The Po-Lice
By Jerry Reynolds
Car Pro
June 29, 2018
Early in my career running dealerships, the first one I worked at was in a somewhat rough part of town in Dallas. There were only two dealerships on the street where the dealership was located: the Ford store I worked at and a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership next door that eventually closed.
We had more than our fair share of thefts, so typically when I had to call the police, our beat officer, Jerry, came to take the report. Jerry and I became very good friends. One of the first lessons he taught me was that in Texas, there were no police officers, they were all the po-lice (po-lease). I suspect it is still that way today.
The year was 1979 and the Dallas Police and Firefighters were upset over their lack of pay and were at odds with the Mayor and City Council. They gathered enough signatures to get a 15% pay raise on the ballot for the citizens to vote on. The city establishment fought them tooth and nail, buying ads and billboards encouraging people to vote no.
At the time, I was doing some writing for a local newspaper called the Suburban Tribune. I got permission to do some ride-alongs with Jerry as well as with the fire department and wrote about my experiences. I saw many things that most people never knew went on.
I was very vocally in support of the pay raise and made a lot of friends with the officers in the area. The election came and the voters approved it. I was elated for them, they deserved it. As a side note, now almost 40 years later, they still haven’t collected all the back pay, but as recently as this month, the City of Dallas agreed to pay out 235 million dollars, but I digress.
One day Jerry called and told me the Dallas Police Southeast Division Police Chief, Don Stafford, wanted to see me in his office at 3:30 one day. My mind raced, wondering if I screwed something up when I was riding with Jerry. In actuality, the Chief wanted to give me a plaque for helping and they presented it to me during a shift change, so all the 3rd shift officers were there for the presentation.
I found the police work to be very rewarding but loved the car business too. Jerry suggested I apply to go through the Dallas Police Academy and become a police Reserve officer. I did that and graduated later that year. It was a great experience. I stayed on for 10 years until I just didn’t have the time for it.
I got a reputation for taking care of Dallas Police Officers’ vehicle needs. Police are clannish; if you take good care of them, they tell everybody. If they get screwed, they tell everyone as well, maybe even more people. I sold hundreds of officers’ cars. When I would go to report for duty as a reserve officer, just about every vehicle in the parking lot was a Ford I sold.
At the next dealership I worked at, many of them followed me there. One evening as I was coming around a Dallas freeway, a motorcycle officer pulled me over. I wasn’t worried about it, this had happened several times. I kept my driver license under my badge holder and took plenty of time digging for it, just to make sure he saw it.
Officer Ron was about 6’5” and much to my surprise, he started writing me a ticket. In amazement, I said: “are you writing me?” to which he simply said: “yep”. I asked around about him and everyone said he’d write his own mother a ticket and I felt better. The Chief of Police in charge of the reserve officers called me a few days later just to talk, and I told him that Ron wrote me a ticket. Somehow the ticket magically went away.
Several years later, a 6’5” guy walked into my office. He said: “I’m Ron, I understand you take good care of the po-lice.” I recognized him, but he didn’t remember me. I said: “Oh, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for years!” Yes, it was the Ron who wrote me the ticket. I helped him and we became really good friends and are still today. I helped his ex-wife a couple of times, and then he married another Dallas officer and I have helped her with a number of vehicles.
I made a lot of Dallas Police friends over the years, and with the help of Facebook, I’ve kept in touch with many of them. I have a special admiration for these guys and gals. My experience as a reserve officer gives me a realization that they put their lives on the line every day. Of course, like people in the car business, doctors, engineers, and all other professions, there are good and bad. As I always ask, what do you call the student who finishes last in medical school? A doctor.
As a Reserve Police Officer, we wore the same uniform as regular officers. If a bad person was going to shoot, he or she was as likely to shoot me as the officer I was working with. For that reason, I wisely chose the officers I worked with.
One of my favorites was named Ron Baker (not the one who wrote me the ticket). I learned a lot from Ron. He had a cool head, I never saw him abuse anyone, and you could tell he had compassion in his heart. We made a good team. Ron was only 24 but seemed to have the experience of an officer on the job for 20 years or more.
On May 1, 1983, Ron came to me to get a new vehicle. He and his wife Laurie were expecting their second child, Heather. I got him fixed up, and while he was in the finance office, he had my finance manager page me to his office. Ron said to me: “I don’t need this credit life stuff, do I?” I said: “Ron, you’re a cop with a baby on the way, and it’s a couple of dollars per month. If something happens, the car is paid off.”
On May 2, 1983, I was scheduled to do a shift with Ron, but I wasn’t feeling well and begged off. That day, Ron conducted a traffic stop, was overpowered, and shot and killed with his own gun. If that was not bad enough, the murderers backed over him with a van, then ran over him again. They later died after a shootout.
The haunting question for me was always and still is, whether things had been different if I had been with him. Would he still be alive, or would we both be dead?
The following day, Laurie called me and asked if she could bring the new car back, that she couldn’t afford it. Ron had not explained that he bought the credit life insurance.
All I said was: “Don’t worry about the car, the next thing you’ll see is a clear title”.
This story is dedicated to the memory of my friend, Ronald Dale Baker.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS IMPOSSIBLE LAW
by Bob Walsh
There is a law in the formerly great state of California which prohibits the selling of new model semi-automatic centerfire pistols that do not stamp a unique number into the cartridge as it is fired. This is commonly called microstamping. The courts recognize that this technology is "emerging" (meaning it does not work reliably yet).
Various pro-Second Amendment groups have objected, saying that it effectively bars the sale of many handguns in CA by imposing a requirement that can not under current technology be met.
The court agreed, but believe that an impossible to obey law can be used to prod the gun industry into a socially desirable direction.
There is a law in the formerly great state of California which prohibits the selling of new model semi-automatic centerfire pistols that do not stamp a unique number into the cartridge as it is fired. This is commonly called microstamping. The courts recognize that this technology is "emerging" (meaning it does not work reliably yet).
Various pro-Second Amendment groups have objected, saying that it effectively bars the sale of many handguns in CA by imposing a requirement that can not under current technology be met.
The court agreed, but believe that an impossible to obey law can be used to prod the gun industry into a socially desirable direction.
SAVING COURT TIME
by Bob Walsh
David Gonzalez, 24, was being transported from the San Joaquin County hospitality center to the courthouse on Tuesday when he went tits-up on the transport bus. No cause of death is as of yet available.
He had priors for possession of weed and Assault With a Deadly Weapon with Great Bodily Injury.
David Gonzalez, 24, was being transported from the San Joaquin County hospitality center to the courthouse on Tuesday when he went tits-up on the transport bus. No cause of death is as of yet available.
He had priors for possession of weed and Assault With a Deadly Weapon with Great Bodily Injury.
TRULY REMARKABLE OCCURANCE...CALIFORNIA BLOCKS A TAX
by Bob Walsh
Yes, this is remarkable, but not even remotely altruistic. Numerous cities in CA have recently enacted or attempted to enact taxes on sweetened soda, allegedly in an attempt to curb obesity. It is actually just another move at big-brother control over our lives and a move by the rapacious asswipes who are our political masters to suck more and more and more money from us. But be that as it may.
The REAL problem was that a combination of major soda producers and anti-tax activists got together to back a ballot measure that, if passed, would have made it very difficult for the big government assholes to raise any tax of any kind whatsoever in the formerly great state of California.
So, the greedy cowards got together, bit the bullet and made a deal. The state passed a law to prohibit any new soda taxes for 12 years and the people pushing the ballot initiative agreed to back off. Current taxes in four cities in the bay area would stay in place.
Yes, this is remarkable, but not even remotely altruistic. Numerous cities in CA have recently enacted or attempted to enact taxes on sweetened soda, allegedly in an attempt to curb obesity. It is actually just another move at big-brother control over our lives and a move by the rapacious asswipes who are our political masters to suck more and more and more money from us. But be that as it may.
The REAL problem was that a combination of major soda producers and anti-tax activists got together to back a ballot measure that, if passed, would have made it very difficult for the big government assholes to raise any tax of any kind whatsoever in the formerly great state of California.
So, the greedy cowards got together, bit the bullet and made a deal. The state passed a law to prohibit any new soda taxes for 12 years and the people pushing the ballot initiative agreed to back off. Current taxes in four cities in the bay area would stay in place.
THE POLICE SHOOTING THAT LED TO THE FIRING OF CHICAGO’S POLICE CHIEF, THE ELECTION DEFEAT OF COOK COUNTY’S PROSECUTOR AND MURDER CHARGES AGAINST THE COP
Motion Alleges 'Public Execution' of Indicted Chicago Police Officer
By Megan Crepeau
Chicago Tribune
June 29, 2018
CHICAGO — A long-sealed motion by indicted Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke seeks to move his trial for the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald outside Cook County, alleging that “extensive, inflammatory and sensational media coverage” has made a fair jury trial here impossible.
