God Exists! He Drowned All the Neo Nazis of Texas!
Thursday, August 31, 2017
SOME THOUGHTS ON BEING PREPARED
by Bob Walsh
The local S. O. in Enumclaw, WA responded to a domestic disturbance on Tuesday night. When they got there they were told the suspect had locked himself in a room where guns were stored.
The female resident and her two rugrats exited the home safely but the boyfriend stayed inside and managed to extinguish the lights some how. A deputy then put on a pair of night vision goggles. He saw the suspect pointing a rifle at other deputies. The deputy then challenged the armed asshole, and shot his ass several times when he refused to drop the rifle.
The asshole is likely to survive. No deputies were hurt. The woman was thumped on by her boyfriend but otherwise uninjured. The rugrats are OK.
The local S. O. in Enumclaw, WA responded to a domestic disturbance on Tuesday night. When they got there they were told the suspect had locked himself in a room where guns were stored.
The female resident and her two rugrats exited the home safely but the boyfriend stayed inside and managed to extinguish the lights some how. A deputy then put on a pair of night vision goggles. He saw the suspect pointing a rifle at other deputies. The deputy then challenged the armed asshole, and shot his ass several times when he refused to drop the rifle.
The asshole is likely to survive. No deputies were hurt. The woman was thumped on by her boyfriend but otherwise uninjured. The rugrats are OK.
THREE COPS SHOT IN SACRAMENTO
by Bob Walsh
Two CHP officers and one Sac County Deputy were shot near a Ramada Inn in Sacramento County on Wednesday. As of this writing (Wed 3 pm) there is almost nothing known about the situation. A woman carrying what is described as an AK was seen fleeing the scene in a car. Two people have been detained relating to the shooting. The condition of the officers has not been released.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is the updated report.
Sacramento sheriff’s deputy killed in hotel shootout. Two CHP officers shot, hospitalized
By Cathy Locke, Anita Chabria, Hudson Sangree and Tony Bizjak
The Sacramento Bee
August 30, 2017
A search for car-theft suspects in an Auburn Boulevard Ramada Inn on Wednesday turned into a violent shootout that left a veteran Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy dead and two California Highway Patrol officers wounded.
Deputy Robert French, 52, died on the way to the hospital, Sheriff Scott Jones said. He was a 21-year veteran of the department and worked as a training officer with the north area patrol unit.
“This is certainly the most difficult thing a department can go through,” Jones said. “We’ll survive this as a community. We’ve been through it before. But it is painful. It will take a period of grieving.”
French is survived by a live-in girlfriend, adult children and grandchildren, Jones said. “He was a very go-to guy for advice and counsel,” he said.
Two California Highway Patrol officers remained hospitalized Wednesday and are expected to survive, Jones said. CHP is withholding their names for now, said agency spokesman Chad Hertzell.
Three suspects were arrested in connection with the incident, but their names had not been made public as of Wednesday evening. Guns drawn, officers searched the Ramada on Wednesday afternoon for two suspects that were thought to possibly remain inside the motel, but they weren’t found.
The fatal series of events started Wednesday morning at the Ramada Inn in the 2600 block of Auburn Boulevard with a stolen vehicle investigation, said Sgt. Tony Turnbull, Sheriff’s Department spokesman.
An auto-theft task force consisting of CHP officers, sheriff’s deputies and probation officers had gone to the Ramada parking lot. Two suspects, both women, then led law enforcers on a chase about 10:30 a.m. that ended in the Laguna area of Elk Grove, where the women were taken into custody, Turnbull said.
Officers then checked on other possible suspects in a room at the Ramada Inn. When they knocked on a hotel room door, a man opened fire through the door and struck two CHP officers, Turnbull said.
Additional deputies responded to the back side of the room. A male suspect, wielding a high-powered rifle, engaged in a shootout that killed French.
The suspect jumped off the balcony and got into a car in the parking lot. He escaped on Fulton Avenue, then turned onto El Camino Avenue and crashed near Watt Avenue. He then exchanged gunfire again with officers. He was struck and arrested.
The suspect, who was in critical condition, and the officers were taken to area hospitals.
The crime scene remained active Wednesday afternoon. Two officers walked through the Ramada shortly before 3 p.m., guns drawn, searching the hotel floor by floor.
Ramada guest Oneasha Martin, 23, said she woke up shortly before noon to the sound of gunshots. She came out of her room but police yelled at her to get back inside. She saw an officer taken away by ambulance.
The incident unfolded in an area near the intersection of Auburn Boulevard and Fulton Avenue that is lined with used car lots and related businesses. About a dozen police vehicles remained parked Wednesday afternoon near the arch that was erected some years ago as an effort to brand the street. Helicopters circled overhead.
Mike Ataya operates Ataya’s Motors near the Ramada. He said he was working out back when he heard a long volley of gunshots, “like a machine gun.”
“It kept going and going and it didn’t stop,” Ataya said.
Ataya said he saw a gray Challenger drive wildly down Fulton Avenue shortly after he heard the shots. “It was crashing into everything,” he said.
At Primetime Autos, a used car lot on Auburn Boulevard near the Ramada, Raj Singh said he heard “a lot of gunshots and cars driving by.”
“Then the cops came to our shop and said, ‘Stay down and keep it locked.’ ”
That was about 11:45, Singh said. He said he first heard two or three individual gunshots, then a volley of rapid fire. Afterward, he went outside, where he had employees working, to make sure they were safe. They ducked behind some cars at first, then went in and locked the doors.
Several major roadways and intersections near the shooting scene remained closed Wednesday evening, including the intersection of Fulton Avenue and Auburn Boulevard. Both the eastbound and westbound Business 80 freeway exits at Fulton Avenue also remained closed Wednesday evening.
Nearby El Camino Fundamental High School was placed in a precautionary shelter-in-place status Wednesday afternoon because of the shooting. The shelter-in-place order was later lifted, and school ended at the usual time of 2:58 p.m., according to Trent Allen, San Juan Unified School District spokesman.
Due to the closure of El Camino Avenue as part of the investigation, students were released along Eastern Avenue.
Wednesday’s triple shooting took place about five miles from the site of the former Motel 6, since razed, where Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Oliver was fatally wounded in October 2014 as he checked on a couple sitting in a car in the motel’s parking lot.
The couple then allegedly embarked on a shooting spree that also killed Placer County sheriff’s Deputy Michael Davis Jr. and wounded a third deputy. Luis Monroy Bracamontes and his wife, Janelle Monroy, are awaiting trial in the case.
Two CHP officers and one Sac County Deputy were shot near a Ramada Inn in Sacramento County on Wednesday. As of this writing (Wed 3 pm) there is almost nothing known about the situation. A woman carrying what is described as an AK was seen fleeing the scene in a car. Two people have been detained relating to the shooting. The condition of the officers has not been released.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is the updated report.
Sacramento sheriff’s deputy killed in hotel shootout. Two CHP officers shot, hospitalized
By Cathy Locke, Anita Chabria, Hudson Sangree and Tony Bizjak
The Sacramento Bee
August 30, 2017
A search for car-theft suspects in an Auburn Boulevard Ramada Inn on Wednesday turned into a violent shootout that left a veteran Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy dead and two California Highway Patrol officers wounded.
Deputy Robert French, 52, died on the way to the hospital, Sheriff Scott Jones said. He was a 21-year veteran of the department and worked as a training officer with the north area patrol unit.
“This is certainly the most difficult thing a department can go through,” Jones said. “We’ll survive this as a community. We’ve been through it before. But it is painful. It will take a period of grieving.”
French is survived by a live-in girlfriend, adult children and grandchildren, Jones said. “He was a very go-to guy for advice and counsel,” he said.
Two California Highway Patrol officers remained hospitalized Wednesday and are expected to survive, Jones said. CHP is withholding their names for now, said agency spokesman Chad Hertzell.
Three suspects were arrested in connection with the incident, but their names had not been made public as of Wednesday evening. Guns drawn, officers searched the Ramada on Wednesday afternoon for two suspects that were thought to possibly remain inside the motel, but they weren’t found.
The fatal series of events started Wednesday morning at the Ramada Inn in the 2600 block of Auburn Boulevard with a stolen vehicle investigation, said Sgt. Tony Turnbull, Sheriff’s Department spokesman.
An auto-theft task force consisting of CHP officers, sheriff’s deputies and probation officers had gone to the Ramada parking lot. Two suspects, both women, then led law enforcers on a chase about 10:30 a.m. that ended in the Laguna area of Elk Grove, where the women were taken into custody, Turnbull said.
Officers then checked on other possible suspects in a room at the Ramada Inn. When they knocked on a hotel room door, a man opened fire through the door and struck two CHP officers, Turnbull said.
Additional deputies responded to the back side of the room. A male suspect, wielding a high-powered rifle, engaged in a shootout that killed French.
The suspect jumped off the balcony and got into a car in the parking lot. He escaped on Fulton Avenue, then turned onto El Camino Avenue and crashed near Watt Avenue. He then exchanged gunfire again with officers. He was struck and arrested.
The suspect, who was in critical condition, and the officers were taken to area hospitals.
The crime scene remained active Wednesday afternoon. Two officers walked through the Ramada shortly before 3 p.m., guns drawn, searching the hotel floor by floor.
Ramada guest Oneasha Martin, 23, said she woke up shortly before noon to the sound of gunshots. She came out of her room but police yelled at her to get back inside. She saw an officer taken away by ambulance.
The incident unfolded in an area near the intersection of Auburn Boulevard and Fulton Avenue that is lined with used car lots and related businesses. About a dozen police vehicles remained parked Wednesday afternoon near the arch that was erected some years ago as an effort to brand the street. Helicopters circled overhead.
Mike Ataya operates Ataya’s Motors near the Ramada. He said he was working out back when he heard a long volley of gunshots, “like a machine gun.”
“It kept going and going and it didn’t stop,” Ataya said.
Ataya said he saw a gray Challenger drive wildly down Fulton Avenue shortly after he heard the shots. “It was crashing into everything,” he said.
At Primetime Autos, a used car lot on Auburn Boulevard near the Ramada, Raj Singh said he heard “a lot of gunshots and cars driving by.”
“Then the cops came to our shop and said, ‘Stay down and keep it locked.’ ”
That was about 11:45, Singh said. He said he first heard two or three individual gunshots, then a volley of rapid fire. Afterward, he went outside, where he had employees working, to make sure they were safe. They ducked behind some cars at first, then went in and locked the doors.
Several major roadways and intersections near the shooting scene remained closed Wednesday evening, including the intersection of Fulton Avenue and Auburn Boulevard. Both the eastbound and westbound Business 80 freeway exits at Fulton Avenue also remained closed Wednesday evening.
Nearby El Camino Fundamental High School was placed in a precautionary shelter-in-place status Wednesday afternoon because of the shooting. The shelter-in-place order was later lifted, and school ended at the usual time of 2:58 p.m., according to Trent Allen, San Juan Unified School District spokesman.
Due to the closure of El Camino Avenue as part of the investigation, students were released along Eastern Avenue.
Wednesday’s triple shooting took place about five miles from the site of the former Motel 6, since razed, where Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Oliver was fatally wounded in October 2014 as he checked on a couple sitting in a car in the motel’s parking lot.
The couple then allegedly embarked on a shooting spree that also killed Placer County sheriff’s Deputy Michael Davis Jr. and wounded a third deputy. Luis Monroy Bracamontes and his wife, Janelle Monroy, are awaiting trial in the case.
BACKDOOR MILITANT VEGANISM
by Bob Walsh
The Peoples Republic of California is right now looking at a legislative proposal which would add livestock to the current cage-free requirements of the Peoples Republic.
All ready eggs sold in CA must be raised in a cage-free environment. This proposal, should it become law, would require that chickens, pigs and cattle raised for meat must be raised in a restriction free, low-stress environment. They have to have shade, regular supplies of chilled water and pleasant background music playing in their living areas.
The largest impact would probably be on the pork market. There is actually very little pork produced in California. This requirement would place these restrictions on pork produced for sale in California no matter where it was actually produced. It is estimated that the requirement would cost the pork industry between $2 billion and $3.5 billion. It is estimated that the cage-free requirements already add about 40 cents per dozen eggs sold in California.
I just made up the part about the pleasant background music. Twisted Sister and Ratt are OK for background music, as is Bob Marley and the Monkees. No C&W is permitted, it might stress the animals too much. Lite Jazz is also good, as is some mellow R&B.
The Peoples Republic of California is right now looking at a legislative proposal which would add livestock to the current cage-free requirements of the Peoples Republic.
All ready eggs sold in CA must be raised in a cage-free environment. This proposal, should it become law, would require that chickens, pigs and cattle raised for meat must be raised in a restriction free, low-stress environment. They have to have shade, regular supplies of chilled water and pleasant background music playing in their living areas.
The largest impact would probably be on the pork market. There is actually very little pork produced in California. This requirement would place these restrictions on pork produced for sale in California no matter where it was actually produced. It is estimated that the requirement would cost the pork industry between $2 billion and $3.5 billion. It is estimated that the cage-free requirements already add about 40 cents per dozen eggs sold in California.
I just made up the part about the pleasant background music. Twisted Sister and Ratt are OK for background music, as is Bob Marley and the Monkees. No C&W is permitted, it might stress the animals too much. Lite Jazz is also good, as is some mellow R&B.
SACRAMENTO APPROVES PAYING PROTECTION MONEY
by Bob Walsh
The city council of Sacramento, CA. voted today and unanimously approved paying $1.5 million in protection money to known criminals in hope that they will quit shooting people.
The program, called Advance Peace, identifies known criminals land pays them $1,000 a month to participate in "mentoring" and "job training" as long as they promise to stop shooting people.
The city council of Sacramento, CA. voted today and unanimously approved paying $1.5 million in protection money to known criminals in hope that they will quit shooting people.
The program, called Advance Peace, identifies known criminals land pays them $1,000 a month to participate in "mentoring" and "job training" as long as they promise to stop shooting people.
BOOKS CAN BE DANGEROUS
by Bob Walsh
A 16-year old shot six people, killing two of them, in the library in Clovis, NM early this week. The shooter, Nathaniel Jouett, is in custody awaiting transfer to adult court. It is unknown what connection, if any, existed between him and any of the victims of the shooting.
Perhaps he was just a militant anti-book advocate who believed that literacy is dangerous. For six people in Clovis is certainly was..
A 16-year old shot six people, killing two of them, in the library in Clovis, NM early this week. The shooter, Nathaniel Jouett, is in custody awaiting transfer to adult court. It is unknown what connection, if any, existed between him and any of the victims of the shooting.
Perhaps he was just a militant anti-book advocate who believed that literacy is dangerous. For six people in Clovis is certainly was..
VINDICATION FOR THE F-35?
Israel Likes the F-35 So Much, It's Buying 17 More
Israel Today
August 28, 2017
US President Donald Trump was initially no fan of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which ended up being America's most expensive weapons project ever.
But Israel's been pretty happy with the new plane since taking possession of its first five such aircraft back in December 2016. In fact, Jerusalem is so pleased with what's called the "Adir" in Israel, that it's ordered an additional 17 F-35s to go with the original order of 33 planes, for a total fleet of 50 aircraft.
The planes will arrive in Israel as they are built, a process that will take several years. By 2021, Israel is expected to take possession of all 33 planes from the original order, and by 2024 the full 50-aircraft fleet will be deployed.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman called the F-35 a significant and strategically important improvement to Israel's military capabilities.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For those people who keep bitching about our aid to Israel, here is an example of that aid at work. Those orders for 50 F-35s will keep thousands of Americans employed in well-paying jobs.
Israel Today
August 28, 2017
US President Donald Trump was initially no fan of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which ended up being America's most expensive weapons project ever.
But Israel's been pretty happy with the new plane since taking possession of its first five such aircraft back in December 2016. In fact, Jerusalem is so pleased with what's called the "Adir" in Israel, that it's ordered an additional 17 F-35s to go with the original order of 33 planes, for a total fleet of 50 aircraft.
The planes will arrive in Israel as they are built, a process that will take several years. By 2021, Israel is expected to take possession of all 33 planes from the original order, and by 2024 the full 50-aircraft fleet will be deployed.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman called the F-35 a significant and strategically important improvement to Israel's military capabilities.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For those people who keep bitching about our aid to Israel, here is an example of that aid at work. Those orders for 50 F-35s will keep thousands of Americans employed in well-paying jobs.
PROF FIRED AFTER SAYING TEXANS GOT HARVEY BECAUSE THEY VOTED FOR TRUMP
University of Tampa fires sociology professor for inappropriate tweet in which he said Texas got Harvey because it voted GOP
Kenneth Storey was an assistant professor of sociology at Tampa University. Sociology professors are typically uber-left wing. Storey was no exception. He could not restrain himself from making a political issue out of storm Harvey.
On Sunday he tweeted: “I don’t believe in instant karma but this kinda feels like it for Texas. Hopefully this will help them realize the GOP doesn’t care about them.”
When a guy named Derek Burgan responded, “I guess since we’re [Florida] a Red state we deserve some bad karma too, right,” Storey replied, “Yep, those who voted for him [Trump] here deserve it as well.”
Storey is no longer a sociology professor at the University of Tampa. Although he apologized, the university fired Storey on Tuesday.
Free speech can have its consequences!
__________
ASSHOLE FIRED FOR ASSHOLEISHNESS
by Bob Walsh
Kenneth L Storey used to be a visiting assistant professor of Sociology at the University of Tampa, Florida. He was insensitive and stupid enough to Tweet that hurricane Harvey was a karmic payback to the denizens of Texas for voting for Trump for President.
He is now unemployed and his Twitter page is gone. He caught a LOT of heat over his moronic post and the powers that be at the University figured it was time for him to go away.
Good call.
Kenneth Storey was an assistant professor of sociology at Tampa University. Sociology professors are typically uber-left wing. Storey was no exception. He could not restrain himself from making a political issue out of storm Harvey.
On Sunday he tweeted: “I don’t believe in instant karma but this kinda feels like it for Texas. Hopefully this will help them realize the GOP doesn’t care about them.”
When a guy named Derek Burgan responded, “I guess since we’re [Florida] a Red state we deserve some bad karma too, right,” Storey replied, “Yep, those who voted for him [Trump] here deserve it as well.”
Storey is no longer a sociology professor at the University of Tampa. Although he apologized, the university fired Storey on Tuesday.
Free speech can have its consequences!
__________
ASSHOLE FIRED FOR ASSHOLEISHNESS
by Bob Walsh
Kenneth L Storey used to be a visiting assistant professor of Sociology at the University of Tampa, Florida. He was insensitive and stupid enough to Tweet that hurricane Harvey was a karmic payback to the denizens of Texas for voting for Trump for President.
He is now unemployed and his Twitter page is gone. He caught a LOT of heat over his moronic post and the powers that be at the University figured it was time for him to go away.
Good call.
IT WAS ‘A BIG MISTAKE’ ONLY AFTER THEY GOT CAUGHT AND IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT A BEST BUY
Best Buy explains why it charged $42 for a case of water in Texas during the hurricane as 'a big mistake'
By Dennis Green
Business Insider
August 29, 2017
Social media lit up on Tuesday after a reporter posted a picture on Twitter that showed a Best Buy in Texas charging $42 for a case of Dasani water.
