the fruit trees.
One evening the farmer decided to go down to the dam to look it over, as he hadn't been there for a while.
He grabbed a ten litre bucket to bring back some fruit.
As he neared the dam, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came closer he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his dam.
He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end.
One of the women shouted to him, 'We're not coming out until you leave!’
The old man frowned, 'I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the dam naked.'
Holding the bucket up he said, 'I'm here to feed the crocodile.’
In the blink of an eye, the old man had a a bunch of young naked women clinging onto him.
Moral: Old men may walk slow, but they can still think fast.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA'S RITA PANAHI RIDICULES THE WHITE OBAMA'S 'CONFUSED CRAZY RANTS'
Sky News Australia's Outsiders host Rita Panahi says Joe Biden's 'confused crazy rants' should have discounted him years ago.
Joe Biden’s status as the frontrunner in the Democratic presidential race highlights the party’s hypocrisy when it comes to striking down Donald Trump, Outsiders host Rita Panahi says.
Ms Panahi said it’s surprising the candidate, who is “so confused that he has trouble remembering where he is and why he’s there,” has not been discounted.
“Biden's cognitive issues have been evident for some time but just watch the same media who for four years have been declaring Donald Trump mentally and physically unfit for office have a collective meltdown when Biden's mental faculties are questioned,” she said.
“Can you imagine that man in a presidential debate with Donald Trump? There's not enough popcorn in the world.”
NEW, AND MAYBE EVEN ACCURATE, NUMBERS FROM CDC
by Bob Walsh
The Center For Disease Control and Prevention released some numbers yesterday that are alleged to be actual, accurate mortality numbers on the Covid-19 virus.
Assuming they got it right the mortality rate is running at about 0.26%. The seasonal flu runs at about 0.13%. You might recall the originally the "experts" were expressing that it was extremely likely the mortality rate would run close to 10%.
If you are under 60 and you have no co-morbidity issues your chances of dying from this shit are very, very low. Your chances of GETTING it are decent, but you may very well not even know you have it.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Let's put that 0.26% figure in its proper perspective. Over 100,000 corona victims have now died in the U.S. and that number is probably way to low because of delays of up to two weeks in reporting corona deaths from state to state.
The Center For Disease Control and Prevention released some numbers yesterday that are alleged to be actual, accurate mortality numbers on the Covid-19 virus.
Assuming they got it right the mortality rate is running at about 0.26%. The seasonal flu runs at about 0.13%. You might recall the originally the "experts" were expressing that it was extremely likely the mortality rate would run close to 10%.
If you are under 60 and you have no co-morbidity issues your chances of dying from this shit are very, very low. Your chances of GETTING it are decent, but you may very well not even know you have it.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Let's put that 0.26% figure in its proper perspective. Over 100,000 corona victims have now died in the U.S. and that number is probably way to low because of delays of up to two weeks in reporting corona deaths from state to state.
ANOTHER ERIC GARNER?
‘Completely And Utterly Messed Up’: Video Of Fatal Arrest Shows MPD Officer Kneeling On Man’s Neck For At Least 7 Minutes
CBS Minnesota
May 26, 2020
MINNEAPOLIS -- The FBI has been called to investigate after a man died Monday night in south Minneapolis after an encounter with police.
In a statement early Tuesday, police described what happened as a medical incident. However, a video posted on social media shows an officer kneeing a man’s neck to the ground for at least seven minutes. Before he goes unconscious, the man, who is black and unarmed, repeatedly tells officers he can’t breathe.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey alluded to the graphic footage, saying: “I believe what I saw, and what I saw was wrong at every level.”
The mayor added: “Being black in America should not be a death sentence.
According to police, officers responded shortly after 8 p.m. Monday to the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue South, where a man was reportedly trying to use forged documents at Cup Foods.
At the scene, police found the man, who appeared to be in his 40s and intoxicated, in a blue car. Officers told him to get out. Their body cameras were running.
“After he got out, he physically resisted officers,” police spokesman John Elder told reporters early Tuesday. “Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and officers noticed that the man was going into medical distress.”
An ambulance brought the man to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died shortly after, police say.
The attorney representing the family identified the man as George Floyd.
“We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. “This abusive, excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge.”
The video posted to social media shows an encounter between Minneapolis police and Floyd outside Cup Foods. In the nine-minute video, an officer can be seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck at the side of a squad car. Floyd can be heard groaning and repeatedly telling police he can’t breathe.
“He’s not even resisting arrest right now, bro,” one bystander tells the officer and his partner. “You’re fucking stopping his breathing right now, you think that’s cool?”
After about five minutes, Floyd appears to go unconscious. The bystanders ask for someone to check his pulse. The officer does not lift his knee from Floyd’s neck until medical personnel arrive a few minutes later and carry him to an ambulance.
At the Tuesday morning press conference with the mayor, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo did not address the video specifically, but did say that he received information from the community that prompted him to reach out to the FBI.
The investigation is now being led by federal authorities. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is also involved.
The two Minneapolis officers who responded to the incident are on “relieved of duty status,” the police chief said. This is different from the typical administrative leave, but is still paid with no law enforcement duties.
At least one protest is planned for Tuesday night at the scene of the incident. It is being organized by a number of local activist groups, including the Minneapolis NAACP, Communities Against Police Brutality, and Black Lives Matter Twin Cities.
The mayor urged protesters to remain mindful of COVID-19 while demonstrating.
Frey also expressed his condolences to Floyd’s family and the black community.
“He should not have died,” the mayor said.
Across the Mississippi River, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter tweeted Tuesday about the video, calling it “one of the most vile and heartbreaking images I’ve ever seen.” He called for both officers to be held fully accountable.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Tim Walz also issued statements, calling for immediate action.
