Timothy Ray Murray claims incumbent Rep. Frank Lucas was executed by the World Court in January 2011 and replaced with a ‘robot-look-alike’
On Saturday I posted WE HAVE BEEN INVADED BY ALIENS FROM THE PLANET ZOLTRON about Calquan Burr, a Michigan man who jumped on a police car and claimed to be from the Planet Zoltron. That cop car-jumper must be from the Planet Zoltran as he claims because no one on Planet Earth would ever be named Calquan. I wondered if there are other Zoltronans among us that we are not yet aware of.
Bob Walsh responded by saying, “I think one lives about three houses down from me.” Ah, but now we have definite proof from an Oklahoma congressional race that aliens from the Planet Zolton are indeed among us.
Rep. Frank Lucas, a Republican, has represented Oklahoma’s 3 rd Congressional District for 10 terms and is seeking another term. In the Republican primary he had two challengers. One of them, Timothy Ray Murray, must be from the Planet Zoltron because he claims that Lucas was replaced by a "a robot look-alike" three years ago after he had been executed in Southern Ukraine by the World Court.
Here is what Zoltronan Murray said on his webpage:
Rep. Frank Lucas, and a few other Oklahoma and other States’ Congressional Members were depicted as being executed by The World Court on or about Jan. 11, 2011 in Southern Ukraine. On television they were depicted as being executed by the hanging about the neck until death on a white stage and in front of witnesses. Other now current Members of Congress have shared those facts on television also. We know that it is possible to use look alike artificial or man-made replacements, however Rep. Lucas was not eligible to serve as a Congressional Member after that time.
This is a situation similar to the Senators’ from Kentucky situation in the 2012 election. I am contesting that this matter has happen since his election was blocked, because of the U.S. Defense Department’s use of Mr. Murray’s DNA. To my knowledge, the U.S. Defense Department has not released to the public that information, as it is their confidential information about many people. Congress is likely wanting me to state that all my DNA used will not result in benefits to people I have never had relations with of a family nature. I have been bound to protect that information unless it causes harm to The People.
To dispel any doubts, Murray adds:
I, Timothy Ray Murray, am a human, born in Oklahoma, and obtained and continue to fully meet the requirements to serve as U.S. Representative when honored to do so. I will never use a look alike to replace my (The Office's) message to you or to anyone else, as both the other Republican Challengers have.
Based on what he said on his webpage, I cannot believe that Murray is either a human or that he was born in Oklahoma. That state has turned out its share of weirdos, but none like the far-out Murray. As a matter of fact, he is so far out that he has to be one of Calquan Burr’s fellow Zoltonans.
But not to worry, the candidate from Zoltron got only five percent of the Republican primary vote. There can be little doubt that most of those who voted for Murray have got to be aliens from the Planet Zoltron. And the Murray supporters who are not from that far out planet must have been Democrats who got lost and voted in the Republican primary by mistake.
Monday, June 30, 2014
NETANYAHU AT ODDS WITH OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OVER INDEPENDENT KURDISH STATE
The Israeli prime minister supports an independent Kurdish state in contrast to Secretary of State John Kerry who recently met with the leader of the Kurds and strongly urged him not to break away from Iraq
In my opinion, the Kurds should break away from Iraq and form their own independent state. They’ve had their act together all along while the rest of Iraq has been beset by conflicts between the majority Shiites and minority Sunnis.
I believe Netanyahu has the right idea. As long as the Kurds remain a part of Iraq, they will get the short end of the stick from the Shiites and Sunnis.
NETANYAHU CALLS FOR SUPPORTING KURDISH INDEPENDENCE
Thomson/Reuters
June 29, 2014
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for Kurdish statehood on Sunday, citing the Kurds' political stability in contrast to the sectarian break-up of Iraq.
"We should ... support he Kurdish aspiration for independence," he told a security conference in Tel Aviv. Kurds, he said, "are a fighting people that has proved its political commitment, political moderation, and deserves political independence".
In my opinion, the Kurds should break away from Iraq and form their own independent state. They’ve had their act together all along while the rest of Iraq has been beset by conflicts between the majority Shiites and minority Sunnis.
I believe Netanyahu has the right idea. As long as the Kurds remain a part of Iraq, they will get the short end of the stick from the Shiites and Sunnis.
NETANYAHU CALLS FOR SUPPORTING KURDISH INDEPENDENCE
Thomson/Reuters
June 29, 2014
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for Kurdish statehood on Sunday, citing the Kurds' political stability in contrast to the sectarian break-up of Iraq.
"We should ... support he Kurdish aspiration for independence," he told a security conference in Tel Aviv. Kurds, he said, "are a fighting people that has proved its political commitment, political moderation, and deserves political independence".
POT ADVOCATES USE SOCIAL MEDIA DAILY TO PROMOTE USE OF MARIJUANA TO KIDS
The pro-pot crowd is laying the groundwork for turning America into a nation of stoners
Kids are being bombarded daily on the internet with tweets promoting the use of marijuana. The pro-pot crowd has no shame.
STUDY: PRO-POT TWITTER MESSAGES REACH KIDS DAILY
By Elliot Jager
Newsmax
June 29, 2014
A popular Twitter account pushing the use of marijuana is reaching mostly underage minority youngsters,researchers at Washington University in St. Louis reported.
Young people by the hundreds of thousands are getting messages multiple times a day that encourage use of Cannabis, say researchers of a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
The study monitored Weed Tweets@stillblazintho, a pro-cannabis Twitter account that had some 1 million followers.
In the course of the eight-month study, the account blasted over 2,200 messages — an average of 11 tweets a day — to its 1 million followers, 73 percent of whom were 19 years old or younger. About 20 percent of the tweets reached the 16 or younger crowd. Some 43 percent of the recipients were African-American and 12 percent were Hispanic.
Psychologist Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, the study's principal investigator, said young people are believed to be especially susceptible to social media influences. The message they are getting is that pot is not dangerous. "As people are becoming more accepting of marijuana use and two states have legalized the drug for recreational use, it is important to remember that it remains a dangerous drug of abuse."
She pointed to celebrity tweets as further legitimizing cannabis use.
In 2011, there were 455,000 marijuana-related emergency room visits, with about 13 percent involving patients under 17. Cavazos-Rehg said that marijuana dependence among African American youngsters was double the Caucasian rate.
Cavazos-Rehg said, "Regulating this sort of thing is going to be challenging, but the more we can provide evidence that harmful messages are being received by vulnerable kids, the more likely it is we can have a discussion about the types of regulation that might be appropriate,"
The study was funded by the National Center for Research Resources, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institutes of Health.
Meanwhile, the National Poison Data System reported that the accidental ingestion of marijuana in food by children under nine has dramatically increased in states where marijuana was decriminalized, according to a Los Angeles Times op-ed by psychiatrist David Sack.
Studies show that marijuana harms brain development in people under 20, contributes to mental health problems, hinders the memory of students preparing for exams, and can contribute to experimenting with other drugs, Sack wrote.
Kids are being bombarded daily on the internet with tweets promoting the use of marijuana. The pro-pot crowd has no shame.
STUDY: PRO-POT TWITTER MESSAGES REACH KIDS DAILY
By Elliot Jager
Newsmax
June 29, 2014
A popular Twitter account pushing the use of marijuana is reaching mostly underage minority youngsters,researchers at Washington University in St. Louis reported.
Young people by the hundreds of thousands are getting messages multiple times a day that encourage use of Cannabis, say researchers of a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
The study monitored Weed Tweets@stillblazintho, a pro-cannabis Twitter account that had some 1 million followers.
In the course of the eight-month study, the account blasted over 2,200 messages — an average of 11 tweets a day — to its 1 million followers, 73 percent of whom were 19 years old or younger. About 20 percent of the tweets reached the 16 or younger crowd. Some 43 percent of the recipients were African-American and 12 percent were Hispanic.
Psychologist Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, the study's principal investigator, said young people are believed to be especially susceptible to social media influences. The message they are getting is that pot is not dangerous. "As people are becoming more accepting of marijuana use and two states have legalized the drug for recreational use, it is important to remember that it remains a dangerous drug of abuse."
She pointed to celebrity tweets as further legitimizing cannabis use.
In 2011, there were 455,000 marijuana-related emergency room visits, with about 13 percent involving patients under 17. Cavazos-Rehg said that marijuana dependence among African American youngsters was double the Caucasian rate.
Cavazos-Rehg said, "Regulating this sort of thing is going to be challenging, but the more we can provide evidence that harmful messages are being received by vulnerable kids, the more likely it is we can have a discussion about the types of regulation that might be appropriate,"
The study was funded by the National Center for Research Resources, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institutes of Health.
Meanwhile, the National Poison Data System reported that the accidental ingestion of marijuana in food by children under nine has dramatically increased in states where marijuana was decriminalized, according to a Los Angeles Times op-ed by psychiatrist David Sack.
Studies show that marijuana harms brain development in people under 20, contributes to mental health problems, hinders the memory of students preparing for exams, and can contribute to experimenting with other drugs, Sack wrote.
BILL CLINTON: FEDS SHOULD NOT STAY IN THE WAY OF POT LEGALIZATION BY STATES
The former president stopped short of an outright endorsement for the legalization of pot and even questioned the medical benefits of marijuana
Clinton says that legalization should be for the states to decide, not the federal government. As someone who strongly opposes the legalization of pot, I believe that the former president should have said the states must obey the laws of the U.S., and those laws hold that marijuana is illegal.
BILL CLINTON: STATES SHOULD EXPERIMENT WITH MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
'This really is a time when there should be laboratories of democracy,' former president says
By Dylan Stableford
Yahoo News
June 29, 2014
Former President Bill Clinton, who once famously said he smoked marijuana but "didn't inhale," says he thinks legalization should be for the states to decide — not the federal government.
"Look, I think there's a lot of evidence to argue for the medical marijuana thing," Clinton said in an interview with NBC's David Gregory broadcast on Sunday's "Meet the Press."
"I think there are a lot of unresolved questions," Clinton continued. "This really is a time when there should be laboratories of democracy, because nobody really knows where this is going. Are there adequate quality controls? There's pot and there's pot; what's in it? What's going to happen? There are all these questions."
States like Colorado — which in January was the first U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana — should be allowed to experiment with marijuana laws, he said.
"I think we should leave it to the states," Clinton said. "If the state wants to try it, they can. And then they'll be able to see what happens."
Earlier this month, Hillary Clinton was questioned about her views on legalization.
“On recreational, states are the laboratories of democracy,” the former secretary of state said during a CNN “Town Hall” event. “I want to wait and see what the evidence is.”
On medical marijuana, Clinton said more evidence is needed to prove it works.
“At the risk of committing radical candor, I have to say I think we need to be very clear about the benefits of marijuana use for medicinal purposes," she said. “I don’t think we’ve done enough research yet, although I think for people who are in extreme medical conditions and have anecdotal evidence that it works, there should be availability under appropriate circumstances. But I do think we need more research, because we don't know how it interacts with other drugs."
In 1992, Bill Clinton, then a Democratic candidate for president, commented on his own use of pot during a campaign forum in New York.
"When I was in England, I experimented with marijuana a time or two and didn’t like it,” Clinton said of his time as a student at Oxford in the late 1960s. “I didn’t inhale, and I didn’t try it again.”"
Late last year, Clinton was asked about this remark, which was widely ridiculed.
"I didn’t say I was holier than thou. I said I tried. I never denied that I used marijuana,” Clinton said. “I told the truth. I thought it was funny. And the only journalist who was there said I told the truth.”
Earlier this year, President Barack Obama made headlines in an interview in which he called marijuana a "bad habit" and "a vice" but said it was no more dangerous than alcohol.
“As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life," Obama told the New Yorker's David Remnick. "I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”
The president said he believed that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol “in terms of its impact on the individual consumer."
"It’s not something I encourage," Obama continued, "and I’ve told my daughters I think it’s a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy.”
Clinton says that legalization should be for the states to decide, not the federal government. As someone who strongly opposes the legalization of pot, I believe that the former president should have said the states must obey the laws of the U.S., and those laws hold that marijuana is illegal.
BILL CLINTON: STATES SHOULD EXPERIMENT WITH MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
'This really is a time when there should be laboratories of democracy,' former president says
By Dylan Stableford
Yahoo News
June 29, 2014
Former President Bill Clinton, who once famously said he smoked marijuana but "didn't inhale," says he thinks legalization should be for the states to decide — not the federal government.
"Look, I think there's a lot of evidence to argue for the medical marijuana thing," Clinton said in an interview with NBC's David Gregory broadcast on Sunday's "Meet the Press."
"I think there are a lot of unresolved questions," Clinton continued. "This really is a time when there should be laboratories of democracy, because nobody really knows where this is going. Are there adequate quality controls? There's pot and there's pot; what's in it? What's going to happen? There are all these questions."
States like Colorado — which in January was the first U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana — should be allowed to experiment with marijuana laws, he said.
"I think we should leave it to the states," Clinton said. "If the state wants to try it, they can. And then they'll be able to see what happens."
Earlier this month, Hillary Clinton was questioned about her views on legalization.
“On recreational, states are the laboratories of democracy,” the former secretary of state said during a CNN “Town Hall” event. “I want to wait and see what the evidence is.”
On medical marijuana, Clinton said more evidence is needed to prove it works.
“At the risk of committing radical candor, I have to say I think we need to be very clear about the benefits of marijuana use for medicinal purposes," she said. “I don’t think we’ve done enough research yet, although I think for people who are in extreme medical conditions and have anecdotal evidence that it works, there should be availability under appropriate circumstances. But I do think we need more research, because we don't know how it interacts with other drugs."
In 1992, Bill Clinton, then a Democratic candidate for president, commented on his own use of pot during a campaign forum in New York.
"When I was in England, I experimented with marijuana a time or two and didn’t like it,” Clinton said of his time as a student at Oxford in the late 1960s. “I didn’t inhale, and I didn’t try it again.”"
Late last year, Clinton was asked about this remark, which was widely ridiculed.
"I didn’t say I was holier than thou. I said I tried. I never denied that I used marijuana,” Clinton said. “I told the truth. I thought it was funny. And the only journalist who was there said I told the truth.”
Earlier this year, President Barack Obama made headlines in an interview in which he called marijuana a "bad habit" and "a vice" but said it was no more dangerous than alcohol.
“As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life," Obama told the New Yorker's David Remnick. "I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”
The president said he believed that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol “in terms of its impact on the individual consumer."
"It’s not something I encourage," Obama continued, "and I’ve told my daughters I think it’s a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy.”
Sunday, June 29, 2014
WEEPING AND WAILING FOR A FAMILY OF ‘MEDIAL MARIJUANA’ GROWERS FACING FEDERAL PRISON TIME
Larry Harvey of Kettle Falls, Washington, his wife, two family members and a friend are facing federal prison time for growing 68 pot plants, claiming they were to be used as medical marijuana
70-year-old Harvey suffers from a bad knee, spasms of gout and high blood pressure. Harvey saus he eats marijuana cookies to ease the pain from his gout. His 55-year-old wife has arthritis and osteoporosis. The ‘Kettle Falls 5’ includes Mrs. Harvey’s son Rolland Gregg and his wife, and their friend Jason Zucker. All five had medical authorizations to use marijuana. The Greggs and Zucker live in the Seattle area, a driving distance of 360 miles from Kettle Falls.
Zucker has a previous conviction for growing marijuana.
Something doesn’t pass the smell test here. OK, so Harvey and his wife are suffering painful ailments. But what about the Greggs and Zucker? I’ve seen pictures of Rolland Gregg and he looks awfully healthy to me. My opinion that medical pot is one big hoax aside, it is quite doubtful that all five would qualify for medical marijuana. But then again, it is as easy to ‘buy’ a pot prescription from a doctor as it is to buy a package of chewing gum.
In February 2013 the Kettle Falls 5 were indicted by a federal grand jury on six felonies each: Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana, manufacture of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, distribution of marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and maintaining a drug-involved premises. Their trial is expected to start next month.
The pro-pot crowd is weeping and wailing over the plight of the Kettle Falls 5. They are incensed at the Feds for raiding the Harvey family and Zucker's pot plantation with its 68 ‘medical’ marijuana plants. Here is how award winning author and journalist Timothy Egan expressed his outrage in a New York Times op-ed:
To get a sense of the tragic absurdity of this federal prosecution, reaching all the way to the desk of Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., consider what will happen next month. Pot stores will open in Washington, selling legal marijuana for the recreational user — per a vote of the people. A few weeks later, the Feds will try to put away the so-called Kettle Falls Five for growing weed on their land to ease their medical maladies. Federal sentencing guidelines, which trump state law, call for mandatory prison terms.
The authorities, using all the military tools at their disposal in the exhausted drug war, treated them as big-time narco threats. First, a helicopter spotted the garden from the air. Brilliant, except Harvey himself had painted a huge medical marijuana sign on a plywood board so that his garden, in fact, could be identified as a medical pot plot from the air.
This was followed by two raids. One from eight agents in Kevlar vests. The other from Drug Enforcement Agency officers. They searched the house, confiscating guns, and a little cash in a drawer. The guns are no surprise: Finding someone who does not own a firearm in the Selkirk Mountain country is like finding a Seattleite who doesn’t recycle. Still, the guns were enough to add additional federal charges to an indictment that the family was growing more than the legal limit of plants.
I for one am not weeping and wailing for the Kettle Falls 5. It sure looks to me like 68 pot plants exceeds what they needed for their own use. You can get an awfully lot of marijuana from 68 healthy pot plants. I think the Harveys and the Greggs were going to use the expertise of convicted pot grower Zucker to go into the profitable marijuana distribution business. Serves them right if they go to prison. But I’m not holding my breath because in the end Eric Holder will probably wilt and drop all charges against them.
70-year-old Harvey suffers from a bad knee, spasms of gout and high blood pressure. Harvey saus he eats marijuana cookies to ease the pain from his gout. His 55-year-old wife has arthritis and osteoporosis. The ‘Kettle Falls 5’ includes Mrs. Harvey’s son Rolland Gregg and his wife, and their friend Jason Zucker. All five had medical authorizations to use marijuana. The Greggs and Zucker live in the Seattle area, a driving distance of 360 miles from Kettle Falls.
Zucker has a previous conviction for growing marijuana.