The picture also showed the price for a case of Smartwater at $29, with a sign noting there was a "limited supply."
Subsequent commenters accused the store, in the Houston suburb of Cypress, of price gouging. A 24-pack of water like that usually costs between $15 and $25 — even online.
In a statement, a Best Buy representative told Business Insider the pricing was "a big mistake." The price was seen only on Friday and was because an employee had mistakenly priced the entire case of water by multiplying the price of a single bottle.
Best Buy does not typically sell cases of water, the statement says, so the point-of-sale system had no price for the entire case.
The Best Buy location has closed because of Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall on Friday.
"As a company we are focused on helping, not hurting affected people," the statement says. "We're sorry, and it won't happen again."
Though Best Buy wasn't participating, price gouging for essential goods is routinely an issue in the wake of natural disasters. The Texas attorney general's office told the reporter who tweeted the photo that it had received 225 emails and 550 complaints of price gouging since Harvey devastated southeastern Texas.
By Dennis Green
Business Insider
August 29, 2017
Social media lit up on Tuesday after a reporter posted a picture on Twitter that showed a Best Buy in Texas charging $42 for a case of Dasani water.
The picture also showed the price for a case of Smartwater at $29, with a sign noting there was a "limited supply."
Subsequent commenters accused the store, in the Houston suburb of Cypress, of price gouging. A 24-pack of water like that usually costs between $15 and $25 — even online.
In a statement, a Best Buy representative told Business Insider the pricing was "a big mistake." The price was seen only on Friday and was because an employee had mistakenly priced the entire case of water by multiplying the price of a single bottle.
Best Buy does not typically sell cases of water, the statement says, so the point-of-sale system had no price for the entire case.
The Best Buy location has closed because of Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall on Friday.
"As a company we are focused on helping, not hurting affected people," the statement says. "We're sorry, and it won't happen again."
Though Best Buy wasn't participating, price gouging for essential goods is routinely an issue in the wake of natural disasters. The Texas attorney general's office told the reporter who tweeted the photo that it had received 225 emails and 550 complaints of price gouging since Harvey devastated southeastern Texas.
CLEVER MONEY LAUNDERING AND DRUG DISTRIBUTION SCHEME BECOMES UNRAVLED
Feds in San Diego bust alleged drug-trafficking, money-laundering ring
By Kristina Davis
The San Diego Union-Tribune
August 24, 2017
Federal authorities have nabbed five people accused of running a ring that trafficked recently-smuggled drugs in San Diego County for wider distribution and helped funnel at least $5 million in suspected drug proceeds to Mexico, according to a complaint unsealed last week.
An Internal Revenue Service agent began investigating in 2015 when he got tipped to suspicious activity in bank accounts linked to a South Bay man, according to the affidavit attached to the complaint.
The agent conducted surveillance and further investigation revealed more than 50 bank accounts that appeared to be used as “funnel accounts.” The accounts received cash deposits from around the country in amounts up to $10,000 (amounts over that trigger mandatory reporting by the bank). The deposits were then quickly withdrawn, likely to be smuggled into Mexico, according to the complaint.
In March 2016, sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop on the South Bay man, William Quintero, and found a white box with $21,000 inside, according to the complaint. A search of his house revealed more than $40,000 in cash and 2,300 pounds of marijuana. A self-storage facility in Chula Vista turned up another 3,600 pounds of marijuana.
Quintero and his wife pleaded guilty to drug charges in a separate case. A search of his cellphone revealed alleged associates.
The investigation found two men, Javier Felix Bayardo and Mario Noriega Osuna, controlled many of the bank accounts and would use fraudulent Mexican IDs to open the accounts, according to the complaint.
Another alleged associate who was interviewed by agents last summer admitted his role in the money-laundering scheme. He said for the past year he would receive cash deposits from unknown people on the East Coast, and then he would withdraw the cash and give it to another man believed to be Quintero. He said he was paid $50 for every $1,000 in deposits.
Shortly after the interview the associate fled to Mexico, authorities said.
The investigation expanded into drug operations.
Agents observed Felix and two other suspects several times load items to and from a self-storage center in National City. On a few occasions, items appeared to be moved to a detached bathhouse in Alpine, a place agents suspect was being used as a transshipment point for drugs.
On Aug. 9, a day after two suspects were seen delivering a black duffel bag to one of the storage units, agents searched the storage center. Agents seized 26 grams of cocaine, 938 grams of methamphetamine, 486 kilograms of marijuana and several guns, including a fully automatic rifle.
Agents arrested Felix, Felix’s girlfriend, Noriega, and the two other men the following week. They have pleaded not guilty.
By Kristina Davis
The San Diego Union-Tribune
August 24, 2017
Federal authorities have nabbed five people accused of running a ring that trafficked recently-smuggled drugs in San Diego County for wider distribution and helped funnel at least $5 million in suspected drug proceeds to Mexico, according to a complaint unsealed last week.
An Internal Revenue Service agent began investigating in 2015 when he got tipped to suspicious activity in bank accounts linked to a South Bay man, according to the affidavit attached to the complaint.
The agent conducted surveillance and further investigation revealed more than 50 bank accounts that appeared to be used as “funnel accounts.” The accounts received cash deposits from around the country in amounts up to $10,000 (amounts over that trigger mandatory reporting by the bank). The deposits were then quickly withdrawn, likely to be smuggled into Mexico, according to the complaint.
In March 2016, sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop on the South Bay man, William Quintero, and found a white box with $21,000 inside, according to the complaint. A search of his house revealed more than $40,000 in cash and 2,300 pounds of marijuana. A self-storage facility in Chula Vista turned up another 3,600 pounds of marijuana.
Quintero and his wife pleaded guilty to drug charges in a separate case. A search of his cellphone revealed alleged associates.
The investigation found two men, Javier Felix Bayardo and Mario Noriega Osuna, controlled many of the bank accounts and would use fraudulent Mexican IDs to open the accounts, according to the complaint.
Another alleged associate who was interviewed by agents last summer admitted his role in the money-laundering scheme. He said for the past year he would receive cash deposits from unknown people on the East Coast, and then he would withdraw the cash and give it to another man believed to be Quintero. He said he was paid $50 for every $1,000 in deposits.
Shortly after the interview the associate fled to Mexico, authorities said.
The investigation expanded into drug operations.
Agents observed Felix and two other suspects several times load items to and from a self-storage center in National City. On a few occasions, items appeared to be moved to a detached bathhouse in Alpine, a place agents suspect was being used as a transshipment point for drugs.
On Aug. 9, a day after two suspects were seen delivering a black duffel bag to one of the storage units, agents searched the storage center. Agents seized 26 grams of cocaine, 938 grams of methamphetamine, 486 kilograms of marijuana and several guns, including a fully automatic rifle.
Agents arrested Felix, Felix’s girlfriend, Noriega, and the two other men the following week. They have pleaded not guilty.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
ANOTHER CRAZY PROGRAM BY CRAZIES IN A ONCE NOT SO CRAZY STATE
by Bob Walsh
Sacramento is the capitol city of the formerly great state of California. Like most other liberal controlled bastions of political correctness they have as problem with saying that criminals are bad people. Therefore they are seriously looking at a program called ADVANCE PEACE.
This program would (if implemented) identify 50 people who are known by the police to be violent assholes. As long as they do not have any serious criminal charges currently pending this program would provide them with "mentoring" job training and a bribe of $1,000 per month if they promise to stop shooting people. They don't have to give up their guns or anything RADICAL like that, all they have to do is really and truly promise to stop shooting people and they will get their money.
I guess the idea of identifying violent criminal assholes and throwing their asses into prison is out of the question.
Sacramento is the capitol city of the formerly great state of California. Like most other liberal controlled bastions of political correctness they have as problem with saying that criminals are bad people. Therefore they are seriously looking at a program called ADVANCE PEACE.
This program would (if implemented) identify 50 people who are known by the police to be violent assholes. As long as they do not have any serious criminal charges currently pending this program would provide them with "mentoring" job training and a bribe of $1,000 per month if they promise to stop shooting people. They don't have to give up their guns or anything RADICAL like that, all they have to do is really and truly promise to stop shooting people and they will get their money.
I guess the idea of identifying violent criminal assholes and throwing their asses into prison is out of the question.
PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT VOWS HE WILL CONTINUE TO AID TERRORISTS
Abbas Tells Trump He Won't Stop Giving American Money to Terrorists
Israel Today
August 29, 2017
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has rejected American demands that he stop using foreign financial aid to pay stipends and salaries to the families of jailed Palestinian terrorists.
Abbas met last week with US envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to restart Middle East peace talks.
According to Israeli journalists present at the meeting, Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, reiterated the long-standing demand that the Palestinian Authority not reward terrorism with financial gain.
Congress has repeatedly threatened to halt all foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority over the payments to jailed terrorists, nearly all of whom are incarcerated in Israel for carrying out attacks on Jewish men, women and children.
The Arabic-language newspaper Al-Quds reported that Abbas' response was to "inform Kushner that he would never stop paying these salaries until his dying day, even if this cost him the presidency."
EDITOR’S NOTE: Will the American and European governments ever wake up and realize that Abbas is not really interested in a permanent two-state solution as he has repeatedly vowed there will be only one state and that will be a Palestinian state with no Jews allowed.
Israel Today
August 29, 2017
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has rejected American demands that he stop using foreign financial aid to pay stipends and salaries to the families of jailed Palestinian terrorists.
Abbas met last week with US envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to restart Middle East peace talks.
According to Israeli journalists present at the meeting, Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, reiterated the long-standing demand that the Palestinian Authority not reward terrorism with financial gain.
Congress has repeatedly threatened to halt all foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority over the payments to jailed terrorists, nearly all of whom are incarcerated in Israel for carrying out attacks on Jewish men, women and children.
The Arabic-language newspaper Al-Quds reported that Abbas' response was to "inform Kushner that he would never stop paying these salaries until his dying day, even if this cost him the presidency."
EDITOR’S NOTE: Will the American and European governments ever wake up and realize that Abbas is not really interested in a permanent two-state solution as he has repeatedly vowed there will be only one state and that will be a Palestinian state with no Jews allowed.
MEASURE ALLOWING KOOKFORNIANS TO GET HIGH ON MUSHROOMS IS IN THE WORKS
California voters legalized pot. Are ‘shrooms next?
By Jim Miller
The Sacramento Bee
August 28, 2017
California wasn’t first to the pot legalization party, with last November’s Proposition 64 lagging behind decriminalization measures in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and some other parts of the U.S.
State voters, though, could be the first to legalize psychedelic mushrooms under a recently filed proposal from a former candidate for mayor in the Central Coast city of Marina.
Decriminalizing psilocybin-containing mushrooms for people 21 and over is a natural step after voters’ legalization of pot, said Kevin Saunders, who filed the measure.
“What I want to do is take the shackles off. I want to have an adult conversation,” he said. California voters are ready for that, he added: “Not only are the soccer moms high now, but some of them are taking mushrooms.”
The U.S. government classifies psilocybin as Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Other Schedule I drugs include heroin and LSD, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. It’s unclear how many Californians take hallucinogenic mushrooms – according to a 2015 survey by the California Mental Health Planning Council, no county listed hallucinogenics as a major abuse problem.
The measure would need 365,880 valid voter signatures to qualify for next year’s ballot. Saunders said a large community of volunteers will help gather signatures. He also hopes the campaign would get help from deep-pocketed groups such as the Drug Policy Alliance.
“We think that things are evolving so quickly and that minds are opening almost daily,” he said.
By Jim Miller
The Sacramento Bee
August 28, 2017
California wasn’t first to the pot legalization party, with last November’s Proposition 64 lagging behind decriminalization measures in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and some other parts of the U.S.
State voters, though, could be the first to legalize psychedelic mushrooms under a recently filed proposal from a former candidate for mayor in the Central Coast city of Marina.
Decriminalizing psilocybin-containing mushrooms for people 21 and over is a natural step after voters’ legalization of pot, said Kevin Saunders, who filed the measure.
“What I want to do is take the shackles off. I want to have an adult conversation,” he said. California voters are ready for that, he added: “Not only are the soccer moms high now, but some of them are taking mushrooms.”
The U.S. government classifies psilocybin as Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Other Schedule I drugs include heroin and LSD, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. It’s unclear how many Californians take hallucinogenic mushrooms – according to a 2015 survey by the California Mental Health Planning Council, no county listed hallucinogenics as a major abuse problem.
The measure would need 365,880 valid voter signatures to qualify for next year’s ballot. Saunders said a large community of volunteers will help gather signatures. He also hopes the campaign would get help from deep-pocketed groups such as the Drug Policy Alliance.
“We think that things are evolving so quickly and that minds are opening almost daily,” he said.
FLORIDA DRUG DEALER HAD THE GREEN ASS AND WAS SHITTING $20 BILLS
Man hides over $1,000 in drug money in his ass after being pulled over by cops with a seven-month-old child in his car
By Kelly McLaughlin
Daily Mail
August 29, 2017
A 26-year-old man in Florida man stuffed more than $1,000 into his rectum in an attempt to hide it from police after he was arrested during a traffic stop while his seven-month-old child was in the car, officials say.
Pattreon Stokes, from Wildwood, was pulled over by officers from the Marion County Sheriff's Office for speeding early Saturday morning.
Deputies carried out a search of his vehicle after smelling marijuana and found 197 grams of methamphetamine, rock cocaine and four grams of heroin.
Police also found a small scale, a large amount of cash and marijuana in the car, where his child was sitting in the front passenger seat.
Stokes was arrested and taken to Marion County Jail, where police realized that the $1,090 they found during the traffic stop was missing.
The 26-year-old allegedly told police that they had already collected the money from him.
Maroin County Police said in a statement on Facebook: 'Detention deputies then noticed something quite unusual… they observed $20.00 bills falling from Stokes' buttocks area.
'After a necessary but undesirable process for everyone involved, MCSO Detention Deputies located $1,090.00 in U.S. currency hidden in Stokes' rectum.
'Judging from Stokes' mug shot, he looks pretty 'bummed' about the whole situation…'
Officers joked in the Facebook post that they would understand if cashiers in Marion County planned to use gloves on the job from now on.
The officials ended their statement to make note that Stokes' seven-month-old child was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car as the father trafficked drugs.
Stokes was charged with smuggling contraband into a detention facility, trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking heroin, possession of cocaine with the intent to sell, manufacture or deliver, possession of marijuana and possession of drug equipment.
Photos on social media show stokes flaunting hundred dollar bills, posing in front of cars and wearing designer clothing.
Other images show Stokes with who appears to be his child.
A couple images posted in 2016 show bags and joints marijuana in the front seat of a vehicle.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The moral to this story is don’t stuff more stuff up your ass than it can hold!
By Kelly McLaughlin
Daily Mail
August 29, 2017
A 26-year-old man in Florida man stuffed more than $1,000 into his rectum in an attempt to hide it from police after he was arrested during a traffic stop while his seven-month-old child was in the car, officials say.
Pattreon Stokes, from Wildwood, was pulled over by officers from the Marion County Sheriff's Office for speeding early Saturday morning.
Deputies carried out a search of his vehicle after smelling marijuana and found 197 grams of methamphetamine, rock cocaine and four grams of heroin.
Police also found a small scale, a large amount of cash and marijuana in the car, where his child was sitting in the front passenger seat.
Stokes was arrested and taken to Marion County Jail, where police realized that the $1,090 they found during the traffic stop was missing.
The 26-year-old allegedly told police that they had already collected the money from him.
Maroin County Police said in a statement on Facebook: 'Detention deputies then noticed something quite unusual… they observed $20.00 bills falling from Stokes' buttocks area.
'After a necessary but undesirable process for everyone involved, MCSO Detention Deputies located $1,090.00 in U.S. currency hidden in Stokes' rectum.
'Judging from Stokes' mug shot, he looks pretty 'bummed' about the whole situation…'
Officers joked in the Facebook post that they would understand if cashiers in Marion County planned to use gloves on the job from now on.
The officials ended their statement to make note that Stokes' seven-month-old child was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car as the father trafficked drugs.
Stokes was charged with smuggling contraband into a detention facility, trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking heroin, possession of cocaine with the intent to sell, manufacture or deliver, possession of marijuana and possession of drug equipment.
Photos on social media show stokes flaunting hundred dollar bills, posing in front of cars and wearing designer clothing.
Other images show Stokes with who appears to be his child.
A couple images posted in 2016 show bags and joints marijuana in the front seat of a vehicle.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The moral to this story is don’t stuff more stuff up your ass than it can hold!
GOTCHA THANKS TO BUD THE PARROT
She's a jailbird now! Wife sentenced to life in prison for killing her husband after their pet PARROT 'outed her' by repeating 'don't fucking shoot' in the victim's voice
By James Wilkinson
Daily Mail
August 29, 2017
A Michigan woman has received life in prison after being convicted of her husband's murder - after being turned in by her own parrot.
Glenna Duram, 49, of Sand Lake, shot her husband Martin, 46, five times in May 2015 apparently with their pet bird, Bud, as the only witness.
But now, much like the parrot, she'll be spending life behind bars - after it repeated 'don't fucking shoot' in Martin Duram's voice.
Glenna Duram was convicted of first-degree murder and a felony firearm charge last month, but only learned her sentence on Monday.
The court previously heard how she had turned the gun on herself after killing her husband in a failed suicide attempt.
But things turned against Glenna when Martin's ex-wife, Christina Keller, revealed that Bud seemed to be repeating his last words.
Her claims were backed up by Martin's parents, who said they were sure the bird was revealing what went on.
'That bird picks up everything and anything, and it's got the filthiest mouth around,' Lillian Duram told the BBC.
Keller has now taken ownership of the parrot.
During the 10-day trial, the defense attempted to convince the jury that Glenna was not in her right mind during the shooting.
They had a list of her medications admitted to evidence during its final stages, but that failed to sway their decision and she was found guilty after eight hours of deliberation.
The parrot was not called upon to testify in the trial. Its testimony was not submitted to the court.
Glenna's attorney plans to appeal.
EDITOR’S NOTE: How humiliating to be done in by a fucking parrot.
By James Wilkinson
Daily Mail
August 29, 2017
A Michigan woman has received life in prison after being convicted of her husband's murder - after being turned in by her own parrot.
Glenna Duram, 49, of Sand Lake, shot her husband Martin, 46, five times in May 2015 apparently with their pet bird, Bud, as the only witness.
But now, much like the parrot, she'll be spending life behind bars - after it repeated 'don't fucking shoot' in Martin Duram's voice.
Glenna Duram was convicted of first-degree murder and a felony firearm charge last month, but only learned her sentence on Monday.
The court previously heard how she had turned the gun on herself after killing her husband in a failed suicide attempt.
But things turned against Glenna when Martin's ex-wife, Christina Keller, revealed that Bud seemed to be repeating his last words.
Her claims were backed up by Martin's parents, who said they were sure the bird was revealing what went on.
'That bird picks up everything and anything, and it's got the filthiest mouth around,' Lillian Duram told the BBC.
Keller has now taken ownership of the parrot.
During the 10-day trial, the defense attempted to convince the jury that Glenna was not in her right mind during the shooting.