“There must be a complete and thorough outside investigation into what occurred,” Klobuchar said, “and those involved in this incident must be held accountable.”
The governor said the lack of humanity in the video was “sickening.”
“We will get answers,” he said, “and seek justice.”
UPDATE: On Monday the Minneapolis police pleaded with the public not to rush to judgement. On Tuesday they fired the four officers involved in the arrest. I suspect that because of these racially combustible times, the four are facing criminal charges.
The question is: Would there have been an uproar and would the officers have been fired had the victim been white? My answer: Maybe, but probably not.
CBS Minnesota
May 26, 2020
MINNEAPOLIS -- The FBI has been called to investigate after a man died Monday night in south Minneapolis after an encounter with police.
In a statement early Tuesday, police described what happened as a medical incident. However, a video posted on social media shows an officer kneeing a man’s neck to the ground for at least seven minutes. Before he goes unconscious, the man, who is black and unarmed, repeatedly tells officers he can’t breathe.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey alluded to the graphic footage, saying: “I believe what I saw, and what I saw was wrong at every level.”
The mayor added: “Being black in America should not be a death sentence.
According to police, officers responded shortly after 8 p.m. Monday to the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue South, where a man was reportedly trying to use forged documents at Cup Foods.
At the scene, police found the man, who appeared to be in his 40s and intoxicated, in a blue car. Officers told him to get out. Their body cameras were running.
“After he got out, he physically resisted officers,” police spokesman John Elder told reporters early Tuesday. “Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and officers noticed that the man was going into medical distress.”
An ambulance brought the man to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died shortly after, police say.
The attorney representing the family identified the man as George Floyd.
“We all watched the horrific death of George Floyd on video as witnesses begged the police officer to take him into the police car and get off his neck,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. “This abusive, excessive and inhumane use of force cost the life of a man who was being detained by the police for questioning about a non-violent charge.”
The video posted to social media shows an encounter between Minneapolis police and Floyd outside Cup Foods. In the nine-minute video, an officer can be seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck at the side of a squad car. Floyd can be heard groaning and repeatedly telling police he can’t breathe.
“He’s not even resisting arrest right now, bro,” one bystander tells the officer and his partner. “You’re fucking stopping his breathing right now, you think that’s cool?”
After about five minutes, Floyd appears to go unconscious. The bystanders ask for someone to check his pulse. The officer does not lift his knee from Floyd’s neck until medical personnel arrive a few minutes later and carry him to an ambulance.
At the Tuesday morning press conference with the mayor, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo did not address the video specifically, but did say that he received information from the community that prompted him to reach out to the FBI.
The investigation is now being led by federal authorities. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is also involved.
The two Minneapolis officers who responded to the incident are on “relieved of duty status,” the police chief said. This is different from the typical administrative leave, but is still paid with no law enforcement duties.
At least one protest is planned for Tuesday night at the scene of the incident. It is being organized by a number of local activist groups, including the Minneapolis NAACP, Communities Against Police Brutality, and Black Lives Matter Twin Cities.
The mayor urged protesters to remain mindful of COVID-19 while demonstrating.
Frey also expressed his condolences to Floyd’s family and the black community.
“He should not have died,” the mayor said.
Across the Mississippi River, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter tweeted Tuesday about the video, calling it “one of the most vile and heartbreaking images I’ve ever seen.” He called for both officers to be held fully accountable.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Tim Walz also issued statements, calling for immediate action.
“There must be a complete and thorough outside investigation into what occurred,” Klobuchar said, “and those involved in this incident must be held accountable.”
The governor said the lack of humanity in the video was “sickening.”
“We will get answers,” he said, “and seek justice.”
UPDATE: On Monday the Minneapolis police pleaded with the public not to rush to judgement. On Tuesday they fired the four officers involved in the arrest. I suspect that because of these racially combustible times, the four are facing criminal charges.
The question is: Would there have been an uproar and would the officers have been fired had the victim been white? My answer: Maybe, but probably not.
CORONA INFECTIONS LEAST LIKELY WITH 'DOGGY STYLE' AND 'COWGIRL / RIDER' FUCKING POSITIONS
Swiss brothels outline list of coronavirus-safe sex positions in a bid to end lockdown
The Local
May 26, 2020
The association representing Swiss sex workers hopes the government will approve its plan for ending the industry’s lockdown, including a list of sex positions which minimise the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.
Switzerland’s adult industry has been one of the country’s heaviest hit due to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
The industry’s lockdown reopening plan, prepared by peak body ProKoRe, includes a list of sex positions which minimise the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
As reported in Swiss media outlet Watson, the suggested positions include the ‘doggy style’ and ‘cowgirl/rider’ positions, which the association says minimises the risk of droplet transmission and keeps the distance between faces as large as possible.
In addition, rooms will be ventilated for at least 15 minutes after each customer visit, while sheets will also be washed after each visit.
Gloves, condoms and disinfectants would also be employed in all adult facilities, while training and information campaigns would be adopted to further reduce the risk of infection.
The association said visits would be kept to a maximum of 15 minutes and that kissing - which was already rare before the lockdown measures came into place - would be discouraged.
In order to allow follow up tracing, customer contact data - including names and phone numbers - will be kept on hand for the following four weeks.
ProKoRe said that if the demands are followed, the lockdown restrictions for sex workers may be lifted when the next round of lockdown measures are eased on June 8th.
The association also said that the ban should be lifted as a matter of urgency as it was encouraging illegal sex work to take place across the country, which gave rise to security concerns.
Prostitution in Switzerland
A 2018 report into sex work in the city notes prostitutes are required to pay between 100 to 150 Swiss francs a day to rent a room in a legal brothel from which they can work.