The motion, finally made public three months to the day after it was filed, also paints the officer as the victim of ambitious politicians, saying public comments by elected officials amounted to “the public execution of Jason Van Dyke.”
“It can be argued that there is no case in history that presents a more compelling example of the necessity for a change of place of trial,” the 31-page filing concluded.
The motion was filed March 28 by Daniel Herbert, Van Dyke’s lead lawyer, only to be quietly unsealed this week by Judge Vincent Gaughan, who has put extraordinary restrictions on the release of evidence and testimony in the high-profile case. It was made public Thursday.
The judge has been pushing for a summer trial, but a hearing on the motion to move the trial to another county in Illinois probably won’t take place until August, it was revealed Thursday. A comprehensive report by a California consultant hired by the defense to buttress its motion has taken months to complete and now should be ready by July 10, lawyers said. The judge gave special prosecutors until July 24 to respond in writing to the motion — and another week for Van Dyke’s lawyers to reply to that.
The motion is based on Van Dyke seeking a jury trial, but that call has yet to be made by the defense — and would go against long precedent at the Leighton Criminal Court Building for Chicago cops charged with misconduct who typically let judges decide their fate, as The Chicago Tribune noted in a front-page article this week.
Gaughan unsealed the motion to move the trial weeks after the state Supreme Court, responding to objections by the Tribune and other news organizations, ordered the judge to stop requiring that court documents in the case be filed directly to his chambers. Typically, filings are made publicly in the circuit clerk’s office.
The judge’s secretive measures continued Thursday. Before any substantive discussions took place in his courtroom, he held an hourlong private meeting with attorneys in his office. Later, for the third time, he cleared the courtroom of reporters and spectators to hold a hearing in private about questionnaires that prospective jurors will fill out.
A Tribune reporter who tried to sit outside the courtroom doors during the closed hearing was told by sheriff’s deputies to move down the hallway.
Citing case law, including the infamous press coverage of the Dr. Sam Sheppard murder case in Ohio in the 1950s, Van Dyke’s lawyers criticized the news media, particularly the coverage before a video of the shooting was made public.
“The fury spread like a wild fire,” the motion said. “In an attempt to one-up its competitors, news agencies were frantically publishing information with stronger adjectives and more sinister angles. It was a classic example of a story getting better each time it was repeated.”
But the defense saved its harshest criticism for the elected officials, community activists and religious leaders it said convicted Van Dyke with their public comments.
It singled out Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and activist the Rev. Michael Pfleger but was especially critical of then-State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, alleging she charged Van Dyke in late 2015 to revive her “sagging” re-election campaign. The allegations against Alvarez mirrored earlier attempts by the defense to have the judge throw out the indictment against Van Dyke.
The motion went on to point out that Chicago Public Schools sent a letter about the release of the shooting video to every parent or guardian of a student and implemented a lesson plan to help students in the furor that followed.
Even reports by the U.S. Department of Justice and Emanuel’s Police Accountability Task Force, highly critical of police practices, drew blame from Van Dyke’s lawyers.
There’s no disputing that Van Dyke’s case has been a watershed moment for Chicago and its police department. The police dashboard camera video — released by court order on the same day Van Dyke was charged in November 2015 — showed Van Dyke shoot McDonald 16 times as the black teen walked away from police, contradicting officers’ reports that McDonald had lunged at officers with a knife. The video spurred widespread protests, the ouster of the police superintendent, Alvarez’s defeat and the damning report by the Justice Department.
The defense motion said the video has been viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube.
If the defense succeeds, the trial could be moved to another county or jurors could be selected in a different part of the state and brought to the Leighton Criminal Court Building for the proceedings. The motion does not specify which course of action the defense would prefer nor does it suggest a county where the case should be heard.
Such motions are rarely granted, but two of the most high-profile murder cases in modern Cook County history are exceptions. Richard Speck, who was convicted of killing eight student nurses in a town home on Chicago’s Southeast Side, had his trial moved to downstate Peoria half a century ago. And jurors for the 1980 trial of John Wayne Gacy Jr., who was convicted of killing 33 young men and boys in the 1970s, were selected in Rockford, but the trial was held in Chicago.
Meanwhile, in a motion filed Thursday, special prosecutors sought to block the defense from using an animated video at trial.
The 30-second video claims to depict “the path of travel” of the first five of the 16 bullets Van Dyke fired at McDonald, according to the motion.
But the video is “inaccurate and misleading,” prosecutors said. It shows Van Dyke standing still when, in fact, he was walking toward McDonald by the time he fired the fifth shot, according to the motion.
Prosecutors noted the defense’s own pathologist concluded that there was no way to tell in which order the gunshots hit McDonald.
The animated video has not been released to the public.
In addition, Van Dyke’s lawyers indicated Thursday that they would make an additional attempt to introduce more evidence about McDonald’s allegedly violent history and character. Gaughan has already ruled that half a dozen witnesses could testify about the teen’s purportedly violent past.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I agree there has been a 'public execution' of Van Dyke, but when video clips show McDonald walking away from the cops when he got shot, that's bound to happen.
By Megan Crepeau
Chicago Tribune
June 29, 2018
CHICAGO — A long-sealed motion by indicted Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke seeks to move his trial for the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald outside Cook County, alleging that “extensive, inflammatory and sensational media coverage” has made a fair jury trial here impossible.
The motion, finally made public three months to the day after it was filed, also paints the officer as the victim of ambitious politicians, saying public comments by elected officials amounted to “the public execution of Jason Van Dyke.”
“It can be argued that there is no case in history that presents a more compelling example of the necessity for a change of place of trial,” the 31-page filing concluded.
The motion was filed March 28 by Daniel Herbert, Van Dyke’s lead lawyer, only to be quietly unsealed this week by Judge Vincent Gaughan, who has put extraordinary restrictions on the release of evidence and testimony in the high-profile case. It was made public Thursday.
The judge has been pushing for a summer trial, but a hearing on the motion to move the trial to another county in Illinois probably won’t take place until August, it was revealed Thursday. A comprehensive report by a California consultant hired by the defense to buttress its motion has taken months to complete and now should be ready by July 10, lawyers said. The judge gave special prosecutors until July 24 to respond in writing to the motion — and another week for Van Dyke’s lawyers to reply to that.
The motion is based on Van Dyke seeking a jury trial, but that call has yet to be made by the defense — and would go against long precedent at the Leighton Criminal Court Building for Chicago cops charged with misconduct who typically let judges decide their fate, as The Chicago Tribune noted in a front-page article this week.
Gaughan unsealed the motion to move the trial weeks after the state Supreme Court, responding to objections by the Tribune and other news organizations, ordered the judge to stop requiring that court documents in the case be filed directly to his chambers. Typically, filings are made publicly in the circuit clerk’s office.
The judge’s secretive measures continued Thursday. Before any substantive discussions took place in his courtroom, he held an hourlong private meeting with attorneys in his office. Later, for the third time, he cleared the courtroom of reporters and spectators to hold a hearing in private about questionnaires that prospective jurors will fill out.
A Tribune reporter who tried to sit outside the courtroom doors during the closed hearing was told by sheriff’s deputies to move down the hallway.
Citing case law, including the infamous press coverage of the Dr. Sam Sheppard murder case in Ohio in the 1950s, Van Dyke’s lawyers criticized the news media, particularly the coverage before a video of the shooting was made public.
“The fury spread like a wild fire,” the motion said. “In an attempt to one-up its competitors, news agencies were frantically publishing information with stronger adjectives and more sinister angles. It was a classic example of a story getting better each time it was repeated.”
But the defense saved its harshest criticism for the elected officials, community activists and religious leaders it said convicted Van Dyke with their public comments.
It singled out Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and activist the Rev. Michael Pfleger but was especially critical of then-State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, alleging she charged Van Dyke in late 2015 to revive her “sagging” re-election campaign. The allegations against Alvarez mirrored earlier attempts by the defense to have the judge throw out the indictment against Van Dyke.
The motion went on to point out that Chicago Public Schools sent a letter about the release of the shooting video to every parent or guardian of a student and implemented a lesson plan to help students in the furor that followed.
Even reports by the U.S. Department of Justice and Emanuel’s Police Accountability Task Force, highly critical of police practices, drew blame from Van Dyke’s lawyers.
There’s no disputing that Van Dyke’s case has been a watershed moment for Chicago and its police department. The police dashboard camera video — released by court order on the same day Van Dyke was charged in November 2015 — showed Van Dyke shoot McDonald 16 times as the black teen walked away from police, contradicting officers’ reports that McDonald had lunged at officers with a knife. The video spurred widespread protests, the ouster of the police superintendent, Alvarez’s defeat and the damning report by the Justice Department.
The defense motion said the video has been viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube.
If the defense succeeds, the trial could be moved to another county or jurors could be selected in a different part of the state and brought to the Leighton Criminal Court Building for the proceedings. The motion does not specify which course of action the defense would prefer nor does it suggest a county where the case should be heard.