They had a list of her medications admitted to evidence during its final stages, but that failed to sway their decision and she was found guilty after eight hours of deliberation.
The parrot was not called upon to testify in the trial. Its testimony was not submitted to the court.
Glenna's attorney plans to appeal.
EDITOR’S NOTE: How humiliating to be done in by a fucking parrot.
GROWING BLACK MARKET IN HOMEMADE GUNS
'Ghost guns' are easy to build, legal and completely untraceable
By Kristina Davis
The San Diego Union-Tribune
August 27, 2017
Every gun tells a story.
It’s a popular catchphrase used by law enforcement to describe how to trace a firearm, from manufacturer to distributor to point of sale to customer.
But a new crop of guns bear no markings of their origin.
They are hand-built in homes and shared workshops, using mail-order parts and drilling machines that range from the rudimentary to the complex. They don’t bear the serial numbers of licensed manufacturers. They are untraceable, hence their nickname: “ghost guns.”
In just the past few years, the advancement and availability of milling and 3-D printing technology has made it easier than ever to build your own guns.
While not illegal on the face of it, authorities have grown increasingly concerned about the potential for a growing black market that sidesteps state and federal gun laws regulating everything from background checks to banned weapons.
The build-your-own-gun movement took off a few years ago in California, home to some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, and has more recently been spreading to other part of the country, said Paul Ware, counsel for the Los Angeles division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The division spans Southern California, from the Mexico border north to San Luis Obispo.
Ware first heard of the practice a few years ago when an investigator forwarded him a clip from San Diego’s 10 News. A local business was inviting people to make their own AR-15-type weapons around Christmastime. While state law prohibits the sale of the completed rifles, it is not illegal to posses them in specific configurations. A new state law also requires AR-15 owners to register their weapons.
“I watched the video and said ‘That’s interesting,’” Ware said. He researched further and determined the business didn’t have a firearms manufacturing license, which is needed to make guns for sale legally.
“They are no longer in business,” he said. “We told them they needed a license, and they decided not to get a license.”
By law, licensed gun manufacturers are required to engrave identifying information on the weapon’s lower receiver. It’s the hollow metal frame that by legal definition makes a gun a gun. The manufacturer name and unique serial number are marked on the piece, and the gun’s path to a distributor is recorded in its company records.
The distributor and gun dealer must also record their possession of the weapon, ending with to whom the gun is ultimately sold.
ATF is prohibited by law from keeping a national register of firearms, so when a gun pops up at a crime scene, it is this process of checking through private corporate records that traces the gun to potential suspects.
When a ghost gun shows up at a crime scene, that presents a problem.
How does it work?
The most important component to building an untraceable gun is the lower receiver. The easiest way to get one without the markings of a licensed manufacturer is to buy an unfinished lower receiver online.
Called ULR for short, the unfinished piece can be sold legally without a license as long as it is missing key components that make it a firearm. The gun industry has attached a threshold to this, typically describing an unfinished lower receiver as 80 percent done. But ATF says that there is no 80 percent rule — it either is a gun or isn’t a gun, Ware said.
Once at home, the buyer can easily drill a few remaining holes in the unfinished metal shell. The now-finished lower receiver is then ready for its other parts — such as barrel, trigger mechanism, upper receiver and stock — all readily available online. Assemble it and you’ve got a working gun.
Lower receivers can also be milled from scratch at shared workshops that rent expensive machinery to the public.
It is not illegal to make or own these kinds of guns, and gun enthusiasts make up much of the fanbase for this do-it-yourself method.
“It’s not as nefarious as it sounds,” said Steve Herrick, owner of MakerPlace in Morena, a workshop that rents everything from metalworking tools to 3-D printers to industrial sewing machines.
He said customers bring in their own computer software for the Computer Numeric Control, or CNC, machines, where they can make anything from a Barbie to a lower receiver.
“The work required is not that hard. You don’t have to be a skilled craftsman to do those things,” he said.
He added: “We try not to stick our nose in our customers’ business.”
The one rule he asks gunmakers to follow is to not ever assemble the firearm at the workshop. “They can make individual parts, most of which are not recognizable,” Herrick said.
The guns are a far cry from the first models that were milled this way, Ware said.
“People laughed off the first versions of 3-D guns, they were terrible,” he said. “They shot a few rounds, blew up in your hand. It’s not that anymore. They are nearly as good as ones you can buy.”
Against the law
What is illegal is to make these kinds of guns for sale, or to sell as a middleman. And a felon is prohibited from owning any kind of gun.
A black market for these untraceable guns — from Glock pistols to fully-automatic machine guns — has emerged, selling to customers without background checks.
“Prohibited people have easy access to these guns,” Ware said. “They can make them themselves or buy from someone who makes it for them. It subverts the whole Gun Control Act. Most people think it’s hard to get a gun without a background check. It’s not.”
It was easy for Rolando Magana.
Prior convictions for domestic violence and making threats using a gun made him ineligible to own a firearm. So he went to ROHG Industries.
“They were inviting the public to come in, you pick the parts you want, like a smorgasbord, a buffet,” Ware said. “They put it into the CNC machines and ask the customer to press the button. Believe it or not, they could manufacture and fully assemble a gun, in an hour, you walk out with a rifle.”
The La Habra business kept records of its sales and photos of customers, but did not perform background checks, authorities allege. When the warehouse was searched in 2014, agents culled through about 520 customer profiles and learned 20 were convicted felons and another person was deemed mentally unfit to possess a gun, according to court documents.
One of those customers, Magana, admitted that he’d bought guns and gun parts from the business and trafficked them in carloads to Michoacan, Mexico, according to the criminal complaint. A search of his house turned up an arsenal of guns marked with serial numbers, as well as unfinished lower receivers and plastic human restraints.
The warehouse owner, Joseph Roh, is set to go to trial in October in Orange County on a charge of manufacturing guns without a license.
Paul Joseph Holdy, a convicted felon with a history of drug offenses, was running a less sophisticated operation in San Diego.
Using drill presses and small CNC machine at his University City home, as well as the fancier machines at MakerPlace, Holdy made lower receivers and then assembled guns using component parts. He sold at least 18 guns to undercover ATF agents from June 2016 to May 2017, including short-barrel machine guns, assault rifles and handguns, according to his plea agreement and other court records.
The deals were often made in parking lots, and a few times the agents were invited to the house that he shared with his parents, according to court records.
Another local ring ran out of North County. A young mechanic, Christian Romero, was accused of making assault-style weapons from unfinished lower receivers and then selling the assembled weapons with help from friends for more than $1,000 each.
While federal authorities went after these operations criminally, ATF’s Ware said the agency tries to first educate those in the industry about what is and isn’t allowed. Most comply, he said.
ATF does not specifically track cases involving unfinished lower receivers, therefore it is unknown how frequently such guns are showing up at crime scenes or are seized. Local law enforcement are more likely to come across such weapons, Ware said.
San Diego police said officers rarely come across such guns.
An AR-15-style rifle pieced together from various parts was used in the 2013 rampage shooting in Santa Monica. John Zawahri, 23, killed five people, starting at his father’s home and ending at Santa Monica College. Police shot him in the school’s library. Zawahri was also carrying a .44-caliber pistol.
The rifle appeared to have been modified to fire more rounds.
By Kristina Davis
The San Diego Union-Tribune
August 27, 2017
Every gun tells a story.
It’s a popular catchphrase used by law enforcement to describe how to trace a firearm, from manufacturer to distributor to point of sale to customer.
But a new crop of guns bear no markings of their origin.
They are hand-built in homes and shared workshops, using mail-order parts and drilling machines that range from the rudimentary to the complex. They don’t bear the serial numbers of licensed manufacturers. They are untraceable, hence their nickname: “ghost guns.”
In just the past few years, the advancement and availability of milling and 3-D printing technology has made it easier than ever to build your own guns.
While not illegal on the face of it, authorities have grown increasingly concerned about the potential for a growing black market that sidesteps state and federal gun laws regulating everything from background checks to banned weapons.
The build-your-own-gun movement took off a few years ago in California, home to some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, and has more recently been spreading to other part of the country, said Paul Ware, counsel for the Los Angeles division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The division spans Southern California, from the Mexico border north to San Luis Obispo.
Ware first heard of the practice a few years ago when an investigator forwarded him a clip from San Diego’s 10 News. A local business was inviting people to make their own AR-15-type weapons around Christmastime. While state law prohibits the sale of the completed rifles, it is not illegal to posses them in specific configurations. A new state law also requires AR-15 owners to register their weapons.
“I watched the video and said ‘That’s interesting,’” Ware said. He researched further and determined the business didn’t have a firearms manufacturing license, which is needed to make guns for sale legally.
“They are no longer in business,” he said. “We told them they needed a license, and they decided not to get a license.”
By law, licensed gun manufacturers are required to engrave identifying information on the weapon’s lower receiver. It’s the hollow metal frame that by legal definition makes a gun a gun. The manufacturer name and unique serial number are marked on the piece, and the gun’s path to a distributor is recorded in its company records.
The distributor and gun dealer must also record their possession of the weapon, ending with to whom the gun is ultimately sold.
ATF is prohibited by law from keeping a national register of firearms, so when a gun pops up at a crime scene, it is this process of checking through private corporate records that traces the gun to potential suspects.
When a ghost gun shows up at a crime scene, that presents a problem.
How does it work?
The most important component to building an untraceable gun is the lower receiver. The easiest way to get one without the markings of a licensed manufacturer is to buy an unfinished lower receiver online.
Called ULR for short, the unfinished piece can be sold legally without a license as long as it is missing key components that make it a firearm. The gun industry has attached a threshold to this, typically describing an unfinished lower receiver as 80 percent done. But ATF says that there is no 80 percent rule — it either is a gun or isn’t a gun, Ware said.
Once at home, the buyer can easily drill a few remaining holes in the unfinished metal shell. The now-finished lower receiver is then ready for its other parts — such as barrel, trigger mechanism, upper receiver and stock — all readily available online. Assemble it and you’ve got a working gun.
Lower receivers can also be milled from scratch at shared workshops that rent expensive machinery to the public.
It is not illegal to make or own these kinds of guns, and gun enthusiasts make up much of the fanbase for this do-it-yourself method.
“It’s not as nefarious as it sounds,” said Steve Herrick, owner of MakerPlace in Morena, a workshop that rents everything from metalworking tools to 3-D printers to industrial sewing machines.
He said customers bring in their own computer software for the Computer Numeric Control, or CNC, machines, where they can make anything from a Barbie to a lower receiver.
“The work required is not that hard. You don’t have to be a skilled craftsman to do those things,” he said.
He added: “We try not to stick our nose in our customers’ business.”
The one rule he asks gunmakers to follow is to not ever assemble the firearm at the workshop. “They can make individual parts, most of which are not recognizable,” Herrick said.
The guns are a far cry from the first models that were milled this way, Ware said.
“People laughed off the first versions of 3-D guns, they were terrible,” he said. “They shot a few rounds, blew up in your hand. It’s not that anymore. They are nearly as good as ones you can buy.”
Against the law
What is illegal is to make these kinds of guns for sale, or to sell as a middleman. And a felon is prohibited from owning any kind of gun.
A black market for these untraceable guns — from Glock pistols to fully-automatic machine guns — has emerged, selling to customers without background checks.
“Prohibited people have easy access to these guns,” Ware said. “They can make them themselves or buy from someone who makes it for them. It subverts the whole Gun Control Act. Most people think it’s hard to get a gun without a background check. It’s not.”
It was easy for Rolando Magana.
Prior convictions for domestic violence and making threats using a gun made him ineligible to own a firearm. So he went to ROHG Industries.
“They were inviting the public to come in, you pick the parts you want, like a smorgasbord, a buffet,” Ware said. “They put it into the CNC machines and ask the customer to press the button. Believe it or not, they could manufacture and fully assemble a gun, in an hour, you walk out with a rifle.”
The La Habra business kept records of its sales and photos of customers, but did not perform background checks, authorities allege. When the warehouse was searched in 2014, agents culled through about 520 customer profiles and learned 20 were convicted felons and another person was deemed mentally unfit to possess a gun, according to court documents.
One of those customers, Magana, admitted that he’d bought guns and gun parts from the business and trafficked them in carloads to Michoacan, Mexico, according to the criminal complaint. A search of his house turned up an arsenal of guns marked with serial numbers, as well as unfinished lower receivers and plastic human restraints.
The warehouse owner, Joseph Roh, is set to go to trial in October in Orange County on a charge of manufacturing guns without a license.
Paul Joseph Holdy, a convicted felon with a history of drug offenses, was running a less sophisticated operation in San Diego.
Using drill presses and small CNC machine at his University City home, as well as the fancier machines at MakerPlace, Holdy made lower receivers and then assembled guns using component parts. He sold at least 18 guns to undercover ATF agents from June 2016 to May 2017, including short-barrel machine guns, assault rifles and handguns, according to his plea agreement and other court records.
The deals were often made in parking lots, and a few times the agents were invited to the house that he shared with his parents, according to court records.
Another local ring ran out of North County. A young mechanic, Christian Romero, was accused of making assault-style weapons from unfinished lower receivers and then selling the assembled weapons with help from friends for more than $1,000 each.
While federal authorities went after these operations criminally, ATF’s Ware said the agency tries to first educate those in the industry about what is and isn’t allowed. Most comply, he said.
ATF does not specifically track cases involving unfinished lower receivers, therefore it is unknown how frequently such guns are showing up at crime scenes or are seized. Local law enforcement are more likely to come across such weapons, Ware said.
San Diego police said officers rarely come across such guns.
An AR-15-style rifle pieced together from various parts was used in the 2013 rampage shooting in Santa Monica. John Zawahri, 23, killed five people, starting at his father’s home and ending at Santa Monica College. Police shot him in the school’s library. Zawahri was also carrying a .44-caliber pistol.
The rifle appeared to have been modified to fire more rounds.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
MATTRESS MACK OPENS HIS FURNITURE STORE AS SHELTER FOR FLOOD VICTIMS
Jim McIngvale’s Gallery Furniture provides shelter to Houstonians in need
By Erica Ponder
CW39 NewsFix
August 27, 2017
HOUSTON — Gallery Furniture is providing shelter to people in need of protection from rising flood waters off I-45 North between Tidwell and Parker.
The store is stocked with food, water, and mattresses. They look forward to keeping their “neighbors safe from the storm,” owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale said.
“Houstonians have a safe, dry place to take shelter at Gallery Furniture so if they can get here they are welcome,” said McIngvale. “We hope to give them some comfort in this incredibly difficult time.”
This isn’t the first time the Houston retailer has taken in victims of natural disasters. They provided shelter for Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jim McIngvale is not one of Houston’s finest citizens, he is Houston’s finest citizen!
By Erica Ponder
CW39 NewsFix
August 27, 2017
HOUSTON — Gallery Furniture is providing shelter to people in need of protection from rising flood waters off I-45 North between Tidwell and Parker.
The store is stocked with food, water, and mattresses. They look forward to keeping their “neighbors safe from the storm,” owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale said.
“Houstonians have a safe, dry place to take shelter at Gallery Furniture so if they can get here they are welcome,” said McIngvale. “We hope to give them some comfort in this incredibly difficult time.”
This isn’t the first time the Houston retailer has taken in victims of natural disasters. They provided shelter for Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jim McIngvale is not one of Houston’s finest citizens, he is Houston’s finest citizen!
PC POLICE NAIL ANOTHER POLITICIAN
by Bob Walsh
P:iedmont, CA. is an interesting city. It is nestled into the foothills above Oakland. Population is a tad over 10,000. A lot of really rich people live there. One of the Bechtel family has a VERY NICE place there. By law, there are no structures there except single family residences and necessary government buildings. No duplexes or 7-11s in Piedmont.
Jeff Wieler was the mayor until a couple of days ago. He resigned hours before being kicked out by the city council. (He is still a member of the city council but is no longer the mayor.)
He made a couple of Facebook posts, including the statement that transgender people are mentally ill and Democrats are the plantation slave owners of the modern era. These posts were allegedly lacking in compassion and were offensive. I didn't find anybody who said he was wrong, merely offensive and lacking in compassion.
Facebook posts kill, careers if nothing else.
P:iedmont, CA. is an interesting city. It is nestled into the foothills above Oakland. Population is a tad over 10,000. A lot of really rich people live there. One of the Bechtel family has a VERY NICE place there. By law, there are no structures there except single family residences and necessary government buildings. No duplexes or 7-11s in Piedmont.
Jeff Wieler was the mayor until a couple of days ago. He resigned hours before being kicked out by the city council. (He is still a member of the city council but is no longer the mayor.)
He made a couple of Facebook posts, including the statement that transgender people are mentally ill and Democrats are the plantation slave owners of the modern era. These posts were allegedly lacking in compassion and were offensive. I didn't find anybody who said he was wrong, merely offensive and lacking in compassion.
Facebook posts kill, careers if nothing else.
ANTI-FASCIST FASCISTS ATTTACK IN BERKELEY ..... WITH POLICE ASSISTANCE
by Bob Walsh
Once upon a time the Berkeley, CA. P.D. was an honest, competent well-run operation. Even back during the 60s. I know. I was there. Now, not so much.
An army of violent "counter-protesters" was there on Saturday to "protest" against a small group of anti-Marxists. The cops allegedly tried to keep the groups apart but a couple of hundred violent anarchists managed to "force their way thru" the police lines and "blend in with the ordinary people and counter-protesters." Since the violent anarchists were wearing all black, were masked and carrying shields I wonder what the ordinary folks looked like that allowed them to blend in so well.
The cops made a deliberate decision to "not aggravate" the situation and of course the anarchists physically attacked the anti-Marxists The cops actually stood aside and let the anarchists climb over the barriers in order to attack the anti-Marxists. They also attacked some media people who were taking photos.
The cops eventually got around to arresting 13 people.
Once upon a time the Berkeley, CA. P.D. was an honest, competent well-run operation. Even back during the 60s. I know. I was there. Now, not so much.
An army of violent "counter-protesters" was there on Saturday to "protest" against a small group of anti-Marxists. The cops allegedly tried to keep the groups apart but a couple of hundred violent anarchists managed to "force their way thru" the police lines and "blend in with the ordinary people and counter-protesters." Since the violent anarchists were wearing all black, were masked and carrying shields I wonder what the ordinary folks looked like that allowed them to blend in so well.
The cops made a deliberate decision to "not aggravate" the situation and of course the anarchists physically attacked the anti-Marxists The cops actually stood aside and let the anarchists climb over the barriers in order to attack the anti-Marxists. They also attacked some media people who were taking photos.
The cops eventually got around to arresting 13 people.
BUT HOW LONG WILL IT REMAIN STANDING?
Confederate statue to unknown soldiers unveiled in Alabama amid national controversy
Associated Press
August 28, 2017
As cities across the country are tearing down and relocating Confederate monuments, a county in southern Alabama on Sunday unveiled a new one.
Several hundred people attended a dedication ceremony for the 'Unknown Alabama Confederate Soldiers' at Confederate Veterans Memorial Park in Crenshaw County, Alabama, 55 miles south of Montgomery.
The memorial park's owner and developer, David Coggins, said the groups in attendance weren't white nationalists or racists, but were acknowledging their heritage and honoring Confederate soldiers everywhere.