However, there are dozens of apartments listed on Airbnb for less than this amount - some of which are used without consent.
The trend towards the use of private apartments for sex work runs counter to the intention of rule changes in Bern in 2013 which are designed to protect prostitutes from abuse and exploitation.
Prostitution is Switzerland with sex workers required to register with local authorities and pay taxes.
But while Bern is currently home to 28 licensed brothels, this number is sinking and there is growing opposition to plans for new establishments.
The Local
May 26, 2020
The association representing Swiss sex workers hopes the government will approve its plan for ending the industry’s lockdown, including a list of sex positions which minimise the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.
Switzerland’s adult industry has been one of the country’s heaviest hit due to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
The industry’s lockdown reopening plan, prepared by peak body ProKoRe, includes a list of sex positions which minimise the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
As reported in Swiss media outlet Watson, the suggested positions include the ‘doggy style’ and ‘cowgirl/rider’ positions, which the association says minimises the risk of droplet transmission and keeps the distance between faces as large as possible.
In addition, rooms will be ventilated for at least 15 minutes after each customer visit, while sheets will also be washed after each visit.
Gloves, condoms and disinfectants would also be employed in all adult facilities, while training and information campaigns would be adopted to further reduce the risk of infection.
The association said visits would be kept to a maximum of 15 minutes and that kissing - which was already rare before the lockdown measures came into place - would be discouraged.
In order to allow follow up tracing, customer contact data - including names and phone numbers - will be kept on hand for the following four weeks.
ProKoRe said that if the demands are followed, the lockdown restrictions for sex workers may be lifted when the next round of lockdown measures are eased on June 8th.
The association also said that the ban should be lifted as a matter of urgency as it was encouraging illegal sex work to take place across the country, which gave rise to security concerns.
Prostitution in Switzerland
A 2018 report into sex work in the city notes prostitutes are required to pay between 100 to 150 Swiss francs a day to rent a room in a legal brothel from which they can work.
However, there are dozens of apartments listed on Airbnb for less than this amount - some of which are used without consent.
The trend towards the use of private apartments for sex work runs counter to the intention of rule changes in Bern in 2013 which are designed to protect prostitutes from abuse and exploitation.
Prostitution is Switzerland with sex workers required to register with local authorities and pay taxes.
But while Bern is currently home to 28 licensed brothels, this number is sinking and there is growing opposition to plans for new establishments.
RUSSELL'S VIPER DID NOT WORK, BUT A COBRA DID
Indian man killed wife using cobra after failed attempt with Russell's viper
By Lee Brown
New York Post
May 25, 2020
An Indian man has been accused of murdering his wife with a highly venomous cobra — weeks after failing with a viper.
The man only identified as Sooraj, 27, is accused of first planting a Russell’s viper in his wife Uthra’s room in Anchal in March — leaving her hospitalized almost two months from a near-fatal bite, police told Agence France-Presse.
When she was discharged to recuperate at her parents’ house, he then got a cobra from a local snake handler — throwing it at his 25-year-old wife as she slept, police official Ashok Kumar told the agency.
“Sooraj stayed in the same room as Uthra as if nothing had happened,” police said, with Sooraj acting surprised when “alerted by Uthra’s mother’s screams” as she found the body on May 7.
“They took her to the hospital where the doctor said she had died,” police said in a statement obtained by AFP.
The dead woman’s parents became suspicious because Sooraj had been present both times — and then tried to quickly take possession of all of his wealthy wife’s property.
They alerted police, who discovered he had been in contact with serpent handlers — and had also watched snake videos online, AFP says.
Sooraj was arrested Sunday and confessed during police interviews, according to Malayala Manorama.
He was motivated by their huge wedding comprising nearly 100 gold coins, a new car and at least $20,000 in cash, AFP said.
“Sooraj feared that divorcing Uthra would mean giving back all the dowry. That’s when he decided to kill her,” the police statement said.
The couple had a one-year-old child.
The man accused of selling him at least one of the snakes was also arrested, the reports said.
By Lee Brown
New York Post
May 25, 2020
An Indian man has been accused of murdering his wife with a highly venomous cobra — weeks after failing with a viper.
The man only identified as Sooraj, 27, is accused of first planting a Russell’s viper in his wife Uthra’s room in Anchal in March — leaving her hospitalized almost two months from a near-fatal bite, police told Agence France-Presse.
When she was discharged to recuperate at her parents’ house, he then got a cobra from a local snake handler — throwing it at his 25-year-old wife as she slept, police official Ashok Kumar told the agency.
“Sooraj stayed in the same room as Uthra as if nothing had happened,” police said, with Sooraj acting surprised when “alerted by Uthra’s mother’s screams” as she found the body on May 7.
“They took her to the hospital where the doctor said she had died,” police said in a statement obtained by AFP.
The dead woman’s parents became suspicious because Sooraj had been present both times — and then tried to quickly take possession of all of his wealthy wife’s property.
They alerted police, who discovered he had been in contact with serpent handlers — and had also watched snake videos online, AFP says.
Sooraj was arrested Sunday and confessed during police interviews, according to Malayala Manorama.
He was motivated by their huge wedding comprising nearly 100 gold coins, a new car and at least $20,000 in cash, AFP said.
“Sooraj feared that divorcing Uthra would mean giving back all the dowry. That’s when he decided to kill her,” the police statement said.
The couple had a one-year-old child.
The man accused of selling him at least one of the snakes was also arrested, the reports said.