Such motions are rarely granted, but two of the most high-profile murder cases in modern Cook County history are exceptions. Richard Speck, who was convicted of killing eight student nurses in a town home on Chicago’s Southeast Side, had his trial moved to downstate Peoria half a century ago. And jurors for the 1980 trial of John Wayne Gacy Jr., who was convicted of killing 33 young men and boys in the 1970s, were selected in Rockford, but the trial was held in Chicago.
Meanwhile, in a motion filed Thursday, special prosecutors sought to block the defense from using an animated video at trial.
The 30-second video claims to depict “the path of travel” of the first five of the 16 bullets Van Dyke fired at McDonald, according to the motion.
But the video is “inaccurate and misleading,” prosecutors said. It shows Van Dyke standing still when, in fact, he was walking toward McDonald by the time he fired the fifth shot, according to the motion.
Prosecutors noted the defense’s own pathologist concluded that there was no way to tell in which order the gunshots hit McDonald.
The animated video has not been released to the public.
In addition, Van Dyke’s lawyers indicated Thursday that they would make an additional attempt to introduce more evidence about McDonald’s allegedly violent history and character. Gaughan has already ruled that half a dozen witnesses could testify about the teen’s purportedly violent past.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I agree there has been a 'public execution' of Van Dyke, but when video clips show McDonald walking away from the cops when he got shot, that's bound to happen.
WALMARTIANS FIND SAN ANGELO STORE WRECKED BY TRUCK TO TUNE OF $500,000
Man Takes Truck On Destructive Joyride — Through Walmart
CBS DFW
June 29, 2018
SAN ANGELO, Texas -- During the early morning hours of June 28, 2018, San Angelo Police officers were dispatched to a crash at a south San Angelo Walmart after a driver crashed into the building and drove into the store.
“A 19-year-old Eldorado man is facing multiple Felony charges after he used his truck to drive through the Walmart Supercenter located at 5501 Sherwood Way in San Angelo,” said San Angelo Police in a report early Thursday.
Surveillance video shows the truck – allegedly being driven by Caleb Wilson – crashing through glass front doors of the store then striking several end-cap coolers as it travels towards the back of the store.
According to police, workers and shoppers said Wilson was in the store earlier and was allegedly “exhibiting erratic behavior.”
The driver made it to the cereal aisle before turning around and heading out of the building. No one inside the store was injured.
Police said, “an unidentified 18-year-old woman and patron narrowly avoided injury by jumping out of the truck’s path.
Witnesses said that the woman and Wilson appeared to be in the store together before heading to the parking lot and getting in an argument. Shortly thereafter Wilson allegedly crashed into the store. Witnesses allege that it appeared the driver was purposely confronting the woman as she exited the store with the patron.
“As officers arrived to the storefront, they observed a red 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck exiting the building through the store’s northeast entrance,” SAPD said in the police report.
Police attempted to stop the truck but say the driver “drove at a high rate of speed through the parking lot where it collided with an unoccupied 2007 Toyota Camry.”
Police were able to stop the driver near a Murphy USA gas station. Officials said they put him in custody after he briefly resisted arrest.
Gas pumps at the station were shut off after police noticed fuel leaking from the suspect’s truck.
“While detained, the suspect began to exhibit signs of excited delirium and he was subsequently transported by Officers to Shannon Medical Center for evaluation where he became combative with hospital staff,” said police in the report.
Police said the incident lasted several minutes and damage was estimated to be at least $500,000.
Charges for Wilson were pending. “Investigators have obtained Arrest Warrants for Wilson for First Degree Felony Criminal Mischief and two counts of Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon,” said police.” Wilson remains under medical care at this time.”
The store may be closed for a period of time due to the damages sustained by the crash.
CBS DFW
June 29, 2018
SAN ANGELO, Texas -- During the early morning hours of June 28, 2018, San Angelo Police officers were dispatched to a crash at a south San Angelo Walmart after a driver crashed into the building and drove into the store.
“A 19-year-old Eldorado man is facing multiple Felony charges after he used his truck to drive through the Walmart Supercenter located at 5501 Sherwood Way in San Angelo,” said San Angelo Police in a report early Thursday.
Surveillance video shows the truck – allegedly being driven by Caleb Wilson – crashing through glass front doors of the store then striking several end-cap coolers as it travels towards the back of the store.
According to police, workers and shoppers said Wilson was in the store earlier and was allegedly “exhibiting erratic behavior.”
The driver made it to the cereal aisle before turning around and heading out of the building. No one inside the store was injured.
Police said, “an unidentified 18-year-old woman and patron narrowly avoided injury by jumping out of the truck’s path.
Witnesses said that the woman and Wilson appeared to be in the store together before heading to the parking lot and getting in an argument. Shortly thereafter Wilson allegedly crashed into the store. Witnesses allege that it appeared the driver was purposely confronting the woman as she exited the store with the patron.
“As officers arrived to the storefront, they observed a red 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck exiting the building through the store’s northeast entrance,” SAPD said in the police report.
Police attempted to stop the truck but say the driver “drove at a high rate of speed through the parking lot where it collided with an unoccupied 2007 Toyota Camry.”
Police were able to stop the driver near a Murphy USA gas station. Officials said they put him in custody after he briefly resisted arrest.
Gas pumps at the station were shut off after police noticed fuel leaking from the suspect’s truck.
“While detained, the suspect began to exhibit signs of excited delirium and he was subsequently transported by Officers to Shannon Medical Center for evaluation where he became combative with hospital staff,” said police in the report.
Police said the incident lasted several minutes and damage was estimated to be at least $500,000.
Charges for Wilson were pending. “Investigators have obtained Arrest Warrants for Wilson for First Degree Felony Criminal Mischief and two counts of Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon,” said police.” Wilson remains under medical care at this time.”
The store may be closed for a period of time due to the damages sustained by the crash.
NY FATHER HEINRICH WAS A KIND AND GENTLE MAN WHO LOVED THE JEWISH PEOPLE
Himmler's 'Nazi princess' daughter dead at 88: Holocaust denier who helped war criminals escape justice is revealed to have been a spy for West German government
By Tim Stickings and Reuters
Daily Mail
June 29, 2018
Heinrich Himmler's daughter has died at the age of 88, as Germany's top intelligence service admitted it had employed the Nazi sympathiser during the Cold War.
The BND confirmed today that Gudrun Burwitz had worked for the then-West German spy agency in the 1960s, although she never renounced her father or the Nazi regime.
She remained active in far-right extremism in later life, helping war criminals who worked for her evil father escape justice, and speaking at neo-Nazi rallies, before she died last month in Munich.
Heinrich Himmler, who as commander of the SS was one of the most powerful Nazis and a principal architect of the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust, killed himself in British custody in 1945.
'The BND confirms that Ms. Burwitz was a member of the BND for a few years until 1963 under an assumed name,' said Bodo Hechelhammer, the head of the agency's history department.
One German official said Burwitz had a 'genuine love for these men and women who served the worst parts of the Nazi regime from 1933 until 1945.'
Burwitz was the leading figure in sinister support group Stille Hilfe, which offered backing and financial help for former SS officers still at large. The group was said to have 25 to 40 members who referred to her as the 'Nazi Princess'.
In one case the organisation helped fight for Klaas Carel Faber, 89, in the former SS killer's attempt to avoid being extradited back to the Netherlands.
The Dutchman served with the SS in Holland where he murdered defenceless Jews in cold blood, but was never extradited and died in 2012
It also helped Anton Malloth, a brutal guard in a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, who was sentenced to death in his absence before finding refuge in Germany.
Malloth was put up in an OAP home with Stille Hilfe funds, where Burwitz visited him with fruit and -chocolates, in a residence built on land once owned by Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess.
Burwitz lived her later life in a suburb of Munich, just 15 miles from the concentration camp at Dachau where more than 30,000 people died during Hitler's 12-year rule.
As a child she worshipped her father, who called her Püppi.
She wrote in her diary after she visited the camp: 'Today, we went to Dachau. We saw everything we could. We saw the gardening work. We saw the pear trees.
'We saw all the pictures painted by the prisoners. Marvellous. And afterwards we had a lot to eat. It was very nice.'
Burwitz also clung to her belief that her father was murdered by the Allies, who had captured Himmler after he went on the run dressed as a soldier.
Himmler, who had completed his disguise by shaving of his moustache and wearing an eye patch, in fact committed suicide in British custody two weeks after the German surrender.
Following his suicide, four British soldiers took his body from the interrogation centre and buried it in an unmarked grave on Luneburg Heath.
Its precise location kept secret for fear of it becoming a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis, and it has never been found.
Burwitz said: 'I don't believe he swallowed that poison capsule. My mother and I never had official notification of his death. To me, the photo of him dead is a retouched photo of when he was alive.'
She is said to have attended a rally of neo-Nazis she in Ulrichsberg, Austria, several years ago, where she was idolised by SS veterans.
'They were terrified of her,' said Andrea Ropke, an authority on neo-Nazism who was there.