'It's important that we remember our heritage and it's very important we remember our history, for those people that forget their heritage ... are doomed to repeat it again,' he said.
The monument was surrounded by a black metal fence and flanked by two other monuments. As a red cloth was pulled to reveal it, five cannons were fired.
Confederate flags were flown throughout the park and several attendants were dressed in Confederate garb.
The Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans attended the ceremony, along with re-enactors dressed in period clothing.
Coggins said the ceremony was not planned in response to recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month, when white nationalists who objected to the proposed removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee clashed with counter protesters. A woman was killed and several others injured when a car plowed into the counter-protesters. Two state troopers also died when their helicopter crashed.
The Alabama ceremony was scheduled months ago and the monument was ordered last year, Coggins told The Associated Press.
Debbie Weir, a retired attendee, said the monument stands for everything her ancestors endured, adding that she enjoyed people from different states coming together 'to prove that we are one nation.'
'It's always a good day when Confederates come together,' Weir said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I firmly believe that the descendants of soldiers who were lost in combat and never identified ought to be able to put up a commemorative monument, and that includes the descendants of Confederate soldiers.
Associated Press
August 28, 2017
As cities across the country are tearing down and relocating Confederate monuments, a county in southern Alabama on Sunday unveiled a new one.
Several hundred people attended a dedication ceremony for the 'Unknown Alabama Confederate Soldiers' at Confederate Veterans Memorial Park in Crenshaw County, Alabama, 55 miles south of Montgomery.
The memorial park's owner and developer, David Coggins, said the groups in attendance weren't white nationalists or racists, but were acknowledging their heritage and honoring Confederate soldiers everywhere.
'It's important that we remember our heritage and it's very important we remember our history, for those people that forget their heritage ... are doomed to repeat it again,' he said.
The monument was surrounded by a black metal fence and flanked by two other monuments. As a red cloth was pulled to reveal it, five cannons were fired.
Confederate flags were flown throughout the park and several attendants were dressed in Confederate garb.
The Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans attended the ceremony, along with re-enactors dressed in period clothing.
Coggins said the ceremony was not planned in response to recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month, when white nationalists who objected to the proposed removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee clashed with counter protesters. A woman was killed and several others injured when a car plowed into the counter-protesters. Two state troopers also died when their helicopter crashed.
The Alabama ceremony was scheduled months ago and the monument was ordered last year, Coggins told The Associated Press.
Debbie Weir, a retired attendee, said the monument stands for everything her ancestors endured, adding that she enjoyed people from different states coming together 'to prove that we are one nation.'
'It's always a good day when Confederates come together,' Weir said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I firmly believe that the descendants of soldiers who were lost in combat and never identified ought to be able to put up a commemorative monument, and that includes the descendants of Confederate soldiers.
UNGRATEFUL BULL GETS PISSED OFF AT IDIOT TRYING TO SAVE HIM
Bullfighting has hit the French headlines once again as a man protesting the blood sport was attacked by a bull in an arena in southern France.
AFP
August 28, 2017
An anti-bullfighting activist jumped into the arena in Carcassone, southern France, on Sunday and was promptly attacked by one of the animals he wants to protect, local police said.
Two protesters, a man and a woman, were in the audience before managing to make their way into the main ring during the "novillada", a series of fights involving young bulls.
One bull charged at the man who, according to police a received "a long but not deep" injury from its horns.
The protester, in his 30s, "was very lucky" that he was not properly gored and was only lightly injured, another source said.
He was taken to Carcassone hospital for examinations. His female companion was not injured and was arrested by police.
Earlier two other protesters had briefly hung a banner saying "Stop Bullfighting" from the ramparts of the medieval French town.
Bullfighting is banned in most of France but is allowed in some southern regions where it is protected as part of local traditions.
Defenders of bull fighting say it has huge cultural importance, embodying traditions dating back hundreds of years but its popularity has been steadily waning in recent years.
This isn't the first time bullfighting has hit the French headlines. Earlier in August, The Local reported on a vegan activist who jumped into the ring to protest the blood sport.
The protester revealed slogans written on his torso, which were directed at French President Emmanuel Macron.
'Macron, you can stop this,' read the writing on his chest, while he carried a sign saying 'No to the Corrida, save the bulls - Vegan strike group'.
EDITOR’S NOTE: No good deed goes unpunished!
AFP
August 28, 2017
An anti-bullfighting activist jumped into the arena in Carcassone, southern France, on Sunday and was promptly attacked by one of the animals he wants to protect, local police said.
Two protesters, a man and a woman, were in the audience before managing to make their way into the main ring during the "novillada", a series of fights involving young bulls.
One bull charged at the man who, according to police a received "a long but not deep" injury from its horns.
The protester, in his 30s, "was very lucky" that he was not properly gored and was only lightly injured, another source said.
He was taken to Carcassone hospital for examinations. His female companion was not injured and was arrested by police.
Earlier two other protesters had briefly hung a banner saying "Stop Bullfighting" from the ramparts of the medieval French town.
Bullfighting is banned in most of France but is allowed in some southern regions where it is protected as part of local traditions.
Defenders of bull fighting say it has huge cultural importance, embodying traditions dating back hundreds of years but its popularity has been steadily waning in recent years.
This isn't the first time bullfighting has hit the French headlines. Earlier in August, The Local reported on a vegan activist who jumped into the ring to protest the blood sport.
The protester revealed slogans written on his torso, which were directed at French President Emmanuel Macron.
'Macron, you can stop this,' read the writing on his chest, while he carried a sign saying 'No to the Corrida, save the bulls - Vegan strike group'.
EDITOR’S NOTE: No good deed goes unpunished!
ACAPULCO IS NOW MEXICO’S MURDER CAPITAL
The faded resort city that was once the playground of choice for vacationing Americans is a symbol of the skyrocketing violence in Mexico
By Joshua Partlow
The Washington Post
August 24, 2017
ACAPULCO, Mexico ¬— From the crescent bay and swaying palms, the taxi drivers of Acapulco need just 10 minutes to reach this other, plundered world.
Here, in a neighborhood called Renacimiento, a pharmacy is smeared with gang graffiti. Market stalls are charred by fire. Taco stands and dentists’ offices, hair salons and auto-body workshops — all stand empty behind roll-down metal gates.
On Friday afternoons, however, the parking lot at the Oxxo convenience store in this brutalized barrio buzzes to life. Dozens of taxi drivers pull up. It’s time to pay the boys.
When the three young gunmen drive up in a white Nissan Tsuru, Armando, a 55-year-old cabbie, scribbles his four-digit taxi number on a scrap of paper, folds it around a 100-peso note and slips it into their black plastic bag. This is his weekly payment to Acapulco’s criminal underworld — about $5, or roughly half what he earns in a day.
“They have the power,” said Armando, who identified himself only by his first name because he feared reprisal. “They can do whatever they want.”
For each of the past five years, Acapulco has been the deadliest city in Mexico, in a marathon of murder that has hollowed out the hillside neighborhoods and sprawling colonias that tourists rarely visit. And yet, the term “drug war” only barely describes what is going on here.
The dominant drug cartel in Acapulco and the state of Guerrero broke up a decade ago. The criminals now in charge resemble neighborhood gangs — with names like 221 or Los Locos. An estimated 20 or more of these groups operate in Acapulco, intermixed with representatives from larger drug cartels who contract them for jobs. The gang members are young men who often become specialists — extortionists, kidnappers, car thieves, assassins — and prey on a largely defenseless population.
“They kill barbers, tailors, mechanics, tinsmiths, taxi drivers,” said Joaquin Badillo, who runs a private security company in the city. “This has turned into a monster with 100 heads.”
Mexico is halfway through what may become the bloodiest year in its recent history, with more than 12,000 murders in the first six months of 2017. June was the deadliest month in the past two decades of consistent Mexican government statistics.
There are many theories on why violence, which dropped for two years after the 2012 election of President Enrique Peña Nieto, has roared back: competition for the domain of captured kingpins; the breakdown of secret agreements between criminals and politicians; a judicial reform requiring more evidence to lock up suspected lawbreakers; the growing American demand for heroin, meth and synthetic opiates. Whatever the primary cause, the result has been terrifying — a disintegration of order across growing swaths of this country.
Violence is spreading to new places and taking many forms. In Puebla, south of Mexico City, a fight rages over the sale of stolen fuel. Beach towns such as Cancun and Playa del Carmen have been bloodied by drug killings. The battle for human-smuggling routes leaves bodies strewn along the migrant trail.
In Acapulco, the faded playground of Hollywood stars, where the Kennedys honeymooned and John Wayne basked in the clifftop breeze, drugs are no longer even the main story. This is a place awash in crime of all stripes, where criminals no longer have to hide.
The spark
When Evaristo opened his restaurant along Acapulco’s seaside strip 15 years ago, drugs were plentiful, and that was just fine with him. Acapulco has always been a party town, and became a transit point for U.S.-bound Colombian cocaine and the opium poppy that bloomed along with marijuana in the state’s highlands. The dominant traffickers were the Beltran Leyva brothers of the Sinaloa Cartel.
“What the Beltran Leyvas were doing was selling drugs,” said Evaristo, who identified himself only by his first name, for fear of reprisal. “But they left us alone.”
For Evaristo, and many other Acapulco residents, the city’s descent into lawlessness began with the events at La Garita. A brazen January 2006 shootout in that central neighborhood left flaming vehicles and bodies in the street and became part of the city’s lore, as much as the iconic cliff divers and the Hollywood stars who once passed through town.
That gun battle also made one thing clear: National-level cartels were active in Acapulco — in this case the Sinaloa cartel, allied with the Beltran Leyvas, and the expansionist Zetas. And they were willing to use tremendous violence against each other.
“That’s when all this began,” Evaristo recalled.
Over the next decade, as then-President Felipe Calderón declared war on organized crime, Mexican security forces and their U.S. allies picked off cartel bosses and kingpins, splintering their organizations.
In Acapulco, the result has become a kaleidoscope of feuding criminals. After the killing of a powerful Beltran Leyva brother in 2009, rival factions emerged, with names like the Independent Cartel of Acapulco, the South Pacific Cartel and La Barredora. Contenders joined the fray from ascendant heroin-trafficking groups and crime organizations from other cities.
With the loss of all-powerful cartel bosses who had tightly controlled their criminal empires, drug gangs moved increasingly into other crimes, such as kidnapping and extortion.
Some 2,000 businesses have closed in the past few years, according to trade associations, driven away by crime and a withering economy. The bulk of the devastation has come in the poorer, inland neighborhoods, but the tourist strip has not been spared. Gone are Hooters and the Hard Rock Cafe, along with famed local spots such as El Alebrije nightclub and Plaza Las Peroglas, a shopping mall. An accountant whose clients included restaurant owners, doctors, and mechanics said that about 70 percent of them had closed their businesses in the past year because of extortion.
“Today, in Acapulco, this problem has given us mass psychosis,” said Alejandro Martinez Sidney, president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism in Guerrero, which represents more than 8,000 businesses. “We are frozen, waiting for someone to come and demand our money.”
Last September, five gunmen walked into Evaristo’s restaurant, asking for the phone number of the owner. After he said he wouldn’t pay extortion, the men returned and put their guns to the heads of the staff, saying they would burn down the restaurant with everyone inside it, the restaurant owner recalled.
Since then, Evaristo has paid 40,000 pesos per month (about $2,200).
He has cut back on advertising and maintenance to cover the payments. Two of his private security guards were riddled with bullets from a passing car one night in May and survived the attack. If this keeps up, he will close down.
“My life is at risk,” Evaristo said.
New behaviors
Mexico’s crime gangs have not just proliferated, they behave differently than in past decades. Cartels were once based on family ties and known for maintaining strict hierarchies that rewarded members’ loyalty with promotion through the ranks.
The newer generations of criminal gangs operate more like a “wheel network,” a web of contacts who ally at times but also work independently, said Cecilia Farfán, a scholar at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomy de Mexico, or ITAM, who specializes in organized crime and is doing research in Acapulco.
If these quasi-independent cells get disrupted, the larger network can still function, and “the intelligence that a cell can provide to law enforcement or rival organizations is limited,” Farfán wrote in her recently completed dissertation.
Criminals have begun to show less allegiance to a single organization — acting more like freelance subcontractors.
“They hire you for your expertise; they’re not going to develop you as a human resource,” Farfán said about how street-level criminals are used. “They’re not investing in you, and you’re not invested in them, either.”
The victims of Acapulco’s violence come in many forms: those caught in feuds between criminal bands; businessmen who don’t pay extortion; those who cross the invisible boundaries between drug gang territory. The situation has become so confused — with criminals staking out overlapping domains — that residents often complain about being forced to pay off two or three different groups. People die over mistaken identity or as bystanders.
On one recent night, an overflow crowd waited silently on sidewalk benches outside an Acapulco funeral parlor. Gerardo Flores Camarena, 57, a hotel bartender, couldn’t stay seated. He paced back and forth in anguish as he spoke into his cellphone.
“The killers thought they were from another group,” he told a relative. “They got confused. Can you imagine: confused.”
The day before, his brother, Ricardo, 42, an ambulance driver, and Gerardo’s two teenage grandsons had been found in the trunk of their Nissan Sentra. They had suffered a type of torture known as the “tourniquet”: wires cinched around their necks to the point of suffocation.
A note left with the bodies said this is what happens to car thieves. But the Nissan had belonged to the family.
“We feel powerless against what is happening in this city,” Flores said.
Continuing slide
When Mayor Evodio Velázquez Aguirre took office in October 2015, he said, the municipal police force was “totally out of control.”
Half the 1,500 officers had failed federal vetting and background checks. The police had spent much of 2014 on strike to protest salaries and benefits, leaving state and federal forces in charge.
The mayor said that his administration has provided the police with life insurance, housing, new cameras and vehicles. There is also a new, separate tourist police force with jaunty uniforms to attend to travelers.
“Acapulco is on its feet,” the mayor said in an interview.
But last year, there were 918 killings in the city of 700,000, the most murders of any Mexican city for the fifth straight year. During the first half of this year, the government numbers track slightly lower — 412, compared with 466 in the same period in 2016 — although the local El Sur newspaper lists 466 murders for the most recent period.
Adm. Juan Guillermo Fierro Rocha, the commander in Acapulco for the Mexican navy, which has a critical role fighting cartels, told El Sur this month that criminals are lashing out because they are “cornered,” and that he expects a decrease soon.
But Mexican authorities have failed for years to halt Acapulco’s slide.
Some 5,000 security forces are in Acapulco, and the coastal sliver of hotels and restaurants brims with federal and state police, soldiers, marines and municipal forces. This attention to the tourist strip, however, leaves the vast majority of the city exposed, residents say.
Mexican police have been hobbled by corruption for decades, and Acapulco has been no exception. Alfredo Álvarez Valenzuela, who oversaw the Acapulco police for five months until May 2014, told the Mexican newspaper Reforma last year: “The municipal police don’t work for organized crime; the municipal police are organized crime.”
But the problem goes beyond corruption. Mexican municipal police traditionally have had little training, low pay, poor equipment and little capacity to do investigations. Federal police and the army often lack street-level knowledge of cities and their crime gangs.
Juan Salgado, an expert on police reform at CIDE, a Mexican research center, said that police are reluctant to visit some neighborhoods in Acapulco because they are outgunned and frightened.
“I’m not sure if crime would increase if the whole municipal police department in Acapulco disappeared,” Salgado said. “They are so inefficient in stopping crime I don’t think it would make a huge difference.”
Meanwhile, many people refuse to press charges out of concern the information will leak back to their tormentors. That makes investigating crimes all the more difficult.
On a recent afternoon, a man wearing a cowboy hat and carrying an assault rifle stood in plain sight on the main boulevard in the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood, five miles from Acapulco Bay.
At his feet on the pavement lay another young man, barefoot and curled in the fetal position, his hair matted with blood. The man with the assault rifle kicked him repeatedly and savagely, then walked calmly back to his white pickup truck. A federal police truck rolled past, but it didn’t stop.
Danger for taxi drivers
Taxi drivers operate at the intersection of Acapulco’s troubles: They have a shrinking number of tourists as clients, and navigate more dangerous streets. Some have become part of the crime world themselves, working as gang spotters (voluntarily or under duress), or moving drugs or weapons in their cars. When a rival gang tries to take over a neighborhood, its members often kill taxi drivers “in an effort to blind the established organization,” Chris Kyle, an anthropologist and expert on Guerrero based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, wrote in an affidavit for an Acapulco taxi driver applying for asylum in the United States.
More than 130 taxi drivers were slain in Acapulco last year, making them about eight times more likely to get murdered than the average city resident.
Teens with guns often commandeer taxis in Renacimiento for hours or days. They burn taxis to enforce their warnings. Guillermo Perez, 40, a taxi driver, putters around the neighborhood in a 1995 Volkswagen Beetle, its windshield cracked and upholstery ripped out, leaving his newer car hidden at home. He no longer picks up strangers, driving only clients he knows.
“People are terrified,” he said.
Years ago, ferrying around tourists used to be enjoyable, he said, even lucrative work¬ —$100 for a day shift, more at night.
“It was so different: It was Acapulco,” he said. “People were out in the streets. We all lived from tourism.”
The wealthy can leave or build homes with elaborate security systems, but the poor are exposed. And so Perez, like many of the 20,000 taxi drivers in Acapulco, pays his weekly fee for protection, even though he receives none.
“If 100 pesos a week is what it costs to stay alive,” he said, “I’ll pay.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: One anonymous reader made this comment on Borderland Beat about the State Department Travel warning:
“Department recommends “defer non-essential travel” in this Travel Warning. Employees are also not allowed to go to adult clubs or gambling establishments in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit. My oh my, what will some white people do when they visit Mexico for sex, drugs, gambling, etc.? It is their [way of] life.”
By Joshua Partlow
The Washington Post
August 24, 2017
ACAPULCO, Mexico ¬— From the crescent bay and swaying palms, the taxi drivers of Acapulco need just 10 minutes to reach this other, plundered world.
Here, in a neighborhood called Renacimiento, a pharmacy is smeared with gang graffiti. Market stalls are charred by fire. Taco stands and dentists’ offices, hair salons and auto-body workshops — all stand empty behind roll-down metal gates.
On Friday afternoons, however, the parking lot at the Oxxo convenience store in this brutalized barrio buzzes to life. Dozens of taxi drivers pull up. It’s time to pay the boys.
When the three young gunmen drive up in a white Nissan Tsuru, Armando, a 55-year-old cabbie, scribbles his four-digit taxi number on a scrap of paper, folds it around a 100-peso note and slips it into their black plastic bag. This is his weekly payment to Acapulco’s criminal underworld — about $5, or roughly half what he earns in a day.
“They have the power,” said Armando, who identified himself only by his first name because he feared reprisal. “They can do whatever they want.”
For each of the past five years, Acapulco has been the deadliest city in Mexico, in a marathon of murder that has hollowed out the hillside neighborhoods and sprawling colonias that tourists rarely visit. And yet, the term “drug war” only barely describes what is going on here.