L.A. COPS GET MONTHLY BONUS OF $380 FOR AA DEGREE AND $580 FOR BS DEGREE
Despite a budget crisis, L.A. officials give new bonuses to officers with college degrees
LAPPL News Watch
May 26, 2020
Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council signed off on the new LAPD “education incentives” last summer, paving the way for officers with associates’ degrees to receive an extra $190 every two weeks and those with bachelors’ degrees an extra $290.
“The nature of police work has evolved, and the expectations and demands placed upon police officers have increased,” he said. “In addition to being police officers, we are also now therapists, drug treatment counselors, social workers, and EMTs among many other things.”
LAPPL News Watch
May 26, 2020
Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council signed off on the new LAPD “education incentives” last summer, paving the way for officers with associates’ degrees to receive an extra $190 every two weeks and those with bachelors’ degrees an extra $290.
“The nature of police work has evolved, and the expectations and demands placed upon police officers have increased,” he said. “In addition to being police officers, we are also now therapists, drug treatment counselors, social workers, and EMTs among many other things.”
SO, IS AMY COOPER A RACIST?
Dispute over dog in Central Park sparks racism accusations
Asociated Press
May 26, 2020
NEW YORK – The verbal dispute between a white woman walking her dog and a black man bird watching in Central Park might normally have gone unnoticed in a city preoccupied by the coronavirus pandemic.
That changed when birdwatcher Christian Cooper pulled out his phone and captured Amy Cooper calling police to report she was being threatened by “an African-American man.” The widely watched video – posted on Facebook by Christian Cooper and on Twitter by his sister – has sparked accusations of racism.
The confrontation began early Monday morning when Christian Cooper said he noticed Amy Cooper had let her dog off its leash against the rules in the Rambles, a secluded section of Central Park popular with birdwatchers.
In a Facebook post, he claimed the dog was “tearing through the plantings” and told her she should go to another part of the park. When she refused, he pulled out dog treats, causing her to scream at him to not come near her dog.
Amy Cooper also warned him she would summon police unless he stopped recording.
“I’m going to tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life,” Amy Cooper is heard saying in the video as she pulls down her face mask and struggles to control her dog.
“Please call the cops,” Christian Cooper says.
“There’s an African-American man, I’m in Central Park, he is recording me and threatening myself and my dog. … Please send the cops immediately!” she says during the call before he stops recording.
Police say by the time they responded, they were both gone.
Messages were left Tuesday with Christian Cooper and his sister.
“I videotaped it because I thought it was important to document things,” Christian Cooper told CNN. “Unfortunately we live in an era with things like Ahmaud Arbery, where black men are seen as targets. This woman thought she could exploit that to her advantage, and I wasn’t having it.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the video exemplified hatred that has “no place in our city.”
“The video out of Central Park is racism, plain and simple,” de Blasio tweeted. “She called the police BECAUSE he was a Black man. Even though she was the one breaking the rules. She decided he was the criminal and we know why.”
In the fallout, her employer, investment firm Franklin Templeton, announced it was putting Amy Cooper on administrative leave while it investigates the confrontation.
She told CNN that she wanted to “publicly apologize to everyone,” adding, “I am not a racist.”
“I think I was just scared,” Amy Cooper said. “When you’re alone in the Ramble, you don’t know what’s happening. It’s not excusable, it’s not defensible.”
__________
HOW TO STEP ON YOUR DICK
Even If You Don't Have One
by Bob Walsh
Amy Cooper is an inveterate dog walker in Central Park in New York City. She is also a regular scoff-law when it comes to the leash law. She also seems to be a racist and an idiot. She is also White.
She happened to be out and about on Tuesday with her off-leash dog when a Black man named Christian Cooper (no relationship), a birdwatcher, asked her to leash her dog. He response was to him that she was going to call the cops and tell them that a Black man was threatening her. Then she did. She was stupid enough to do it while his sister, Melody, was "filming" her with his cell phone.
The video was posted and has been viewed about 22 million times.
Amy Cooper is now whining like a big dog that she is not a racist and that she was just frightened. (I guess that is a good reason to make a false police report. Maybe. Or not.) She is tripping all over herself to apologize to everybody who ever farted in New York City. She is now whining to CNN that the video has destroyed her life. Gee, I wonder whose fucking fault that is?
She used to work for Franklin Templeton, a major NYC asset management firm. She doesn't any more. They fired her happy ass. In addition she either gave up her dog or it was seized by animal control. It isn't clear which.
So, she lost her "best friend", lost her job and has been revealed to the whole world to be either a racist idiot or a general purpose idiot with racist overtones.
Life is hard. It's harder when you're fucking stupid.
Asociated Press
May 26, 2020
NEW YORK – The verbal dispute between a white woman walking her dog and a black man bird watching in Central Park might normally have gone unnoticed in a city preoccupied by the coronavirus pandemic.
That changed when birdwatcher Christian Cooper pulled out his phone and captured Amy Cooper calling police to report she was being threatened by “an African-American man.” The widely watched video – posted on Facebook by Christian Cooper and on Twitter by his sister – has sparked accusations of racism.
The confrontation began early Monday morning when Christian Cooper said he noticed Amy Cooper had let her dog off its leash against the rules in the Rambles, a secluded section of Central Park popular with birdwatchers.
In a Facebook post, he claimed the dog was “tearing through the plantings” and told her she should go to another part of the park. When she refused, he pulled out dog treats, causing her to scream at him to not come near her dog.
Amy Cooper also warned him she would summon police unless he stopped recording.
“I’m going to tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life,” Amy Cooper is heard saying in the video as she pulls down her face mask and struggles to control her dog.
“Please call the cops,” Christian Cooper says.
“There’s an African-American man, I’m in Central Park, he is recording me and threatening myself and my dog. … Please send the cops immediately!” she says during the call before he stops recording.