'All these high-ranking former officers lined up and she asked, "Where did you serve?" showing off a vast knowledge of military logistics.'
She and her group were monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which counters neo-Nazi threats.
One official said: 'She is over 80 but pin sharp. She likes it if you think of her as some Mrs Doubtfire figure but that is not the case.
'She has a genuine love for these men and women who served the worst parts of the Nazi regime from 1933 until 1945.
'She is a true believer and, like all zealots, that makes her dangerous.'
The BND said the timing of her departure 'coincided with the onset of a change in the understanding and the handling of employees who were involved with the Nazis'
Germany's intelligence services have come under criticism in recent years for failing to root out right-wing extremists in the post-war era.
Critical historians say ex-Nazis and far right sympathisers working inside the security agencies of then-West Germany may have protected others.
At the time Burwitz worked for the BND, it was led by Reinhard Gehlen, a former Nazi military intelligence commander who went on to run West Germany's spy agency until 1968.
Hechelhammer said that because Burwitz was no longer alive, the BND was able to make an exception to its policy of not commenting on active or former employees. The disclosure was part of a process of critically reassessing its own history.
The struggle to bring to justice people with Nazi-tainted pasts has been a perennial theme of Germany's post-war history, as has been the suggestion that supporters of the far right retained positions of influence and power in security agencies.
The issue came to the fore in recent years in a trial of members of a far-right group called the National Socialist Underground, which killed eight Turks, a Greek and a German policewoman between 2000 and 2007.
The trial, which started in 2013 and is considered one of the most significant in post-war Germany, uncovered lingering racist attitudes within the country's domestic spy agency, prompting reforms.
By Tim Stickings and Reuters
Daily Mail
June 29, 2018
Heinrich Himmler's daughter has died at the age of 88, as Germany's top intelligence service admitted it had employed the Nazi sympathiser during the Cold War.
The BND confirmed today that Gudrun Burwitz had worked for the then-West German spy agency in the 1960s, although she never renounced her father or the Nazi regime.
She remained active in far-right extremism in later life, helping war criminals who worked for her evil father escape justice, and speaking at neo-Nazi rallies, before she died last month in Munich.
Heinrich Himmler, who as commander of the SS was one of the most powerful Nazis and a principal architect of the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust, killed himself in British custody in 1945.
'The BND confirms that Ms. Burwitz was a member of the BND for a few years until 1963 under an assumed name,' said Bodo Hechelhammer, the head of the agency's history department.
One German official said Burwitz had a 'genuine love for these men and women who served the worst parts of the Nazi regime from 1933 until 1945.'
Burwitz was the leading figure in sinister support group Stille Hilfe, which offered backing and financial help for former SS officers still at large. The group was said to have 25 to 40 members who referred to her as the 'Nazi Princess'.
In one case the organisation helped fight for Klaas Carel Faber, 89, in the former SS killer's attempt to avoid being extradited back to the Netherlands.
The Dutchman served with the SS in Holland where he murdered defenceless Jews in cold blood, but was never extradited and died in 2012
It also helped Anton Malloth, a brutal guard in a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, who was sentenced to death in his absence before finding refuge in Germany.
Malloth was put up in an OAP home with Stille Hilfe funds, where Burwitz visited him with fruit and -chocolates, in a residence built on land once owned by Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess.
Burwitz lived her later life in a suburb of Munich, just 15 miles from the concentration camp at Dachau where more than 30,000 people died during Hitler's 12-year rule.
As a child she worshipped her father, who called her Püppi.
She wrote in her diary after she visited the camp: 'Today, we went to Dachau. We saw everything we could. We saw the gardening work. We saw the pear trees.
'We saw all the pictures painted by the prisoners. Marvellous. And afterwards we had a lot to eat. It was very nice.'
Burwitz also clung to her belief that her father was murdered by the Allies, who had captured Himmler after he went on the run dressed as a soldier.
Himmler, who had completed his disguise by shaving of his moustache and wearing an eye patch, in fact committed suicide in British custody two weeks after the German surrender.
Following his suicide, four British soldiers took his body from the interrogation centre and buried it in an unmarked grave on Luneburg Heath.
Its precise location kept secret for fear of it becoming a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis, and it has never been found.
Burwitz said: 'I don't believe he swallowed that poison capsule. My mother and I never had official notification of his death. To me, the photo of him dead is a retouched photo of when he was alive.'
She is said to have attended a rally of neo-Nazis she in Ulrichsberg, Austria, several years ago, where she was idolised by SS veterans.
'They were terrified of her,' said Andrea Ropke, an authority on neo-Nazism who was there.
'All these high-ranking former officers lined up and she asked, "Where did you serve?" showing off a vast knowledge of military logistics.'
She and her group were monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which counters neo-Nazi threats.
One official said: 'She is over 80 but pin sharp. She likes it if you think of her as some Mrs Doubtfire figure but that is not the case.
'She has a genuine love for these men and women who served the worst parts of the Nazi regime from 1933 until 1945.
'She is a true believer and, like all zealots, that makes her dangerous.'
The BND said the timing of her departure 'coincided with the onset of a change in the understanding and the handling of employees who were involved with the Nazis'
Germany's intelligence services have come under criticism in recent years for failing to root out right-wing extremists in the post-war era.
Critical historians say ex-Nazis and far right sympathisers working inside the security agencies of then-West Germany may have protected others.
At the time Burwitz worked for the BND, it was led by Reinhard Gehlen, a former Nazi military intelligence commander who went on to run West Germany's spy agency until 1968.
Hechelhammer said that because Burwitz was no longer alive, the BND was able to make an exception to its policy of not commenting on active or former employees. The disclosure was part of a process of critically reassessing its own history.
The struggle to bring to justice people with Nazi-tainted pasts has been a perennial theme of Germany's post-war history, as has been the suggestion that supporters of the far right retained positions of influence and power in security agencies.
The issue came to the fore in recent years in a trial of members of a far-right group called the National Socialist Underground, which killed eight Turks, a Greek and a German policewoman between 2000 and 2007.
The trial, which started in 2013 and is considered one of the most significant in post-war Germany, uncovered lingering racist attitudes within the country's domestic spy agency, prompting reforms.
AMERICAN TANKS TO BE PROTECTED BY ISRAEL’S TROPHY SYSTEM
US Army to buys Israeli tank defense system for $193 million
Israel Hayom
June 27, 2018
The U.S. Army plans to purchase Israel's Trophy defense system to shield its Abrams tanks, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced Tuesday.
The contract is worth $193 million, the company said.
Trophy, also known as the Windbreaker defense system, is an active anti-tank missiles and rockets defense system designed to intercept and destroy incoming projectiles with a shotgun-like blast.
The system was declared operational in 2011 and has since been installed on over 1,000 IDF tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Trophy will be supplied by the American defense contractor Leonardo DRS, Inc., which partnered with Rafael to manufacture them.
According to Rafael, under the terms of the contract, "Leonardo DRS will provide the [U.S.] Army with Trophy systems, countermeasures, and maintenance kits."
Aaron Hankins, of Leonardo DRS, said his company "is proud to be a part of this important effort to bring lifesaving technology to our warfighters, and we are actively investing to ensure Trophy provides a solid, American-made foundation for the Army's coming Vehicle Protection Suite program."
Moshe Elazar, executive vice president and head of Rafael's Land and Naval Systems Division, said, "Our company has been providing defense solutions to the U.S. military for more than two decades. We are proud to continue doing so with the Windbreaker [Trophy] system."
Israel Hayom
June 27, 2018
The U.S. Army plans to purchase Israel's Trophy defense system to shield its Abrams tanks, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced Tuesday.
The contract is worth $193 million, the company said.
Trophy, also known as the Windbreaker defense system, is an active anti-tank missiles and rockets defense system designed to intercept and destroy incoming projectiles with a shotgun-like blast.
The system was declared operational in 2011 and has since been installed on over 1,000 IDF tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Trophy will be supplied by the American defense contractor Leonardo DRS, Inc., which partnered with Rafael to manufacture them.
According to Rafael, under the terms of the contract, "Leonardo DRS will provide the [U.S.] Army with Trophy systems, countermeasures, and maintenance kits."
Aaron Hankins, of Leonardo DRS, said his company "is proud to be a part of this important effort to bring lifesaving technology to our warfighters, and we are actively investing to ensure Trophy provides a solid, American-made foundation for the Army's coming Vehicle Protection Suite program."
Moshe Elazar, executive vice president and head of Rafael's Land and Naval Systems Division, said, "Our company has been providing defense solutions to the U.S. military for more than two decades. We are proud to continue doing so with the Windbreaker [Trophy] system."
Friday, June 29, 2018
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
by Bob Walsh
It seems to me that there are times when much of the media feels that they are not part of the real world. They feel free, even obliged at times, to comment, poke and prod, sometimes inappropriately. They believe, maybe with some justification, that their freedom to publish gives them freedom to be a pain in the butt.