Something doesn’t pass the smell test here. OK, so Harvey and his wife are suffering painful ailments. But what about the Greggs and Zucker? I’ve seen pictures of Rolland Gregg and he looks awfully healthy to me. My opinion that medical pot is one big hoax aside, it is quite doubtful that all five would qualify for medical marijuana. But then again, it is as easy to ‘buy’ a pot prescription from a doctor as it is to buy a package of chewing gum.
In February 2013 the Kettle Falls 5 were indicted by a federal grand jury on six felonies each: Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana, manufacture of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, distribution of marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and maintaining a drug-involved premises. Their trial is expected to start next month.
The pro-pot crowd is weeping and wailing over the plight of the Kettle Falls 5. They are incensed at the Feds for raiding the Harvey family and Zucker's pot plantation with its 68 ‘medical’ marijuana plants. Here is how award winning author and journalist Timothy Egan expressed his outrage in a New York Times op-ed:
To get a sense of the tragic absurdity of this federal prosecution, reaching all the way to the desk of Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., consider what will happen next month. Pot stores will open in Washington, selling legal marijuana for the recreational user — per a vote of the people. A few weeks later, the Feds will try to put away the so-called Kettle Falls Five for growing weed on their land to ease their medical maladies. Federal sentencing guidelines, which trump state law, call for mandatory prison terms.
The authorities, using all the military tools at their disposal in the exhausted drug war, treated them as big-time narco threats. First, a helicopter spotted the garden from the air. Brilliant, except Harvey himself had painted a huge medical marijuana sign on a plywood board so that his garden, in fact, could be identified as a medical pot plot from the air.
This was followed by two raids. One from eight agents in Kevlar vests. The other from Drug Enforcement Agency officers. They searched the house, confiscating guns, and a little cash in a drawer. The guns are no surprise: Finding someone who does not own a firearm in the Selkirk Mountain country is like finding a Seattleite who doesn’t recycle. Still, the guns were enough to add additional federal charges to an indictment that the family was growing more than the legal limit of plants.
I for one am not weeping and wailing for the Kettle Falls 5. It sure looks to me like 68 pot plants exceeds what they needed for their own use. You can get an awfully lot of marijuana from 68 healthy pot plants. I think the Harveys and the Greggs were going to use the expertise of convicted pot grower Zucker to go into the profitable marijuana distribution business. Serves them right if they go to prison. But I’m not holding my breath because in the end Eric Holder will probably wilt and drop all charges against them.
ISRAELI COURTS DO NOT BELIEVE THE BIBLE
A community of Messianic Jews and Evangelical Christians ran afoul of Israel’s laws against discrimination when they refused to allow a wedding between two lesbians on their premises because "it is God's word in the Bible that calls homosexuality an abomination."
HOMOSEXUALS DESTROY ISRAELI MESSIANIC BUSINESS
By David Lazarus
Israel Today
June 27, 2014
The Jerusalem District Court has ordered Moshav Yad Hashmonah, a community of Messianic Jews and Evangelical Christians, to pay compensation to two lesbians after it refused to host a same-sex wedding reception. "We knew we were breaking the law. Somebody needed to do it." says Ayelet Ronen, general secretary for the village.
Judge Moshe Yoad Cohen upheld a lower court ruling that the Moshav violated a law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
During the trial, representatives of the Moshav quoted from both Old and New Testaments. "We do not hate homosexuals or lesbians. We love them. We simply told the court that it is God's word in the Bible that calls homosexuality an abomination," Ronen told Israel Today.
She continues: "As a faith-based community we need to be able to refuse events that blatantly oppose our religious beliefs. We explained to the judge that a same-sex celebration would ruin our business. The majority of our clientele are Christians who vigorously oppose gay marriage."
The lesbians' lawyer accused members of Yad Hashmonah of "homophobia," pointing to an announcement published by the Moshav that "no homosexual or lesbian organization will be allowed to rent space for functions on our premises."
That announcement came in response to a flood of requests for same-sex celebrations on the Moshav from gays and lesbians hoping to pass more court decisions requiring the Messianic community to pay out huge compensations.
As a result, the Moshav was forced to shutter their events-hosting business, resulting in huge financial losses. "We used to host an average of 35-50 weddings a year over the past 12 years. Israelis from all over the country, religious and secular, loved to come here. Now there are none," says Ronen.
Judge Cohen held that the Moshav cannot refuse to host a same-sex wedding reception even if doing so goes against their own conscious. The Moshav's lawyer, Michael Decker, challenged that ruling, asking the judge, "What if a Catholic went to an Orthodox Jewish carpentry in [the ultra-Orthodox town of] Bnei Barack and asked them to build a statue of Mary? Would they have to build the idolatrous image?"
The judge replied: "They would have to make it or else be fined. That is the law."
Ronen says that the ruling demonstrates that "even the judge understood that current laws are not providing sufficient protections for religious communities."
According to Ronen, "a lot of religious Jews and rabbis have secretly told us 'good for you. We are glad that you take this stand.' But they will not stand with [Messianic Jews] to change the law. They hate us too much and would never work with us."
In his ruling, the judge upheld the earlier verdict of the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, ordering Yad Hashmonah to pay the two lesbians damages of 60,000 shekels ($17,000) plus another 30,000 shekels for attorneys' fees for both the original suit and the appeal. "At this time we are not planning another appeal. To lose again would not sound good," says Ronen.
HOMOSEXUALS DESTROY ISRAELI MESSIANIC BUSINESS
By David Lazarus
Israel Today
June 27, 2014
The Jerusalem District Court has ordered Moshav Yad Hashmonah, a community of Messianic Jews and Evangelical Christians, to pay compensation to two lesbians after it refused to host a same-sex wedding reception. "We knew we were breaking the law. Somebody needed to do it." says Ayelet Ronen, general secretary for the village.
Judge Moshe Yoad Cohen upheld a lower court ruling that the Moshav violated a law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
During the trial, representatives of the Moshav quoted from both Old and New Testaments. "We do not hate homosexuals or lesbians. We love them. We simply told the court that it is God's word in the Bible that calls homosexuality an abomination," Ronen told Israel Today.
She continues: "As a faith-based community we need to be able to refuse events that blatantly oppose our religious beliefs. We explained to the judge that a same-sex celebration would ruin our business. The majority of our clientele are Christians who vigorously oppose gay marriage."
The lesbians' lawyer accused members of Yad Hashmonah of "homophobia," pointing to an announcement published by the Moshav that "no homosexual or lesbian organization will be allowed to rent space for functions on our premises."
That announcement came in response to a flood of requests for same-sex celebrations on the Moshav from gays and lesbians hoping to pass more court decisions requiring the Messianic community to pay out huge compensations.
As a result, the Moshav was forced to shutter their events-hosting business, resulting in huge financial losses. "We used to host an average of 35-50 weddings a year over the past 12 years. Israelis from all over the country, religious and secular, loved to come here. Now there are none," says Ronen.
Judge Cohen held that the Moshav cannot refuse to host a same-sex wedding reception even if doing so goes against their own conscious. The Moshav's lawyer, Michael Decker, challenged that ruling, asking the judge, "What if a Catholic went to an Orthodox Jewish carpentry in [the ultra-Orthodox town of] Bnei Barack and asked them to build a statue of Mary? Would they have to build the idolatrous image?"
The judge replied: "They would have to make it or else be fined. That is the law."
Ronen says that the ruling demonstrates that "even the judge understood that current laws are not providing sufficient protections for religious communities."
According to Ronen, "a lot of religious Jews and rabbis have secretly told us 'good for you. We are glad that you take this stand.' But they will not stand with [Messianic Jews] to change the law. They hate us too much and would never work with us."
In his ruling, the judge upheld the earlier verdict of the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, ordering Yad Hashmonah to pay the two lesbians damages of 60,000 shekels ($17,000) plus another 30,000 shekels for attorneys' fees for both the original suit and the appeal. "At this time we are not planning another appeal. To lose again would not sound good," says Ronen.
CALIFORNIA CONDO OCCUPANT FROM HELL
Julie Rodenhuis is roosting in the San Luis Obispo County jail after spraying a weed killer in the face of a seven-year-old girl at the Grover Beach condominium complex where both lived
Four years ago, Julie Rodenhuis, 60, moved into a condo in the California community of Grover Beach, 90 miles north of Santa Barbara. She has had a continuous number of run-ins with other residents of the condominium complex. Her neighbors have been trying to get her kicked out of the complex.
On Wednesday, a little seven-year-old girl was playing in the condo swimming pool when she splashed some water on Rodenhuis. The old bitch got pissed off and sprayed some poisonous weed killer in the face and eyes of the little girl.
The victim was taken to a hospital by paramedics where she was treated and later released.
The cops took Rodenhuis to the San Luis Obispo County jail. She is being charged with three felonies: Assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious injury and child endangerment. Bail has been set at $100,000.
If ole Julie doesn’t get probation, she will be moved into a state condo where she’ll get the supreme shit kicked out of her if she goes on having run-ins with her ‘neighbors’ at the new complex.
Four years ago, Julie Rodenhuis, 60, moved into a condo in the California community of Grover Beach, 90 miles north of Santa Barbara. She has had a continuous number of run-ins with other residents of the condominium complex. Her neighbors have been trying to get her kicked out of the complex.
On Wednesday, a little seven-year-old girl was playing in the condo swimming pool when she splashed some water on Rodenhuis. The old bitch got pissed off and sprayed some poisonous weed killer in the face and eyes of the little girl.
The victim was taken to a hospital by paramedics where she was treated and later released.
The cops took Rodenhuis to the San Luis Obispo County jail. She is being charged with three felonies: Assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious injury and child endangerment. Bail has been set at $100,000.
If ole Julie doesn’t get probation, she will be moved into a state condo where she’ll get the supreme shit kicked out of her if she goes on having run-ins with her ‘neighbors’ at the new complex.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
EX-CON COMPLAINS ABOUT THE ‘LIFELONG CONSEQUENCES’ OF A FELONY CONVICTION
Convicted former NY Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik asks a House committee to change the federal laws that punish felons after they have completed their sentences
Newsmax sanitized Kerik’s criminal record by reporting that the charges against the disgraced former cop were “largely related to nonpayment of payroll taxes for a nanny.” That’s not exactly true. Here is the truth from Wikipedia:
Bernard Bailey "Bernie" Kerik (born September 4, 1955) is a former New York City Police Commissioner who was nominated by George W. Bush to head the Department of Homeland Security in December 2004.
A week later, Kerik withdrew his nomination, explaining that he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny. Subsequently, numerous other allegations also surfaced. In 2006, Kerik pleaded guilty to two unrelated ethics violations after an investigation by the Office of the Bronx District Attorney and was ordered to pay $221,000.
A grand jury of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a 16-count indictment against Kerik on November 8, 2007, alleging conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and lying to the Internal Revenue Service. Kerik surrendered to authorities the next day and pled not guilty to all charges. On October 20, 2009, his bail was revoked and he was jailed pending trial. On November 5, 2009, he pleaded guilty to 8 charges in a plea bargain with prosecutors who recommended a jail sentence of 27 to 33 months. Kerik was sentenced to four years in federal prison on February 18, 2010.
Despite the sanitizing of his sordid record, I have to agree with much of what Kerik complained about.
EX-NYPD COMMISSIONER CALLS FOR EASING PENALTIES ON RELEASED FELONS
By John Gizzi
Newsmax
June 26, 2017
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on Thursday called on the House of Representatives to change laws that punish convicted felons after their prisons sentences are served — and whose consequences, Kerik says, "will last until the day I die."
Kerik, a decorated U.S. Army veteran and 35-year law enforcement professional, spoke to a forum at the House Judiciary Committee in Washington. His remarks and those of three other former felons followed a session of the Overcriminalization Task Force of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
As a result of a guilty plea in 2010 on charges largely related to nonpayment of payroll taxes for a nanny, Kerik served three years and eleven days in a federal minimum-security prison camp and another five months of home incarceration.
But the former lawman added that once his sentence was served, he learned that "a felony conviction carries lifelong consequences, no matter how long one's prison stay actually is."
Kerik went on to spell out the "collateral consequences" of being found guilty of a first-time felony offense involving no gun play or sexual offense.
"Would it bother you to be told by your children's school that you could not chaperone them on a class trip or school event because you are a convicted felon?" he asked. "I know good and decent men and great fathers that it has happened to. They've also been denied the right to coach their child's sports team — soccer, baseball, and football.
"Imagine opening your mail to find a notification from your insurance carrier that your homeowner's policy was being canceled due to your conviction. And also receiving written notice from the U.S. Government's Contracting Office that you are no longer eligible for government work, can never again get a security clearance, and can't even consult with the government through a [Department of Defense] contractor, for example."
Kerik cited other consequences for felons upon release, including denial of another life insurance policy if the existing one lapses ("a policy you, like me, may have had for more than 10 years"), denial of permission to head a nonprofit (Kerik had previously been a Trustee of the Twin Towers Fund, which distributed more than $216 million to families of services workers killed on 9/11), the near-impossibility of renting an apartment, and the inability to obtain Small Business Administration loans.
"In many states, you can forget about obtaining a real estate license, barber's license, EMT certification, law license, or CPA certification," he added. "In fact, in just about any job regulated by the federal government, a convicted felon should not apply. Surprisingly, do you know if you are convicted of a felony, you cannot be a garbage collector in many cities around the country?"
In terms of the cost of his three-year incarceration, Kerik said it involves not just the official cost of maintaining a federal prisoner, but also his inability to find work upon release.
"The cost to the American taxpayer was in the millions because I was not working, paying taxes, supporting my family, putting money into the economy, and there are thousands of others like me," he said.
In calling on Congress to change the laws that work against freed nonviolent felons "unjustly punished by this system," Kerik was joined by others with similar experiences.
Piper Kerman, author of the best-selling memoir "Orange is the New Black" — which was the basis of the hit Netflix series of the same name — told Newsmax how her home state of New York does permit former felons to vote and has overturned many of the barriers they face upon release.
"But there is a significant disconnect between [New York] and the federal level in terms of this," said Kerman, who spent 13 months in the federal prison in Danbury, Conn., following a felony conviction, "The only people who seem to make a successful re-entry from prison are politicians."
Lamont Carey, who spent time in federal, state, and District of Columbia prisons for attempted murder and drug-related crime, told Newsmax how he has since rebuilt his life with religious faith and launched his own limited partnership.
"But the laws affected me," he said, citing his denial of permission to accompany his son on a school field trip and being forced to stay with his mother after being denied a rental property.
Newsmax sanitized Kerik’s criminal record by reporting that the charges against the disgraced former cop were “largely related to nonpayment of payroll taxes for a nanny.” That’s not exactly true. Here is the truth from Wikipedia:
Bernard Bailey "Bernie" Kerik (born September 4, 1955) is a former New York City Police Commissioner who was nominated by George W. Bush to head the Department of Homeland Security in December 2004.
A week later, Kerik withdrew his nomination, explaining that he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny. Subsequently, numerous other allegations also surfaced. In 2006, Kerik pleaded guilty to two unrelated ethics violations after an investigation by the Office of the Bronx District Attorney and was ordered to pay $221,000.
A grand jury of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a 16-count indictment against Kerik on November 8, 2007, alleging conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and lying to the Internal Revenue Service. Kerik surrendered to authorities the next day and pled not guilty to all charges. On October 20, 2009, his bail was revoked and he was jailed pending trial. On November 5, 2009, he pleaded guilty to 8 charges in a plea bargain with prosecutors who recommended a jail sentence of 27 to 33 months. Kerik was sentenced to four years in federal prison on February 18, 2010.
Despite the sanitizing of his sordid record, I have to agree with much of what Kerik complained about.
EX-NYPD COMMISSIONER CALLS FOR EASING PENALTIES ON RELEASED FELONS
By John Gizzi
Newsmax
June 26, 2017
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on Thursday called on the House of Representatives to change laws that punish convicted felons after their prisons sentences are served — and whose consequences, Kerik says, "will last until the day I die."
Kerik, a decorated U.S. Army veteran and 35-year law enforcement professional, spoke to a forum at the House Judiciary Committee in Washington. His remarks and those of three other former felons followed a session of the Overcriminalization Task Force of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
As a result of a guilty plea in 2010 on charges largely related to nonpayment of payroll taxes for a nanny, Kerik served three years and eleven days in a federal minimum-security prison camp and another five months of home incarceration.
But the former lawman added that once his sentence was served, he learned that "a felony conviction carries lifelong consequences, no matter how long one's prison stay actually is."
Kerik went on to spell out the "collateral consequences" of being found guilty of a first-time felony offense involving no gun play or sexual offense.
"Would it bother you to be told by your children's school that you could not chaperone them on a class trip or school event because you are a convicted felon?" he asked. "I know good and decent men and great fathers that it has happened to. They've also been denied the right to coach their child's sports team — soccer, baseball, and football.
"Imagine opening your mail to find a notification from your insurance carrier that your homeowner's policy was being canceled due to your conviction. And also receiving written notice from the U.S. Government's Contracting Office that you are no longer eligible for government work, can never again get a security clearance, and can't even consult with the government through a [Department of Defense] contractor, for example."
Kerik cited other consequences for felons upon release, including denial of another life insurance policy if the existing one lapses ("a policy you, like me, may have had for more than 10 years"), denial of permission to head a nonprofit (Kerik had previously been a Trustee of the Twin Towers Fund, which distributed more than $216 million to families of services workers killed on 9/11), the near-impossibility of renting an apartment, and the inability to obtain Small Business Administration loans.
"In many states, you can forget about obtaining a real estate license, barber's license, EMT certification, law license, or CPA certification," he added. "In fact, in just about any job regulated by the federal government, a convicted felon should not apply. Surprisingly, do you know if you are convicted of a felony, you cannot be a garbage collector in many cities around the country?"
In terms of the cost of his three-year incarceration, Kerik said it involves not just the official cost of maintaining a federal prisoner, but also his inability to find work upon release.
"The cost to the American taxpayer was in the millions because I was not working, paying taxes, supporting my family, putting money into the economy, and there are thousands of others like me," he said.
In calling on Congress to change the laws that work against freed nonviolent felons "unjustly punished by this system," Kerik was joined by others with similar experiences.
Piper Kerman, author of the best-selling memoir "Orange is the New Black" — which was the basis of the hit Netflix series of the same name — told Newsmax how her home state of New York does permit former felons to vote and has overturned many of the barriers they face upon release.