Police say by the time they responded, they were both gone.
Messages were left Tuesday with Christian Cooper and his sister.
“I videotaped it because I thought it was important to document things,” Christian Cooper told CNN. “Unfortunately we live in an era with things like Ahmaud Arbery, where black men are seen as targets. This woman thought she could exploit that to her advantage, and I wasn’t having it.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the video exemplified hatred that has “no place in our city.”
“The video out of Central Park is racism, plain and simple,” de Blasio tweeted. “She called the police BECAUSE he was a Black man. Even though she was the one breaking the rules. She decided he was the criminal and we know why.”
In the fallout, her employer, investment firm Franklin Templeton, announced it was putting Amy Cooper on administrative leave while it investigates the confrontation.
She told CNN that she wanted to “publicly apologize to everyone,” adding, “I am not a racist.”
“I think I was just scared,” Amy Cooper said. “When you’re alone in the Ramble, you don’t know what’s happening. It’s not excusable, it’s not defensible.”
__________
HOW TO STEP ON YOUR DICK
Even If You Don't Have One
by Bob Walsh
Amy Cooper is an inveterate dog walker in Central Park in New York City. She is also a regular scoff-law when it comes to the leash law. She also seems to be a racist and an idiot. She is also White.
She happened to be out and about on Tuesday with her off-leash dog when a Black man named Christian Cooper (no relationship), a birdwatcher, asked her to leash her dog. He response was to him that she was going to call the cops and tell them that a Black man was threatening her. Then she did. She was stupid enough to do it while his sister, Melody, was "filming" her with his cell phone.
The video was posted and has been viewed about 22 million times.
Amy Cooper is now whining like a big dog that she is not a racist and that she was just frightened. (I guess that is a good reason to make a false police report. Maybe. Or not.) She is tripping all over herself to apologize to everybody who ever farted in New York City. She is now whining to CNN that the video has destroyed her life. Gee, I wonder whose fucking fault that is?
She used to work for Franklin Templeton, a major NYC asset management firm. She doesn't any more. They fired her happy ass. In addition she either gave up her dog or it was seized by animal control. It isn't clear which.
So, she lost her "best friend", lost her job and has been revealed to the whole world to be either a racist idiot or a general purpose idiot with racist overtones.
Life is hard. It's harder when you're fucking stupid.
FORTUNATELY THE KNIFE DID NOT PENETRATE COP'S BULLETPROOF VEST
Man shot, killed by League City police officer
By John Wayne Ferguson
Galveston County Daily News
May 25, 2020
LEAGUE CITY, Texas -- A League City Police officer shot and killed a man in a motel parking lot early Monday morning, Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the shooting, Trochesset said. The officer reported the man attacked him with a knife, Trochesset said.
The shooting happened just before 3 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of the Scottish Inn & Suites, 102 Hobbs Road in League City.
The officer was on patrol Monday morning when he came across a white truck in the parking lot that appeared to have a “fictitious tag,” Trochesset said. There was a man and a woman inside the truck, Trochesset said.
The officer spoke to the couple and found that the woman had an outstanding warrant for drug possession in Galveston County and was arrested, Trochesset said.
As the officer approached the man, who was in the driver’s seat, the man pulled out a knife and slashed at the officer, Trochesset said. The officer was not injured, but the knife cut into the officer’s shirt and bulletproof vest, Trochesset said.
The officer said he fired at the man after yelling commands for him to stop, Trochesset said. The man was struck multiple times and was taken to a local hospital where he died, Trochesset said.
A knife was recovered at the scene, Trochesset said.
The man’s name was not released Monday morning. Police confirmed Monday morning the man was wanted on a warrant for robbery and that the truck was stolen, Trochesset said.
The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office routinely investigates officer-involved shootings when the shooting involves a local police agency.
League City Police Department officers do not wear body cameras. The department earlier this month applied for a grant to help purchase 132 body cameras and other equipment. The department has been involved in at least nine officer-involved shootings since January 2018.
By John Wayne Ferguson
Galveston County Daily News
May 25, 2020
LEAGUE CITY, Texas -- A League City Police officer shot and killed a man in a motel parking lot early Monday morning, Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the shooting, Trochesset said. The officer reported the man attacked him with a knife, Trochesset said.
The shooting happened just before 3 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of the Scottish Inn & Suites, 102 Hobbs Road in League City.
The officer was on patrol Monday morning when he came across a white truck in the parking lot that appeared to have a “fictitious tag,” Trochesset said. There was a man and a woman inside the truck, Trochesset said.
The officer spoke to the couple and found that the woman had an outstanding warrant for drug possession in Galveston County and was arrested, Trochesset said.
As the officer approached the man, who was in the driver’s seat, the man pulled out a knife and slashed at the officer, Trochesset said. The officer was not injured, but the knife cut into the officer’s shirt and bulletproof vest, Trochesset said.
The officer said he fired at the man after yelling commands for him to stop, Trochesset said. The man was struck multiple times and was taken to a local hospital where he died, Trochesset said.
A knife was recovered at the scene, Trochesset said.
The man’s name was not released Monday morning. Police confirmed Monday morning the man was wanted on a warrant for robbery and that the truck was stolen, Trochesset said.
The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office routinely investigates officer-involved shootings when the shooting involves a local police agency.
League City Police Department officers do not wear body cameras. The department earlier this month applied for a grant to help purchase 132 body cameras and other equipment. The department has been involved in at least nine officer-involved shootings since January 2018.
ERDOGAN WARNS THAT TURKEY 'WILL NOT ALLOW' ISRAEL TO ANNEX WEST BANK
'We will not allow the Palestinian lands to be offered to anyone else' said the Turkish leader in an Eid address focused on Israel's planned annexation of the West Bank
The New Arab
May 26, 2020
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned in his Eid al-Fitr address that his country would not allow Israel's new government go ahead with its planned annexation of West Bank territory.