Yesterday some local yahoo who had a beef with a paper in Annapolis, MD showed up with a shotgun. He left five people dead in his wake and two slightly injured. The cops showed up almost immediately and the chickenshit bastard promptly surrendered. The people in the newsroom had no ability to defend themselves but were left cowering under desks and hoping to not be noticed. Sometimes it worked.
The other media vultures of course were fascinated. Among other questions I heard posed was one reporter absolutely DEMANDING to know if the gun was a warm-and-fuzzy sporting shotgun or an evil tactical shotgun.
I wonder of those staff who survived their ordeal will become better reporters, and better human beings, for having their own mortality and humanity pushed into their faces, or not? If nothing else I expect that physical security will increase in newspaper offices across the country. And they will likely take threatening emails from local looney tunes more seriously.
It seems to me that there are times when much of the media feels that they are not part of the real world. They feel free, even obliged at times, to comment, poke and prod, sometimes inappropriately. They believe, maybe with some justification, that their freedom to publish gives them freedom to be a pain in the butt.
Yesterday some local yahoo who had a beef with a paper in Annapolis, MD showed up with a shotgun. He left five people dead in his wake and two slightly injured. The cops showed up almost immediately and the chickenshit bastard promptly surrendered. The people in the newsroom had no ability to defend themselves but were left cowering under desks and hoping to not be noticed. Sometimes it worked.
The other media vultures of course were fascinated. Among other questions I heard posed was one reporter absolutely DEMANDING to know if the gun was a warm-and-fuzzy sporting shotgun or an evil tactical shotgun.
I wonder of those staff who survived their ordeal will become better reporters, and better human beings, for having their own mortality and humanity pushed into their faces, or not? If nothing else I expect that physical security will increase in newspaper offices across the country. And they will likely take threatening emails from local looney tunes more seriously.
MASSIVE SEARCH FOR BOYS TRAPPED FOR A WEEK IN THAI CAVE
Rescue Team in Thailand to Drill Trough Mountain Into Cave to Try to Reach Trapped Boys
By Richard C. Paddock and Ryn Jirenuwat
The New York Times
June 28, 2018
THAM LUANG CAVE, Thailand — The Thai authorities said on Thursday that they believed members of a youth soccer team trapped in a flooding cave complex could have reached a large, dry cavern, and officials were considering drilling through the mountaintop to reach them.
With the search for the team growing ever more urgent and complex on its sixth day, Lt. Gen. Kraiboon Suadsong, commissioner of the Police Strategy Office, said a team would first try drilling a small hole through the rock above the cavern to allow a camera to be lowered in.
“We will drill and use an infrared camera that can take photos,” he said in an interview with The New York Times. “We know the spot where we should be drilling.”
General Kraiboon said crews had tripled the volume of water being pumped from the interior of the flooded cave system, which could help make its submerged passageways accessible.
The search for the boys, ages 11 to 16, and their coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, 25, has captivated Thailand and brought together a polarized nation in the hope that the boys could be rescued from Tham Luang Cave, a popular attraction in northern Thailand.
Among those aiding the search efforts is a team of 17 United States Air Force rescue and survival specialists, who arrived early Thursday from their base in Okinawa, Japan.
“The team is assessing the environment and developing courses of action,” said Jillian Bonnardeaux, of the American Embassy in Bangkok. “All options for rescue operations are being considered in close coordination with Thai rescue personnel.”
Three expert cave divers from Britain have also joined the search.
Near the cave, at the nearby headquarters of Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park, more than 50 family members waited for word of the missing.
Close by, many hundreds of soldiers, park rangers and workers from a dozen government agencies provide support services or stand by in the thick mud waiting for their next assignment. Dozens of journalists are on hand to record the progress of the search.
The soccer players and their coach went to the cave Saturday afternoon after their team practice, riding their bikes past a sign warning visitors not to enter the cave from July to November, because of the danger of flooding during the rainy season. It also says visitors must report to the national park ranger station before entering, which the group did not do, officials said.
Rain began falling after they were inside and rising water trapped them. At one point along the trail, some boys left their bags, officials said. At another, they left their shoes.
Rescue workers, including Royal Thai Navy divers, have not been able to precisely locate the group within the vast cave complex despite repeated attempts, officials said.
At this stage, it is not clear how much of the cave, which extends about seven miles, has been searched.
General Kraiboon said the authorities had concluded that the athletes would have fled the rising water and made it to a cavern called Pattaya Beach, a well-known feature of the cave more than three miles from the entrance.
“This spot is on higher ground, and the spot is vast,” he said. “There’s enough air for them to breathe. We therefore assessed the situation that they should be in this spot.”
The deputy national police chief, Gen. Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, met with experts at the cave and urged them to drill faster.
“When you work on this, you don’t do a tryout,” he told them. “You do it once and make sure it works because they are waiting for us with hope.”
He added, “It doesn’t matter how much we spend.”
As Thai officials worked on the drilling plan and three members of the United States Air Force team inspected the cave, hundreds of soldiers continued efforts to reduce the water level.
There was some progress a day earlier, when they discovered that water was draining through a previously unknown outlet, General Kraiboon said. Earlier, the plan had been to pump the water out of the cave entrance, but now they can pump it out from both places.
Maj. Gen. Thana Turajane, a doctor and deputy director of the Police Hospital, said that he and his team were confident that the boys and their coach could still be alive, according to a statement released by his office. But the boys could be suffering from malnourishment and low body temperature, and two have asthma, the statement said.
The governor of Chiang Rai Province, Narongsak Osottanakorn, told reporters Wednesday evening that King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun was following the news closely. The king had noticed that many people had been working without protection from the rain and donated 2,000 raincoats.
“The king is very worried about us and our works,” the governor said. “But more important, he is so concerned about the boys.”
The governor said that the search operation was making good progress but that he wanted results.
“We hope that the kids are safe and wait for us,” he said. “And we hope that we will find them soon. I am not saying ‘soon’ as in days but rather ‘soon’ as in hours.”
By Richard C. Paddock and Ryn Jirenuwat
The New York Times
June 28, 2018
THAM LUANG CAVE, Thailand — The Thai authorities said on Thursday that they believed members of a youth soccer team trapped in a flooding cave complex could have reached a large, dry cavern, and officials were considering drilling through the mountaintop to reach them.
With the search for the team growing ever more urgent and complex on its sixth day, Lt. Gen. Kraiboon Suadsong, commissioner of the Police Strategy Office, said a team would first try drilling a small hole through the rock above the cavern to allow a camera to be lowered in.
“We will drill and use an infrared camera that can take photos,” he said in an interview with The New York Times. “We know the spot where we should be drilling.”
General Kraiboon said crews had tripled the volume of water being pumped from the interior of the flooded cave system, which could help make its submerged passageways accessible.
The search for the boys, ages 11 to 16, and their coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, 25, has captivated Thailand and brought together a polarized nation in the hope that the boys could be rescued from Tham Luang Cave, a popular attraction in northern Thailand.
Among those aiding the search efforts is a team of 17 United States Air Force rescue and survival specialists, who arrived early Thursday from their base in Okinawa, Japan.
“The team is assessing the environment and developing courses of action,” said Jillian Bonnardeaux, of the American Embassy in Bangkok. “All options for rescue operations are being considered in close coordination with Thai rescue personnel.”
Three expert cave divers from Britain have also joined the search.
Near the cave, at the nearby headquarters of Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park, more than 50 family members waited for word of the missing.
Close by, many hundreds of soldiers, park rangers and workers from a dozen government agencies provide support services or stand by in the thick mud waiting for their next assignment. Dozens of journalists are on hand to record the progress of the search.
The soccer players and their coach went to the cave Saturday afternoon after their team practice, riding their bikes past a sign warning visitors not to enter the cave from July to November, because of the danger of flooding during the rainy season. It also says visitors must report to the national park ranger station before entering, which the group did not do, officials said.
Rain began falling after they were inside and rising water trapped them. At one point along the trail, some boys left their bags, officials said. At another, they left their shoes.
Rescue workers, including Royal Thai Navy divers, have not been able to precisely locate the group within the vast cave complex despite repeated attempts, officials said.
At this stage, it is not clear how much of the cave, which extends about seven miles, has been searched.
General Kraiboon said the authorities had concluded that the athletes would have fled the rising water and made it to a cavern called Pattaya Beach, a well-known feature of the cave more than three miles from the entrance.
“This spot is on higher ground, and the spot is vast,” he said. “There’s enough air for them to breathe. We therefore assessed the situation that they should be in this spot.”
The deputy national police chief, Gen. Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, met with experts at the cave and urged them to drill faster.
“When you work on this, you don’t do a tryout,” he told them. “You do it once and make sure it works because they are waiting for us with hope.”
He added, “It doesn’t matter how much we spend.”
As Thai officials worked on the drilling plan and three members of the United States Air Force team inspected the cave, hundreds of soldiers continued efforts to reduce the water level.
There was some progress a day earlier, when they discovered that water was draining through a previously unknown outlet, General Kraiboon said. Earlier, the plan had been to pump the water out of the cave entrance, but now they can pump it out from both places.