"But there is a significant disconnect between [New York] and the federal level in terms of this," said Kerman, who spent 13 months in the federal prison in Danbury, Conn., following a felony conviction, "The only people who seem to make a successful re-entry from prison are politicians."
Lamont Carey, who spent time in federal, state, and District of Columbia prisons for attempted murder and drug-related crime, told Newsmax how he has since rebuilt his life with religious faith and launched his own limited partnership.
"But the laws affected me," he said, citing his denial of permission to accompany his son on a school field trip and being forced to stay with his mother after being denied a rental property.
WE HAVE BEEN INVADED BY ALIENS FROM THE PLANET ZOLTRON
Calquan must have gotten scorched by the sun during his journey from Zoltron to Earth because his skin was all black when he jumped a Michigan police car
Calquan Burr must be from the Planet Zoltran as he claims because no one on Planet Earth would ever be named Calquan. I wonder if there are other Zoltronans among us that we are not yet aware of.
MAN FROM ‘PLANET ZOLTRON’ JUMPS ON POLICE CRUISER
By Christopher Zoladz and Jon Mills
WZZM
June 26, 2014
DALTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Dash cam video shows a shirtless man jumping on the windshield of a Muskegon County Sheriff's Department cruiser.
The incident happened around 11 p.m. Sunday when a homeowner near Blue Lake and Duff roads called police about a man with a four foot metal pole checking windows and doors of her home.
When a deputy arrived, the man, who authorities identify as 20-year-old Calquan Burr of Twin Lake, charged his vehicle and leaped on the windshield.
"The officers rounds the corner and it is dark out -- he had no time to react. The guy is already running at the car. He almost had zero time to respond and there was no time to avoid him," said Lt. Shane Brown of the Muskegon County Sheriff's Department.
Burr dropped his pipe and was arrested. He told deputies he was from the planet Zoltron and was trying to crush the car. Police suspect he was under the influence of mind-altering drugs.
Burr is charged with aggravated felonious assault against a police officer and larceny. The deputy's car was dented and the windshield smashed; Burr was not injured.
Calquan Burr must be from the Planet Zoltran as he claims because no one on Planet Earth would ever be named Calquan. I wonder if there are other Zoltronans among us that we are not yet aware of.
MAN FROM ‘PLANET ZOLTRON’ JUMPS ON POLICE CRUISER
By Christopher Zoladz and Jon Mills
WZZM
June 26, 2014
DALTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Dash cam video shows a shirtless man jumping on the windshield of a Muskegon County Sheriff's Department cruiser.
The incident happened around 11 p.m. Sunday when a homeowner near Blue Lake and Duff roads called police about a man with a four foot metal pole checking windows and doors of her home.
When a deputy arrived, the man, who authorities identify as 20-year-old Calquan Burr of Twin Lake, charged his vehicle and leaped on the windshield.
"The officers rounds the corner and it is dark out -- he had no time to react. The guy is already running at the car. He almost had zero time to respond and there was no time to avoid him," said Lt. Shane Brown of the Muskegon County Sheriff's Department.
Burr dropped his pipe and was arrested. He told deputies he was from the planet Zoltron and was trying to crush the car. Police suspect he was under the influence of mind-altering drugs.
Burr is charged with aggravated felonious assault against a police officer and larceny. The deputy's car was dented and the windshield smashed; Burr was not injured.
YOUNG TYKE CONTRIBUTES TO FUTURE EMPLOYMENT OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 27, 2014
Uriel Garcia-Rojas, 14, is, I strongly suspect, a pretty crappy human being considering how young he is. He is being charged as an adult for the attempted murder of two men in Lodi, California with a sawed-off shotgun on May 31. One of the men injured was merely collateral damage.
Garcia-Rojas was arrested the day after the shooting walking down the street with the sawed-off still on him.
This youngster is being arraigned on July 8. If convicted, he could be sentenced to spend the rest of his sorry life in prison, contributing to the future employment of civil service correctional officers. That will, in all probability, be the first socially useful thing he has ever done, albeit unintentionally.
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 27, 2014
Uriel Garcia-Rojas, 14, is, I strongly suspect, a pretty crappy human being considering how young he is. He is being charged as an adult for the attempted murder of two men in Lodi, California with a sawed-off shotgun on May 31. One of the men injured was merely collateral damage.
Garcia-Rojas was arrested the day after the shooting walking down the street with the sawed-off still on him.
This youngster is being arraigned on July 8. If convicted, he could be sentenced to spend the rest of his sorry life in prison, contributing to the future employment of civil service correctional officers. That will, in all probability, be the first socially useful thing he has ever done, albeit unintentionally.
Friday, June 27, 2014
ACCORDING TO A NEW BOOK, HILLARY THINKS OBAMA IS ‘INCOMPETENT, FECKLESS AND A JOKE’
In ‘Blood Feud,’ author Edward Klein describes how Hillary Clinton, after one glass of wine too many, ranted at Obama during a reunion with some old college friends, saying the President had “no hand on the fu**ing tiller.”
In his new book, ‘Blood Feud,’ Edward Klein claims that the Obamas and the Clintons secretly hate each other. Michelle and her close friend Valerie Jarrett, who is also the President’s trusted adviser, refer to Hillary as “Hildebeest,” a take-off on the Wildebeest, an ugly African Bovidae.
Klein recounts a reunion Hillary had with some old college friends last May at Le Jardin du Roi, a classy French restaurant in Chappaqua, New York. Apparently she had had one glass of wine too many because, when she was asked what she really thought of Obama, she let loose with a blast against the President.
Here are some quotes attributed to Hillary:
The thing with Obama is that he can’t be bothered and there is no hand on the tiller half the time. That’s the story of the Obama presidency. No hand on the fucking tiller.
Obama has turned into a joke.
The IRS targeting the Tea Party, the Justice Department’s seizure of AP phone records and James Rosen’s emails — all these scandals. Obama’s allowed his hatred for his enemies to screw him the way Nixon did.
You can’t trust the motherfucker.
According to Klein, she went on to compare hubby Bill to Barack, describing Obama as “incompetent and feckless.”
By golly, I never thought I would say this, but if what Klein writes is true, Hildebeest is right on all counts.
What if the alleged remarks at the reunion in Chappaqua were in fact not made? Well nevertheless, ‘incompetent, feckless, a joke, and untrustworthy motherfucker’ pretty well describes Barack Obama as president.
In his new book, ‘Blood Feud,’ Edward Klein claims that the Obamas and the Clintons secretly hate each other. Michelle and her close friend Valerie Jarrett, who is also the President’s trusted adviser, refer to Hillary as “Hildebeest,” a take-off on the Wildebeest, an ugly African Bovidae.
Klein recounts a reunion Hillary had with some old college friends last May at Le Jardin du Roi, a classy French restaurant in Chappaqua, New York. Apparently she had had one glass of wine too many because, when she was asked what she really thought of Obama, she let loose with a blast against the President.
Here are some quotes attributed to Hillary:
The thing with Obama is that he can’t be bothered and there is no hand on the tiller half the time. That’s the story of the Obama presidency. No hand on the fucking tiller.
Obama has turned into a joke.
The IRS targeting the Tea Party, the Justice Department’s seizure of AP phone records and James Rosen’s emails — all these scandals. Obama’s allowed his hatred for his enemies to screw him the way Nixon did.
You can’t trust the motherfucker.
According to Klein, she went on to compare hubby Bill to Barack, describing Obama as “incompetent and feckless.”
By golly, I never thought I would say this, but if what Klein writes is true, Hildebeest is right on all counts.
What if the alleged remarks at the reunion in Chappaqua were in fact not made? Well nevertheless, ‘incompetent, feckless, a joke, and untrustworthy motherfucker’ pretty well describes Barack Obama as president.
ANY DECISION BY OBAMA TO DROP SANCTIONS AGAINST CUBA WILL NOT BE APPROVED BY CONGRESS
An agreement between Obama and Castro that includes the lifting of sanctions against Cuba doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell of getting by Republicans and conservative Democrats in Congress
Personally, I have for some years felt that the sanctions hurt American farmers and businesses every bit as much as they hurt the Castro government which has survived in spite of them. However, the sanctions have hurt the average Cuban citizen. And while our stupid sanctions remain in place, the rest of the world trades unimpeded with the Cuban government.
U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS MAY BE THAWING
Stratfor Global Intelligence
June 26, 2014
A breakthrough in U.S.-Cuba relations may be in the offing. On June 14, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica delivered a letter from U.S. President Barack Obama to Cuban President Raul Castro, according to Uruguayan media June 20, containing an offer to begin talks on a variety of issues, most prominently Washington's longstanding economic embargo. According to Uruguayan media, Obama had asked Mujica to help him improve relations with the island nation when Mujica was in Washington in mid-May. If the report is true, the transaction could be the first step toward reconciliation.
Cuba certainly has its reasons for entertaining such an offer. The country's main benefactor, Venezuela, may no longer be in a position to support the Cuban economy. In fact, Venezuela is in the throes of a protracted economic crisis, which is owed partly to declining oil production. Since Cuba depends heavily on Venezuelan oil exports, it may soon have to look elsewhere for its energy needs. Castro was supposedly interested in Obama's offer, provided that it did not necessarily impose conditions on Cuba, but given the situation in Venezuela, Castro would demand that the embargo be lifted in any negotiations.
Normalized ties would also benefit the United States, which is concerned with Russia's attempts to improve relations with Latin America. Though the Cold War is over, Washington still does not want any country, let alone Russia, to establish too strong a presence in a country as geographically close as Cuba. That Havana is so close to Caracas may also help the United States make some political overtures to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, though Venezuela's future stability and willingness to engage the United States largely depends on Maduro's political support and the country's economic conditions. However, Cuba's influence in the Venezuelan military and intelligence organizations could facilitate future communication between Washington and Caracas.
Still, domestic considerations will delay any potential reconciliation between Cuba and the United States. Under the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, lifting the embargo and ending sanctions requires U.S. congressional approval, which hinges on a variety of issues, including human rights improvements and the election of a new government in Havana. Obama cannot simply approve an agreement to normalize relations with Cuba.
In any case, an agreement would have to be agreed upon by both sides -- no small feat, given the decades of animosity between the two. In the United States, improved public opinion toward ending the embargo would help future negotiations, but opposition lawmakers could impede the government's efforts. For its part, Cuba has been liberalizing its economy slowly for nearly four years, and the concerns some Cuban leaders have over opening up an erstwhile closed country could delay the pace of any talks.
Of course, both countries have ways of moving the negotiations forward if they wish. These include possible prisoner exchanges. In fact, Obama has already reportedly asked Cuba (via Uruguay) to release Alan Gross, a U.S. citizen held in Cuba since 2009 for subversive activity. Discussions over the release of prisoners would be a strong sign that a larger negotiation is imminent.
Personally, I have for some years felt that the sanctions hurt American farmers and businesses every bit as much as they hurt the Castro government which has survived in spite of them. However, the sanctions have hurt the average Cuban citizen. And while our stupid sanctions remain in place, the rest of the world trades unimpeded with the Cuban government.
U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS MAY BE THAWING
Stratfor Global Intelligence
June 26, 2014
A breakthrough in U.S.-Cuba relations may be in the offing. On June 14, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica delivered a letter from U.S. President Barack Obama to Cuban President Raul Castro, according to Uruguayan media June 20, containing an offer to begin talks on a variety of issues, most prominently Washington's longstanding economic embargo. According to Uruguayan media, Obama had asked Mujica to help him improve relations with the island nation when Mujica was in Washington in mid-May. If the report is true, the transaction could be the first step toward reconciliation.
Cuba certainly has its reasons for entertaining such an offer. The country's main benefactor, Venezuela, may no longer be in a position to support the Cuban economy. In fact, Venezuela is in the throes of a protracted economic crisis, which is owed partly to declining oil production. Since Cuba depends heavily on Venezuelan oil exports, it may soon have to look elsewhere for its energy needs. Castro was supposedly interested in Obama's offer, provided that it did not necessarily impose conditions on Cuba, but given the situation in Venezuela, Castro would demand that the embargo be lifted in any negotiations.
Normalized ties would also benefit the United States, which is concerned with Russia's attempts to improve relations with Latin America. Though the Cold War is over, Washington still does not want any country, let alone Russia, to establish too strong a presence in a country as geographically close as Cuba. That Havana is so close to Caracas may also help the United States make some political overtures to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, though Venezuela's future stability and willingness to engage the United States largely depends on Maduro's political support and the country's economic conditions. However, Cuba's influence in the Venezuelan military and intelligence organizations could facilitate future communication between Washington and Caracas.
Still, domestic considerations will delay any potential reconciliation between Cuba and the United States. Under the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, lifting the embargo and ending sanctions requires U.S. congressional approval, which hinges on a variety of issues, including human rights improvements and the election of a new government in Havana. Obama cannot simply approve an agreement to normalize relations with Cuba.
In any case, an agreement would have to be agreed upon by both sides -- no small feat, given the decades of animosity between the two. In the United States, improved public opinion toward ending the embargo would help future negotiations, but opposition lawmakers could impede the government's efforts. For its part, Cuba has been liberalizing its economy slowly for nearly four years, and the concerns some Cuban leaders have over opening up an erstwhile closed country could delay the pace of any talks.
Of course, both countries have ways of moving the negotiations forward if they wish. These include possible prisoner exchanges. In fact, Obama has already reportedly asked Cuba (via Uruguay) to release Alan Gross, a U.S. citizen held in Cuba since 2009 for subversive activity. Discussions over the release of prisoners would be a strong sign that a larger negotiation is imminent.
KISSING 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL COSTS 51-YEAR-OLD MAN HIS LIFE
No, he was not shot by an angry father, he dropped dead after being sentenced to 60 days in jail
On Wednesday, Miguel Aybar, 51, appeared before Judge Michelle Earley in a Cleveland, Ohio Municipal Court. He was facing an unlawful restraint charge for grabbing and kissing a 14-year-old girl. The victim was a neighbor and Aybar is the stepfather of her mother’s boyfriend.
The judge had to communicate with Senior Aybar through an interpreter. Judge Earley got pissed off when Aybar told her that the young girl had feelings for him. “She’s 14 years old,” the infuriated judge shot back at him. She then sentenced Aybar to 60 days in jail.
As he was being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, Aybar collapsed and croaked. A coroner will determine the cause of death but from here it sort of looks like Miguel’s demise is a case of ‘The wages of sin is death.’
On Wednesday, Miguel Aybar, 51, appeared before Judge Michelle Earley in a Cleveland, Ohio Municipal Court. He was facing an unlawful restraint charge for grabbing and kissing a 14-year-old girl. The victim was a neighbor and Aybar is the stepfather of her mother’s boyfriend.
The judge had to communicate with Senior Aybar through an interpreter. Judge Earley got pissed off when Aybar told her that the young girl had feelings for him. “She’s 14 years old,” the infuriated judge shot back at him. She then sentenced Aybar to 60 days in jail.
As he was being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, Aybar collapsed and croaked. A coroner will determine the cause of death but from here it sort of looks like Miguel’s demise is a case of ‘The wages of sin is death.’
EXPLODING TOILETS NO LAUGHING MATTER
Public toilets using a Series 503 Flushmate III Pressure Assist system are liable to explode
If you’re pooping on a public toilet and the tank explodes, you are going to be picking porcelain shards out of your ass and backside. The guilty Flushmate system can also be found in some home toilets.
‘IT SOUNDED LIKE A HUGE BOMB WENT OFF’: TOILET EXPLODES AT COURTHOUSE MOMENTS AFTER WOMAN USED IT
The toilet that shattered at Stillwater County Courthouse in Montana this week used a Flushmate system which had been recalled two years ago as stored pressure causes the tank to explode
Mai Online
June 26, 2014
A woman narrowly escaped injury after a courthouse toilet exploded moments after she used it.
Norma Brewer was leaving a bathroom stall at Montana's Stillwater County Courthouse on Tuesday when the toilet's porcelain tank shattered. She said she's lucky to be alive.
'I had just closed the door behind me when it went off,' the Stillwater County deputy treasurer told Billings Gazette.
'That saved me. But it sounded like a huge bomb went off in this courthouse.'
The explosion scattered shards of porcelain through the stall and restroom.
Brewer said the toilet used a Series 503 Flushmate III Pressure Assist system, for which the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a voluntary recall in 2012.
According to the press release, 'the system can burst at or near the vessel weld seam releasing stored pressure.
'This pressure can lift the tank lid and shatter the tank, posing impact or laceration hazards to consumers and property damage.'
Flushmate said it had received 304 reports of the system - a plastic two-piece device installed in toilet tanks - bursting and causing damage.
Brewer said the county will replace five toilets in the courthouse following the explosion.
She told Mail Online a nearby assisted living facility also used the toilet system and urged households and businesses to check their toilet model.
If you’re pooping on a public toilet and the tank explodes, you are going to be picking porcelain shards out of your ass and backside. The guilty Flushmate system can also be found in some home toilets.
‘IT SOUNDED LIKE A HUGE BOMB WENT OFF’: TOILET EXPLODES AT COURTHOUSE MOMENTS AFTER WOMAN USED IT
The toilet that shattered at Stillwater County Courthouse in Montana this week used a Flushmate system which had been recalled two years ago as stored pressure causes the tank to explode
Mai Online
June 26, 2014
A woman narrowly escaped injury after a courthouse toilet exploded moments after she used it.
Norma Brewer was leaving a bathroom stall at Montana's Stillwater County Courthouse on Tuesday when the toilet's porcelain tank shattered. She said she's lucky to be alive.
'I had just closed the door behind me when it went off,' the Stillwater County deputy treasurer told Billings Gazette.
'That saved me. But it sounded like a huge bomb went off in this courthouse.'
The explosion scattered shards of porcelain through the stall and restroom.
Brewer said the toilet used a Series 503 Flushmate III Pressure Assist system, for which the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a voluntary recall in 2012.
According to the press release, 'the system can burst at or near the vessel weld seam releasing stored pressure.
'This pressure can lift the tank lid and shatter the tank, posing impact or laceration hazards to consumers and property damage.'
Flushmate said it had received 304 reports of the system - a plastic two-piece device installed in toilet tanks - bursting and causing damage.
Brewer said the county will replace five toilets in the courthouse following the explosion.