The dominant drug cartel in Acapulco and the state of Guerrero broke up a decade ago. The criminals now in charge resemble neighborhood gangs — with names like 221 or Los Locos. An estimated 20 or more of these groups operate in Acapulco, intermixed with representatives from larger drug cartels who contract them for jobs. The gang members are young men who often become specialists — extortionists, kidnappers, car thieves, assassins — and prey on a largely defenseless population.
“They kill barbers, tailors, mechanics, tinsmiths, taxi drivers,” said Joaquin Badillo, who runs a private security company in the city. “This has turned into a monster with 100 heads.”
Mexico is halfway through what may become the bloodiest year in its recent history, with more than 12,000 murders in the first six months of 2017. June was the deadliest month in the past two decades of consistent Mexican government statistics.
There are many theories on why violence, which dropped for two years after the 2012 election of President Enrique Peña Nieto, has roared back: competition for the domain of captured kingpins; the breakdown of secret agreements between criminals and politicians; a judicial reform requiring more evidence to lock up suspected lawbreakers; the growing American demand for heroin, meth and synthetic opiates. Whatever the primary cause, the result has been terrifying — a disintegration of order across growing swaths of this country.
Violence is spreading to new places and taking many forms. In Puebla, south of Mexico City, a fight rages over the sale of stolen fuel. Beach towns such as Cancun and Playa del Carmen have been bloodied by drug killings. The battle for human-smuggling routes leaves bodies strewn along the migrant trail.
In Acapulco, the faded playground of Hollywood stars, where the Kennedys honeymooned and John Wayne basked in the clifftop breeze, drugs are no longer even the main story. This is a place awash in crime of all stripes, where criminals no longer have to hide.
The spark
When Evaristo opened his restaurant along Acapulco’s seaside strip 15 years ago, drugs were plentiful, and that was just fine with him. Acapulco has always been a party town, and became a transit point for U.S.-bound Colombian cocaine and the opium poppy that bloomed along with marijuana in the state’s highlands. The dominant traffickers were the Beltran Leyva brothers of the Sinaloa Cartel.
“What the Beltran Leyvas were doing was selling drugs,” said Evaristo, who identified himself only by his first name, for fear of reprisal. “But they left us alone.”
For Evaristo, and many other Acapulco residents, the city’s descent into lawlessness began with the events at La Garita. A brazen January 2006 shootout in that central neighborhood left flaming vehicles and bodies in the street and became part of the city’s lore, as much as the iconic cliff divers and the Hollywood stars who once passed through town.
That gun battle also made one thing clear: National-level cartels were active in Acapulco — in this case the Sinaloa cartel, allied with the Beltran Leyvas, and the expansionist Zetas. And they were willing to use tremendous violence against each other.
“That’s when all this began,” Evaristo recalled.
Over the next decade, as then-President Felipe Calderón declared war on organized crime, Mexican security forces and their U.S. allies picked off cartel bosses and kingpins, splintering their organizations.
In Acapulco, the result has become a kaleidoscope of feuding criminals. After the killing of a powerful Beltran Leyva brother in 2009, rival factions emerged, with names like the Independent Cartel of Acapulco, the South Pacific Cartel and La Barredora. Contenders joined the fray from ascendant heroin-trafficking groups and crime organizations from other cities.
With the loss of all-powerful cartel bosses who had tightly controlled their criminal empires, drug gangs moved increasingly into other crimes, such as kidnapping and extortion.
Some 2,000 businesses have closed in the past few years, according to trade associations, driven away by crime and a withering economy. The bulk of the devastation has come in the poorer, inland neighborhoods, but the tourist strip has not been spared. Gone are Hooters and the Hard Rock Cafe, along with famed local spots such as El Alebrije nightclub and Plaza Las Peroglas, a shopping mall. An accountant whose clients included restaurant owners, doctors, and mechanics said that about 70 percent of them had closed their businesses in the past year because of extortion.
“Today, in Acapulco, this problem has given us mass psychosis,” said Alejandro Martinez Sidney, president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism in Guerrero, which represents more than 8,000 businesses. “We are frozen, waiting for someone to come and demand our money.”
Last September, five gunmen walked into Evaristo’s restaurant, asking for the phone number of the owner. After he said he wouldn’t pay extortion, the men returned and put their guns to the heads of the staff, saying they would burn down the restaurant with everyone inside it, the restaurant owner recalled.
Since then, Evaristo has paid 40,000 pesos per month (about $2,200).
He has cut back on advertising and maintenance to cover the payments. Two of his private security guards were riddled with bullets from a passing car one night in May and survived the attack. If this keeps up, he will close down.
“My life is at risk,” Evaristo said.
New behaviors
Mexico’s crime gangs have not just proliferated, they behave differently than in past decades. Cartels were once based on family ties and known for maintaining strict hierarchies that rewarded members’ loyalty with promotion through the ranks.
The newer generations of criminal gangs operate more like a “wheel network,” a web of contacts who ally at times but also work independently, said Cecilia Farfán, a scholar at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomy de Mexico, or ITAM, who specializes in organized crime and is doing research in Acapulco.
If these quasi-independent cells get disrupted, the larger network can still function, and “the intelligence that a cell can provide to law enforcement or rival organizations is limited,” Farfán wrote in her recently completed dissertation.
Criminals have begun to show less allegiance to a single organization — acting more like freelance subcontractors.
“They hire you for your expertise; they’re not going to develop you as a human resource,” Farfán said about how street-level criminals are used. “They’re not investing in you, and you’re not invested in them, either.”
The victims of Acapulco’s violence come in many forms: those caught in feuds between criminal bands; businessmen who don’t pay extortion; those who cross the invisible boundaries between drug gang territory. The situation has become so confused — with criminals staking out overlapping domains — that residents often complain about being forced to pay off two or three different groups. People die over mistaken identity or as bystanders.
On one recent night, an overflow crowd waited silently on sidewalk benches outside an Acapulco funeral parlor. Gerardo Flores Camarena, 57, a hotel bartender, couldn’t stay seated. He paced back and forth in anguish as he spoke into his cellphone.
“The killers thought they were from another group,” he told a relative. “They got confused. Can you imagine: confused.”
The day before, his brother, Ricardo, 42, an ambulance driver, and Gerardo’s two teenage grandsons had been found in the trunk of their Nissan Sentra. They had suffered a type of torture known as the “tourniquet”: wires cinched around their necks to the point of suffocation.
A note left with the bodies said this is what happens to car thieves. But the Nissan had belonged to the family.
“We feel powerless against what is happening in this city,” Flores said.
Continuing slide
When Mayor Evodio Velázquez Aguirre took office in October 2015, he said, the municipal police force was “totally out of control.”
Half the 1,500 officers had failed federal vetting and background checks. The police had spent much of 2014 on strike to protest salaries and benefits, leaving state and federal forces in charge.
The mayor said that his administration has provided the police with life insurance, housing, new cameras and vehicles. There is also a new, separate tourist police force with jaunty uniforms to attend to travelers.
“Acapulco is on its feet,” the mayor said in an interview.
But last year, there were 918 killings in the city of 700,000, the most murders of any Mexican city for the fifth straight year. During the first half of this year, the government numbers track slightly lower — 412, compared with 466 in the same period in 2016 — although the local El Sur newspaper lists 466 murders for the most recent period.
Adm. Juan Guillermo Fierro Rocha, the commander in Acapulco for the Mexican navy, which has a critical role fighting cartels, told El Sur this month that criminals are lashing out because they are “cornered,” and that he expects a decrease soon.
But Mexican authorities have failed for years to halt Acapulco’s slide.
Some 5,000 security forces are in Acapulco, and the coastal sliver of hotels and restaurants brims with federal and state police, soldiers, marines and municipal forces. This attention to the tourist strip, however, leaves the vast majority of the city exposed, residents say.
Mexican police have been hobbled by corruption for decades, and Acapulco has been no exception. Alfredo Álvarez Valenzuela, who oversaw the Acapulco police for five months until May 2014, told the Mexican newspaper Reforma last year: “The municipal police don’t work for organized crime; the municipal police are organized crime.”
But the problem goes beyond corruption. Mexican municipal police traditionally have had little training, low pay, poor equipment and little capacity to do investigations. Federal police and the army often lack street-level knowledge of cities and their crime gangs.
Juan Salgado, an expert on police reform at CIDE, a Mexican research center, said that police are reluctant to visit some neighborhoods in Acapulco because they are outgunned and frightened.
“I’m not sure if crime would increase if the whole municipal police department in Acapulco disappeared,” Salgado said. “They are so inefficient in stopping crime I don’t think it would make a huge difference.”
Meanwhile, many people refuse to press charges out of concern the information will leak back to their tormentors. That makes investigating crimes all the more difficult.
On a recent afternoon, a man wearing a cowboy hat and carrying an assault rifle stood in plain sight on the main boulevard in the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood, five miles from Acapulco Bay.
At his feet on the pavement lay another young man, barefoot and curled in the fetal position, his hair matted with blood. The man with the assault rifle kicked him repeatedly and savagely, then walked calmly back to his white pickup truck. A federal police truck rolled past, but it didn’t stop.
Danger for taxi drivers
Taxi drivers operate at the intersection of Acapulco’s troubles: They have a shrinking number of tourists as clients, and navigate more dangerous streets. Some have become part of the crime world themselves, working as gang spotters (voluntarily or under duress), or moving drugs or weapons in their cars. When a rival gang tries to take over a neighborhood, its members often kill taxi drivers “in an effort to blind the established organization,” Chris Kyle, an anthropologist and expert on Guerrero based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, wrote in an affidavit for an Acapulco taxi driver applying for asylum in the United States.
More than 130 taxi drivers were slain in Acapulco last year, making them about eight times more likely to get murdered than the average city resident.
Teens with guns often commandeer taxis in Renacimiento for hours or days. They burn taxis to enforce their warnings. Guillermo Perez, 40, a taxi driver, putters around the neighborhood in a 1995 Volkswagen Beetle, its windshield cracked and upholstery ripped out, leaving his newer car hidden at home. He no longer picks up strangers, driving only clients he knows.
“People are terrified,” he said.
Years ago, ferrying around tourists used to be enjoyable, he said, even lucrative work¬ —$100 for a day shift, more at night.
“It was so different: It was Acapulco,” he said. “People were out in the streets. We all lived from tourism.”
The wealthy can leave or build homes with elaborate security systems, but the poor are exposed. And so Perez, like many of the 20,000 taxi drivers in Acapulco, pays his weekly fee for protection, even though he receives none.
“If 100 pesos a week is what it costs to stay alive,” he said, “I’ll pay.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: One anonymous reader made this comment on Borderland Beat about the State Department Travel warning:
“Department recommends “defer non-essential travel” in this Travel Warning. Employees are also not allowed to go to adult clubs or gambling establishments in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit. My oh my, what will some white people do when they visit Mexico for sex, drugs, gambling, etc.? It is their [way of] life.”
Monday, August 28, 2017
ROGER GOODELL IS TO BLAME FOR THE DISRESPECT SHOWN OUR FLAG BY NFL PLAYERS
Colin Kaepernick, who started it all, is now a hero and is being compared to Muhammad Ali
12 Cleveland Browns player sat on their overpaid sorry asses during the playing of the National Anthem. On Wednesday, several hundred protesters stood in front of the NFL headquarters and demanded that Colin Kaepernick be picked up by one of the NFL teams.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is to blame for all the disrespect shown our National Anthem and our flag by NFL players who choose to sit on their no good asses instead of standing to honor our flag.
It all started a year ago when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand when our anthem was played. At the time Kaeppernick explained:
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
It seems obvious that Kaepernick is talking about the police getting away with murder. At the time there was the big brouhaha about white cops killing black men and not being charged for their deaths.
Instead of fining the son-of-a-bitch and dropping him from the team, 49ers coach Chip Kelly said his quarterback had the right as a citizen to protest by not standing during the playing of the national anthem and he did not intend to take any action against Kaepernick.
Worst of all, instead of suspending Kaepernick, Commissioner Goodell released this statement:
"Well my personal thoughts are... I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don't live in a perfect society. We live in an imperfect society. On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that. I think it's important to have respect for our country, for our flag, for the people who make our country better; for law enforcement, and for our military who are out fighting for our freedoms and our ideals.
What a load of double talk. First Goodell supports Kaepernick’s defiant disrespect for our flag and then he said it was “important to have respect for our country, for our flag.” Sorry Comish, you cannot have it both ways.
Had Goodell taken strong disciplinary action against Kaepernick, we would not be in this sorry mess where more and more NFL players refuse to stand for the anthem, including 12 Browns players.
A year ago it was a protest against the ‘murder’ of black men by white cops. Today it’s a protest against Charlottesville and President Trump saying there were ‘very fine people’ on both sides. In either case, these displays of anti-Americanism are being used as a black power push by Black Lives Matter.
Last Tuesday, several hundred fist-saluting protesters stood in front of the NFL headquarters. Did they protest against the players that are disrespecting our flag? No, not at all. They were there to demand that Kaepernick, who was dropped by the 49ers and not picked up by another team, be picked up by one of the NFL teams. One of the few white faces in the crowd was that of uber-left actress Susan Sarandon who shows up at a lot of anti-American rallies.
One of the speakers went so far as to compare Kaepernick to Muhammad Ali, an absurd comparison already made by Spike Lee and other lefty luminaries. Someone needs to wise up these knuckleheads that Colin Kaepernick is no Muhammad Ali!
Standing during the playing of our National Anthem shows that we respect our country and the flag under which countless of soldiers have died to protect the rights we enjoy under the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. How many of the players refusing to stand for the anthem have ever served in the military? I’ll bet none of them have.
We are not the only ones that stand for the National Anthem. The British, the French, the Germans, the Canadians, etc. all stand when their national anthem is played.
The National Hockey League has teams in Canadian and U.S. cities. The teams are composed of Canadian, Russian, Swedish, Czech, American and players from several other countries. All NHL players stand when the Canadian or American anthems are played, regardless of what country they are citizens of. I am sure the NHL would not tolerate any player sitting down while the Canadian or American anthem was being played. Hockey coach John Tortorella says, “If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.”
If Roger Goodell had acted against Kaepernicick in a way that it cost him a shitload of money, we wouldn’t be having any players sitting on their sorry asses. Money talks, bullshit walks!
And if Goodell is unhappy that his headquarters were confronted by a large crowd of rabble rousers, he has only himself to blame. Had he kicked Kaerpernick out of the league, none of the other players would have disrespected the flag and there probably wouldn’t be any demonstration in front of his office.
Now Kaepernick had every right to exercise his free speech, but the form he exercised it in should have had immediate consequences. The 499ers may have dropped Kaepernick because he sat down when he should have stood up and his inability thus far to land on another team may be for the same reason. But the 49ers waited a year too long and probably dropped him only because he was an ineffective quarterback.
A note to Roger Goodell: Don’t give us that shit about how patriotic you are when in fact you are very unpatriotic for letting NFL players defiantly disrespect our flag.
12 Cleveland Browns player sat on their overpaid sorry asses during the playing of the National Anthem. On Wednesday, several hundred protesters stood in front of the NFL headquarters and demanded that Colin Kaepernick be picked up by one of the NFL teams.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is to blame for all the disrespect shown our National Anthem and our flag by NFL players who choose to sit on their no good asses instead of standing to honor our flag.
It all started a year ago when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand when our anthem was played. At the time Kaeppernick explained:
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
It seems obvious that Kaepernick is talking about the police getting away with murder. At the time there was the big brouhaha about white cops killing black men and not being charged for their deaths.
Instead of fining the son-of-a-bitch and dropping him from the team, 49ers coach Chip Kelly said his quarterback had the right as a citizen to protest by not standing during the playing of the national anthem and he did not intend to take any action against Kaepernick.
Worst of all, instead of suspending Kaepernick, Commissioner Goodell released this statement:
"Well my personal thoughts are... I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don't live in a perfect society. We live in an imperfect society. On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that. I think it's important to have respect for our country, for our flag, for the people who make our country better; for law enforcement, and for our military who are out fighting for our freedoms and our ideals.
What a load of double talk. First Goodell supports Kaepernick’s defiant disrespect for our flag and then he said it was “important to have respect for our country, for our flag.” Sorry Comish, you cannot have it both ways.
Had Goodell taken strong disciplinary action against Kaepernick, we would not be in this sorry mess where more and more NFL players refuse to stand for the anthem, including 12 Browns players.
A year ago it was a protest against the ‘murder’ of black men by white cops. Today it’s a protest against Charlottesville and President Trump saying there were ‘very fine people’ on both sides. In either case, these displays of anti-Americanism are being used as a black power push by Black Lives Matter.
Last Tuesday, several hundred fist-saluting protesters stood in front of the NFL headquarters. Did they protest against the players that are disrespecting our flag? No, not at all. They were there to demand that Kaepernick, who was dropped by the 49ers and not picked up by another team, be picked up by one of the NFL teams. One of the few white faces in the crowd was that of uber-left actress Susan Sarandon who shows up at a lot of anti-American rallies.
One of the speakers went so far as to compare Kaepernick to Muhammad Ali, an absurd comparison already made by Spike Lee and other lefty luminaries. Someone needs to wise up these knuckleheads that Colin Kaepernick is no Muhammad Ali!
Standing during the playing of our National Anthem shows that we respect our country and the flag under which countless of soldiers have died to protect the rights we enjoy under the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. How many of the players refusing to stand for the anthem have ever served in the military? I’ll bet none of them have.
We are not the only ones that stand for the National Anthem. The British, the French, the Germans, the Canadians, etc. all stand when their national anthem is played.
The National Hockey League has teams in Canadian and U.S. cities. The teams are composed of Canadian, Russian, Swedish, Czech, American and players from several other countries. All NHL players stand when the Canadian or American anthems are played, regardless of what country they are citizens of. I am sure the NHL would not tolerate any player sitting down while the Canadian or American anthem was being played. Hockey coach John Tortorella says, “If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.”
If Roger Goodell had acted against Kaepernicick in a way that it cost him a shitload of money, we wouldn’t be having any players sitting on their sorry asses. Money talks, bullshit walks!
And if Goodell is unhappy that his headquarters were confronted by a large crowd of rabble rousers, he has only himself to blame. Had he kicked Kaerpernick out of the league, none of the other players would have disrespected the flag and there probably wouldn’t be any demonstration in front of his office.
Now Kaepernick had every right to exercise his free speech, but the form he exercised it in should have had immediate consequences. The 499ers may have dropped Kaepernick because he sat down when he should have stood up and his inability thus far to land on another team may be for the same reason. But the 49ers waited a year too long and probably dropped him only because he was an ineffective quarterback.
A note to Roger Goodell: Don’t give us that shit about how patriotic you are when in fact you are very unpatriotic for letting NFL players defiantly disrespect our flag.
‘MONEY’ GIVES UFC INTERLOPER A POUDING BOXING LESSON
Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather stopped tough talking Irishman Conor McGregor with a 10th round TKO and collected a cool $350 million along the way
Conor McGgregor is a proud Irishman through and through. The mixed- martial arts lightweight champion has long sought a fight with Mayweather. On Saturday night in Las Vegas, the MM champ squared off against Money, a traditional boxing champion. He boasted how he would give Mayweather a boxing lesson, even predicting a first-round knockout.