Maj. Gen. Thana Turajane, a doctor and deputy director of the Police Hospital, said that he and his team were confident that the boys and their coach could still be alive, according to a statement released by his office. But the boys could be suffering from malnourishment and low body temperature, and two have asthma, the statement said.
The governor of Chiang Rai Province, Narongsak Osottanakorn, told reporters Wednesday evening that King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun was following the news closely. The king had noticed that many people had been working without protection from the rain and donated 2,000 raincoats.
“The king is very worried about us and our works,” the governor said. “But more important, he is so concerned about the boys.”
The governor said that the search operation was making good progress but that he wanted results.
“We hope that the kids are safe and wait for us,” he said. “And we hope that we will find them soon. I am not saying ‘soon’ as in days but rather ‘soon’ as in hours.”
TWO NYPD COPS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR FAILING TO AID STABBED 15-YEAR-OLD BRONX BOY
NYPD reviewing whether responding officers failed to help teen Bronx stabbing victim
WABC
June 27, 2018
BRONX, New York City -- The NYPD is reviewing whether two officers who responded to the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old in the Bronx last week failed to provide him aid, Eyewitness News has learned.
As part of the stabbing investigation, the department became aware that two officers did not provide medical aid to Lesandro Guzman-Feliz when he collapsed outside St Barnabas Hospital.
Cell video recovered by the department shows passersby with napkins trying to stop the bleeding.
The officers are seen standing near the boy but not aiding.
"There is no internal affairs investigation. While the NYPD is reviewing the response, so far it appears the officers handled this appropriately," a police source tells Eyewitness News.
In the video, Guzman-Feliz is seen covered in blood and dying outside St Barnabas Hospital. A woman is trying to stop the bleeding. Others are heard trying to comfort Lesandro while two police officers are seen standing back.
At one point, another person rushes past the officers to tend to the boy.
New York City Council Member Francisco Moy is demanding an investigation.
Seven of the eight suspects arrested in the brutal murder of Guzman-Feliz made their first court appearances Wednesday, as thousands of mourners gathered to bid a final farewell to the boy affectionately known as Junior.
Six men were extradited from Paterson, New Jersey, to join the two others who were arrested in the Bronx. They are facing charges ranging from first-degree murder to assault in the death of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz. The suspects were ordered held without bail and are due back in court on July 2
The attack happened outside a bodega on East 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue in the Tremont section just after 11:30 p.m. last Wednesday, in what authorities believe was a case of mistaken identity that left the entire community outraged.
Guzman-Feliz was dragged outside and slashed and stabbed with a machete after police say the group of gang members mistook him for a rival. The teen, who had hopes of becoming an NYPD detective, tried to run to St. Barnabas Hospital a block away but collapsed on the sidewalk.
Kevin Alvarez, 19, was the first to be arrested Sunday night. He was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault.
Police then raided a house in Paterson known as a hangout for the gang allegedly involved in the murder, taking six suspects into custody.
Their names and charges are as follows:
--Jose Muniz, 21, of Paterson: First- and second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
--Jose Taverez, 21, of the Bronx: Second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
--Manuel Rivera, 18, of the Bronx: Second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon, and criminal possession of a weapon
--Daniel Fernandez, 21, of the Bronx: Second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
--Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, 24, of Freeport: First- and second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
--Antonio Santiago-Hernandez, 24, of the Bronx: First- and second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
Then on Tuesday, 23-year-old Elvin Garcia was arrested in the Bronx. He is charged with first- and second-degree murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of weapon.
Authorities identified Martinez-Estrella, who has a prior arrest for robbing and beating a 14-year-old with a golf club in 2016, as the one who sliced the victim's neck.
WABC
June 27, 2018
BRONX, New York City -- The NYPD is reviewing whether two officers who responded to the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old in the Bronx last week failed to provide him aid, Eyewitness News has learned.
As part of the stabbing investigation, the department became aware that two officers did not provide medical aid to Lesandro Guzman-Feliz when he collapsed outside St Barnabas Hospital.
Cell video recovered by the department shows passersby with napkins trying to stop the bleeding.
The officers are seen standing near the boy but not aiding.
"There is no internal affairs investigation. While the NYPD is reviewing the response, so far it appears the officers handled this appropriately," a police source tells Eyewitness News.
In the video, Guzman-Feliz is seen covered in blood and dying outside St Barnabas Hospital. A woman is trying to stop the bleeding. Others are heard trying to comfort Lesandro while two police officers are seen standing back.
At one point, another person rushes past the officers to tend to the boy.
New York City Council Member Francisco Moy is demanding an investigation.
Seven of the eight suspects arrested in the brutal murder of Guzman-Feliz made their first court appearances Wednesday, as thousands of mourners gathered to bid a final farewell to the boy affectionately known as Junior.
Six men were extradited from Paterson, New Jersey, to join the two others who were arrested in the Bronx. They are facing charges ranging from first-degree murder to assault in the death of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz. The suspects were ordered held without bail and are due back in court on July 2
The attack happened outside a bodega on East 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue in the Tremont section just after 11:30 p.m. last Wednesday, in what authorities believe was a case of mistaken identity that left the entire community outraged.
Guzman-Feliz was dragged outside and slashed and stabbed with a machete after police say the group of gang members mistook him for a rival. The teen, who had hopes of becoming an NYPD detective, tried to run to St. Barnabas Hospital a block away but collapsed on the sidewalk.
Kevin Alvarez, 19, was the first to be arrested Sunday night. He was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault.
Police then raided a house in Paterson known as a hangout for the gang allegedly involved in the murder, taking six suspects into custody.
Their names and charges are as follows:
--Jose Muniz, 21, of Paterson: First- and second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
--Jose Taverez, 21, of the Bronx: Second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
--Manuel Rivera, 18, of the Bronx: Second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon, and criminal possession of a weapon
--Daniel Fernandez, 21, of the Bronx: Second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
--Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, 24, of Freeport: First- and second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
--Antonio Santiago-Hernandez, 24, of the Bronx: First- and second-degree murder, manslaughter, gang assault and assault with intent to cause serious injury with a weapon
Then on Tuesday, 23-year-old Elvin Garcia was arrested in the Bronx. He is charged with first- and second-degree murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of weapon.
Authorities identified Martinez-Estrella, who has a prior arrest for robbing and beating a 14-year-old with a golf club in 2016, as the one who sliced the victim's neck.
CONFUSING GUILTY BUT NOT GUILTY END TO LAWSUIT AGAINST CHICAGO COP
Conflicting verdict favors Chicago cop in fatal shooting of bat-wielding teen as trial ends in confusion
By Dan Hinkel
Chicago Tribune
June 28, 2018
In a chaotic finish to a high-profile trial, a judge first announced that a jury had found that a Chicago police officer unjustifiably shot and killed a bat-wielding teen, then wiped away the verdict and the $1 million award to the teen’s family after noting that jurors had also found that the officer reasonably feared for his life when he fired.
Confusion abounded at the Daley Center courthouse Wednesday evening after the Cook County jury reached its conflicting verdict after 3½ hours of deliberations, capping an eight-day trial.
Judge Rena Marie Van Tine first announced that jurors had sided in favor of Quintonio LeGrier's parents — who sued the city and Officer Robert Rialmo — awarding them $1.05 million in damages.
Moments later, however, it was revealed that jurors had also signed a special interrogatory — a specific question to a jury — finding that Rialmo fired in the reasonable belief that LeGrier posed the danger of death or great bodily harm to himself or his partner.
Van Tine then found that the answer to the specific question overrode the rest of the verdict. Over the objections of the LeGrier family’s lawyers, the judge entered judgment in favor of Rialmo and the city.
The jury foreman, Dave Fitzsimmons, answered reporters’ questions just after the verdict was read, suggesting he had expected the $1.05 million in damages to be imposed and criticizing the officer’s decision to shoot.
“(I) don’t believe he’s a bad person — just made a bad decision,” Fitzsimmons said.
Even without the conflicting verdict, jurors had awarded an amount that far undershot what the LeGrier family’s lawyers had asked for — as much as $25 million.
The shooting on the West Side also killed 55-year-old Bettie Jones, an innocent bystander. The city avoided a trial with her family by recently reaching a proposed settlement of $16 million.
Rialmo’s lawyer, Joel Brodsky, celebrated the mixed jury decision as vindication for his client. As reporters and other onlookers sorted out the verdict, he talked by phone with Rialmo, who was not in court. Brodsky said the officer felt “wonderful.”
Attorney Basileios Foutris, who represents the LeGrier family, said the city won on a “legal technicality” and said he would be “exploring all our options going forward.”
The situation echoed at least one other case in Cook County over a shooting by Chicago police. In 2015, a jury found that an officer shot and killed a 19-year-old man without justification and awarded $3.5 million in damages. In that case, however, the jury also answered a special interrogatory and said the officer believed his life was in danger when he fired. The judge wiped away the verdict, but the Illinois Appellate Court overturned her decision and reinstated the award in February.