"We are witnessing a new plan of occupation and annexation by Israel that threatens Palestinian sovereignty and is contrary to international law," Erdogan said in a video addressing US Muslims on Sunday evening.
"We will not allow the Palestinian lands to be offered to anyone else."
He claimed Turkey is the "only voice" defending the Palestinians.
"The world order has let down the Palestinians, and has not successfully brought peace, justice, security and order to this part of the world," he added.
Erdogan added that Jerusalem and Temple Mount - the ruins of the ancient Jewish temple on which al-Aqsa mosque is situated - are "holy to three religions" and are "a red line for all Muslims in the world".
The Turkish leader went on to address the suffering of the Syrian people, Haftar's "putschist" forces in Libya, and Islamophobia against Muslims in the West.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his plans to begin annexing settlements and the Jordan Valley in July, following the formation of the country's unity government - which he will lead for 18 months.
The annexation project has been harshly condemned by an increasing number of countries, including neighbouring states such as Jordan and European nations including France and Germany.
At his first cabinet meeting on Monday, Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to the July date outlined in the coalition agreement for taking the first step towards extending sovereignty to West Bank areas.
The move will be carried out in coordination with the US, as stipulated by President Trump's peace plan for Israel-Palestine, which gave Israel the green light to illegally impose sovereignty on around 30 percent of the West Bank.
The peace plan in its entirety was rejected by the Palestinians, who have long demanded the West Bank as the territory of its future state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The New Arab
May 26, 2020
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned in his Eid al-Fitr address that his country would not allow Israel's new government go ahead with its planned annexation of West Bank territory.
"We are witnessing a new plan of occupation and annexation by Israel that threatens Palestinian sovereignty and is contrary to international law," Erdogan said in a video addressing US Muslims on Sunday evening.
"We will not allow the Palestinian lands to be offered to anyone else."
He claimed Turkey is the "only voice" defending the Palestinians.
"The world order has let down the Palestinians, and has not successfully brought peace, justice, security and order to this part of the world," he added.
Erdogan added that Jerusalem and Temple Mount - the ruins of the ancient Jewish temple on which al-Aqsa mosque is situated - are "holy to three religions" and are "a red line for all Muslims in the world".
The Turkish leader went on to address the suffering of the Syrian people, Haftar's "putschist" forces in Libya, and Islamophobia against Muslims in the West.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his plans to begin annexing settlements and the Jordan Valley in July, following the formation of the country's unity government - which he will lead for 18 months.
The annexation project has been harshly condemned by an increasing number of countries, including neighbouring states such as Jordan and European nations including France and Germany.
At his first cabinet meeting on Monday, Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to the July date outlined in the coalition agreement for taking the first step towards extending sovereignty to West Bank areas.
The move will be carried out in coordination with the US, as stipulated by President Trump's peace plan for Israel-Palestine, which gave Israel the green light to illegally impose sovereignty on around 30 percent of the West Bank.
The peace plan in its entirety was rejected by the Palestinians, who have long demanded the West Bank as the territory of its future state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
ISRAEL'S SOVEREIGNTY PLANS FOR JUDEA-SAMARIA
It’s Not Annexation, It’s Restoration
By Keren Toledano
Flame
May 26, 2020
Within months, Israel’s new government will begin the process of declaring sovereignty over Jewish settlements in Judea-Samaria (aka the West Bank). According to binding international law, the move is legal. While this legality does not establish its prudence, most Israelis and many American Zionists support it for existential reasons. One of those reasons is survival and another is a renewed chance for peace.
Israel’s long-standing intentions on this issue have been spurred by the recent peace plan put forward by the U.S. Israel’s declaration of sovereignty would mean the application of Israeli civil law to the Jewish settlements, which are majority Jewish and currently under military rule. The declaration would not in any way jeopardize the future establishment of a Palestinian state.
In fact, the current US peace plan is contingent upon Israel’s agreement to negotiate sovereignty for the Palestinians in other parts of Judea-Samaria. Every major peace plan ever put forward has included an incorporation of the major settlement blocks into Israel.
Critics charge that the move would be an illegal annexation of Palestinian land, which Israel captured from Jordan in 1967. However, this charge is based on a perverted reading of Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The article “prohibits the transfer of segments of the population of a state to the territory of another state which it has occupied.”
However, when Israel entered Judea-Samaria in 1967, it was retaking lands it had been granted by the Balfour Declaration, ratified in 1920 at the San Remo Conference. Following a war of Arab aggression, Jordan illegally occupied the territory in 1948—changing the name to the West Bank, and ethnically cleansing the area of Jews.
The legal definition of annexation requires a state to declare sovereignty over territory outside its domain. But since Judea-Samaria was within Israel’s legal borders in 1967, with Jordan the illegal occupier, the term annexation is corruptly misapplied here. It is rather restoration of Israel’s legal territory—to say nothing of its ancient biblical homeland.
It’s no wonder a recent poll shows a majority of Israeli Jews supporting the sovereignty move. Asserting sovereignty would be a repudiation of decades of failed diplomacy, during which Palestinians have used the lie of Israeli occupation to hijack the peace process. It would also be Israel’s chance to establish true security in the vulnerable Judean Hills and Jordan Valley, surrounding Jerusalem and on Israel’s eastern flank.
Most importantly, Palestinian and other Arab leaders have rejected every one of multiple Israeli offers of land for peace since Israel’s founding 72 years ago, including a 2000 offer of a state in 97% of Judea-Samaria, all of the Gaza Strip, and a capital in East Jerusalem.