She told Mail Online a nearby assisted living facility also used the toilet system and urged households and businesses to check their toilet model.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
CHINA WELCOMED JEWISH REFUGEES WHEN AMERICA AND BRITAIN DID NOT
Thousands of Jews fled to Shanghai from Nazi Germany as America and Britain denied most Jewish refugees entry
I was lucky because my parents had someone in the U.S. sponsoring them. Without a sponsor, Jews could not gain entry into the U.S. Britain also refused entry to Jews trying to flee the Nazis. It is ironic that Hitler-admiring Argentina accepted more Jewish refugees than America did.
I love America, but that doesn’t alter the fact that had the U.S. opened its arms to Jewish refugees, many of the six million Jews who were murdered at Auschwitz and other Nazi death camps would have met a better fate.
SHANGHAI’S JEWS FOCUS ON DC SHOW
By Chen Weihua
China Daily USA
June 24, 2014
Pointing to a teen class photo on the exhibition board, 84-year-old Evelyn Pike Rubin remembered well her eight years living in Shanghai after her family fled Nazi Germany in 1939.
"Everybody (Chinese) was wonderful. We never found any anti-Semitism from the Chinese," said Rubin at a reception held on Monday in Washington for a weeklong Jewish Refugees and Shanghai exhibit.
The photo Rubin pointed to was a class photo taken in 1943 at Shanghai Jewish School, which she attended.
It is one of the hundreds of photos and stories on display starting Wednesday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the show travelling from the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (SJRM).
It is estimated that at least 18,000 Jews arrived in Shanghai between 1933 and 1941, many of them from Europe. At the time, Shanghai did not require an entry visa.
Rubin, now living on Long Island, New York, said the life of the Chinese was harder during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. "They had to bow while passing the Garden Bridge and the Jews did not have to," she recalled.
Rubin has gone back to Shanghai, bringing with her three of her children for the reunion in 2006 of Jews once living in the Shanghai Ghetto, known at the time as Little Vienna. One of her childhood neighbors, a Chinese, living on Shanghai's Changyang Road recognized her after so many years, and Rubin said she is looking forward to visiting Shanghai again.
Chen Jian, curator of the museum, said at the reception held by the museum and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington that many of the exhibits were collected in the last few years and have not even been displayed in the Shanghai museum.
Part of the exhibit was on display at the reception drawing a huge crowd, including several lawmakers.
Mike Honda, a Democrat House Representative from California, said such a story needs to be told. "For me, it's a great lesson. I am more educated than 15 minutes ago," he said, after visiting the exhibit at the reception.
Grace Meng, a Democrat House Representative from New York, said she is so glad that such an exhibit has been brought to the US because many Americans don't know this story.
"Thank God. If it's not for the Chinese people, I don't know if I would be here today," said 76-year-old Ellen Chaim Kracho, who was born in Shanghai. Her family of 16 also fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and arrived in Shanghai.
Jerry Lindenstraus, who lived in Shanghai from 1939 to 1947 as a teenager after nine of his family members fled Nazi Germany to Shanghai, said he has gone back to Shanghai twice. "I cannot recognize it, it's a super-modern city. I only recognize the Bund and Garden Bridge," said Lindenstraus.
Matt Nosanchuk, from the National Security Council (NSC) and Jewish Affairs Advisor to President Barack Obama, said it's a story that needs to be told and retold.
"It's a story of humanity and compassion in saving tens of thousands of lives," he said.
"In remembering the past, we also look to the future, to strengthen the positive relations between China and the United States, between China and Israel, and between the Jewish and Chinese communities globally and within our countries," said Allan Reich, a member of the AJC Board of Governors.
Lu Kang, deputy chief of mission at the Chinese embassy in Washington, recalled the long history of Jewish people coming and living in China since 1,000 years ago, especially in China's Henan province.
He said it's significant for the exhibits to come to Washington. "Here you can see a photo of Dr Ho Feng-shan, who issued thousands of visas to Jews," he pointed to one photo and then continued to talk about other stories in the exhibit.
Ho, a Chinese diplomat in Vienna, Austria then, issued thousands of visas to Jews fleeing the Nazis in the late 1930s.
I was lucky because my parents had someone in the U.S. sponsoring them. Without a sponsor, Jews could not gain entry into the U.S. Britain also refused entry to Jews trying to flee the Nazis. It is ironic that Hitler-admiring Argentina accepted more Jewish refugees than America did.
I love America, but that doesn’t alter the fact that had the U.S. opened its arms to Jewish refugees, many of the six million Jews who were murdered at Auschwitz and other Nazi death camps would have met a better fate.
SHANGHAI’S JEWS FOCUS ON DC SHOW
By Chen Weihua
China Daily USA
June 24, 2014
Pointing to a teen class photo on the exhibition board, 84-year-old Evelyn Pike Rubin remembered well her eight years living in Shanghai after her family fled Nazi Germany in 1939.
"Everybody (Chinese) was wonderful. We never found any anti-Semitism from the Chinese," said Rubin at a reception held on Monday in Washington for a weeklong Jewish Refugees and Shanghai exhibit.
The photo Rubin pointed to was a class photo taken in 1943 at Shanghai Jewish School, which she attended.
It is one of the hundreds of photos and stories on display starting Wednesday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the show travelling from the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (SJRM).
It is estimated that at least 18,000 Jews arrived in Shanghai between 1933 and 1941, many of them from Europe. At the time, Shanghai did not require an entry visa.
Rubin, now living on Long Island, New York, said the life of the Chinese was harder during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. "They had to bow while passing the Garden Bridge and the Jews did not have to," she recalled.
Rubin has gone back to Shanghai, bringing with her three of her children for the reunion in 2006 of Jews once living in the Shanghai Ghetto, known at the time as Little Vienna. One of her childhood neighbors, a Chinese, living on Shanghai's Changyang Road recognized her after so many years, and Rubin said she is looking forward to visiting Shanghai again.
Chen Jian, curator of the museum, said at the reception held by the museum and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington that many of the exhibits were collected in the last few years and have not even been displayed in the Shanghai museum.
Part of the exhibit was on display at the reception drawing a huge crowd, including several lawmakers.
Mike Honda, a Democrat House Representative from California, said such a story needs to be told. "For me, it's a great lesson. I am more educated than 15 minutes ago," he said, after visiting the exhibit at the reception.
Grace Meng, a Democrat House Representative from New York, said she is so glad that such an exhibit has been brought to the US because many Americans don't know this story.
"Thank God. If it's not for the Chinese people, I don't know if I would be here today," said 76-year-old Ellen Chaim Kracho, who was born in Shanghai. Her family of 16 also fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and arrived in Shanghai.
Jerry Lindenstraus, who lived in Shanghai from 1939 to 1947 as a teenager after nine of his family members fled Nazi Germany to Shanghai, said he has gone back to Shanghai twice. "I cannot recognize it, it's a super-modern city. I only recognize the Bund and Garden Bridge," said Lindenstraus.
Matt Nosanchuk, from the National Security Council (NSC) and Jewish Affairs Advisor to President Barack Obama, said it's a story that needs to be told and retold.
"It's a story of humanity and compassion in saving tens of thousands of lives," he said.
"In remembering the past, we also look to the future, to strengthen the positive relations between China and the United States, between China and Israel, and between the Jewish and Chinese communities globally and within our countries," said Allan Reich, a member of the AJC Board of Governors.
Lu Kang, deputy chief of mission at the Chinese embassy in Washington, recalled the long history of Jewish people coming and living in China since 1,000 years ago, especially in China's Henan province.
He said it's significant for the exhibits to come to Washington. "Here you can see a photo of Dr Ho Feng-shan, who issued thousands of visas to Jews," he pointed to one photo and then continued to talk about other stories in the exhibit.
Ho, a Chinese diplomat in Vienna, Austria then, issued thousands of visas to Jews fleeing the Nazis in the late 1930s.
CHOICE OF GUNS DIFFER BETWEEN AMERICAN DOPE DEALERS AND MEXICAN CARTEL MEMBERS
The Americans prefer handguns while the Mexicans prefer AR-15s
This survey really did not tell us anything we didn’t already know. I suspect the motive behind the survey was to reenergize the efforts to achieve gun controls.
REPORT: DRUG DEALERS IN U.S. PREFER HANDGUNS OVER RIFLES
By Drew MacKenzie
Newsmax
June 25, 2014
The weapons of choice for drug dealers in the United States are handguns, The Guardian reported, citing recent research on small arms.
Between 2007 and 2014, 140,000 small arms were seized in eight U.S. cities, according to the Small Army Survey 2014. The seizures included 10,345 weapons linked to criminal, drug traffickers and gang members.
Of those, more than three out of every four firearms, 77 percent, were ordinary handguns, while 70 percent of the weapons were semi-automatic pistols.
Contrary to TV crime dramas in which the bad guys often use semi-automatic rifles, the survey found that rifles such as the Kalashnikov and AR-15 made up just 12 percent of the weapons seized from criminals, The Guardian said.
The figures also showed that around 5,800 of the firearms were linked to drug-trafficking arrests alone. Seventy percent of those weapons were handguns, mostly semi-automatics.
Emile LeBrun, who helped to write the small arms survey, said: "In American popular culture, especially on television, it's common to see gang members and drug dealers wielding high-powered assault rifles. Shows like 'Breaking Bad' and 'CSI' are recent examples.
“But police actually seize far fewer of those larger long guns from these groups than handguns. That's the sense in which the report may overturn stereotypes."
The survey also revealed that the weapons of choice for drug dealers in Mexico is completely the opposite of U.S. drug traffickers. A similar small arms study last year showed that south of the border 72 percent of the guns seized were so-called long guns, such as machine guns, rifles, shotguns and sub-machine guns.
This survey really did not tell us anything we didn’t already know. I suspect the motive behind the survey was to reenergize the efforts to achieve gun controls.
REPORT: DRUG DEALERS IN U.S. PREFER HANDGUNS OVER RIFLES
By Drew MacKenzie
Newsmax
June 25, 2014
The weapons of choice for drug dealers in the United States are handguns, The Guardian reported, citing recent research on small arms.
Between 2007 and 2014, 140,000 small arms were seized in eight U.S. cities, according to the Small Army Survey 2014. The seizures included 10,345 weapons linked to criminal, drug traffickers and gang members.
Of those, more than three out of every four firearms, 77 percent, were ordinary handguns, while 70 percent of the weapons were semi-automatic pistols.
Contrary to TV crime dramas in which the bad guys often use semi-automatic rifles, the survey found that rifles such as the Kalashnikov and AR-15 made up just 12 percent of the weapons seized from criminals, The Guardian said.
The figures also showed that around 5,800 of the firearms were linked to drug-trafficking arrests alone. Seventy percent of those weapons were handguns, mostly semi-automatics.
Emile LeBrun, who helped to write the small arms survey, said: "In American popular culture, especially on television, it's common to see gang members and drug dealers wielding high-powered assault rifles. Shows like 'Breaking Bad' and 'CSI' are recent examples.
“But police actually seize far fewer of those larger long guns from these groups than handguns. That's the sense in which the report may overturn stereotypes."
The survey also revealed that the weapons of choice for drug dealers in Mexico is completely the opposite of U.S. drug traffickers. A similar small arms study last year showed that south of the border 72 percent of the guns seized were so-called long guns, such as machine guns, rifles, shotguns and sub-machine guns.
DIRTY HARRY: ‘A MAN HAS GOT TO KNOW HIS LIMITATIONS’
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 25, 2014
Fans of Clint Eastwood will remember that line from one of the Dirty Harry movies. It is a good thing to keep in mind, especially if you are a car thief who is inclined to run from the cops. Two guys found that out the hard way in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Harrison St. off-ramp from the freeway in San Francisco.
This situation began at about 0250 hours when the CHP tried to stop a Silver BMW convertible which, it turns out, had been stolen. The chase started in Oakland and proceeded through the Bay Bridge toll plaza and across the bridge into San Francisco at speeds of up to 115 MPH.
The BMW driver’s enthusiasm, however, exceeded his skill level on the 25 mph off-ramp. The BMW hit the wall, rolled several times, ejected one of the two occupants and burst into flames.
Both occupants died.
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 25, 2014
Fans of Clint Eastwood will remember that line from one of the Dirty Harry movies. It is a good thing to keep in mind, especially if you are a car thief who is inclined to run from the cops. Two guys found that out the hard way in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Harrison St. off-ramp from the freeway in San Francisco.
This situation began at about 0250 hours when the CHP tried to stop a Silver BMW convertible which, it turns out, had been stolen. The chase started in Oakland and proceeded through the Bay Bridge toll plaza and across the bridge into San Francisco at speeds of up to 115 MPH.
The BMW driver’s enthusiasm, however, exceeded his skill level on the 25 mph off-ramp. The BMW hit the wall, rolled several times, ejected one of the two occupants and burst into flames.
Both occupants died.
NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT CANNOT TAKE A JOKE
The North Koreans declare it will be an “act of war” if the American movie “The Interview” is released as scheduled in October
“The Interview,” starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, is a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
I want to thank the North Koreans for giving us this early warning because it gives me ample time to have a nuclear bomb shelter constructed underneath my back yard.
NORTH KOREA BLASTS NEW SETH ROGEN COMEDY AS ‘ACT OF WAR’
Associated Press
June 25, 2014
North Korea is warning that the release of a new American comedy about a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un would be an "act of war."
If the U.S. government doesn't block the movie's release, it will face "stern" and "merciless" retaliation, an unidentified spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in state media Wednesday.
He didn't mention the movie by name but was clearly referring to "The Interview," which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as a producer and talk-show host who land an exclusive interview with the North Korean dictator and are then asked by the CIA to assassinate him.
The "reckless U.S. provocative insanity" of mobilizing a "gangster filmmaker" to challenge the North's leadership is triggering "a gust of hatred and rage" among North Korean people and soldiers, the spokesman said, in typically heated propaganda language.
The film's release would be considered an "act of war that we will never tolerate," he said.
With no independent press of its own, North Korea often holds foreign governments responsible for the content of their media. Pyongyang regularly warns Seoul to prevent its conservative press from mocking or criticizing its leadership, something banned within authoritarian North Korea, where the Kim family is revered.
Trailers have been released for the movie, which is set to hit U.S. theaters in October.
The current leader's late father, Kim Jong Il, was a noted movie buff, lauded in the North for writing a treatise on film. He also ordered the kidnapping of prolific South Korean director and producer Shin Sang-ok in 1978, who then spent years making movies for Kim before escaping, Shin said.
“The Interview,” starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, is a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
I want to thank the North Koreans for giving us this early warning because it gives me ample time to have a nuclear bomb shelter constructed underneath my back yard.
NORTH KOREA BLASTS NEW SETH ROGEN COMEDY AS ‘ACT OF WAR’
Associated Press
June 25, 2014
North Korea is warning that the release of a new American comedy about a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un would be an "act of war."
If the U.S. government doesn't block the movie's release, it will face "stern" and "merciless" retaliation, an unidentified spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in state media Wednesday.
He didn't mention the movie by name but was clearly referring to "The Interview," which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as a producer and talk-show host who land an exclusive interview with the North Korean dictator and are then asked by the CIA to assassinate him.
The "reckless U.S. provocative insanity" of mobilizing a "gangster filmmaker" to challenge the North's leadership is triggering "a gust of hatred and rage" among North Korean people and soldiers, the spokesman said, in typically heated propaganda language.
The film's release would be considered an "act of war that we will never tolerate," he said.
With no independent press of its own, North Korea often holds foreign governments responsible for the content of their media. Pyongyang regularly warns Seoul to prevent its conservative press from mocking or criticizing its leadership, something banned within authoritarian North Korea, where the Kim family is revered.
Trailers have been released for the movie, which is set to hit U.S. theaters in October.
The current leader's late father, Kim Jong Il, was a noted movie buff, lauded in the North for writing a treatise on film. He also ordered the kidnapping of prolific South Korean director and producer Shin Sang-ok in 1978, who then spent years making movies for Kim before escaping, Shin said.
‘TO DEFEAT THEM, I MUST BECOME THEM,’ JOHN KERRY SAYS WHILE PUTTING ON BLACK FACE MASK
The Onion
June 25, 2014
ERBIL, IRAQ—After meeting with senior Iraqi leaders to discuss the country’s increasing sectarian violence, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry retired to his hotel room Wednesday, where he is said to have donned the black clothing and black face mask commonly worn by ISIS militants while reportedly murmuring to his reflection that in order to defeat one’s enemy, one must become them.
“I must know their strengths, their weaknesses—I must see the world as they do if ever I am to triumph,” the 70-year-old cabinet official said while wrapping a bandolier of ammunition around his waist and over his shoulders, one of several steps Kerry reportedly carefully undertook to “make [himself] one and the same” with the Sunni militant group. “It is said that if you know your enemies as you know yourself, you will be inviolable in many thousands of battles. So it shall be with me. He who is shrewdest shall be victorious.”
The fully black-clad elder statesman was then seen reciting the writings of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, telling himself that “There is no John Kerry; you are Abu Amir now,” and then vanishing into the darkness of the desert night.
June 25, 2014
ERBIL, IRAQ—After meeting with senior Iraqi leaders to discuss the country’s increasing sectarian violence, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry retired to his hotel room Wednesday, where he is said to have donned the black clothing and black face mask commonly worn by ISIS militants while reportedly murmuring to his reflection that in order to defeat one’s enemy, one must become them.
“I must know their strengths, their weaknesses—I must see the world as they do if ever I am to triumph,” the 70-year-old cabinet official said while wrapping a bandolier of ammunition around his waist and over his shoulders, one of several steps Kerry reportedly carefully undertook to “make [himself] one and the same” with the Sunni militant group. “It is said that if you know your enemies as you know yourself, you will be inviolable in many thousands of battles. So it shall be with me. He who is shrewdest shall be victorious.”
The fully black-clad elder statesman was then seen reciting the writings of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, telling himself that “There is no John Kerry; you are Abu Amir now,” and then vanishing into the darkness of the desert night.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP WANTS TEXAS PRISONS AIR CONDITIONED BECAUSE 0.0093 PERCENT OF INMATES DIED FROM HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES
There are 150,000 Texas prison inmates and 14 have died from heat-related illnesses since 2007
“Texas Inmates Still Have Rights” is an op ed by Ariel Dulitzky, Alex Goeman and Samantha Chen that appeared in Monday’s Houston Chronicle. Dulitzky is the director of the Human Rights Clinic at The University of Texas School of Law and the other two are law school students. The three hug-a-convict activists bemoan the fact that temperatures inside Texas prison cells often exceed 100 degrees and that at least 14 inmates have died from heat-related illnesses since 2007.