Another element added to the confusion around the LeGrier verdict. Rialmo had made the unusual move of suing LeGrier’s estate, blaming him for the shooting. Jurors found partly in Rialmo’s favor but awarded the officer no money.
The wild ending marked the culmination of 2½ years of legal wrangling over one of the most divisive shootings in the recent history of a Police Department still undergoing reforms aimed at preventing controversial uses of force. The shooting has been politically explosive since it transpired just a month after Mayor Rahm Emanuel was forced by a judge to release video of an officer shooting black teen Laquan McDonald 16 times.
LeGrier’s shooting unfolded as Rialmo and his partner responded about 4:30 a.m. Dec. 26, 2015, to a domestic disturbance at an apartment in the 4700 block of West Erie Street where the teen was staying with his father. LeGrier apparently was plagued by mental health problems and had encounters with police while attending Northern Illinois University, records show.
During closing arguments Wednesday, Foutris emphasized the portions of the trial that suggested Rialmo — who has given varying statements about the shooting — stood 10 feet or more from the teen when he fired.
The lawyer argued that the officer’s statements placing him a few feet from LeGrier were concocted to justify a bad shooting.
Like a mantra, Foutris repeated, “Distance matters.”
“Quintonio was not a threat to him, period,” Foutris said.
Defending the city, private attorney Brian Gainer contended that mere seconds passed as the officers reached the building’s front entry and LeGrier bounded down the stairs and rushed at Rialmo and his partner with the bat in his hand. LeGrier presented an immediate lethal threat, Gainer said, whether he was 5 feet or more than 20 feet from Rialmo when he fired.
“It happened like this,” Gainer said, snapping his fingers. “There is no ‘pause’ button.”
Gainer argued that the discrepancies within the officers’ accounts of the shooting actually show their credibility. If the officers conspired to cook up a story, Gainer said, “This is, without a doubt, the worst conspiracy in the history of conspiracies.”
Rialmo made the unconventional move of hiring his own attorney, Brodsky, to represent him alongside the lawyers for the city. Brodsky asked jurors to consider whether they expect officers to run into danger or away from it. He also contended that LeGrier “wanted to be killed by police.”
The trial that led up to Wednesday’s verdict turned largely on two key topics: whether the teen swung the bat at Rialmo, as the officer testified, and the distance that separated the two when the officer fired. The Legrier family attorneys also repeatedly returned to the fact that most of the bullets came from behind.
Experts hired by the city and the LeGrier family voiced conflicting views.
A forensics expert called by the LeGrier family testified that the teen stood at least 10 feet from Rialmo at the time of the shooting. A pathologist hired by the LeGrier family said the teen’s wounds and other evidence contradicted Rialmo’s account of the teen raising the bat before he was shot.
The city’s lawyers, however, called a pathologist who said it was possible that LeGrier had the bat raised when he was shot.
Rialmo himself demonstrated for jurors how he said LeGrier swung the bat downward at him. The officer said the teen came within 2 to 3 feet of him.
The city also called a use-of-force expert who testified that Rialmo was justified in firing — even if LeGrier did not swing the bat — because the teen presented an immediate threat.
That clash of expert opinions mirrors the rift between police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and the city’s officer disciplinary agency, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. COPA ruled the shooting unjustified and recommended that the officer be fired, while Johnson disagreed and ruled that the shooting was warranted.
The Chicago Police Board has yet to decide whether Rialmo should be fired.
Rialmo, who is on paid desk duty, also remains under investigation for a December 2017 bar fight in which he punched two men in the face in an altercation caught on security video. Brodsky has said Rialmo was defending himself.
Only a small portion of the trial focused on Brodsky’s lawsuit against the LeGrier estate. In closing arguments, Foutris called the suit “callous” and pointed out for jurors that Rialmo was not in court. Rialmo did not attend most of the trial, while Brodsky was in court intermittently.
“Apparently, (Rialmo) has got better things to do,” Foutris said.
Brodsky argued that the shooting was “traumatic” and “life-changing” for Rialmo.
“(LeGrier) caused Officer Rialmo to have to take his life, and, unfortunately, tragically, the life of Bettie Jones,” Brodsky said.
“It was Quintonio’s fault.”
By Dan Hinkel
Chicago Tribune
June 28, 2018
In a chaotic finish to a high-profile trial, a judge first announced that a jury had found that a Chicago police officer unjustifiably shot and killed a bat-wielding teen, then wiped away the verdict and the $1 million award to the teen’s family after noting that jurors had also found that the officer reasonably feared for his life when he fired.
Confusion abounded at the Daley Center courthouse Wednesday evening after the Cook County jury reached its conflicting verdict after 3½ hours of deliberations, capping an eight-day trial.
Judge Rena Marie Van Tine first announced that jurors had sided in favor of Quintonio LeGrier's parents — who sued the city and Officer Robert Rialmo — awarding them $1.05 million in damages.
Moments later, however, it was revealed that jurors had also signed a special interrogatory — a specific question to a jury — finding that Rialmo fired in the reasonable belief that LeGrier posed the danger of death or great bodily harm to himself or his partner.
Van Tine then found that the answer to the specific question overrode the rest of the verdict. Over the objections of the LeGrier family’s lawyers, the judge entered judgment in favor of Rialmo and the city.
The jury foreman, Dave Fitzsimmons, answered reporters’ questions just after the verdict was read, suggesting he had expected the $1.05 million in damages to be imposed and criticizing the officer’s decision to shoot.
“(I) don’t believe he’s a bad person — just made a bad decision,” Fitzsimmons said.
Even without the conflicting verdict, jurors had awarded an amount that far undershot what the LeGrier family’s lawyers had asked for — as much as $25 million.
The shooting on the West Side also killed 55-year-old Bettie Jones, an innocent bystander. The city avoided a trial with her family by recently reaching a proposed settlement of $16 million.
Rialmo’s lawyer, Joel Brodsky, celebrated the mixed jury decision as vindication for his client. As reporters and other onlookers sorted out the verdict, he talked by phone with Rialmo, who was not in court. Brodsky said the officer felt “wonderful.”
Attorney Basileios Foutris, who represents the LeGrier family, said the city won on a “legal technicality” and said he would be “exploring all our options going forward.”
The situation echoed at least one other case in Cook County over a shooting by Chicago police. In 2015, a jury found that an officer shot and killed a 19-year-old man without justification and awarded $3.5 million in damages. In that case, however, the jury also answered a special interrogatory and said the officer believed his life was in danger when he fired. The judge wiped away the verdict, but the Illinois Appellate Court overturned her decision and reinstated the award in February.
Another element added to the confusion around the LeGrier verdict. Rialmo had made the unusual move of suing LeGrier’s estate, blaming him for the shooting. Jurors found partly in Rialmo’s favor but awarded the officer no money.
The wild ending marked the culmination of 2½ years of legal wrangling over one of the most divisive shootings in the recent history of a Police Department still undergoing reforms aimed at preventing controversial uses of force. The shooting has been politically explosive since it transpired just a month after Mayor Rahm Emanuel was forced by a judge to release video of an officer shooting black teen Laquan McDonald 16 times.
LeGrier’s shooting unfolded as Rialmo and his partner responded about 4:30 a.m. Dec. 26, 2015, to a domestic disturbance at an apartment in the 4700 block of West Erie Street where the teen was staying with his father. LeGrier apparently was plagued by mental health problems and had encounters with police while attending Northern Illinois University, records show.
During closing arguments Wednesday, Foutris emphasized the portions of the trial that suggested Rialmo — who has given varying statements about the shooting — stood 10 feet or more from the teen when he fired.
The lawyer argued that the officer’s statements placing him a few feet from LeGrier were concocted to justify a bad shooting.
Like a mantra, Foutris repeated, “Distance matters.”
“Quintonio was not a threat to him, period,” Foutris said.
Defending the city, private attorney Brian Gainer contended that mere seconds passed as the officers reached the building’s front entry and LeGrier bounded down the stairs and rushed at Rialmo and his partner with the bat in his hand. LeGrier presented an immediate lethal threat, Gainer said, whether he was 5 feet or more than 20 feet from Rialmo when he fired.
“It happened like this,” Gainer said, snapping his fingers. “There is no ‘pause’ button.”
Gainer argued that the discrepancies within the officers’ accounts of the shooting actually show their credibility. If the officers conspired to cook up a story, Gainer said, “This is, without a doubt, the worst conspiracy in the history of conspiracies.”
Rialmo made the unconventional move of hiring his own attorney, Brodsky, to represent him alongside the lawyers for the city. Brodsky asked jurors to consider whether they expect officers to run into danger or away from it. He also contended that LeGrier “wanted to be killed by police.”
The trial that led up to Wednesday’s verdict turned largely on two key topics: whether the teen swung the bat at Rialmo, as the officer testified, and the distance that separated the two when the officer fired. The Legrier family attorneys also repeatedly returned to the fact that most of the bullets came from behind.