Today’s Palestinian leadership shows no indication of abandoning its support of terror or its goal of destroying the Jewish state—irrespective of whether Israel asserts sovereignty or ensures its territorial security.
Any peace must be brokered bilaterally, with two sides negotiating in good faith, and both willing to make concessions. The current U.S. peace plan uniquely recognizes this reality. The Palestinians are again invited to the negotiating table; they have again rebuked the offer.
Above all, Israel cannot be expected to cede any part of Judea-Samaria to a Palestinian state still bent on its destruction. Indeed, Israel would have every right and reason to assert its claim to the land as a precondition of the establishment of Palestinian sovereignty.
If a Palestinian state is formed on the assumption that Israel has no claim to the West Bank, this opens an absurd logic for Palestinians' claims to the rest of Israel—including claims they continue to make to ownership of the entire state of Israel.
The hard fact is, despite considerable emotional sympathy for Palestinian Arab aspirations to sovereignty, the group has never controlled a square inch of territory in the Middle East and has no international legal rights to any territory or a state in the Holy Land.
Most importantly, if Judea-Samaria is finally acknowledged to be within Israel’s sovereign borders, the world will more plainly see the conflict for what it truly is—a civil war between parties with claims to the same land. It would localize a clash that cynical bodies, like the UN and EU, have internationalized and usurped for political interest.
Remember, the UN is only empowered to pass nonbinding resolutions, which are not held to any legal standards. Its affiliated courts, the ICC and the ICJ, also have no legal jurisdiction—and neither the U.S. or Israel are members of these bodies. Still, because of their perceived credibility, the media and Israel’s critics dishonestly present their recommendations as “international law.”
In 2012, the UN made the disastrous move of unilaterally recognizing Palestine as a “non-member observer state.” In 2016, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2334, which ruled, in violation of actual international law, that Israel had illegally occupied the West Bank in 1967. This misbegotten resolution was notoriously allowed to pass without veto by the Obama administration.
In the 2019-2020 session of the UN General Assembly, the EU states voted for 13 resolutions condemning Israel, and 7 resolutions on the rest of the world. None of these were against the world’s worst human rights violators, including Syria, China and Saudi Arabia. All of the resolutions passed against Israel were based on the lie of illegal occupation. None was binding or grounded in law or fact.
What’s more, Israel’s sovereignty move has drawn criticism from political operatives with no enforceable power.
Thirty former national security officials in Democratic administrations drafted a letter criticizing Israeli “annexation,” West Bank “occupation” and settlement expansion.
EU foreign policy chief, Joseph Burrell, has said that the “European Union does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank”—though a handful of member states refused to endorse it. Eleven European ambassadors to Israel have followed suit, and the International Criminal Court has warned that annexation would spur an investigation.
Nonetheless, both inside and outside of Israel, many support the sovereignty plan as a recalibration—an opportunity to reset the roadmap to one based on truth.
As US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has observed, most of the world’s nations do not condemn it, including many in the Middle East. The current moment may thus be one of specific opportunity, with certain Arab states warming to the idea of cooperation with Israel.
The lie of Israeli occupation has not only stalled the peace process and jeopardized the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, but also fomented violence against international Jewry.
By Keren Toledano
Flame
May 26, 2020
Within months, Israel’s new government will begin the process of declaring sovereignty over Jewish settlements in Judea-Samaria (aka the West Bank). According to binding international law, the move is legal. While this legality does not establish its prudence, most Israelis and many American Zionists support it for existential reasons. One of those reasons is survival and another is a renewed chance for peace.
Israel’s long-standing intentions on this issue have been spurred by the recent peace plan put forward by the U.S. Israel’s declaration of sovereignty would mean the application of Israeli civil law to the Jewish settlements, which are majority Jewish and currently under military rule. The declaration would not in any way jeopardize the future establishment of a Palestinian state.
In fact, the current US peace plan is contingent upon Israel’s agreement to negotiate sovereignty for the Palestinians in other parts of Judea-Samaria. Every major peace plan ever put forward has included an incorporation of the major settlement blocks into Israel.
Critics charge that the move would be an illegal annexation of Palestinian land, which Israel captured from Jordan in 1967. However, this charge is based on a perverted reading of Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The article “prohibits the transfer of segments of the population of a state to the territory of another state which it has occupied.”
However, when Israel entered Judea-Samaria in 1967, it was retaking lands it had been granted by the Balfour Declaration, ratified in 1920 at the San Remo Conference. Following a war of Arab aggression, Jordan illegally occupied the territory in 1948—changing the name to the West Bank, and ethnically cleansing the area of Jews.
The legal definition of annexation requires a state to declare sovereignty over territory outside its domain. But since Judea-Samaria was within Israel’s legal borders in 1967, with Jordan the illegal occupier, the term annexation is corruptly misapplied here. It is rather restoration of Israel’s legal territory—to say nothing of its ancient biblical homeland.
It’s no wonder a recent poll shows a majority of Israeli Jews supporting the sovereignty move. Asserting sovereignty would be a repudiation of decades of failed diplomacy, during which Palestinians have used the lie of Israeli occupation to hijack the peace process. It would also be Israel’s chance to establish true security in the vulnerable Judean Hills and Jordan Valley, surrounding Jerusalem and on Israel’s eastern flank.
Most importantly, Palestinian and other Arab leaders have rejected every one of multiple Israeli offers of land for peace since Israel’s founding 72 years ago, including a 2000 offer of a state in 97% of Judea-Samaria, all of the Gaza Strip, and a capital in East Jerusalem.