Dulitzky, Goeman and Chen say that Texas prison inmates are being held under inhumane conditions in violation of their Constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment. They point to other states that have air conditioned their prisons and say Texas should do no less. They add that “even detainees at Guantanamo Bay are provided with air-conditioned cells.”
The trio wrote:
It is important to remember that, despite their incarceration, inmates retain an inviolable set of rights: the rights to dignity, health, life and freedom from cruel, unusual, inhuman or degrading treatment. The heat in Texas prisons continues to violate all of these rights, and there is no excuse for this blatant disregard for fundamental human rights.
A union representing Texas correctional officers also wants the prisons air conditioned. Of course they do. Who wouldn’t want to work in an air conditioned environment during hot and humid times. One of my granddaughters is a Texas correctional officer, but as far as I know she has not complained about the heat conditions on the job.
I realize that it’s a big deal to the families of inmates that have died from heat-related illnesses. However, when you look at the overall picture, 14 inmates out of 150,000 comes to only 0.0093 percent, and that is nothing to get all exercised about. Actually, the annual percentage rate is much less than 0.0093 because the 14 deaths are spread over a seven-year time span. If I'm correct, that averages out to only 0.000013 percent per year.
The hug-a-convict types want Texas to spend millions of dollars to air condition its prisons in order to prevent an average of two deaths per year. Fine, but let them pay for it!
“Texas Inmates Still Have Rights” is an op ed by Ariel Dulitzky, Alex Goeman and Samantha Chen that appeared in Monday’s Houston Chronicle. Dulitzky is the director of the Human Rights Clinic at The University of Texas School of Law and the other two are law school students. The three hug-a-convict activists bemoan the fact that temperatures inside Texas prison cells often exceed 100 degrees and that at least 14 inmates have died from heat-related illnesses since 2007.
Dulitzky, Goeman and Chen say that Texas prison inmates are being held under inhumane conditions in violation of their Constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment. They point to other states that have air conditioned their prisons and say Texas should do no less. They add that “even detainees at Guantanamo Bay are provided with air-conditioned cells.”
The trio wrote:
It is important to remember that, despite their incarceration, inmates retain an inviolable set of rights: the rights to dignity, health, life and freedom from cruel, unusual, inhuman or degrading treatment. The heat in Texas prisons continues to violate all of these rights, and there is no excuse for this blatant disregard for fundamental human rights.
A union representing Texas correctional officers also wants the prisons air conditioned. Of course they do. Who wouldn’t want to work in an air conditioned environment during hot and humid times. One of my granddaughters is a Texas correctional officer, but as far as I know she has not complained about the heat conditions on the job.
I realize that it’s a big deal to the families of inmates that have died from heat-related illnesses. However, when you look at the overall picture, 14 inmates out of 150,000 comes to only 0.0093 percent, and that is nothing to get all exercised about. Actually, the annual percentage rate is much less than 0.0093 because the 14 deaths are spread over a seven-year time span. If I'm correct, that averages out to only 0.000013 percent per year.
The hug-a-convict types want Texas to spend millions of dollars to air condition its prisons in order to prevent an average of two deaths per year. Fine, but let them pay for it!
THE ‘DEAD BROKE’ CLINTONS
While Hillary claims she and Bill were “dead broke” and in debt when they left the White House, the Clintons have made over $100 million since then
The Hildebeest, as Michelle Obama calls her, commands a $200,000 speaking fee, $225,000 for a fundraising speech in Nevada, and hubby Bill has made as much as $750,000 for one speech. They sure as hell ain’t broke no more.
HILLARY CLINTON TO BE PAID $225k FOR UNLV SPEECH
By Lisa Degnen
Newsmax
June 24, 2014
Hillary Clinton will bring home a $225,000 paycheck when she speaks at a fundraising dinner at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundation on October 13th.
A report in the Las Vegas Review Journal says that is an increase from her normal $200,000 speaking fee.
The event will be held at the tony Bellagio Hotel, and will cost $200 per seat. Full tables can also be bought for prices ranging from $3,000 to $20,000. The top contribution also includes a chef’s reception, four photo sessions with the former first lady and an autographed copy of her book "Hard Choices," the Review Journal reports.
Clinton has come under fire of late over the high speaking fees she and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, generate.
Bill Clinton has made as much as $750,000 for one speech, according to the New York Daily News.
Hillary explained to Diane Sawyer this month that the couple was "dead broke" after leaving the White House.
“We came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt,” Clinton said during an interview to promote her book. “We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for [daughter] Chelsea's education. You know, it was not easy.
“First of all, we had to pay off all our debts, which was, you know, he had to make double the money because of, obviously, taxes and then pay off the debts and get us houses and take care of family members.”
Politico reports the former first couple have made over $100 million since leaving the White House.
Clinton's comments will certainly follow her if she decides to run for president in 2016, particularly in Nevada.
The Review Journal notes Nevada is a battleground state in the West because it holds the first presidential caucuses on that coast.
The Hildebeest, as Michelle Obama calls her, commands a $200,000 speaking fee, $225,000 for a fundraising speech in Nevada, and hubby Bill has made as much as $750,000 for one speech. They sure as hell ain’t broke no more.
HILLARY CLINTON TO BE PAID $225k FOR UNLV SPEECH
By Lisa Degnen
Newsmax
June 24, 2014
Hillary Clinton will bring home a $225,000 paycheck when she speaks at a fundraising dinner at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundation on October 13th.
A report in the Las Vegas Review Journal says that is an increase from her normal $200,000 speaking fee.
The event will be held at the tony Bellagio Hotel, and will cost $200 per seat. Full tables can also be bought for prices ranging from $3,000 to $20,000. The top contribution also includes a chef’s reception, four photo sessions with the former first lady and an autographed copy of her book "Hard Choices," the Review Journal reports.
Clinton has come under fire of late over the high speaking fees she and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, generate.
Bill Clinton has made as much as $750,000 for one speech, according to the New York Daily News.
Hillary explained to Diane Sawyer this month that the couple was "dead broke" after leaving the White House.
“We came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt,” Clinton said during an interview to promote her book. “We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for [daughter] Chelsea's education. You know, it was not easy.
“First of all, we had to pay off all our debts, which was, you know, he had to make double the money because of, obviously, taxes and then pay off the debts and get us houses and take care of family members.”
Politico reports the former first couple have made over $100 million since leaving the White House.
Clinton's comments will certainly follow her if she decides to run for president in 2016, particularly in Nevada.
The Review Journal notes Nevada is a battleground state in the West because it holds the first presidential caucuses on that coast.
THE COST OF BEING HISPANIC ON ONE COP’S LONG ISLAND BEAT
Former Suffolk County PD Sgt. Scott Greene made it a habit to steal from Hispanic motorists he stopped on his beat
Let’s hope the cashiered Mr. Greene is sent to a New York prison and housed together with a bunch of unhappy Hispanic inmates. Then justice will be served.
I doubt that the ‘hate crime’ enhancement will hold up.
FORMER NY COP FACES HATE CRIME CHARGES FOR ROBBING HISPANICS
Thomson/Reuters
June 24, 2014
A former police sergeant pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to hate crime charges for stealing cash from Hispanic motorists during traffic stops on New York's Long Island, officials said.
Scott Greene, 50, faced 60 counts of larceny and official misconduct after a sting operation revealed him pulling over Hispanic drivers and stealing money from them, a spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said.
Between July 2010 and January 2014, the 25-year veteran of the Suffolk County Police Department stopped more than 20 different men on the road, according to the prosecutor's office.
Greene was arrested in January after pulling over an undercover Hispanic officer who was driving a car equipped with surveillance cameras as part of a sting operation, the office said in a statement.
Video from the car showed Greene stealing a $100 bill from the officer, and a fine powder that had been sprinkled on the bill was later found on Greene's uniform and hands, the office said.
In March, Greene was indicted on hate crime charges of grand larceny and petty larceny for victimizing six Hispanic men. District Attorney Thomas Spota said Greene informed investigators then that they should expect more victims to come forward.
After appearing in Suffolk County court on Tuesday, Greene was released on his own recognizance. His attorney, Timothy Mazzei, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Let’s hope the cashiered Mr. Greene is sent to a New York prison and housed together with a bunch of unhappy Hispanic inmates. Then justice will be served.
I doubt that the ‘hate crime’ enhancement will hold up.
FORMER NY COP FACES HATE CRIME CHARGES FOR ROBBING HISPANICS
Thomson/Reuters
June 24, 2014
A former police sergeant pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to hate crime charges for stealing cash from Hispanic motorists during traffic stops on New York's Long Island, officials said.
Scott Greene, 50, faced 60 counts of larceny and official misconduct after a sting operation revealed him pulling over Hispanic drivers and stealing money from them, a spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said.
Between July 2010 and January 2014, the 25-year veteran of the Suffolk County Police Department stopped more than 20 different men on the road, according to the prosecutor's office.
Greene was arrested in January after pulling over an undercover Hispanic officer who was driving a car equipped with surveillance cameras as part of a sting operation, the office said in a statement.
Video from the car showed Greene stealing a $100 bill from the officer, and a fine powder that had been sprinkled on the bill was later found on Greene's uniform and hands, the office said.
In March, Greene was indicted on hate crime charges of grand larceny and petty larceny for victimizing six Hispanic men. District Attorney Thomas Spota said Greene informed investigators then that they should expect more victims to come forward.
After appearing in Suffolk County court on Tuesday, Greene was released on his own recognizance. His attorney, Timothy Mazzei, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DID THE MAYOR OF L.A. REFLECT A DECLINE IN CIVILIZATION WHEN HE HELD UP A BEER AND SHOUTED THE F-WORD?
During the public celebration of the Los Angeles King’s Stanley Cup victory, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti held up a Bud Light and shouted, “This is a big fucking day.” The 18,000 spectators inside Staples Center and thousands of others watching the mayor on a big screen TV outside the arena, roared their approval.
Dennis Prager is upset with the mayor because there were children in the audience and believes the approval of his holding up a beer and using the F-word indicates that American Civilization is in decline. To that I say horseshit! I don’t know where Prager has been hiding out, but the F-word is commonly used my middle-school kids and even by some kids in elementary school. And I suspect it is also used by kids in church-affiliated schools. So, what the mayor said may not reflect the highest standard of civilization, it by no means is a reflection of its decline.
THE MAYOR WHO EXEMPLIFIES AMERICA’S DECLINE
By Dennis Prager
Jewish World Review
June 24, 2014
Last week, during the official celebration of the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup, the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, told a jammed Staples Center that "there are two long-standing rules for politicians . ... They say never, ever be pictured with a drink in your hand and never swear. But this is a big f——-g day," he said, holding up a bottle of Bud Light.
You read that right. In front of 18,000 people at Staples and hundreds of thousands of others watching on television — many of them, of course, children — the mayor of the second-largest city in America held up a beer bottle and used the F-word.
This was not a whisper overheard by reporters. This was not an accidental loss of self-control. This was a planned use of obscene language in a public forum.
The question is: Does it matter?
According to the Los Angeles Times report, to the vast majority of people who heard it, it didn't.
"The audience roared. Players stood up to applaud.
"Outside Staples Center and L.A. Live, the remarks were a hit. Lake Forest resident Jeff Ottinger, who attended Monday's rally, said ... 'I think a lot of times politicians are uppity and stuffy and for him to actually be a fan is cool.'"
"It makes me have much more respect for him," said Jason Werntz, 45, of Burbank.
Not only was the mayor not apologetic, he repeated his comment on Facebook and Twitter.
"Soon afterward," the Times reported, "Garcetti had similar, PG-rated messages on Facebook and his official Twitter feed. 'There are a few rules in politics, one is never swear, but this is a BFD. @ericgarcetti welcomes the #StanleyCup to LA."
There are those of us who believe that this is an example of a civilization in decline (or even in free fall). And there are those who think that this is either no "BFD" (as Garcetti and his admirers might say) or actually a good thing. Here are two typical comments on the Los Angeles Times website:
Bruuuce: "I love him even more!"
MarkRomero: "I thought the comment was very humorous!! I laughed out loud when I heard it. You no sense of humor haters will never get it. That's exactly why you are the way you are — humorless and republican, most likely. Go KINGS!"
(He is right about "Republican" — which tells you a lot about both the Republican and Democratic Parties.)
Nor was support confined to anonymous commenters and thousands of fans. Not one member of the Los Angeles City Council condemned the mayor. At least one, Councilman Mike Bonin, "said he agreed with the mayor's vivid description of the day."
Support for the mayor must have overwhelmed objection. As reported by the Times, "A day after using the F-word in televised remarks at an L.A. Kings victory party," Garcetti told those who found it offensive to "lighten up."
"'I think I was just being myself for a moment there,' Garcetti told reporters . ...
"'Look, I think people should be kind of light about this,' Garcetti said. 'It's something that plenty of people have heard in their lives for sure.'
"KNBC-TV reporter Conan Nolan asked the mayor if his cussing contributed to the coarsening of society.
"'We micro-analyze everything,' he added. 'We ought to let people be people. I was just being a person yesterday.'"
So, who are those who think this reflects serious social decay?
They probably fall into two categories: those over, let's say, 55 years of age and religious individuals of all ages.
Older Americans grew up in a religious America, and religions draw a strong distinction between the holy and the profane. That explains why even some non-religious older Americans will find this objectionable.
But the secular and left-wing tsunami of the last half century has all but extinguished the concept of the holy, and thereby extinguished the concept of the profane. If nothing is holy, nothing is profane.
Teachers tell us how common it has become for students to curse in class — including cursing teachers. Fifty years ago students were allowed to mention God in class prayer. But in 1962, Supreme Court justices considered it progressive to outlaw all school prayer. And school prayer was shortly thereafter replaced by school cursing.
To appreciate just how perverse our moral standards have become, imagine if Garcetti, instead of celebrating with a bottle of beer and the f-word, had lit up a cigar. He would have been excoriated by every liberal medium in the country. And many millions of Americans would have expressed horror at what a poor model he was for America's children.
A society that is horrified by a mayor publically smoking a cigar, and either apathetic or enthusiastic about that mayor publically holding up a beer bottle and cursing, is in deep trouble.
One is tempted to dismiss Eric Garcetti as either a fool or a bad guy. Based on what he did, and his continuing defense of it, he may well be the former. But he is not the latter. Above all, he is a man of the left, a Democrat, and a product of a secularized culture.
Dennis Prager is upset with the mayor because there were children in the audience and believes the approval of his holding up a beer and using the F-word indicates that American Civilization is in decline. To that I say horseshit! I don’t know where Prager has been hiding out, but the F-word is commonly used my middle-school kids and even by some kids in elementary school. And I suspect it is also used by kids in church-affiliated schools. So, what the mayor said may not reflect the highest standard of civilization, it by no means is a reflection of its decline.
THE MAYOR WHO EXEMPLIFIES AMERICA’S DECLINE
By Dennis Prager
Jewish World Review
June 24, 2014
Last week, during the official celebration of the Los Angeles Kings winning the Stanley Cup, the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, told a jammed Staples Center that "there are two long-standing rules for politicians . ... They say never, ever be pictured with a drink in your hand and never swear. But this is a big f——-g day," he said, holding up a bottle of Bud Light.
You read that right. In front of 18,000 people at Staples and hundreds of thousands of others watching on television — many of them, of course, children — the mayor of the second-largest city in America held up a beer bottle and used the F-word.
This was not a whisper overheard by reporters. This was not an accidental loss of self-control. This was a planned use of obscene language in a public forum.
The question is: Does it matter?
According to the Los Angeles Times report, to the vast majority of people who heard it, it didn't.
"The audience roared. Players stood up to applaud.
"Outside Staples Center and L.A. Live, the remarks were a hit. Lake Forest resident Jeff Ottinger, who attended Monday's rally, said ... 'I think a lot of times politicians are uppity and stuffy and for him to actually be a fan is cool.'"
"It makes me have much more respect for him," said Jason Werntz, 45, of Burbank.
Not only was the mayor not apologetic, he repeated his comment on Facebook and Twitter.
"Soon afterward," the Times reported, "Garcetti had similar, PG-rated messages on Facebook and his official Twitter feed. 'There are a few rules in politics, one is never swear, but this is a BFD. @ericgarcetti welcomes the #StanleyCup to LA."
There are those of us who believe that this is an example of a civilization in decline (or even in free fall). And there are those who think that this is either no "BFD" (as Garcetti and his admirers might say) or actually a good thing. Here are two typical comments on the Los Angeles Times website:
Bruuuce: "I love him even more!"
MarkRomero: "I thought the comment was very humorous!! I laughed out loud when I heard it. You no sense of humor haters will never get it. That's exactly why you are the way you are — humorless and republican, most likely. Go KINGS!"
(He is right about "Republican" — which tells you a lot about both the Republican and Democratic Parties.)
Nor was support confined to anonymous commenters and thousands of fans. Not one member of the Los Angeles City Council condemned the mayor. At least one, Councilman Mike Bonin, "said he agreed with the mayor's vivid description of the day."
Support for the mayor must have overwhelmed objection. As reported by the Times, "A day after using the F-word in televised remarks at an L.A. Kings victory party," Garcetti told those who found it offensive to "lighten up."
"'I think I was just being myself for a moment there,' Garcetti told reporters . ...
"'Look, I think people should be kind of light about this,' Garcetti said. 'It's something that plenty of people have heard in their lives for sure.'
"KNBC-TV reporter Conan Nolan asked the mayor if his cussing contributed to the coarsening of society.
"'We micro-analyze everything,' he added. 'We ought to let people be people. I was just being a person yesterday.'"
So, who are those who think this reflects serious social decay?
They probably fall into two categories: those over, let's say, 55 years of age and religious individuals of all ages.
Older Americans grew up in a religious America, and religions draw a strong distinction between the holy and the profane. That explains why even some non-religious older Americans will find this objectionable.
But the secular and left-wing tsunami of the last half century has all but extinguished the concept of the holy, and thereby extinguished the concept of the profane. If nothing is holy, nothing is profane.
Teachers tell us how common it has become for students to curse in class — including cursing teachers. Fifty years ago students were allowed to mention God in class prayer. But in 1962, Supreme Court justices considered it progressive to outlaw all school prayer. And school prayer was shortly thereafter replaced by school cursing.