There was no first-round KO. McGreggor did win the first two rounds on the judge’s scorecards, but from then on Money pounded the Irishman's head and body until the 10th round when the referee stopped the bout with McGregor draped over the ropes.
McGregor is pissed off at the referee, claiming that he was only fatigued and could have gone on to the end of the12-round bout.
The ref was right in stopping the fight. If a fighter is hanging onto the ropes to keep from going down, while his opponent is merrily pounding away, he is in deep, deep shit. The ref may very well have kept McGregor from suffering serious injuries in the last 2+ rounds.
Losers by TKO always say they could have continued if the referee hadn’t stopped the fight. And pigs can fly.
McGregor gave a good account of himself and the 20,000 spectators apparently got their money’s worth. Tickets for the first few rows were going for thousands of dollars.
I was a fight manager during the late ’40s and early ’50s, in both Texas and New York. Thus I know a little about the fight game and its boxers. I have always maintained that Kung Fu type fighters, kick boxers, 240-pound NFL linebackers or MM A fighters are no match for a good traditional boxer. There have been a number of these nontraditional fighters that have squared off against a traditional boxer and I am not aware of any such fighters ever beating a good traditional boxer.
I remember when a former NFL player faced off against a traditional boxer. The NFL player looked grotesque as his flabby 50+ pounds of fat received a good shellacking and he was so exhausted that he couldn’t get up off his stool for the third round.
Money said this was definitely his last fight. I guess he’ll spend his retirement counting his money.
I salute Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, a fighter with an astounding 50-0 record!
Conor McGgregor is a proud Irishman through and through. The mixed- martial arts lightweight champion has long sought a fight with Mayweather. On Saturday night in Las Vegas, the MM champ squared off against Money, a traditional boxing champion. He boasted how he would give Mayweather a boxing lesson, even predicting a first-round knockout.
There was no first-round KO. McGreggor did win the first two rounds on the judge’s scorecards, but from then on Money pounded the Irishman's head and body until the 10th round when the referee stopped the bout with McGregor draped over the ropes.
McGregor is pissed off at the referee, claiming that he was only fatigued and could have gone on to the end of the12-round bout.
The ref was right in stopping the fight. If a fighter is hanging onto the ropes to keep from going down, while his opponent is merrily pounding away, he is in deep, deep shit. The ref may very well have kept McGregor from suffering serious injuries in the last 2+ rounds.
Losers by TKO always say they could have continued if the referee hadn’t stopped the fight. And pigs can fly.
McGregor gave a good account of himself and the 20,000 spectators apparently got their money’s worth. Tickets for the first few rows were going for thousands of dollars.
I was a fight manager during the late ’40s and early ’50s, in both Texas and New York. Thus I know a little about the fight game and its boxers. I have always maintained that Kung Fu type fighters, kick boxers, 240-pound NFL linebackers or MM A fighters are no match for a good traditional boxer. There have been a number of these nontraditional fighters that have squared off against a traditional boxer and I am not aware of any such fighters ever beating a good traditional boxer.
I remember when a former NFL player faced off against a traditional boxer. The NFL player looked grotesque as his flabby 50+ pounds of fat received a good shellacking and he was so exhausted that he couldn’t get up off his stool for the third round.
Money said this was definitely his last fight. I guess he’ll spend his retirement counting his money.
I salute Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, a fighter with an astounding 50-0 record!
THE SOLAR ECLIPSE COULD HAVE BEEN PUT TO GOOD USE
Rocket scientists say that had they been able to collect all the farts emitted by those eclipse watchers bunched up in fields, they would have been able to fire a methane-powered ICBM at Kim Jong-un.
Construction contractors say that had they been able to collect all the poop emitted by those eclipse watchers, they would have been able to build a shitty border wall for President Trump.
Construction contractors say that had they been able to collect all the poop emitted by those eclipse watchers, they would have been able to build a shitty border wall for President Trump.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
YUSEF Y IS HOSPITALIZED AFTER CALLING FOR DESTRUCTION OF THE ALAMO
Speaking in front of the Alamo, community activist Yusef Y is beaten and kicked by an angry crowd, including a couple of cops, when he called for the destruction of that sacred Texas shrine
By Pamela Putz
The Unconventional Gazette
August 27, 2017
SAN ANTONIO – Community activist and ex-con Yusef Y, who has demanded that the Washington Monument be destroyed and replaced with a huge statue of Malcom X and the Jefferson Memorial with a statue of Huey Newton, held a press conference Saturday in front of the Alamo. When he called for destruction of that sacred Texas shrine, he was set upon by an angry crowd that beat and kicked the shit out of Yusef. A couple of San Antonio cops appeared to join in on the fracas.
Yusef was hospitalized in serious condition with a fractured skull, broken nose, facial bruises, bleeding gums where his teeth used to be, and broken ribs.
San Antonio police chief William McManus said no charges will be filed because no one will come forward to say they witnessed someone beating and kicking Yusef. “Besides that, we are far too busy trying to keep ICE from rounding up our undocumented immigrants,” said the chief.
As for the two SAPD cops shown in the video, McManus said they were just trying to get the crowd off of Yusef when they were shoved into the victim, thereby accidentally kicking him and stepping on his face. McManus said he would award the officers with a department commendation. The San Antonio city council voted unanimously to honor the two cops as well.
Bexar County district attorney Nicholas ‘Nico’ LaHood announced he was filing charges against Yusef for creating the disturbance. “We’re not going to stand for some outsider coming down here to besmirch the heroic defenders of the Alamo,” said LaHood. “He is the one responsible for creating the disturbance.”
Yousef wants the Alamo destroyed because its defenders were trying to keep the Mexicans, who had abolished slavery in 1829, at bay so that the Texans could keep their slaves. He claims that the Alamo and statues of slave owners are a hurtful reminder to blacks of white supremacy. Yusef had earlier called for the city of Houston to change its name because Sam Houston was a slave owner and he wants all memorials honoring Houston to be removed or renamed.
Yusef was in no condition to speak to reporters from his hospital bed. However, Black Lives Matter released the following statement: “Our heroic brother Yusef Y is recovering in the hospital from numerous injuries inflicted on him in a vicious attack by two white San Antonio cops and several white thugs. Although in considerable pain, he was able to crack a smile when informed that New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is now considering the removal of the Columbus statue that Yusef wants destroyed.”
It’s obvious that the community activist doesn’t understand how passionate Texans are about the Alamo. When he gets out of the hospital, I would like to ask him one more question: Yusef Y, what part of ‘Don’t mess with Texas!’ don’t you understand?
By Pamela Putz
The Unconventional Gazette
August 27, 2017
SAN ANTONIO – Community activist and ex-con Yusef Y, who has demanded that the Washington Monument be destroyed and replaced with a huge statue of Malcom X and the Jefferson Memorial with a statue of Huey Newton, held a press conference Saturday in front of the Alamo. When he called for destruction of that sacred Texas shrine, he was set upon by an angry crowd that beat and kicked the shit out of Yusef. A couple of San Antonio cops appeared to join in on the fracas.
Yusef was hospitalized in serious condition with a fractured skull, broken nose, facial bruises, bleeding gums where his teeth used to be, and broken ribs.
San Antonio police chief William McManus said no charges will be filed because no one will come forward to say they witnessed someone beating and kicking Yusef. “Besides that, we are far too busy trying to keep ICE from rounding up our undocumented immigrants,” said the chief.
As for the two SAPD cops shown in the video, McManus said they were just trying to get the crowd off of Yusef when they were shoved into the victim, thereby accidentally kicking him and stepping on his face. McManus said he would award the officers with a department commendation. The San Antonio city council voted unanimously to honor the two cops as well.
Bexar County district attorney Nicholas ‘Nico’ LaHood announced he was filing charges against Yusef for creating the disturbance. “We’re not going to stand for some outsider coming down here to besmirch the heroic defenders of the Alamo,” said LaHood. “He is the one responsible for creating the disturbance.”
Yousef wants the Alamo destroyed because its defenders were trying to keep the Mexicans, who had abolished slavery in 1829, at bay so that the Texans could keep their slaves. He claims that the Alamo and statues of slave owners are a hurtful reminder to blacks of white supremacy. Yusef had earlier called for the city of Houston to change its name because Sam Houston was a slave owner and he wants all memorials honoring Houston to be removed or renamed.
Yusef was in no condition to speak to reporters from his hospital bed. However, Black Lives Matter released the following statement: “Our heroic brother Yusef Y is recovering in the hospital from numerous injuries inflicted on him in a vicious attack by two white San Antonio cops and several white thugs. Although in considerable pain, he was able to crack a smile when informed that New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is now considering the removal of the Columbus statue that Yusef wants destroyed.”
It’s obvious that the community activist doesn’t understand how passionate Texans are about the Alamo. When he gets out of the hospital, I would like to ask him one more question: Yusef Y, what part of ‘Don’t mess with Texas!’ don’t you understand?
YUSEF Y HAS NEW YORK MAYOR PONDERING REMOVAL OF COLUMBUS
De Blasio says “I think a lot of history needs to be reevaluated.”
Protesters inspired by Yusef Y rallied in front of the Columbus Circle statue carrying signs that read, “Columbus didn't discover America he invaded it” and “A tribute to racism and genocide.
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, a Democrat who represents Harlem, told the demonstrators, “Our friend Yusef Y accompanied me to the mayor’s office to demand he remove the Columbus statue that stands here in Columbus Circle, and de Blasio agreed all symbols of hate need to be removed. Columbus is a controversial figure and I know that some may take offense to that but for many of us that come from the Caribbean islands, we see him as a murderer and enslaver.”
Mayor de Blasio acknowledged that he wants to remove all symbols of hate from the city’s public property. He said, “I think a lot of history needs to be reevaluated” because those symbols are hurtful to many of our citizens.
De Blasio confirmed that Columbus was under consideration for the chopping block along with any other statues that are offensive to some people. A Jewish group is calling for the destruction of Grant’s Tomb because Ulysses Grant was anti-Semitic. De Blasio said he has appointed a commission to guide him on which statues to remove.
“I think a lot of history needs to be reevaluated.” That Sandinista-loving asshole of a mayor, who is hated by his cops, is judging history by whether or not it’s politically correct.
Fuck Bill de Blasio! Hail to Christopher Columbus!
Protesters inspired by Yusef Y rallied in front of the Columbus Circle statue carrying signs that read, “Columbus didn't discover America he invaded it” and “A tribute to racism and genocide.
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, a Democrat who represents Harlem, told the demonstrators, “Our friend Yusef Y accompanied me to the mayor’s office to demand he remove the Columbus statue that stands here in Columbus Circle, and de Blasio agreed all symbols of hate need to be removed. Columbus is a controversial figure and I know that some may take offense to that but for many of us that come from the Caribbean islands, we see him as a murderer and enslaver.”
Mayor de Blasio acknowledged that he wants to remove all symbols of hate from the city’s public property. He said, “I think a lot of history needs to be reevaluated” because those symbols are hurtful to many of our citizens.
De Blasio confirmed that Columbus was under consideration for the chopping block along with any other statues that are offensive to some people. A Jewish group is calling for the destruction of Grant’s Tomb because Ulysses Grant was anti-Semitic. De Blasio said he has appointed a commission to guide him on which statues to remove.
“I think a lot of history needs to be reevaluated.” That Sandinista-loving asshole of a mayor, who is hated by his cops, is judging history by whether or not it’s politically correct.
Fuck Bill de Blasio! Hail to Christopher Columbus!
LEFTIST THUG MAY BE HELD TO ACCOUNT IN PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CALIFORNIA
by Bob Walsh
Kyle Chapman (aka Based Stickman) is a new man. He used to be a generic garden-variety thug. He is now a thug with a cause; liberalism.
He is being prosecuted in Alameda County for assault on a pro-Trump demonstrator in Berkeley. He attacked the man with a lead weighted walking stick, which is a prohibited weapon in the formerly great state of California. The fact that Chapman has two prior felony convictions isn't helping his case much. He has priors for felony robbery and grand theft.
During his arraignment Chapman was ordered held in custody, pending a $135,000 bail. He posted on Facebook before his arraignment indicating that regardless what happened in court he would be attending the (now cancelled) anti-Marxist rallys in S. F. and Berkeley on Saturday. He was ordered by the judge to stay away from them, and to not possess any weapons of any kind while out on bail.
Chapman was also photographed at the Berkeley rally last month blasting people with what appeared to be pepper spray. Use of pepper spray except in self-defense is a felony in CA.
Kyle Chapman (aka Based Stickman) is a new man. He used to be a generic garden-variety thug. He is now a thug with a cause; liberalism.
He is being prosecuted in Alameda County for assault on a pro-Trump demonstrator in Berkeley. He attacked the man with a lead weighted walking stick, which is a prohibited weapon in the formerly great state of California. The fact that Chapman has two prior felony convictions isn't helping his case much. He has priors for felony robbery and grand theft.
During his arraignment Chapman was ordered held in custody, pending a $135,000 bail. He posted on Facebook before his arraignment indicating that regardless what happened in court he would be attending the (now cancelled) anti-Marxist rallys in S. F. and Berkeley on Saturday. He was ordered by the judge to stay away from them, and to not possess any weapons of any kind while out on bail.
Chapman was also photographed at the Berkeley rally last month blasting people with what appeared to be pepper spray. Use of pepper spray except in self-defense is a felony in CA.
PEACE, LOVE, RAPE, RIOT, MURDER
by Bob Walsh
Saint Dr. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insaan is a self-styled Guru in the northern Indian state of Pandchkula. He has a lot of followers. He is also a rapist. He was just convicted of raping two of his followers. That led to others of his followers into launching a full-scale riot, resulting in 28 deaths and dozens of injuries. Abut 1,000 of the guru's followers are now in the slammer and a curfew was imposed.
The group the rapist-guru leads claims to have about 50 million followers. They are, among other things, militant vegans.
Saint Dr. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insaan is a self-styled Guru in the northern Indian state of Pandchkula. He has a lot of followers. He is also a rapist. He was just convicted of raping two of his followers. That led to others of his followers into launching a full-scale riot, resulting in 28 deaths and dozens of injuries. Abut 1,000 of the guru's followers are now in the slammer and a curfew was imposed.
The group the rapist-guru leads claims to have about 50 million followers. They are, among other things, militant vegans.
MCCAIN WILL BURN IN HELL FOR ATTACKING TRUMP OVER THE ARPAIO PARDON
Democrats accuse Trump of using Hurricane Harvey as a cover for the pardon of ‘America’s Sheriff’
On Friday, President Trump pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, also known as ‘Sheriff Joe’ and ‘America’s Sheriff.’ As can be expected, the pardon immediately drew rash of criticism from Democrats who accused the president of using the cover of Hurricane Harvey to issue the pardon.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer released the following statement:
“As millions of people in TX and LA are prepping for the hurricane, the President is using the cover of the storm to pardon a man who violated a court's order to stop discriminating against Latinos and ban courageous transgender men and women from serving our nation's Armed Forces. Then he ran to Camp David. The only reason to do these right now is to use the cover of Hurricane Harvey to avoid scrutiny. So sad, so weak.”
But there was criticism from Republicans as well. House speaker Paul Ryan said he did not agree with the decision. But Senator John McCain unleashed a blistering attack on Trump. Here is what McCain had to say:
“No one is above the law and the individuals entrusted with the privilege of being sworn law officers should always seek to be beyond reproach in their commitment to fairly enforcing the laws they swore to uphold. Mr Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt for continuing to illegally profile Latinos living in Arizona based on their perceived immigration status in violation of a judge's orders. The President has the authority to make this pardon, but doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions.”
Trump’s friend Roger Stone responded to McCain by saying, “Karma about to get you Sen. John McCain and you will burn in hell for all eternity.”
Personally I applaud Trump’s pardoning of Arpaio. Although he had his faults, Sheriff Joe was a no-nonsense, tough law enforcer who was hated by the politically correct crowd. I agree that Obama’s feds went after Arpaio for political reasons.
On Friday, President Trump pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, also known as ‘Sheriff Joe’ and ‘America’s Sheriff.’ As can be expected, the pardon immediately drew rash of criticism from Democrats who accused the president of using the cover of Hurricane Harvey to issue the pardon.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer released the following statement:
“As millions of people in TX and LA are prepping for the hurricane, the President is using the cover of the storm to pardon a man who violated a court's order to stop discriminating against Latinos and ban courageous transgender men and women from serving our nation's Armed Forces. Then he ran to Camp David. The only reason to do these right now is to use the cover of Hurricane Harvey to avoid scrutiny. So sad, so weak.”
But there was criticism from Republicans as well. House speaker Paul Ryan said he did not agree with the decision. But Senator John McCain unleashed a blistering attack on Trump. Here is what McCain had to say:
“No one is above the law and the individuals entrusted with the privilege of being sworn law officers should always seek to be beyond reproach in their commitment to fairly enforcing the laws they swore to uphold. Mr Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt for continuing to illegally profile Latinos living in Arizona based on their perceived immigration status in violation of a judge's orders. The President has the authority to make this pardon, but doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions.”
Trump’s friend Roger Stone responded to McCain by saying, “Karma about to get you Sen. John McCain and you will burn in hell for all eternity.”
Personally I applaud Trump’s pardoning of Arpaio. Although he had his faults, Sheriff Joe was a no-nonsense, tough law enforcer who was hated by the politically correct crowd. I agree that Obama’s feds went after Arpaio for political reasons.
JARED KUSHNER MAKING FRIENDS IN MIDDLE EAST ….. AND ENEMIES?
'The relationship between Israel and America is stronger than ever'
By Shlomo Cesana, Daniel Siryoti, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Israel Hayom
August 25, 2017
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Thursday in Jerusalem with U.S. Presidential Adviser Jared Kushner, Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy Dina Powell, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
The American delegation is visiting the region as part of Washington's efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been stalled since 2014. The delegation also traveled to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I'm very pleased to see you again, Jared, with your delegation. We have a lot of things to talk about: how to advance peace, stability and security in our region -- prosperity too. And I think all of them are within our reach. So I'm happy to see you and the effort that you're leading on behalf of the president, with Jason and members of your team. I think this is a sign of the great alliance between us and the great goals that guide us," Netanyahu said.
Kushner extended his thanks to the prime minister, saying, "We're very appreciative of your team and all the efforts that they've made. The president is very committed to achieving a solution here that will be able to bring prosperity and peace to all people in this area, and we really appreciate the commitment of the prime minister and his team to engaging very thoughtfully and respectfully in the way that the president has asked them to do so. The relationship between Israel and America is stronger than ever, and we really thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for his leadership and his partnership."
The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying, "The Israeli and American teams discussed ways to promote peace and security in the region. The meeting was substantive and productive. The prime minister looks forward to continuing these discussions in the coming weeks and has expressed his gratitude to President Trump and his administration for their steadfast support for Israel."
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has defined a regional peace deal as a "top priority." To date, the Americans have defined the envoys' meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials as a "learning process" aimed at testing the waters when it comes to the chances of advancing the peace process at this time.
Still, senior Israeli officials told Israel Hayom that Washington's desire to announce the renewal of peace talks by September, before the annual U.N. General Assembly begins on Sept. 12, does not seem realistic.
Palestinians skeptic
Kushner's visit to the Palestinian Authority met with skepticism over the lack of clear vision for the peace process.