Today’s Palestinian leadership shows no indication of abandoning its support of terror or its goal of destroying the Jewish state—irrespective of whether Israel asserts sovereignty or ensures its territorial security.
Any peace must be brokered bilaterally, with two sides negotiating in good faith, and both willing to make concessions. The current U.S. peace plan uniquely recognizes this reality. The Palestinians are again invited to the negotiating table; they have again rebuked the offer.
Above all, Israel cannot be expected to cede any part of Judea-Samaria to a Palestinian state still bent on its destruction. Indeed, Israel would have every right and reason to assert its claim to the land as a precondition of the establishment of Palestinian sovereignty.
If a Palestinian state is formed on the assumption that Israel has no claim to the West Bank, this opens an absurd logic for Palestinians' claims to the rest of Israel—including claims they continue to make to ownership of the entire state of Israel.
The hard fact is, despite considerable emotional sympathy for Palestinian Arab aspirations to sovereignty, the group has never controlled a square inch of territory in the Middle East and has no international legal rights to any territory or a state in the Holy Land.
Most importantly, if Judea-Samaria is finally acknowledged to be within Israel’s sovereign borders, the world will more plainly see the conflict for what it truly is—a civil war between parties with claims to the same land. It would localize a clash that cynical bodies, like the UN and EU, have internationalized and usurped for political interest.
Remember, the UN is only empowered to pass nonbinding resolutions, which are not held to any legal standards. Its affiliated courts, the ICC and the ICJ, also have no legal jurisdiction—and neither the U.S. or Israel are members of these bodies. Still, because of their perceived credibility, the media and Israel’s critics dishonestly present their recommendations as “international law.”
In 2012, the UN made the disastrous move of unilaterally recognizing Palestine as a “non-member observer state.” In 2016, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2334, which ruled, in violation of actual international law, that Israel had illegally occupied the West Bank in 1967. This misbegotten resolution was notoriously allowed to pass without veto by the Obama administration.
In the 2019-2020 session of the UN General Assembly, the EU states voted for 13 resolutions condemning Israel, and 7 resolutions on the rest of the world. None of these were against the world’s worst human rights violators, including Syria, China and Saudi Arabia. All of the resolutions passed against Israel were based on the lie of illegal occupation. None was binding or grounded in law or fact.
What’s more, Israel’s sovereignty move has drawn criticism from political operatives with no enforceable power.
Thirty former national security officials in Democratic administrations drafted a letter criticizing Israeli “annexation,” West Bank “occupation” and settlement expansion.
EU foreign policy chief, Joseph Burrell, has said that the “European Union does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank”—though a handful of member states refused to endorse it. Eleven European ambassadors to Israel have followed suit, and the International Criminal Court has warned that annexation would spur an investigation.
Nonetheless, both inside and outside of Israel, many support the sovereignty plan as a recalibration—an opportunity to reset the roadmap to one based on truth.
As US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has observed, most of the world’s nations do not condemn it, including many in the Middle East. The current moment may thus be one of specific opportunity, with certain Arab states warming to the idea of cooperation with Israel.
The lie of Israeli occupation has not only stalled the peace process and jeopardized the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, but also fomented violence against international Jewry.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
STOP SPREADING COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED CONSPIRACY THEORIES
Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger is demanding that Trump stop spreading conspiracy theories that suggest Joe Scarborough murdered an intern when he was in Congress
By Howie Katz
President Trump has been at war with Joe Scarborough, the former Republican congressman who is now the co-host of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' program. For some time now, Trump has been tweeting unfounded conspiracy theories that suggest Scarborough murdered an intern when he was in Congress.
On Sunday Trump posted his latest attack on Scarborough which read: "A lot of interest in this story about Psycho Joe Scarborough. So a young marathon runner just happened to faint in his office, hit her head on his desk, & die? I would think there is a lot more to this story than that? An affair? What about the so-called investigator?"
That pissed off Illinois Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger who demanded that Trump stop his conspiracy tweets because they will destroy the GOP. Kinzinger tweeted: "Completely unfounded conspiracy. Just stop. Stop spreading it, stop creating paranoia. It will destroy us."
Kinzinger is right. That conspiracy theory is completely unfounded. It is so ridiculous that only idiots will believe it.
Trump keeps howling that articles and news reports are fake news whenever they are unfavorable to him. But he himself is guilty of spreading fake news whenever he touts a conspiracy theory.
As I said before, Trump's tweets attacking Morning Joe are petty and a blight on the dignity of the presidency. And as Kinzinger warned, they could lead to the downfall of Republican candidates.
By Howie Katz
President Trump has been at war with Joe Scarborough, the former Republican congressman who is now the co-host of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' program. For some time now, Trump has been tweeting unfounded conspiracy theories that suggest Scarborough murdered an intern when he was in Congress.
On Sunday Trump posted his latest attack on Scarborough which read: "A lot of interest in this story about Psycho Joe Scarborough. So a young marathon runner just happened to faint in his office, hit her head on his desk, & die? I would think there is a lot more to this story than that? An affair? What about the so-called investigator?"
That pissed off Illinois Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger who demanded that Trump stop his conspiracy tweets because they will destroy the GOP. Kinzinger tweeted: "Completely unfounded conspiracy. Just stop. Stop spreading it, stop creating paranoia. It will destroy us."
Kinzinger is right. That conspiracy theory is completely unfounded. It is so ridiculous that only idiots will believe it.
Trump keeps howling that articles and news reports are fake news whenever they are unfavorable to him. But he himself is guilty of spreading fake news whenever he touts a conspiracy theory.
As I said before, Trump's tweets attacking Morning Joe are petty and a blight on the dignity of the presidency. And as Kinzinger warned, they could lead to the downfall of Republican candidates.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)