To appreciate just how perverse our moral standards have become, imagine if Garcetti, instead of celebrating with a bottle of beer and the f-word, had lit up a cigar. He would have been excoriated by every liberal medium in the country. And many millions of Americans would have expressed horror at what a poor model he was for America's children.
A society that is horrified by a mayor publically smoking a cigar, and either apathetic or enthusiastic about that mayor publically holding up a beer bottle and cursing, is in deep trouble.
One is tempted to dismiss Eric Garcetti as either a fool or a bad guy. Based on what he did, and his continuing defense of it, he may well be the former. But he is not the latter. Above all, he is a man of the left, a Democrat, and a product of a secularized culture.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
DOJ JUSTIFIES KILLING OF AMERICAN CITIZENS OVERSEAS
I have to agree with the Obama administration on this one. Any American citizen who joins up with al-Qaeda or any other Jihadist group to advocate attacks against the U.S. is fair game for our drones, special forces, etc.
FEDERAL COURT REALEASES HEAVILY REDACTED DOJ MEMO JUSTIFYING DRONE KILLINGS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS ON FOREIGN TERRITORY WHO POSE AN IMMINENT THREAT TO THE U.S.
Associated Press
June 23, 2014
The Obama administration justified using drones to kill Americans suspected of terrorism overseas by citing the war against al-Qaeda and by saying a surprise attack against an American in a foreign land would not violate the laws of war, according to a previously secret government memorandum released Monday.
The largely redacted memo provided legal justification for the September 2011 killing in Yemen of Anwar Al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida leader who had been born in the United States, and another U.S. citizen, Samir Khan.
An October 2011 strike also killed Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, al-Awlaki's teenage son, also a U.S. citizen.
The memo, written by a Justice Department official, said the killing of al-Awlaki was justified under a law passed by Congress soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The law empowered the president to use force against organizations that planned, authorized and committed the attacks.
Al-Awlaki had been involved in an abortive attack against the United States and was planning other attacks from his base in Yemen, the memo said.
The U.S. has the authority to use lethal force abroad may apply in appropriate circumstances to a U.S. citizen who is part of the forces of an enemy organization, it argued.
The memo also stated the Defense Department operation was being carried out against someone who was within the core of individuals against whom Congress had authorized the use of 'necessary and appropriate' force.
The killing was justified as long as it was carried out in accord with applicable laws of war, it said.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan released the memo, portions of which were blacked out, after the American Civil Liberties Union and The New York Times filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking any documents in which Justice Department lawyers had discussed the highly classified 'targeted-killing' program.
The appeals court ordered the memo disclosed after noting that President Barack Obama and other senior government officials had commented publicly on the subject.
The memo's release follows a decision by the Obama administration not to appeal the 2nd Circuit ruling calling for it to be made public.
'The material being released is consistent with the administration's previous statements on this issue,' Justice Department spokesman Brian Fallon said.
Last year the Department on Justice put out a white paper that made similar arguments, including the president's belief that he had the right to kill an al Qaeda leader if he posed 'imminent' threat to the United States.
Jameel Jaffer, an ACLU lawyer who argued the case before the 2nd Circuit, said the memo will shed light on the administration's reasoning, but 'the public still knows scandalously little about who the government is killing and why.'
He added, 'There are few questions more important than the question of when the government has the authority to kill its own citizens.'
David E. McCraw, vice president and assistant general counsel for the Times, called the memo 'a critical addition to the public debate over targeted killings and should fuel a richer discussion of the legal and security issues that are at the heart of that debate.
The memo was written by David Barron, who at the time was acting chief of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel. He was recently confirmed as a judge in the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.
U.S. officials considered al-Awlaki to be an inspirational leader of al-Qaida, and they have also linked him to the planning and execution of several attacks targeting American and Western interests, including a 2009 attempt on Christmas Day on a Detroit-bound airliner.
Pardiss Kebriaei, a senior attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, said the memo's contents showed that the targeted killing program was built on 'gross distortions of law.'
Kebriaei, who worked with the ACLU on two lawsuits challenging al-Awlaki's killing, estimated that more than 4,000 people may have been killed by drone strikes since 2009.
The lawyer said in a release that although the United States, England and Israel are the only countries that have used drones to kill, other countries soon will have their own drones with missiles.
'The United States loosening and redefining international rules governing the use of force and war is ultimately not going to make anyone any safer,' the lawyer said.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Circuit indicated that the memo's release might not be the last. The appeals court also ordered the Justice Department to show other legal opinions to a lower-court judge to determine whether they also must be disclosed.
FEDERAL COURT REALEASES HEAVILY REDACTED DOJ MEMO JUSTIFYING DRONE KILLINGS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS ON FOREIGN TERRITORY WHO POSE AN IMMINENT THREAT TO THE U.S.
Associated Press
June 23, 2014
The Obama administration justified using drones to kill Americans suspected of terrorism overseas by citing the war against al-Qaeda and by saying a surprise attack against an American in a foreign land would not violate the laws of war, according to a previously secret government memorandum released Monday.
The largely redacted memo provided legal justification for the September 2011 killing in Yemen of Anwar Al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida leader who had been born in the United States, and another U.S. citizen, Samir Khan.
An October 2011 strike also killed Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, al-Awlaki's teenage son, also a U.S. citizen.
The memo, written by a Justice Department official, said the killing of al-Awlaki was justified under a law passed by Congress soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The law empowered the president to use force against organizations that planned, authorized and committed the attacks.
Al-Awlaki had been involved in an abortive attack against the United States and was planning other attacks from his base in Yemen, the memo said.
The U.S. has the authority to use lethal force abroad may apply in appropriate circumstances to a U.S. citizen who is part of the forces of an enemy organization, it argued.
The memo also stated the Defense Department operation was being carried out against someone who was within the core of individuals against whom Congress had authorized the use of 'necessary and appropriate' force.
The killing was justified as long as it was carried out in accord with applicable laws of war, it said.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan released the memo, portions of which were blacked out, after the American Civil Liberties Union and The New York Times filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking any documents in which Justice Department lawyers had discussed the highly classified 'targeted-killing' program.
The appeals court ordered the memo disclosed after noting that President Barack Obama and other senior government officials had commented publicly on the subject.
The memo's release follows a decision by the Obama administration not to appeal the 2nd Circuit ruling calling for it to be made public.
'The material being released is consistent with the administration's previous statements on this issue,' Justice Department spokesman Brian Fallon said.
Last year the Department on Justice put out a white paper that made similar arguments, including the president's belief that he had the right to kill an al Qaeda leader if he posed 'imminent' threat to the United States.
Jameel Jaffer, an ACLU lawyer who argued the case before the 2nd Circuit, said the memo will shed light on the administration's reasoning, but 'the public still knows scandalously little about who the government is killing and why.'
He added, 'There are few questions more important than the question of when the government has the authority to kill its own citizens.'
David E. McCraw, vice president and assistant general counsel for the Times, called the memo 'a critical addition to the public debate over targeted killings and should fuel a richer discussion of the legal and security issues that are at the heart of that debate.
The memo was written by David Barron, who at the time was acting chief of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel. He was recently confirmed as a judge in the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.
U.S. officials considered al-Awlaki to be an inspirational leader of al-Qaida, and they have also linked him to the planning and execution of several attacks targeting American and Western interests, including a 2009 attempt on Christmas Day on a Detroit-bound airliner.
Pardiss Kebriaei, a senior attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, said the memo's contents showed that the targeted killing program was built on 'gross distortions of law.'
Kebriaei, who worked with the ACLU on two lawsuits challenging al-Awlaki's killing, estimated that more than 4,000 people may have been killed by drone strikes since 2009.
The lawyer said in a release that although the United States, England and Israel are the only countries that have used drones to kill, other countries soon will have their own drones with missiles.
'The United States loosening and redefining international rules governing the use of force and war is ultimately not going to make anyone any safer,' the lawyer said.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Circuit indicated that the memo's release might not be the last. The appeals court also ordered the Justice Department to show other legal opinions to a lower-court judge to determine whether they also must be disclosed.
SYNTHETIC IDENTITY THEFT
Fake identity fraud currently accounts for 85 percent of all identity thefts
More and more crooks are turning to high tech crime and it may take years before they are caught.
‘SYNTHETIC’ ID THEFT EMERGING AS FASTEST-GROWING TYPE OF CONSUMER FRAUD
By Charles Feldman
CBS Los Angeles
June 19, 2014
LOS ANGELES -- A Marina del Rey man has been convicted on charges related to a rapidly-growing high-tech crime known as synthetic identity theft, according to an exclusive KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO report.
KNX 1070′s Charles Feldman reports the prosecution is believed to be a first for Los Angeles and only the second such prosecution in the nation.
Synthetic identity theft occurs when thieves create new identities either by combining real and fake identifying information to establish new accounts with fictional identities, or create a brand new identity from fake or inaccurate information, according to credit reporting agency Experian.
Since perpetrators of synthetic ID theft will only use a stolen Social Security number – the only piece of information that matches the “real” person – the crime can often go undetected for years.
“It’s almost like a ghost is committing these crimes,” said prosecutor Warren Kato with the District Attorney’s Office.
Synthetic identity theft is the fastest-growing type of ID fraud in the U.S. and has already surpassed “true-name” identity fraud, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which estimated it currently accounts for up to 85 percent of all identity fraud.
Earlier this year, Deon Mimbs plead guilty to withdrawing almost $2 million in bank withdrawals using fake business and personal identities.
“He did this a number of times, in effect creating a small army of synthetic identities,” Kato said. “He used these identities to form fake companies, he used ‘the army’ to create fake customers who would generate fake charges for these companies.
In order to avoid becoming a victim of synthetic ID theft, consumers are urged to check their annual Social Security statement to ensure their reported income figure is not over-inflated from what was actually earned, and to be on the lookout for mail that is sent to your home address with another person’s name.
More and more crooks are turning to high tech crime and it may take years before they are caught.
‘SYNTHETIC’ ID THEFT EMERGING AS FASTEST-GROWING TYPE OF CONSUMER FRAUD
By Charles Feldman
CBS Los Angeles
June 19, 2014
LOS ANGELES -- A Marina del Rey man has been convicted on charges related to a rapidly-growing high-tech crime known as synthetic identity theft, according to an exclusive KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO report.
KNX 1070′s Charles Feldman reports the prosecution is believed to be a first for Los Angeles and only the second such prosecution in the nation.
Synthetic identity theft occurs when thieves create new identities either by combining real and fake identifying information to establish new accounts with fictional identities, or create a brand new identity from fake or inaccurate information, according to credit reporting agency Experian.
Since perpetrators of synthetic ID theft will only use a stolen Social Security number – the only piece of information that matches the “real” person – the crime can often go undetected for years.
“It’s almost like a ghost is committing these crimes,” said prosecutor Warren Kato with the District Attorney’s Office.
Synthetic identity theft is the fastest-growing type of ID fraud in the U.S. and has already surpassed “true-name” identity fraud, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which estimated it currently accounts for up to 85 percent of all identity fraud.
Earlier this year, Deon Mimbs plead guilty to withdrawing almost $2 million in bank withdrawals using fake business and personal identities.
“He did this a number of times, in effect creating a small army of synthetic identities,” Kato said. “He used these identities to form fake companies, he used ‘the army’ to create fake customers who would generate fake charges for these companies.
In order to avoid becoming a victim of synthetic ID theft, consumers are urged to check their annual Social Security statement to ensure their reported income figure is not over-inflated from what was actually earned, and to be on the lookout for mail that is sent to your home address with another person’s name.
U.S. EXCHANGE STUDENT GETS FEET STUCK INSIDE GERMAN VAGIANA
No, it wasn’t some fraulein’s genitals, it was a stone sculpture of a vagina at Tubingen University
Tubingen University in southwest Germany has a giant stone sculpture of a vagina on its campus. The 32-ton red Veronese marble sculpture was erected – no pun intended - 13 years ago and was commissioned for $173,000 from Peruvian artist Fernando de la Jara. It is called "Pi-Chacan," which means "making love" in English.
Lots of people have had their picture taken while standing inside the stone vulva. And so there was nothing unusual about a young American exchange student wanting to have a friend take a funny picture of him posing inside the vagina.
On Friday, the American stepped inside the sculpture and oops – make that a great big oops – his feet got stuck in the vagina. Five emergency vehicles and 22 firefighters responded to the scene. Police reported that the ‘midwife’ firefighters eventually ‘delivered’ the student “by hand and without the application of tools.”
Although pictures of the firefighters working to deliver him from the clutches of the vagina spread all over the internet, the embarrassed student remains unidentified.
To avoid any future such mishaps, let me urge Tubingen University to install a large Vaseline dispenser next to the sculpture with a prominent warning sign to use an ample amount of the lubricant so as to facilitate the insertion into and withdrawal from the vagina.
Tubingen University in southwest Germany has a giant stone sculpture of a vagina on its campus. The 32-ton red Veronese marble sculpture was erected – no pun intended - 13 years ago and was commissioned for $173,000 from Peruvian artist Fernando de la Jara. It is called "Pi-Chacan," which means "making love" in English.
Lots of people have had their picture taken while standing inside the stone vulva. And so there was nothing unusual about a young American exchange student wanting to have a friend take a funny picture of him posing inside the vagina.
On Friday, the American stepped inside the sculpture and oops – make that a great big oops – his feet got stuck in the vagina. Five emergency vehicles and 22 firefighters responded to the scene. Police reported that the ‘midwife’ firefighters eventually ‘delivered’ the student “by hand and without the application of tools.”
Although pictures of the firefighters working to deliver him from the clutches of the vagina spread all over the internet, the embarrassed student remains unidentified.
To avoid any future such mishaps, let me urge Tubingen University to install a large Vaseline dispenser next to the sculpture with a prominent warning sign to use an ample amount of the lubricant so as to facilitate the insertion into and withdrawal from the vagina.
Monday, June 23, 2014
POPE FRANCIS OPPOSES LEGALIZING DRUGS, INCLUDING MARIJUANA
Francis calls attempts to legalize recreational drugs ‘highly questionable,’ saying that the problem of drug use is not solved with drugs
Addressing the International Drug Enforcement Conference in Rome on Friday, Pope Francis came out strong against the legalization of drugs, including marijuana.
Here is what the Pope said:
The scourge of drug use continues to spread inexorably, fed by a deplorable commerce which transcends national and continental borders. Attempts, however limited, to legalize so-called 'recreational drugs,' are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce desired effects.
Let me state this in the clearest terms possible. The problem of drug use is not solved with drugs! Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise. To think that harm can be reduced by permitting drug addicts to use narcotics in no way resolves the problem.
Francis has spoken out against the legalization of drugs on a number of previous occasions. Last July, the Pope visited with drug addicts and hospital staff at Saint Francis of Assisi Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, where he said:
A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various parts of Latin America. Rather, it is necessary to confront the problems underlying the use of these drugs, by promoting greater justice, educating young people in the values that build up life in society, accompanying those in difficulty and giving them hope for the future.
Of note is the fact that the Pope did not make an exception for medical marijuana, in his opposition to the legalization of drugs.
As someone who is utterly opposed to the legalization of marijuana, including medical marijuana, I applaud the Pope’s stand in the face of a growing chorus by those who keep clamoring for the legalization of pot.
Addressing the International Drug Enforcement Conference in Rome on Friday, Pope Francis came out strong against the legalization of drugs, including marijuana.
Here is what the Pope said:
The scourge of drug use continues to spread inexorably, fed by a deplorable commerce which transcends national and continental borders. Attempts, however limited, to legalize so-called 'recreational drugs,' are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce desired effects.
Let me state this in the clearest terms possible. The problem of drug use is not solved with drugs! Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise. To think that harm can be reduced by permitting drug addicts to use narcotics in no way resolves the problem.
Francis has spoken out against the legalization of drugs on a number of previous occasions. Last July, the Pope visited with drug addicts and hospital staff at Saint Francis of Assisi Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, where he said:
A reduction in the spread and influence of drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various parts of Latin America. Rather, it is necessary to confront the problems underlying the use of these drugs, by promoting greater justice, educating young people in the values that build up life in society, accompanying those in difficulty and giving them hope for the future.
Of note is the fact that the Pope did not make an exception for medical marijuana, in his opposition to the legalization of drugs.
As someone who is utterly opposed to the legalization of marijuana, including medical marijuana, I applaud the Pope’s stand in the face of a growing chorus by those who keep clamoring for the legalization of pot.
POLICE UNION SAYS OFF-DUTY FLORIDA DEPUTY DRIVING AROUND IN PATROL CAR WITH A COUPLE OF DRUNK FRIENDS, ONE MAKING CAT CALLS AT WOMEN OVER THE LOUDSPEAKER, IS NOT A FIRING OFFENSE
Fort Lauderdale police officers stopped Broward Deputy Rodrigo Mello’s patrol car believing the driver, who was in civilian clothes, may have stolen the cop car after several 911 calls were made about the strange behavior of the car’s occupants
Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Rodrigo Mello was fired last January after the off-duty deputy was caught driving a couple of his drunk friends around in his patrol car in Fort Lauderdale on August 11, 2013 between 2 and 3 a.m. His drunken buddy was using the patrol car’s loudspeaker to make untoward remarks to bystanders, including cat calls to women about their private parts.
Several people called 9-1-1 to report what was going on. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the first caller reported, "They're saying extremely lewd and really stupid things over the P.A." Another caller said, "Apparently there are some kids with dad's off-duty car. They're saying rude comments and driving around. ... I don't think sheriffs would act like that."
When a couple of Fort Lauderdale cops spotted Mello’s patrol car being driven by someone in civilian clothing, they stopped it, believing it may have been stolen. Mello immediately identified himself as a Broward County deputy. He was not intoxicated, but his buddy was obviously drunk and a woman was passed out in the back seat. A sheriff’s captain was called to the scene. He took the patrol car. Mello was sent home. He was fired five months later.
The 10 year veteran is appealing his firing and has asked for an arbitration hearing. Jeff Marano, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said, "It's not a career-ender. Did he do something silly? Yeah, but you don't execute a person for that."
I’ve got news for Mr. Marano. If what Mello did is not a firing offense, nothing is!
Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Rodrigo Mello was fired last January after the off-duty deputy was caught driving a couple of his drunk friends around in his patrol car in Fort Lauderdale on August 11, 2013 between 2 and 3 a.m. His drunken buddy was using the patrol car’s loudspeaker to make untoward remarks to bystanders, including cat calls to women about their private parts.
Several people called 9-1-1 to report what was going on. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the first caller reported, "They're saying extremely lewd and really stupid things over the P.A." Another caller said, "Apparently there are some kids with dad's off-duty car. They're saying rude comments and driving around. ... I don't think sheriffs would act like that."
When a couple of Fort Lauderdale cops spotted Mello’s patrol car being driven by someone in civilian clothing, they stopped it, believing it may have been stolen. Mello immediately identified himself as a Broward County deputy. He was not intoxicated, but his buddy was obviously drunk and a woman was passed out in the back seat. A sheriff’s captain was called to the scene. He took the patrol car. Mello was sent home. He was fired five months later.
The 10 year veteran is appealing his firing and has asked for an arbitration hearing. Jeff Marano, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said, "It's not a career-ender. Did he do something silly? Yeah, but you don't execute a person for that."
I’ve got news for Mr. Marano. If what Mello did is not a firing offense, nothing is!
MICHELLE REFERS TO HILLARY AS ‘HILDEBEEST’
Author of new book claims there is a blood feud between the Obamas and the Clintons
It looks like we’ve got ourselves a Hatfield-McCoy feud among the upper echelon of the Democratic Party. ‘Hildebeest’ … now that’s a good one!
THE FEUD BETWEEN THE OBAMAS AND ‘HILDEBEEST’
In his new book, “Blood Feud,” journalist Edward Klein gets inside the dysfunctional, jealous relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack and Michelle Obama — and how it could explode in 2016.
By Edward Klein
New York Post
June 21, 2014
Outwardly, they put on a show of unity — but privately, the Obamas and Clintons, the two power couples of the Democrat Party, loathe each other.
“I hate that man Obama more than any man I’ve ever met, more than any man who ever lived,” Bill Clinton said to friends on one occasion, adding he would never forgive Obama for suggesting he was a racist during the 2008 campaign.
The feeling is mutual. Obama made ¬excuses not to talk to Bill, while the first lady privately sniped about Hillary.
On most evenings, Michelle Obama and her trusted adviser, Valerie Jarrett, met in a quiet corner of the White House residence. They’d usually open a bottle of Chardonnay, catch up on news about Sasha and Malia, and gossip about people who gave them heartburn.
Their favorite bête noire was Hillary Clinton, whom they nicknamed “Hildebeest,” after the menacing and shaggy-maned gnu that roams the Serengeti.
‘Michelle could be president’
The animosity came to a head in the run-up to the 2012 election, when Obama’s inner circle insisted he needed the former president’s support to win. Obama finally telephoned Bill Clinton in September 2011 and invited him out for a round of golf.
“I’m not going to enjoy this,” Bill told Hillary when they gathered with a group of friends and political associates at Whitehaven, their neo-Georgian home on Embassy Row in Washington, DC.
“I’ve had two successors since I left the White House — Bush and Obama — and I’ve heard more from Bush, asking for my advice, than I’ve heard from Obama. I have no relationship with the president — none whatsoever,” Clinton said.
“I really can’t stand the way Obama ¬always seems to be hectoring when he talks to me,” Clinton added, according to someone who was present at the gathering and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Sometimes we just stare at each other. It’s pretty damn awkward. Now we both have favors to ask each other, and it’s going to be very unpleasant. But I’ve got to get this guy to owe me and to be on our side.”
During the golf game, Clinton didn’t waste any time reminding Obama that as president he had presided over eight years of prosperity, while Obama had been unable to dig the country out of the longest financial ¬doldrums since the Great Depression.
“Bill got into it right away,” said a Clinton family friend. “He told Obama, ‘Hillary and I are gearing up for a run in 2016.’ He said Hillary would be ‘the most qualified, most experienced candidate, perhaps in history.’ His reference to Hillary’s experience made Obama wince, since it was clearly a shot at his lack of experience when he ran for president.
“And so Bill continued to talk about Hillary’s qualifications . . . and the coming campaign in 2016. But Barack didn’t bite. He changed the subject several times. Then suddenly, Barack said something that took Bill by complete surprise. He said, ‘You know, Michelle would make a great presidential candidate, too.’
“Bill was speechless. Was Barack comparing Michelle’s qualifications to Hillary’s? Bill said that if he hadn’t been on a mission to strike a deal with Barack, he might have stormed off the golf course then and there.”
Blackberry snub
Bill Clinton would go on to campaign for Obama in 2012, but he felt betrayed when the president seemed to waver when it came to a 2016 endorsement of Hillary. Obama attempted to smooth things over with a joint “60 Minutes” interview with Hillary, and later a private dinner for the two couples at the White House.
And so, on March 1, 2013 — the very day that the $85 billion in budget cuts known as the “sequester” went into effect — the Clintons slipped unnoticed into the White House and sat down for dinner with the Obamas in the Residence.
Typically, once Obama decided to do something (for example, the surge in Afghanistan), he immediately had second thoughts, and his behavior during dinner degenerated from moody to grumpy to bad-tempered.
After the obligatory greetings and small talk about family, Obama asked Bill what he thought about the sequester: Would it turn out to be a political plus for him? Bill went into a long — and boring — lecture about the issue.
To change the subject, Hillary asked Michelle if it was true, as she had heard, that the first lady was thinking about running for the Senate from Illinois.
Michelle said that she was warming to the idea, though she had yet to make up her mind.
Bill shot Hillary a look of incredulity.
Bill then moved the conversation to Obama’s vaunted 2012 campaign ¬organization. He told Obama that it would be a good idea to fold the organization, along with all its digital and social-media bells and whistles, into the Democratic National Committee.
Obama’s only response was a disparaging smile.
“You have to use your organization to aid the candidate in 2016,” Bill pressed Obama.
“Really?” Obama replied in a tone of undisguised sarcasm.
The two men went back and forth over the subject of where the money for Obama’s campaign organization had come from and how to allocate funds for the 2016 presidential election. Bill raised his voice. So did Obama.
As Bill Clinton went on about his managerial experience, Obama began playing with his Blackberry under the table, making it plain that he wasn’t paying attention to anything Clinton had to say. He was intentionally snubbing Clinton. Others around the table noticed Obama thumbing his Blackberry, and the atmosphere turned even colder than before.
Hillary changed the subject again.
“Are you glad you won’t have to campaign again?” she asked Obama. “You don’t seem to ¬enjoy it.”
“For a guy who doesn’t like it,” Obama replied tartly, “I’ve done pretty well.”
“Well,” Bill said, adding his two cents, “I was glad to pitch in and help get you re-elected.”
There was another long pause. Finally, Obama turned to Bill and said, sotto voce, “Thanks.”
After the dinner, and once the Clintons had been ushered out of the family quarters, Obama shook his head and said, “That’s why I never invite that guy over.”
Obama’s mini-me
Lately, Bill Clinton has become convinced that Obama won’t endorse Hillary in 2016. During a gathering at Whitehaven, guests overheard Bill talking to his daughter Chelsea about whether the president would back Joe Biden.
“Recently, I’ve been hearing a different scenario from state committeemen,” Clinton said. “They say he’s looking for a candidate who’s just like him. Someone relatively unknown. Someone with a fresh face.
“He’s convinced himself he’s been a brilliant president, and wants to clone himself — to find his Mini-Me.
“He’s hunting for someone to succeed him, and he believes the American people don’t want to vote for someone who’s been around for a long time. He thinks that your mother and I are what he calls ‘so 20th century.’ He’s looking for ¬another Barack Obama.”
Excerpted from “Blood Feud: The Clintons vs. the Obamas” by Edward Klein. Out this week from Regnery Publishing.
It looks like we’ve got ourselves a Hatfield-McCoy feud among the upper echelon of the Democratic Party. ‘Hildebeest’ … now that’s a good one!
THE FEUD BETWEEN THE OBAMAS AND ‘HILDEBEEST’
In his new book, “Blood Feud,” journalist Edward Klein gets inside the dysfunctional, jealous relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack and Michelle Obama — and how it could explode in 2016.
By Edward Klein
New York Post
June 21, 2014
Outwardly, they put on a show of unity — but privately, the Obamas and Clintons, the two power couples of the Democrat Party, loathe each other.
“I hate that man Obama more than any man I’ve ever met, more than any man who ever lived,” Bill Clinton said to friends on one occasion, adding he would never forgive Obama for suggesting he was a racist during the 2008 campaign.
The feeling is mutual. Obama made ¬excuses not to talk to Bill, while the first lady privately sniped about Hillary.
On most evenings, Michelle Obama and her trusted adviser, Valerie Jarrett, met in a quiet corner of the White House residence. They’d usually open a bottle of Chardonnay, catch up on news about Sasha and Malia, and gossip about people who gave them heartburn.
Their favorite bête noire was Hillary Clinton, whom they nicknamed “Hildebeest,” after the menacing and shaggy-maned gnu that roams the Serengeti.
‘Michelle could be president’
The animosity came to a head in the run-up to the 2012 election, when Obama’s inner circle insisted he needed the former president’s support to win. Obama finally telephoned Bill Clinton in September 2011 and invited him out for a round of golf.
“I’m not going to enjoy this,” Bill told Hillary when they gathered with a group of friends and political associates at Whitehaven, their neo-Georgian home on Embassy Row in Washington, DC.
“I’ve had two successors since I left the White House — Bush and Obama — and I’ve heard more from Bush, asking for my advice, than I’ve heard from Obama. I have no relationship with the president — none whatsoever,” Clinton said.
“I really can’t stand the way Obama ¬always seems to be hectoring when he talks to me,” Clinton added, according to someone who was present at the gathering and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Sometimes we just stare at each other. It’s pretty damn awkward. Now we both have favors to ask each other, and it’s going to be very unpleasant. But I’ve got to get this guy to owe me and to be on our side.”
During the golf game, Clinton didn’t waste any time reminding Obama that as president he had presided over eight years of prosperity, while Obama had been unable to dig the country out of the longest financial ¬doldrums since the Great Depression.
“Bill got into it right away,” said a Clinton family friend. “He told Obama, ‘Hillary and I are gearing up for a run in 2016.’ He said Hillary would be ‘the most qualified, most experienced candidate, perhaps in history.’ His reference to Hillary’s experience made Obama wince, since it was clearly a shot at his lack of experience when he ran for president.
“And so Bill continued to talk about Hillary’s qualifications . . . and the coming campaign in 2016. But Barack didn’t bite. He changed the subject several times. Then suddenly, Barack said something that took Bill by complete surprise. He said, ‘You know, Michelle would make a great presidential candidate, too.’
“Bill was speechless. Was Barack comparing Michelle’s qualifications to Hillary’s? Bill said that if he hadn’t been on a mission to strike a deal with Barack, he might have stormed off the golf course then and there.”
Blackberry snub
Bill Clinton would go on to campaign for Obama in 2012, but he felt betrayed when the president seemed to waver when it came to a 2016 endorsement of Hillary. Obama attempted to smooth things over with a joint “60 Minutes” interview with Hillary, and later a private dinner for the two couples at the White House.
And so, on March 1, 2013 — the very day that the $85 billion in budget cuts known as the “sequester” went into effect — the Clintons slipped unnoticed into the White House and sat down for dinner with the Obamas in the Residence.
Typically, once Obama decided to do something (for example, the surge in Afghanistan), he immediately had second thoughts, and his behavior during dinner degenerated from moody to grumpy to bad-tempered.
After the obligatory greetings and small talk about family, Obama asked Bill what he thought about the sequester: Would it turn out to be a political plus for him? Bill went into a long — and boring — lecture about the issue.
To change the subject, Hillary asked Michelle if it was true, as she had heard, that the first lady was thinking about running for the Senate from Illinois.
Michelle said that she was warming to the idea, though she had yet to make up her mind.
Bill shot Hillary a look of incredulity.
Bill then moved the conversation to Obama’s vaunted 2012 campaign ¬organization. He told Obama that it would be a good idea to fold the organization, along with all its digital and social-media bells and whistles, into the Democratic National Committee.
Obama’s only response was a disparaging smile.
“You have to use your organization to aid the candidate in 2016,” Bill pressed Obama.
“Really?” Obama replied in a tone of undisguised sarcasm.
The two men went back and forth over the subject of where the money for Obama’s campaign organization had come from and how to allocate funds for the 2016 presidential election. Bill raised his voice. So did Obama.
As Bill Clinton went on about his managerial experience, Obama began playing with his Blackberry under the table, making it plain that he wasn’t paying attention to anything Clinton had to say. He was intentionally snubbing Clinton. Others around the table noticed Obama thumbing his Blackberry, and the atmosphere turned even colder than before.
Hillary changed the subject again.
“Are you glad you won’t have to campaign again?” she asked Obama. “You don’t seem to ¬enjoy it.”
“For a guy who doesn’t like it,” Obama replied tartly, “I’ve done pretty well.”
“Well,” Bill said, adding his two cents, “I was glad to pitch in and help get you re-elected.”
There was another long pause. Finally, Obama turned to Bill and said, sotto voce, “Thanks.”
After the dinner, and once the Clintons had been ushered out of the family quarters, Obama shook his head and said, “That’s why I never invite that guy over.”
Obama’s mini-me
Lately, Bill Clinton has become convinced that Obama won’t endorse Hillary in 2016. During a gathering at Whitehaven, guests overheard Bill talking to his daughter Chelsea about whether the president would back Joe Biden.
“Recently, I’ve been hearing a different scenario from state committeemen,” Clinton said. “They say he’s looking for a candidate who’s just like him. Someone relatively unknown. Someone with a fresh face.
“He’s convinced himself he’s been a brilliant president, and wants to clone himself — to find his Mini-Me.
“He’s hunting for someone to succeed him, and he believes the American people don’t want to vote for someone who’s been around for a long time. He thinks that your mother and I are what he calls ‘so 20th century.’ He’s looking for ¬another Barack Obama.”
Excerpted from “Blood Feud: The Clintons vs. the Obamas” by Edward Klein. Out this week from Regnery Publishing.
TEXAS FUNERAL HOME GETS $450 PER BODY FOR DUMPING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN MASS GRAVES
A funeral home in Falfurrias was paid to dispose of illegal immigrants who died from exposure while trying to evade the Border Patrol in the hot and remote brush lands of South Texas
So far, more than 160 unidentified bodies have been found in mass graves in Brooks County and a smaller number in neighboring Jim Hogg County. The sheriff’s departments in both counties have for many years paid Funeraria del Angel Howard-Williams, a funeral home in Falfurrias, to dispose of illegal immigrants who died from exposure while trying to evade the Border Patrol in the hot and remote brush lands of the two counties.
According to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, the bodies were dumped into mass graves in plastic garbage bags, shopping bags, and in no containers at all. Body bags, each containing several corpses, were also found. At the present time, the funeral home is being paid $450 per body.
In 2013, a Baylor University anthropological team unearthed the remains of 110 unidentified bodies from mass graves in a section of the Sacred Heart Burial Park in Brooks County. According to the Caller-Times, this year the team “performed 52 exhumations, but more than 52 people were buried in those spaces. Because remains were commingled, and not all of the body bags were opened on-site, further study will be needed to determine the number of people recovered.” They plan to return next year in order to unearth more bodies.
The bleeding hearts are in an uproar over the manner in which the bodies are being disposed. I suppose they expect the funeral home to provide caskets and individual graves for the unfortunate victims of Texas desert heat. At $450 a crack, the funeral home is not making a substantial profit, even while using plastic garbage bags to dispose of the bodies. They have to pay for the burial sites and they have to pay the cemetery workers for digging and covering up the graves. I’m guessing that probably uses up half of the $450 fee.
So far, more than 160 unidentified bodies have been found in mass graves in Brooks County and a smaller number in neighboring Jim Hogg County. The sheriff’s departments in both counties have for many years paid Funeraria del Angel Howard-Williams, a funeral home in Falfurrias, to dispose of illegal immigrants who died from exposure while trying to evade the Border Patrol in the hot and remote brush lands of the two counties.
According to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, the bodies were dumped into mass graves in plastic garbage bags, shopping bags, and in no containers at all. Body bags, each containing several corpses, were also found. At the present time, the funeral home is being paid $450 per body.
In 2013, a Baylor University anthropological team unearthed the remains of 110 unidentified bodies from mass graves in a section of the Sacred Heart Burial Park in Brooks County. According to the Caller-Times, this year the team “performed 52 exhumations, but more than 52 people were buried in those spaces. Because remains were commingled, and not all of the body bags were opened on-site, further study will be needed to determine the number of people recovered.” They plan to return next year in order to unearth more bodies.
The bleeding hearts are in an uproar over the manner in which the bodies are being disposed. I suppose they expect the funeral home to provide caskets and individual graves for the unfortunate victims of Texas desert heat. At $450 a crack, the funeral home is not making a substantial profit, even while using plastic garbage bags to dispose of the bodies. They have to pay for the burial sites and they have to pay the cemetery workers for digging and covering up the graves. I’m guessing that probably uses up half of the $450 fee.
JUST A WEEEEEE BIT, NOT THAT YOU CAN HARDLY TELL
The Unconventional Gazette
June 22, 2014
An extraordinarily handsome lawyer decided he had the responsibility to marry the perfect woman so they could produce beautiful children beyond compare. With that as his mission he began to search for the perfect woman.
Shortly thereafter he went to the home of a client who had three stunning, gorgeous daughters that positively took his breath away. So he explained his mission to the client and asked for permission to marry one of them.
The client simply replied, "They're looking to get married, so you came to the right place. Look 'em over and pick the one you want."
The lawyer dated the first daughter. The next day the client asked for the lawyer's opinion.
"Well," said the lawyer, "She's just a weeeeee bit, not that you can hardly tell ... pigeon-toed."
The client nodded and suggested the lawyer date one of the other girls. So the lawyer went out with the second daughter.
The next day, the client again asked how things went.
"Well,” the lawyer replied, "she's just a weeeeee bit, not that you can hardly tell,...... cross-eyed."
The client nodded and suggested he date the third girl to see if things might be better. So he did.
The next morning the lawyer rushed in exclaiming, "She's perfect, just perfect. She's the one I want to marry."