"If the U.S. team doesn't bring answers to our questions this time, we are going to look into our options, because the status quo is not working for our interests," Ahmad Majdalani, an aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said before the meeting.
Other disappointed Palestinian officials privately gripe that Trump's team has begun to support Israeli positions and ignore their concerns.
It was not clear whether Kushner offered any clarity during his three-hour meeting with Abbas, but Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, called the meeting "positive" and said the Palestinian leader had reiterated his desire for an American commitment to a Palestinian state.
A White House statement later said that "the Palestinian Authority and the U.S. delegation had a productive meeting focused on how to begin substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Both sides agreed to continue with the U.S.-led conversations as the best way to reach a comprehensive peace deal."
Ahead of the meeting, Abbas said the Palestinians appreciated Trump's efforts.
"We know things are difficult and complicated, but nothing is impossible with good intentions," he said.
After years of on-and-off peace efforts that have yielded no progress, Abbas is deeply unpopular at home. He also is stuck in a bitter rivalry with the Islamic terrorist group Hamas, which seized the Gaza Strip from his forces a decade ago and is now pursuing a reconciliation deal with Mohammed Dahlan, Abbas' political nemesis.
As the American delegation is also scheduled to meet with Saudi, Egyptian and Jordanian officials, as well as with leaders from other countries in the Middle East, the Palestinians are growing increasingly wary of the possibility that the U.S. and Israel may pursue a regional move with the moderate Sunni states that would sideline the Palestinian issue.
PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi told Arab media that the PA was "certain" that Israel and the U.S. were working together to remove the two-state vision from the international agenda.
A senior Palestinian official told Israel Hayom that Abbas made it clear to Kushner that the Palestinians would resume the peace process unless Trump publicly declares his support for the two-state solution.
"Netanyahu and his people want to remove the two-state vision from the table and we are sure there is American-Israeli coordination on the matter. We are also aware that there are Arab countries that support the desire to pursue a regional move at the expense of the Palestinian issue," he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If the relationship between Israel and America is stronger than ever, why hasn’t Trump kept his pledge to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem?
By Shlomo Cesana, Daniel Siryoti, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Israel Hayom
August 25, 2017
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Thursday in Jerusalem with U.S. Presidential Adviser Jared Kushner, Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy Dina Powell, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
The American delegation is visiting the region as part of Washington's efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been stalled since 2014. The delegation also traveled to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I'm very pleased to see you again, Jared, with your delegation. We have a lot of things to talk about: how to advance peace, stability and security in our region -- prosperity too. And I think all of them are within our reach. So I'm happy to see you and the effort that you're leading on behalf of the president, with Jason and members of your team. I think this is a sign of the great alliance between us and the great goals that guide us," Netanyahu said.
Kushner extended his thanks to the prime minister, saying, "We're very appreciative of your team and all the efforts that they've made. The president is very committed to achieving a solution here that will be able to bring prosperity and peace to all people in this area, and we really appreciate the commitment of the prime minister and his team to engaging very thoughtfully and respectfully in the way that the president has asked them to do so. The relationship between Israel and America is stronger than ever, and we really thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for his leadership and his partnership."
The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying, "The Israeli and American teams discussed ways to promote peace and security in the region. The meeting was substantive and productive. The prime minister looks forward to continuing these discussions in the coming weeks and has expressed his gratitude to President Trump and his administration for their steadfast support for Israel."
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has defined a regional peace deal as a "top priority." To date, the Americans have defined the envoys' meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials as a "learning process" aimed at testing the waters when it comes to the chances of advancing the peace process at this time.
Still, senior Israeli officials told Israel Hayom that Washington's desire to announce the renewal of peace talks by September, before the annual U.N. General Assembly begins on Sept. 12, does not seem realistic.
Palestinians skeptic
Kushner's visit to the Palestinian Authority met with skepticism over the lack of clear vision for the peace process.
"If the U.S. team doesn't bring answers to our questions this time, we are going to look into our options, because the status quo is not working for our interests," Ahmad Majdalani, an aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said before the meeting.
Other disappointed Palestinian officials privately gripe that Trump's team has begun to support Israeli positions and ignore their concerns.
It was not clear whether Kushner offered any clarity during his three-hour meeting with Abbas, but Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, called the meeting "positive" and said the Palestinian leader had reiterated his desire for an American commitment to a Palestinian state.
A White House statement later said that "the Palestinian Authority and the U.S. delegation had a productive meeting focused on how to begin substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Both sides agreed to continue with the U.S.-led conversations as the best way to reach a comprehensive peace deal."
Ahead of the meeting, Abbas said the Palestinians appreciated Trump's efforts.
"We know things are difficult and complicated, but nothing is impossible with good intentions," he said.
After years of on-and-off peace efforts that have yielded no progress, Abbas is deeply unpopular at home. He also is stuck in a bitter rivalry with the Islamic terrorist group Hamas, which seized the Gaza Strip from his forces a decade ago and is now pursuing a reconciliation deal with Mohammed Dahlan, Abbas' political nemesis.
As the American delegation is also scheduled to meet with Saudi, Egyptian and Jordanian officials, as well as with leaders from other countries in the Middle East, the Palestinians are growing increasingly wary of the possibility that the U.S. and Israel may pursue a regional move with the moderate Sunni states that would sideline the Palestinian issue.
PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi told Arab media that the PA was "certain" that Israel and the U.S. were working together to remove the two-state vision from the international agenda.
A senior Palestinian official told Israel Hayom that Abbas made it clear to Kushner that the Palestinians would resume the peace process unless Trump publicly declares his support for the two-state solution.
"Netanyahu and his people want to remove the two-state vision from the table and we are sure there is American-Israeli coordination on the matter. We are also aware that there are Arab countries that support the desire to pursue a regional move at the expense of the Palestinian issue," he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If the relationship between Israel and America is stronger than ever, why hasn’t Trump kept his pledge to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem?
TRUMP WOULD HAVE MORE LUCK BY KICKING THE UN OUT OF THE US
Trump Demands UN Not Blacklist Companies That Do Business With Jewish Settlers
Israel Today
August 22, 2017
The Trump Administration is again demanding that the UN Human Rights Council refrain from publishing a "blacklist" of international companies that are in any way engaged in business in the Jewish settlements.
The UN hopes to scare these companies -- which include Caterpillar, TripAdvisor, Priceline.com and Airbnb -- to shun those Jews who live in the so-called "West Bank" as a means of ultimately driving the Jews out.
The Trump Administration, which has already once forced the UN to postpone publishing the blacklist, called it a totally counterproductive move.
"The United States has been adamantly opposed to this resolution from the start," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, adding, "These types of resolutions are counterproductive and do nothing to advance Israeli-Palestinian issues."
But UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein signaled that he is determined to publish the list by the end of the year, and start pressuring large public firms to join the anti-Israel boycott.
Israel Today
August 22, 2017
The Trump Administration is again demanding that the UN Human Rights Council refrain from publishing a "blacklist" of international companies that are in any way engaged in business in the Jewish settlements.
The UN hopes to scare these companies -- which include Caterpillar, TripAdvisor, Priceline.com and Airbnb -- to shun those Jews who live in the so-called "West Bank" as a means of ultimately driving the Jews out.
The Trump Administration, which has already once forced the UN to postpone publishing the blacklist, called it a totally counterproductive move.
"The United States has been adamantly opposed to this resolution from the start," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, adding, "These types of resolutions are counterproductive and do nothing to advance Israeli-Palestinian issues."
But UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein signaled that he is determined to publish the list by the end of the year, and start pressuring large public firms to join the anti-Israel boycott.
OPPONENTS OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT WII USE THE COURTS TO LET CALIFORNIA DEATH ROW INMATES DIE OF NATURAL CAUSES
California seeks new one-drug execution method using either pentobarbital or thiopental
By Sudhin Thanawala and Don Thompson
Associated Press
August 25, 2017
SAN FRANCISCO -- California correctional officials on Friday asked state regulators to approve a revised method of carrying out death sentences after years of delays that have stalled executions since 2006.
The new regulations would allow California's death row inmates to be executed using one of two different drugs or choose the gas chamber.
The state is acting after what critics say are years of delaying tactics by Democratic office-holders who have been in no hurry to resume carrying out the death penalty.
Corrections officials filed the revised regulations one day after the state Supreme Court upheld a voter-approved measure to speed up death sentences. That leaves one major obstacle before executions can resume: Getting approval for a new lethal injection method.
Among other things, the justices' decision upholding Proposition 66 ends the requirement that prison officials receive approval from state regulators for their new lethal injection plan.
Corrections officials, however, decided to submit the revised regulations to the state Office of Administrative Law and follow the normal regulatory process until the justices' decision becomes final.
Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, isn't bothered by their decision even though his organization had to sue to pressure corrections officials into adopting the new execution regulations after three years of delays.
"That's cautious but I can't say that being cautious is a bad thing, because they know they're going to be sued — they always are," he said.
The high court's decision could become final as soon as late next month, although the court could extend that time for an additional 60 days. Once it becomes final, corrections officials will no longer need regulatory approval for the new lethal injection rules, so those will become final as well.
The next step would then be for state officials to ask a federal judge and a Marin County superior court judge to lift separate longstanding injunctions that applied to California's old way of executing inmates using a combination of three lethal drugs.
Those injunctions have prevented the state from executing anyone since 2006.
Under the new rules, corrections officials would choose between the powerful barbiturates pentobarbital or thiopental for each execution, depending on which one is available.
They initially proposed using any one of four drugs, but they dropped two of them after opponents said those drugs had never been used in executions and questioned whether the drugs would be safe and effective.
There may be other legal challenges to the final rules, however. Opponents already are objecting, for instance, that the rules allow the state to obtain the barbiturates from compounding pharmacies instead of manufacturers as the state attempts to work around a nationwide shortage of execution drugs.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Pentobarbital works just fine in Texas. I suspect that if Texas correction officials cannot obtain the pentobarbital from pharmaceutical sources on the outside, they will use their own compounding pharmacist.
I have long maintained that the state should file criminal charges for obstruction of justice against any outside pharmaceutical source that refuses to supply pentobarbital to Texas correction officials. After all, an execution is ordered by a court and the refusal to supply the state with a lethal injection drug prevents the court order from being carried out. If the refusal to supply the state with pentobarbital does not constitute obstruction of justice, I’ll eat my beloved John Deere cap.
By Sudhin Thanawala and Don Thompson
Associated Press
August 25, 2017
SAN FRANCISCO -- California correctional officials on Friday asked state regulators to approve a revised method of carrying out death sentences after years of delays that have stalled executions since 2006.
The new regulations would allow California's death row inmates to be executed using one of two different drugs or choose the gas chamber.
The state is acting after what critics say are years of delaying tactics by Democratic office-holders who have been in no hurry to resume carrying out the death penalty.
Corrections officials filed the revised regulations one day after the state Supreme Court upheld a voter-approved measure to speed up death sentences. That leaves one major obstacle before executions can resume: Getting approval for a new lethal injection method.
Among other things, the justices' decision upholding Proposition 66 ends the requirement that prison officials receive approval from state regulators for their new lethal injection plan.
Corrections officials, however, decided to submit the revised regulations to the state Office of Administrative Law and follow the normal regulatory process until the justices' decision becomes final.
Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, isn't bothered by their decision even though his organization had to sue to pressure corrections officials into adopting the new execution regulations after three years of delays.
"That's cautious but I can't say that being cautious is a bad thing, because they know they're going to be sued — they always are," he said.
The high court's decision could become final as soon as late next month, although the court could extend that time for an additional 60 days. Once it becomes final, corrections officials will no longer need regulatory approval for the new lethal injection rules, so those will become final as well.
The next step would then be for state officials to ask a federal judge and a Marin County superior court judge to lift separate longstanding injunctions that applied to California's old way of executing inmates using a combination of three lethal drugs.
Those injunctions have prevented the state from executing anyone since 2006.
Under the new rules, corrections officials would choose between the powerful barbiturates pentobarbital or thiopental for each execution, depending on which one is available.
They initially proposed using any one of four drugs, but they dropped two of them after opponents said those drugs had never been used in executions and questioned whether the drugs would be safe and effective.
There may be other legal challenges to the final rules, however. Opponents already are objecting, for instance, that the rules allow the state to obtain the barbiturates from compounding pharmacies instead of manufacturers as the state attempts to work around a nationwide shortage of execution drugs.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Pentobarbital works just fine in Texas. I suspect that if Texas correction officials cannot obtain the pentobarbital from pharmaceutical sources on the outside, they will use their own compounding pharmacist.
I have long maintained that the state should file criminal charges for obstruction of justice against any outside pharmaceutical source that refuses to supply pentobarbital to Texas correction officials. After all, an execution is ordered by a court and the refusal to supply the state with a lethal injection drug prevents the court order from being carried out. If the refusal to supply the state with pentobarbital does not constitute obstruction of justice, I’ll eat my beloved John Deere cap.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
THE CITY OF HOUSTON MUST BE RENAMED AND ALL STATUES OF SAM HOUSTON IN TEXAS MUST BE DESTROYED ALONG WITH THE ALAMO
Sam Houston was an unapologetic slave owner and the defenders of the Alamo fought to preserve slavery in Texas
By Ima Schmuck
The Unconventional Gazette
August 26, 2017
EXCLUSIVE -- If you recall our recent interview (August 23, 2017) with community activist Yusef Y was terminated abruptly when a couple of cops showed up to arrest him for failure to appear on numerous tickets he got for traffic offenses and parking violations.
Yusef contacted us and said he bailed out of jail and wanted to continue the interview. He told us that since now they’ve begun to remove all the Confederate monuments in the country, he’s going to go after Sam Houston and the Alamo.
“Sam Houston was a slave owner,” said Yusef, “and the motherfucker never apologized for it. The motherfucking cracker took pro-slavery positions while he was a fucking senator or fucking governor. The fucking constitution he helped write, protected slavery in the new fucking country of fucking Texas.”
“Them crackers wanted to form their own country because Mexico had abolished slavery,” continued Yusef, “and they were afraid they would have to give up their slaves. And Houston was their motherfucking leader.”
Yousef will demand that the city of Houston change its name. “I don’t give a fuck what the fuck they call it as long as it doesn’t honor a motherfucking slave owner or fucking Confederate soldier. And the same goes for that college in Huntsville ….. that’s Sam Houston State University, I fucking believe. And they gotta get rid of all statues of that motherfucker Houston. And they gotta change the names of all parks, streets and buildings named after that fucking peckerwood.”
Next Yusef Y turned his attention to the Alamo. Apparently he read a novel – “Escape from Texas” - by, James W. Russell, sociology professor at Eastern Connecticut State University, in which Russell wrote that the heroes of the Alamo were trying to keep the Mexicans, who had abolished slavery in 1829, at bay so that the Texans could keep their slaves. Asa matter of fact, Joe, the personal slave of William Travis, was the only person to survive the fall of the Alamo.
“The fucking Alamo has gotta go,” said Yusef. “Doze it into fucking dust. It hurts us fucking black people to see a shrine dedicated to a bunch of fucking peckerwoods who fought to preserve fucking slavery in motherfucking Texas. Turn the empty space where the Alamo used to stand into a fucking parking lot with a big statue of that motherfucker Santa Ana in the middle. Fuck, most of the fucking people that live in San Antonio are fucking Mexicans and those motherfuckers would be all for putting that fucking statue of Santa Ana where the fucking Alamo used to stand.”
Suddenly another black man burst into our office and shouted, “Yusef, they’re hauling your fucking car away from that fire hydrant!” And that ended our interview as the community activist and ex-con shot out of the building like a bolt of lightning.
By Ima Schmuck
The Unconventional Gazette
August 26, 2017
EXCLUSIVE -- If you recall our recent interview (August 23, 2017) with community activist Yusef Y was terminated abruptly when a couple of cops showed up to arrest him for failure to appear on numerous tickets he got for traffic offenses and parking violations.
Yusef contacted us and said he bailed out of jail and wanted to continue the interview. He told us that since now they’ve begun to remove all the Confederate monuments in the country, he’s going to go after Sam Houston and the Alamo.
“Sam Houston was a slave owner,” said Yusef, “and the motherfucker never apologized for it. The motherfucking cracker took pro-slavery positions while he was a fucking senator or fucking governor. The fucking constitution he helped write, protected slavery in the new fucking country of fucking Texas.”
“Them crackers wanted to form their own country because Mexico had abolished slavery,” continued Yusef, “and they were afraid they would have to give up their slaves. And Houston was their motherfucking leader.”
Yousef will demand that the city of Houston change its name. “I don’t give a fuck what the fuck they call it as long as it doesn’t honor a motherfucking slave owner or fucking Confederate soldier. And the same goes for that college in Huntsville ….. that’s Sam Houston State University, I fucking believe. And they gotta get rid of all statues of that motherfucker Houston. And they gotta change the names of all parks, streets and buildings named after that fucking peckerwood.”
Next Yusef Y turned his attention to the Alamo. Apparently he read a novel – “Escape from Texas” - by, James W. Russell, sociology professor at Eastern Connecticut State University, in which Russell wrote that the heroes of the Alamo were trying to keep the Mexicans, who had abolished slavery in 1829, at bay so that the Texans could keep their slaves. Asa matter of fact, Joe, the personal slave of William Travis, was the only person to survive the fall of the Alamo.
“The fucking Alamo has gotta go,” said Yusef. “Doze it into fucking dust. It hurts us fucking black people to see a shrine dedicated to a bunch of fucking peckerwoods who fought to preserve fucking slavery in motherfucking Texas. Turn the empty space where the Alamo used to stand into a fucking parking lot with a big statue of that motherfucker Santa Ana in the middle. Fuck, most of the fucking people that live in San Antonio are fucking Mexicans and those motherfuckers would be all for putting that fucking statue of Santa Ana where the fucking Alamo used to stand.”
Suddenly another black man burst into our office and shouted, “Yusef, they’re hauling your fucking car away from that fire hydrant!” And that ended our interview as the community activist and ex-con shot out of the building like a bolt of lightning.
TRUMP PARDONS SHERIFF JOE
by Bob Walsh
President Trump has pardoned former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Sheriff Joe was found guilty of criminal contempt of the federal court by allegedly refusing to stop what amounted to immigration action by his deputies.
I am fully confident that the anti-Trump psychopaths will scream like mashed cats and the pseudo-Republicans will decry his "bad timing" or "racial insensitivity.." Fuck them.
President Trump has pardoned former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Sheriff Joe was found guilty of criminal contempt of the federal court by allegedly refusing to stop what amounted to immigration action by his deputies.
I am fully confident that the anti-Trump psychopaths will scream like mashed cats and the pseudo-Republicans will decry his "bad timing" or "racial insensitivity.." Fuck them.
WILL FASCIST LIBERALS BREAK UP S.F. RALLY?
by Bob Walsh
If all goes "well" there will be a big "prayer meeting" near the Golden Gate Bridge today. This thing will be put on by a group of allegedly conservative religious folks who are allegedly specifically telling white racists to stay home. A group of liberal fascists is in opposition to them and intends to AT A MINIMUM launch a counter demonstration.
The cops have already said NO WEAPONS, NO HELMETS, NO SHIELDS. How well that will be enforced is not known at this time. If it will be enforced against both sides is highly questionable. The cops claim they can and will keep the situation peaceful and the two sides separated. Will they? It will be interesting to see.
A similar free-speech rally is supposed to take place in the Peoples Republic of Berkeley. The BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY crowd has already announced that they WILL break it up by any means necessary. That has previously meant the use of force and violence if the mere threat of force and violence did not suffice. Up until now both the threat and the reality have been used successfully.
One thing is for sure. The idea of FREE SPEECH is truly abhorrent to the left. If you are dumb enough to disagree with them you damn well better keep it to yourself, or else.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
If all goes "well" there will be a big "prayer meeting" near the Golden Gate Bridge today. This thing will be put on by a group of allegedly conservative religious folks who are allegedly specifically telling white racists to stay home. A group of liberal fascists is in opposition to them and intends to AT A MINIMUM launch a counter demonstration.
The cops have already said NO WEAPONS, NO HELMETS, NO SHIELDS. How well that will be enforced is not known at this time. If it will be enforced against both sides is highly questionable. The cops claim they can and will keep the situation peaceful and the two sides separated. Will they? It will be interesting to see.
A similar free-speech rally is supposed to take place in the Peoples Republic of Berkeley. The BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY crowd has already announced that they WILL break it up by any means necessary. That has previously meant the use of force and violence if the mere threat of force and violence did not suffice. Up until now both the threat and the reality have been used successfully.
One thing is for sure. The idea of FREE SPEECH is truly abhorrent to the left. If you are dumb enough to disagree with them you damn well better keep it to yourself, or else.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
RALLIES CANCELLED AMID FEAR OF ATTACK BY LEFTISTS
by Bob Walsh
The rallies planned in San Francisco and Berkeley this weekend have both been cancelled by their organizers. Both groups cited their belief that the police were either unable or unwilling to protect them from promised opposition (including threats of violence) by liberal fascists.
Is discretion the better part of valor? In this case, probably maybe yes.
The rallies planned in San Francisco and Berkeley this weekend have both been cancelled by their organizers. Both groups cited their belief that the police were either unable or unwilling to protect them from promised opposition (including threats of violence) by liberal fascists.
Is discretion the better part of valor? In this case, probably maybe yes.
CA. BAIL REFORM TRY FALLS FLAT
by Bob Walsh
The attempt to "reform" the bail system in CA has failed, at least for this legislative year, according to Governor Moonbeam.
Right now the formerly great state of California has the same bail system as most of the rest of the country. If you are arrested for a bailable offense you can (if you are lucky and rich) post bail out of your own funds, or you contact a bail agent. He gets 10% of the bail amount (sometimes only 8%) which he keeps and he then guarantees your appearance. If you no-show he goes after whatever collateral you may have put up against the bail amount (often real estate) and puts bounty hunters out after your happy ass to drag you into court.
It isn't wonderful, especially if you are poor or even lower middle class, but it sort-of works. And it will continue to sort-of work in the formerly great state of California, at least for the nonce.
The attempt to "reform" the bail system in CA has failed, at least for this legislative year, according to Governor Moonbeam.
Right now the formerly great state of California has the same bail system as most of the rest of the country. If you are arrested for a bailable offense you can (if you are lucky and rich) post bail out of your own funds, or you contact a bail agent. He gets 10% of the bail amount (sometimes only 8%) which he keeps and he then guarantees your appearance. If you no-show he goes after whatever collateral you may have put up against the bail amount (often real estate) and puts bounty hunters out after your happy ass to drag you into court.
It isn't wonderful, especially if you are poor or even lower middle class, but it sort-of works. And it will continue to sort-of work in the formerly great state of California, at least for the nonce.
AND ALL THE TIME WE THOUGHT MICHELLE WAS A WOMAN, BUT NOW WE LEARN SHE HAS A DICK
Alex Jones claims he has 'proof' Michelle Obama is a man
By Chloe Farand
The Independent
August 25, 2017
In his latest attack on Michelle Obama, far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones claims he has "the final proof" the former First Lady is a man.
In a 12-minute video, the Infowars host analyses footage and photos which he believes prove Ms Obama has a penis.
"Since the early days of the Obama administration, citizens across the board have studied videos and photos of Michelle Obama and said that she is a man," the shock jock said.
"And even [Barack] Obama has called her over and over again Michael. But new shock footage has emerged that is being censored off the internet as fast as you can upload it."
In the video, Mr Jones shows a series a pictures of Ms Obama and points out to pleats in her dresses and trousers he says is evidence she has a penis.
The "shock" footage is a short clip showing someone saying: "Michelle is transgender, we all know it".
Mr Jones added: "Now I'm not saying that Michelle Obama is a tran and I don't hate trannies. I'm a libertarian but we have famous photos of her where it appears she has a large bulge in her pants.
"Michelle appears in photos and videos to have a very large penis in her pants, her shoulders are wide, her face is very, very masculine. She looks like a tranny.
"And so you ask yourself are the children a beard for Obama and of course Michelle Obama or Michael Obama as he has called her."
Mr Jones then shows a video of Mr Obama making a speech at a military base in Arlington, Virginia, during which he says "Michael and I".
But there was no suggestion that Mr Obama was referring to his wife and not someone who is genuinely called Michael.
In another piece of footage, Mr Obama stutters when saying "Michelle" but he never actually says "Michael".
The Infowars host adds the media has accused him of being the creator of this conspiracy theory, but he claims suspicions have been circulating on the internet since Mr Obama's election campaign and that he has nothing to do with them.
This is not the first time Mr Jones has made these accusations against Ms Obama and last year he also claimed she secretly was a transgender man.
Mr Jones has gained notoriety for his extreme views and brash style. He has previously claimed without evidence, that the Sandy Hook massacre and Boston bombings were hoaxes and that Barack Obama founded Isis.
By Chloe Farand
The Independent
August 25, 2017
In his latest attack on Michelle Obama, far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones claims he has "the final proof" the former First Lady is a man.
In a 12-minute video, the Infowars host analyses footage and photos which he believes prove Ms Obama has a penis.
"Since the early days of the Obama administration, citizens across the board have studied videos and photos of Michelle Obama and said that she is a man," the shock jock said.
"And even [Barack] Obama has called her over and over again Michael. But new shock footage has emerged that is being censored off the internet as fast as you can upload it."
In the video, Mr Jones shows a series a pictures of Ms Obama and points out to pleats in her dresses and trousers he says is evidence she has a penis.
The "shock" footage is a short clip showing someone saying: "Michelle is transgender, we all know it".
Mr Jones added: "Now I'm not saying that Michelle Obama is a tran and I don't hate trannies. I'm a libertarian but we have famous photos of her where it appears she has a large bulge in her pants.
"Michelle appears in photos and videos to have a very large penis in her pants, her shoulders are wide, her face is very, very masculine. She looks like a tranny.
"And so you ask yourself are the children a beard for Obama and of course Michelle Obama or Michael Obama as he has called her."
Mr Jones then shows a video of Mr Obama making a speech at a military base in Arlington, Virginia, during which he says "Michael and I".
But there was no suggestion that Mr Obama was referring to his wife and not someone who is genuinely called Michael.
In another piece of footage, Mr Obama stutters when saying "Michelle" but he never actually says "Michael".
The Infowars host adds the media has accused him of being the creator of this conspiracy theory, but he claims suspicions have been circulating on the internet since Mr Obama's election campaign and that he has nothing to do with them.
This is not the first time Mr Jones has made these accusations against Ms Obama and last year he also claimed she secretly was a transgender man.
Mr Jones has gained notoriety for his extreme views and brash style. He has previously claimed without evidence, that the Sandy Hook massacre and Boston bombings were hoaxes and that Barack Obama founded Isis.
EL PADRINO GETS ONLY 37 YEARS FOR KILLING DEA AGENT AND HE’S ALREADY SERVED THE BULK OF HIS TIME
Drug lord sentenced in murder of DEA agent Enrique ‘Kiki” Camarena 32 years ago
By Patrick J. McDonnell
Los Angeles Times
August 25, 2017
MEXICO CITY — He was known as “El Padrino” — the Godfather — and, as co-founder of the once-dominant Guadalajara drug cartel, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo reigned over Mexico’s multibillion-dollar narco-commerce with all the ruthlessness and aplomb of the fictional Don Corleone.
The former street cop and bodyguard turned-drug kingpin counted police commanders and politicians among his protectors and supplicants.
But eventually, Gallardo went too far. The international outrage following the 1985 murder in Mexico of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent, Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, eventually led to the fall of Gallardo and his close associates and the splintering of their nationwide criminal network.
The fallout of Camarena’s murder — and the unraveling of Gallardo’s cartel — continues to be felt in Mexico to this day, influencing law enforcement, politics and how modern cartels operate. Even though Gallardo was arrested decades ago, the case made the news again this week when a Mexican federal court sentenced Gallardo to 37 years in prison for the murder of Camarena and a Mexican pilot, Alfredo Zavala.
As part of Wednesday’s court decision, Gallardo also was ordered to make the equivalent of $1.18 million in reparation payments, presumably to the families of the victims.
Gallardo, now in his early 70s, has been in Mexican custody since 1989, when intense pressure from U.S. authorities led Mexican authorities to arrest him.
But the kingpin’s case had dragged on for decades in Mexican tribunals amid a plethora of legal maneuvers and a court ruling throwing out a previous 40-year sentence against Gallardo. It is said to be one of the longest judicial proceedings in Mexican criminal history. Several more years of appeals are possible, authorities say, even though Gallardo has already served the bulk of his term.
The official sentencing comes 32 years after Camarena — the DEA agent and former Calexico cop and U.S. Marine — was brazenly snatched in broad daylight in Guadalajara. Camarena was kidnapped while walking along a street to meet his wife for lunch. Zavala, who was assisting Camarena in his undercover investigations, also disappeared.
The Camarena case, which has inspired films, books and television series, put the public spotlight on the organized and brutal nature of Mexican drug-trafficking rings. The intense law enforcement focus ultimately contributed to altering the makeup of the drug gangs, but did not come close to putting an end to the illegal cross-border commerce.
In a sense, the takedown of the Guadalajara cartel set a template for the Mexican drug wars that have raged to this day — often with much more bloodshed and brutality than in the heyday of Gallardo and his henchmen.
After Camarena disappeared, an irate Reagan administration pressed the Mexican government to find him. U.S. customs officials all but shut down the nearly 2,000-mile-long border, triggering a binational crisis.
It was a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations perhaps unmatched until President Trump took office in January amid threats to build a border wall, slap a tariff on Mexican imports and carry out large-scale deportations of Mexican citizens in the U.S. illegally.
The bodies of Camarena and Zavala were found, a month after their February 1985 disappearances, near a ranch in the western state of Michoacan. Their remains showed signs of torture.
The subsequent manhunt for the killers was called the largest in DEA history. Suspicion immediately fell on the Guadalajara cartel and its three principal figures: Gallardo, Ernesto “Don Neto” Fonseca and Rafael Caro Quintero, all giants of the Mexican demimonde, subjects of corridos (ballads) and legends.
In his undercover work, Camarena had developed an extensive informant network that led to large-scale seizures of marijuana and destruction of pot plantations in northern Mexico, authorities say. His murder was called payback for the damage done to the Guadalajara mob.
Mexican authorities soon rounded up Fonseca and Caro Quintero, but Gallardo — reportedly protected by authorities — was not arrested until 1989.
Though Gallardo remains in prison, Fonseca was transferred to house arrest in 2016 under terms granted to elderly prisoners with health problems.
Caro Quintero was released from prison in 2013 on a legal technicality, to the dismay of U.S. authorities — who have offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture or conviction. Both Mexican and U.S. officials are seeking Caro Quintero.
In 2016, Caro Quintero gave an interview from hiding to Mexico’s Proceso magazine denying any role in Camarena’s murder and rejecting reports that he had returned to the drug world.
Amid continuing demand for drugs in the United States, experts say, the destruction of the Guadalajara cartel resulted in a fragmenting of the market and the emergence of distinct regional cartels.
Among them was the Sinaloa cartel of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and other criminal mobs in Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and elsewhere. All built on the sophistication of the Guadalajara cartel, with its close ties to South American cocaine producers. The evolving U.S. appetite for heroin, amphetamines and other illicit substances has been a boost for the trafficking enterprise.
Under pressure from U.S. authorities, Mexican officials have taken down one drug lord after another. Critics question, however, whether the “kingpin strategy” has exacerbated the problem, amid escalating national homicide rates. Violent junior sicarios, or hit men, and other would-be successors now regularly battle for leadership after the incarceration or murders of their bosses.
The arrest of Guzman, and his extradition this year from Mexico to the United States, is a case in point. His absence and the subsequent leadership void have spurred violent clashes among competing blocs fighting for control of Guzman’s fractured empire.
Mexican drug gangs since the 1980s have diversified into other fields — including extortion, kidnapping, human trafficking and the forced takeover of legitimate businesses.
Like their predecessors in the Guadalajara cartel, Mexico’s current narco-leaders maintain financial and social ties to police and elected lawmakers. The nexus among gangs, law enforcement and politicians — and the resulting impunity for many criminals and corrupt officials — continues to bedevil reform efforts in Mexico.
For U.S. anti-drug authorities, a key lesson of the Camarena killing was the need for an immediate and robust response to any menace to its personnel.
"Because of the Camarena case, even the mere allegation of a threat is the tripwire that unleashes DEA’s fury," Jay Bergman, former regional director of the DEA’s Andean office, told the Los Angeles Times in 2015. "The message is loud and clear: Just thinking about harming an agent will turn your world upside down."
By Patrick J. McDonnell
Los Angeles Times
August 25, 2017
MEXICO CITY — He was known as “El Padrino” — the Godfather — and, as co-founder of the once-dominant Guadalajara drug cartel, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo reigned over Mexico’s multibillion-dollar narco-commerce with all the ruthlessness and aplomb of the fictional Don Corleone.
The former street cop and bodyguard turned-drug kingpin counted police commanders and politicians among his protectors and supplicants.
But eventually, Gallardo went too far. The international outrage following the 1985 murder in Mexico of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent, Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, eventually led to the fall of Gallardo and his close associates and the splintering of their nationwide criminal network.
The fallout of Camarena’s murder — and the unraveling of Gallardo’s cartel — continues to be felt in Mexico to this day, influencing law enforcement, politics and how modern cartels operate. Even though Gallardo was arrested decades ago, the case made the news again this week when a Mexican federal court sentenced Gallardo to 37 years in prison for the murder of Camarena and a Mexican pilot, Alfredo Zavala.
As part of Wednesday’s court decision, Gallardo also was ordered to make the equivalent of $1.18 million in reparation payments, presumably to the families of the victims.
Gallardo, now in his early 70s, has been in Mexican custody since 1989, when intense pressure from U.S. authorities led Mexican authorities to arrest him.
But the kingpin’s case had dragged on for decades in Mexican tribunals amid a plethora of legal maneuvers and a court ruling throwing out a previous 40-year sentence against Gallardo. It is said to be one of the longest judicial proceedings in Mexican criminal history. Several more years of appeals are possible, authorities say, even though Gallardo has already served the bulk of his term.
The official sentencing comes 32 years after Camarena — the DEA agent and former Calexico cop and U.S. Marine — was brazenly snatched in broad daylight in Guadalajara. Camarena was kidnapped while walking along a street to meet his wife for lunch. Zavala, who was assisting Camarena in his undercover investigations, also disappeared.
The Camarena case, which has inspired films, books and television series, put the public spotlight on the organized and brutal nature of Mexican drug-trafficking rings. The intense law enforcement focus ultimately contributed to altering the makeup of the drug gangs, but did not come close to putting an end to the illegal cross-border commerce.
In a sense, the takedown of the Guadalajara cartel set a template for the Mexican drug wars that have raged to this day — often with much more bloodshed and brutality than in the heyday of Gallardo and his henchmen.
After Camarena disappeared, an irate Reagan administration pressed the Mexican government to find him. U.S. customs officials all but shut down the nearly 2,000-mile-long border, triggering a binational crisis.
It was a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations perhaps unmatched until President Trump took office in January amid threats to build a border wall, slap a tariff on Mexican imports and carry out large-scale deportations of Mexican citizens in the U.S. illegally.
The bodies of Camarena and Zavala were found, a month after their February 1985 disappearances, near a ranch in the western state of Michoacan. Their remains showed signs of torture.
The subsequent manhunt for the killers was called the largest in DEA history. Suspicion immediately fell on the Guadalajara cartel and its three principal figures: Gallardo, Ernesto “Don Neto” Fonseca and Rafael Caro Quintero, all giants of the Mexican demimonde, subjects of corridos (ballads) and legends.
In his undercover work, Camarena had developed an extensive informant network that led to large-scale seizures of marijuana and destruction of pot plantations in northern Mexico, authorities say. His murder was called payback for the damage done to the Guadalajara mob.
Mexican authorities soon rounded up Fonseca and Caro Quintero, but Gallardo — reportedly protected by authorities — was not arrested until 1989.
Though Gallardo remains in prison, Fonseca was transferred to house arrest in 2016 under terms granted to elderly prisoners with health problems.
Caro Quintero was released from prison in 2013 on a legal technicality, to the dismay of U.S. authorities — who have offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture or conviction. Both Mexican and U.S. officials are seeking Caro Quintero.
In 2016, Caro Quintero gave an interview from hiding to Mexico’s Proceso magazine denying any role in Camarena’s murder and rejecting reports that he had returned to the drug world.
Amid continuing demand for drugs in the United States, experts say, the destruction of the Guadalajara cartel resulted in a fragmenting of the market and the emergence of distinct regional cartels.
Among them was the Sinaloa cartel of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and other criminal mobs in Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and elsewhere. All built on the sophistication of the Guadalajara cartel, with its close ties to South American cocaine producers. The evolving U.S. appetite for heroin, amphetamines and other illicit substances has been a boost for the trafficking enterprise.
Under pressure from U.S. authorities, Mexican officials have taken down one drug lord after another. Critics question, however, whether the “kingpin strategy” has exacerbated the problem, amid escalating national homicide rates. Violent junior sicarios, or hit men, and other would-be successors now regularly battle for leadership after the incarceration or murders of their bosses.
The arrest of Guzman, and his extradition this year from Mexico to the United States, is a case in point. His absence and the subsequent leadership void have spurred violent clashes among competing blocs fighting for control of Guzman’s fractured empire.
Mexican drug gangs since the 1980s have diversified into other fields — including extortion, kidnapping, human trafficking and the forced takeover of legitimate businesses.
Like their predecessors in the Guadalajara cartel, Mexico’s current narco-leaders maintain financial and social ties to police and elected lawmakers. The nexus among gangs, law enforcement and politicians — and the resulting impunity for many criminals and corrupt officials — continues to bedevil reform efforts in Mexico.
For U.S. anti-drug authorities, a key lesson of the Camarena killing was the need for an immediate and robust response to any menace to its personnel.
"Because of the Camarena case, even the mere allegation of a threat is the tripwire that unleashes DEA’s fury," Jay Bergman, former regional director of the DEA’s Andean office, told the Los Angeles Times in 2015. "The message is loud and clear: Just thinking about harming an agent will turn your world upside down."
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