So they were married right away. Months later the baby was born. When the lawyer visited the nursery he was horrified. The baby was uglier than sin. He rushed to his father-in-law and asked how such a thing could happen considering the stunning beauty of the parents.
"Well," explained his father-in-law, "she was just a weeeeee bit, not that you could hardly tell ......pregnant when you met her."
June 22, 2014
An extraordinarily handsome lawyer decided he had the responsibility to marry the perfect woman so they could produce beautiful children beyond compare. With that as his mission he began to search for the perfect woman.
Shortly thereafter he went to the home of a client who had three stunning, gorgeous daughters that positively took his breath away. So he explained his mission to the client and asked for permission to marry one of them.
The client simply replied, "They're looking to get married, so you came to the right place. Look 'em over and pick the one you want."
The lawyer dated the first daughter. The next day the client asked for the lawyer's opinion.
"Well," said the lawyer, "She's just a weeeeee bit, not that you can hardly tell ... pigeon-toed."
The client nodded and suggested the lawyer date one of the other girls. So the lawyer went out with the second daughter.
The next day, the client again asked how things went.
"Well,” the lawyer replied, "she's just a weeeeee bit, not that you can hardly tell,...... cross-eyed."
The client nodded and suggested he date the third girl to see if things might be better. So he did.
The next morning the lawyer rushed in exclaiming, "She's perfect, just perfect. She's the one I want to marry."
So they were married right away. Months later the baby was born. When the lawyer visited the nursery he was horrified. The baby was uglier than sin. He rushed to his father-in-law and asked how such a thing could happen considering the stunning beauty of the parents.
"Well," explained his father-in-law, "she was just a weeeeee bit, not that you could hardly tell ......pregnant when you met her."
Sunday, June 22, 2014
FORMER BERGDAHL ROOMATE BLISTERS OBAMA FOR ROSE GARDEN CEREMONY WITH DESERTER’S PARENTS
Cody Full says the government knew that Bergdahl was a deserter and asks, “How many soldiers that have given their lives honorably for this country, how many of their parents had a Rose Garden Ceremony?”
Former Army Spc. Cody Full, who had roomed with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, is bitter that National Security Advisor Susan Rice declared Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction’ when the government knew he deserted his post. Full is also outraged that Obama held a Rose Garden ceremony with Bergdahl’s parents and he can’t understand why the deserter was swapped for five high-ranking Taliban prisoners.
EX-BERGDAHL ROOMMATE: WHITE HOUSE KNEW HE WAS A TRAITOR BEFORE SWAP
By Bill Hoffmann
Newsmax
June 20, 2014
The former roommate of Bowe Bergdahl — the U.S. Army sergeant traded for five Taliban militants — says the government knew very well he was a traitor when they were making the controversial swap.
"They have all the documentation on it. The administration knew he deserted, they knew he wasn't a hero,'' retired Army Spc. Cody Full told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
"They knew that he wasn't captured on a battlefield or lagged behind on a patrol. They knew he went out and deserted on his own.''
Bergdahl was held captive in Afghanistan by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network from June 2009 until May of this year.
He was traded for five high-ranking Taliban members who were being held at Guantanamo Bay — a secret deal made without the consultation of Congress.
But the swap quickly came under fire when Bergdahl's fellow soldiers went public to accuse him of abandoning his post and possibly seeking out the enemy.
Full angrily disagreed with National Security Advisor Susan Rice's declaration that Bergdahl had served his country with "honor and distinction."
"Deserting is not serving with honor and distinction and it's a spit in the face to every U.S. service member who has served with honor and distinction, who has fulfilled his oath. It's disgusting,'' Full said.
He criticized the fanfare surrounding the Obama administration's announcement of the deal, which was highlighted by an event in the Rose Garden of the White House in which Bergdahl's family attended.
"[It] is gross. I mean how many soldiers that have given their lives honorably for this country, how many of their parents had a Rose Garden ceremony?'' he asked.
Full said a congressional oversight committee should be formed to further explore how Bergdahl's actions led to his captivity by terrorists.
"I don't want to see this get whitewashed,'' he said.
As to why the swap was made, Full is clueless.
"I don't know why it was done, I have no idea…. It's just wrong on so many levels,'' he said.
Former Army Spc. Cody Full, who had roomed with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, is bitter that National Security Advisor Susan Rice declared Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction’ when the government knew he deserted his post. Full is also outraged that Obama held a Rose Garden ceremony with Bergdahl’s parents and he can’t understand why the deserter was swapped for five high-ranking Taliban prisoners.
EX-BERGDAHL ROOMMATE: WHITE HOUSE KNEW HE WAS A TRAITOR BEFORE SWAP
By Bill Hoffmann
Newsmax
June 20, 2014
The former roommate of Bowe Bergdahl — the U.S. Army sergeant traded for five Taliban militants — says the government knew very well he was a traitor when they were making the controversial swap.
"They have all the documentation on it. The administration knew he deserted, they knew he wasn't a hero,'' retired Army Spc. Cody Full told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
"They knew that he wasn't captured on a battlefield or lagged behind on a patrol. They knew he went out and deserted on his own.''
Bergdahl was held captive in Afghanistan by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network from June 2009 until May of this year.
He was traded for five high-ranking Taliban members who were being held at Guantanamo Bay — a secret deal made without the consultation of Congress.
But the swap quickly came under fire when Bergdahl's fellow soldiers went public to accuse him of abandoning his post and possibly seeking out the enemy.
Full angrily disagreed with National Security Advisor Susan Rice's declaration that Bergdahl had served his country with "honor and distinction."
"Deserting is not serving with honor and distinction and it's a spit in the face to every U.S. service member who has served with honor and distinction, who has fulfilled his oath. It's disgusting,'' Full said.
He criticized the fanfare surrounding the Obama administration's announcement of the deal, which was highlighted by an event in the Rose Garden of the White House in which Bergdahl's family attended.
"[It] is gross. I mean how many soldiers that have given their lives honorably for this country, how many of their parents had a Rose Garden ceremony?'' he asked.
Full said a congressional oversight committee should be formed to further explore how Bergdahl's actions led to his captivity by terrorists.
"I don't want to see this get whitewashed,'' he said.
As to why the swap was made, Full is clueless.
"I don't know why it was done, I have no idea…. It's just wrong on so many levels,'' he said.
PRESBYTERIANS FOOLING THEMSELVES BY CLAIMING DIVESTMENT DOES NOT REFLECT HATRED OF ISRAEL
The most shameful part of the divestment vote is the support it got from members of Jewish Voice for Peace and their Rabbis
What the Presbyterians refuse to acknowledge is that lands ‘occupied’ by Israel resulted from several wars in which Israel was attacked by Arab states intent on obliterating the Jewish state, and that the ‘harsh’ treatment of Palestinians is designed to prevent the terrorist attacks on innocent Israeli men, women, and children that were once so prevalent.
When the Presbyterians insist they support Israel’s right to exist, they are deliberately ignoring repeated vows by the Palestinian leadership, including Mahmoud Abbas, to wipe the Jewish state off the map. The investment vote reflects a hatred of Israel, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
It is utterly disgusting that the far-left, Israel-hating group Jewish Voice for Peace and its Rabbis are stabbing Israel in the back by supporting BDS - boycott, divestment and sanctions - against the Jewish state. The group’s appearance at the Presbyterian General Assembly was the most shameful part of the divestment vote.
Here’s hoping the Presbyterians sell their stock in Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions at a big loss and that following the divestment, those stock prices rise sharply.
PRESBYTERIANS VOTE TO DIVEST IN PROTEST AGAINST ISRAEL
Associated Press
June 21, 2014
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Friday became the most prominent religious group in the United States to endorse divestment as a protest against Israeli policies toward Palestinians, voting to sell church stock in three companies whose products Israel uses in the occupied territories.
The General Assembly voted by a razor-thin margin — 310-303 — to sell stock in Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions. Two years ago, the General Assembly rejected a similar divestment proposal by two votes.
The American Jewish Committee, a policy and advocacy group based in New York, said the vote was "driven by hatred of Israel." But Heath Rada, moderator for the church meeting, said immediately after the vote that "in no way is this a reflection of our lack of love for our Jewish brothers and sisters."
The decision is expected to reverberate beyond the 1.8 million-member church. It comes amid discouragement over failed peace talks that have left activists desperate for some way to affect change and as the broader movement known as BDS — or boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel — has gained some momentum in the U.S., Israel's closest and most important ally.
Presbyterians who advocated for divestment insisted their action was not part of the broader boycott movement. Israeli officials, along with many American Jewish groups, denounced the campaign as an attempt to delegitimize the Jewish state. Separately, the assembly also voted to re-examine its support for a two-state solution.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the Israeli Embassy in Washington denounced the resolution as "shameful."
"Voting for symbolic measures marginalizes and removes its ability to be a constructive partner to promote peace in the Middle East," the statement said.
Omar Barghouti, a co-founder of the BDS movement, praised the vote as a "sweet victory for human rights."
He said Presbyterian supporters of Palestinian rights have introduced divestment into the U.S. mainstream and have given Palestinians "real hope in the face of the relentless and intensifying cruelty of Israel's regime of occupation, settler colonialism and apartheid."
The top Presbyterian legislative body has been considering divestment for a decade. Representatives of the Presbyterian socially responsible investment arm told the national meeting in Detroit that their efforts to lobby the three companies for change had failed. Carol Hylkema of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network, a Presbyterian group that advocates for Palestinians and spearheaded the drive for divestment, said their action was modeled on the divestment movement to end apartheid in South Africa. The 2012 assembly had endorsed a boycott of Israeli products made in the Palestinian territories.
"Because we are a historical peacemaking church, what we have done is, we have stood up for nonviolent means of resistance to oppression and we have sent a clear message to a struggling society that we support their efforts to resist in a nonviolent way the oppression being thrust upon them," said the Rev. Jeffrey DeYoe, of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network.
The vote was the subject of intense lobbying both from within and outside the church. Rabbis and other members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which advocates for Palestinians, lined the halls of the meeting and prayed in vigils outside the convention center wearing T-shirts that read, "Another Jew Supporting Divestment." Other rabbis and their Presbyterian supporters held panel discussions and sent letters to delegates urging them to vote no.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, which is the largest branch of American Judaism, addressed the delegates twice, urging them to reject divestment. After the vote, Jacobs said the denomination as a whole is no longer "a partner for joint work on Israel-Palestine peace issues."
In leading an effort to strike down the proposal, Frank Allen of the Central Florida Presbytery told delegates, "Divestment will create dissension. Dialogue and relationship building will lay the groundwork for true peace."
Bill Ward of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest, based in Spokane, Washington, argued the proposal was not an attack on Israel. The measure adopted Friday reaffirms Israel's right to exist. "It is motivated by stewardship integrity, not partisan political advocacy," Ward said.
Two smaller U.S. religious groups have divested in protest of Israeli policies: the Friends Fiduciary Corp., which manages assets for U.S. Quakers, and the Mennonite Central Committee.
Last week, the pension board of the United Methodist Church, the largest mainline Protestant group in the U.S., revealed plans to sell holdings worth about $110,000 in G4S, which provides security equipment and has contracts with Israel's prison system. However, the United Methodist Church had rejected church-wide divestment.
Motorola Solutions said in a statement that the company follows the law and its own policies that address human rights. Hewlett-Packard said its checkpoints for Palestinians were developed to expedite passage "in a secure environment, enabling people to get to their place of work or to carry out their business in a faster and safer way." Caterpillar has said it does not sell equipment to Israel, just to the U.S. government.
A church spokeswoman estimated the value of Presbyterian holdings in the companies at $21 million.
What the Presbyterians refuse to acknowledge is that lands ‘occupied’ by Israel resulted from several wars in which Israel was attacked by Arab states intent on obliterating the Jewish state, and that the ‘harsh’ treatment of Palestinians is designed to prevent the terrorist attacks on innocent Israeli men, women, and children that were once so prevalent.
When the Presbyterians insist they support Israel’s right to exist, they are deliberately ignoring repeated vows by the Palestinian leadership, including Mahmoud Abbas, to wipe the Jewish state off the map. The investment vote reflects a hatred of Israel, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
It is utterly disgusting that the far-left, Israel-hating group Jewish Voice for Peace and its Rabbis are stabbing Israel in the back by supporting BDS - boycott, divestment and sanctions - against the Jewish state. The group’s appearance at the Presbyterian General Assembly was the most shameful part of the divestment vote.
Here’s hoping the Presbyterians sell their stock in Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions at a big loss and that following the divestment, those stock prices rise sharply.
PRESBYTERIANS VOTE TO DIVEST IN PROTEST AGAINST ISRAEL
Associated Press
June 21, 2014
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Friday became the most prominent religious group in the United States to endorse divestment as a protest against Israeli policies toward Palestinians, voting to sell church stock in three companies whose products Israel uses in the occupied territories.
The General Assembly voted by a razor-thin margin — 310-303 — to sell stock in Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions. Two years ago, the General Assembly rejected a similar divestment proposal by two votes.
The American Jewish Committee, a policy and advocacy group based in New York, said the vote was "driven by hatred of Israel." But Heath Rada, moderator for the church meeting, said immediately after the vote that "in no way is this a reflection of our lack of love for our Jewish brothers and sisters."
The decision is expected to reverberate beyond the 1.8 million-member church. It comes amid discouragement over failed peace talks that have left activists desperate for some way to affect change and as the broader movement known as BDS — or boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel — has gained some momentum in the U.S., Israel's closest and most important ally.
Presbyterians who advocated for divestment insisted their action was not part of the broader boycott movement. Israeli officials, along with many American Jewish groups, denounced the campaign as an attempt to delegitimize the Jewish state. Separately, the assembly also voted to re-examine its support for a two-state solution.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the Israeli Embassy in Washington denounced the resolution as "shameful."
"Voting for symbolic measures marginalizes and removes its ability to be a constructive partner to promote peace in the Middle East," the statement said.
Omar Barghouti, a co-founder of the BDS movement, praised the vote as a "sweet victory for human rights."
He said Presbyterian supporters of Palestinian rights have introduced divestment into the U.S. mainstream and have given Palestinians "real hope in the face of the relentless and intensifying cruelty of Israel's regime of occupation, settler colonialism and apartheid."
The top Presbyterian legislative body has been considering divestment for a decade. Representatives of the Presbyterian socially responsible investment arm told the national meeting in Detroit that their efforts to lobby the three companies for change had failed. Carol Hylkema of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network, a Presbyterian group that advocates for Palestinians and spearheaded the drive for divestment, said their action was modeled on the divestment movement to end apartheid in South Africa. The 2012 assembly had endorsed a boycott of Israeli products made in the Palestinian territories.
"Because we are a historical peacemaking church, what we have done is, we have stood up for nonviolent means of resistance to oppression and we have sent a clear message to a struggling society that we support their efforts to resist in a nonviolent way the oppression being thrust upon them," said the Rev. Jeffrey DeYoe, of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network.
The vote was the subject of intense lobbying both from within and outside the church. Rabbis and other members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which advocates for Palestinians, lined the halls of the meeting and prayed in vigils outside the convention center wearing T-shirts that read, "Another Jew Supporting Divestment." Other rabbis and their Presbyterian supporters held panel discussions and sent letters to delegates urging them to vote no.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, which is the largest branch of American Judaism, addressed the delegates twice, urging them to reject divestment. After the vote, Jacobs said the denomination as a whole is no longer "a partner for joint work on Israel-Palestine peace issues."
In leading an effort to strike down the proposal, Frank Allen of the Central Florida Presbytery told delegates, "Divestment will create dissension. Dialogue and relationship building will lay the groundwork for true peace."
Bill Ward of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest, based in Spokane, Washington, argued the proposal was not an attack on Israel. The measure adopted Friday reaffirms Israel's right to exist. "It is motivated by stewardship integrity, not partisan political advocacy," Ward said.
Two smaller U.S. religious groups have divested in protest of Israeli policies: the Friends Fiduciary Corp., which manages assets for U.S. Quakers, and the Mennonite Central Committee.
Last week, the pension board of the United Methodist Church, the largest mainline Protestant group in the U.S., revealed plans to sell holdings worth about $110,000 in G4S, which provides security equipment and has contracts with Israel's prison system. However, the United Methodist Church had rejected church-wide divestment.
Motorola Solutions said in a statement that the company follows the law and its own policies that address human rights. Hewlett-Packard said its checkpoints for Palestinians were developed to expedite passage "in a secure environment, enabling people to get to their place of work or to carry out their business in a faster and safer way." Caterpillar has said it does not sell equipment to Israel, just to the U.S. government.
A church spokeswoman estimated the value of Presbyterian holdings in the companies at $21 million.
WHO IS GOING TO PAY THE HOSPITAL BILL?
The Unconventional Gazette
June 21, 2014
A man suffered a serious heart attack while shopping in a store. The store clerks called 911 when they saw him collapse to the floor.
The paramedics rushed the man to the nearest hospital where he had emergency open heart bypass surgery.
He awakened from the surgery to find himself in the care of nuns at the Catholic Hospital. A nun was seated next to his bed holding a clipboard loaded with several forms, and a pen. She asked him how he was going to pay for his treatment.
"Do you have health insurance?" she asked.
He replied in a raspy voice, "No health insurance."
The nun asked, "Do you have money in the bank?"
He replied, "No money in the bank."
Do you have a relative who could help you with the payments?" asked the irritated nun.
He said, "I only have a spinster sister, and she is a nun."
The nun became highly agitated and announced loudly, "Nuns are not spinsters! Nuns are married to God!!"
The patient replied, "Perfect. Send the bill to my brother-in-law."
June 21, 2014
A man suffered a serious heart attack while shopping in a store. The store clerks called 911 when they saw him collapse to the floor.
The paramedics rushed the man to the nearest hospital where he had emergency open heart bypass surgery.
He awakened from the surgery to find himself in the care of nuns at the Catholic Hospital. A nun was seated next to his bed holding a clipboard loaded with several forms, and a pen. She asked him how he was going to pay for his treatment.
"Do you have health insurance?" she asked.
He replied in a raspy voice, "No health insurance."
The nun asked, "Do you have money in the bank?"
He replied, "No money in the bank."
Do you have a relative who could help you with the payments?" asked the irritated nun.
He said, "I only have a spinster sister, and she is a nun."
The nun became highly agitated and announced loudly, "Nuns are not spinsters! Nuns are married to God!!"
The patient replied, "Perfect. Send the bill to my brother-in-law."
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