Experts hired by the city and the LeGrier family voiced conflicting views.
A forensics expert called by the LeGrier family testified that the teen stood at least 10 feet from Rialmo at the time of the shooting. A pathologist hired by the LeGrier family said the teen’s wounds and other evidence contradicted Rialmo’s account of the teen raising the bat before he was shot.
The city’s lawyers, however, called a pathologist who said it was possible that LeGrier had the bat raised when he was shot.
Rialmo himself demonstrated for jurors how he said LeGrier swung the bat downward at him. The officer said the teen came within 2 to 3 feet of him.
The city also called a use-of-force expert who testified that Rialmo was justified in firing — even if LeGrier did not swing the bat — because the teen presented an immediate threat.
That clash of expert opinions mirrors the rift between police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and the city’s officer disciplinary agency, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. COPA ruled the shooting unjustified and recommended that the officer be fired, while Johnson disagreed and ruled that the shooting was warranted.
The Chicago Police Board has yet to decide whether Rialmo should be fired.
Rialmo, who is on paid desk duty, also remains under investigation for a December 2017 bar fight in which he punched two men in the face in an altercation caught on security video. Brodsky has said Rialmo was defending himself.
Only a small portion of the trial focused on Brodsky’s lawsuit against the LeGrier estate. In closing arguments, Foutris called the suit “callous” and pointed out for jurors that Rialmo was not in court. Rialmo did not attend most of the trial, while Brodsky was in court intermittently.
“Apparently, (Rialmo) has got better things to do,” Foutris said.
Brodsky argued that the shooting was “traumatic” and “life-changing” for Rialmo.
“(LeGrier) caused Officer Rialmo to have to take his life, and, unfortunately, tragically, the life of Bettie Jones,” Brodsky said.
“It was Quintonio’s fault.”
INSREAD OF PROJECT MANAGES, HOW ABOUT HIRING SOME GUYS TO PICK UP THE TRASH?
City of Houston to Begin Charging for Parking in Memorial Park
By Bill King
Big Jolly Times
June 27, 2018
In its never-ending quest to nickel and dime Houstonians out of every last dollar, the City of Houston recently announced that it will begin charging for some of the parking spaces at Memorial Park. The City has said that the revenue will help maintain the park. This is absurd on so many different levels that I hardly know where to start.
First, the numbers. The plan is to meter 572 spaces, about a quarter of the total spaces in the park. The charge will be one dollar for three hours. So, let’s assume all of the spaces were used 12 hours a day, 365 days per year. That would bring in about $800,000. Of course, it will not be anywhere close to that. From my experience going to Memorial Park, I would guess that a third of that time would be a generous guess. If so, that would bring in $200,000-$300,000 per year.
But, of course. all of that is not “profit.” According to the City’s latest budget, it spends about 63 cents for every dollar of parking fees it collects. So, in other words, the City will be lucky if it clears $100,000 per year from this venture.
That is about 2 thousandths of one percent of the City’s annual budget. Eliminating just one of the thousands of bureaucrats at City Hall would save us more than the revenue this incredible inconvenience will net.
Of course, the need for more money to maintain Memorial Park begs the question of where is all the money that the Uptown TIRZ was supposed to kick in as part of the 2013 deal to add ten years to its life (and to the misery of the Galleria residents). Thecurrent City-approved budget for the Uptown TIRZ has a measly $280,000 (less than 1% of its budget) for “Park Project Program Management.” God save us any more City project managers. How about hiring some guys to pick up the trash or maintain the roads and the trails?
Also, charging for parking is incredibly discriminatory against those who do not live close enough to walk or bike to Memorial Park. The City already spends a disproportionate amount of its parks budget on the “Golden Bowl” (a term dubbed by community activists for Buffalo Bayou, Hermann and Memorial parks – more on that in the near future). Charging outlying residents for access to Memorial Park exacerbates the discriminatory effect of City concentrating its park investments in the Golden Bowl.
Lastly, let me just assure you that this is the proverbial nose under the camel’s tent. What do you think the odds are that the City will be back in no time increasing both the number of spaces that will be metered and the hourly rate? And, of course, be prepared to pay a few parking tickets along the way.
The City does not seem to understand that most people have a choice of where they live and open businesses. For the last twenty years, the City’s growth has been declining, outpaced by its suburbs and other major cities in Texas. Last year it virtually ground to a halt, with the City only adding only 7,000 net new residents. And that was before Hurricane Harvey took its toll.
According to the Greater Houston Partnership, Harris County suffered a net domestic out-migration of over 45,000 residents last year.[i]
Obviously, the decision to charge for parking in Houston’s most iconic park is a trivial matter in and of itself. But it is symbolic and symptomatic of a larger issue. When you have high property taxes, widespread drainage problems despite residents paying $100 million per year in drainage fees, a police force that does not patrol most neighborhoods and only solves 6% of the burglary cases, streets that look like they should be in the Third World, ambulances breaking down on the way to the hospital . . . I could go on . . . at some point residents reach a breaking point and decide to vote with their feet. Clearly, for many residents, Houston has already reached that point.
[i] “Net Domestic Migration” is the number of individuals who move to Houston from other areas of the United States. It does not include individuals who moved here from a foreign country. The GHP reports that the net international migration for the County was a positive 34,000, resulting in a negative net migration for the County of just over 10,000. The Census Bureau does not break this down municipalities, so we cannot determine how much of out-migration for the County was attributable to the City only.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ah, but the city, and county too, won’t raise our taxes. Oops! I forgot they keep raising property evaluations, thereby making our taxes go up and up.
By Bill King
Big Jolly Times
June 27, 2018
In its never-ending quest to nickel and dime Houstonians out of every last dollar, the City of Houston recently announced that it will begin charging for some of the parking spaces at Memorial Park. The City has said that the revenue will help maintain the park. This is absurd on so many different levels that I hardly know where to start.
First, the numbers. The plan is to meter 572 spaces, about a quarter of the total spaces in the park. The charge will be one dollar for three hours. So, let’s assume all of the spaces were used 12 hours a day, 365 days per year. That would bring in about $800,000. Of course, it will not be anywhere close to that. From my experience going to Memorial Park, I would guess that a third of that time would be a generous guess. If so, that would bring in $200,000-$300,000 per year.
But, of course. all of that is not “profit.” According to the City’s latest budget, it spends about 63 cents for every dollar of parking fees it collects. So, in other words, the City will be lucky if it clears $100,000 per year from this venture.
That is about 2 thousandths of one percent of the City’s annual budget. Eliminating just one of the thousands of bureaucrats at City Hall would save us more than the revenue this incredible inconvenience will net.
Of course, the need for more money to maintain Memorial Park begs the question of where is all the money that the Uptown TIRZ was supposed to kick in as part of the 2013 deal to add ten years to its life (and to the misery of the Galleria residents). Thecurrent City-approved budget for the Uptown TIRZ has a measly $280,000 (less than 1% of its budget) for “Park Project Program Management.” God save us any more City project managers. How about hiring some guys to pick up the trash or maintain the roads and the trails?
Also, charging for parking is incredibly discriminatory against those who do not live close enough to walk or bike to Memorial Park. The City already spends a disproportionate amount of its parks budget on the “Golden Bowl” (a term dubbed by community activists for Buffalo Bayou, Hermann and Memorial parks – more on that in the near future). Charging outlying residents for access to Memorial Park exacerbates the discriminatory effect of City concentrating its park investments in the Golden Bowl.
Lastly, let me just assure you that this is the proverbial nose under the camel’s tent. What do you think the odds are that the City will be back in no time increasing both the number of spaces that will be metered and the hourly rate? And, of course, be prepared to pay a few parking tickets along the way.
The City does not seem to understand that most people have a choice of where they live and open businesses. For the last twenty years, the City’s growth has been declining, outpaced by its suburbs and other major cities in Texas. Last year it virtually ground to a halt, with the City only adding only 7,000 net new residents. And that was before Hurricane Harvey took its toll.
According to the Greater Houston Partnership, Harris County suffered a net domestic out-migration of over 45,000 residents last year.[i]
Obviously, the decision to charge for parking in Houston’s most iconic park is a trivial matter in and of itself. But it is symbolic and symptomatic of a larger issue. When you have high property taxes, widespread drainage problems despite residents paying $100 million per year in drainage fees, a police force that does not patrol most neighborhoods and only solves 6% of the burglary cases, streets that look like they should be in the Third World, ambulances breaking down on the way to the hospital . . . I could go on . . . at some point residents reach a breaking point and decide to vote with their feet. Clearly, for many residents, Houston has already reached that point.
[i] “Net Domestic Migration” is the number of individuals who move to Houston from other areas of the United States. It does not include individuals who moved here from a foreign country. The GHP reports that the net international migration for the County was a positive 34,000, resulting in a negative net migration for the County of just over 10,000. The Census Bureau does not break this down municipalities, so we cannot determine how much of out-migration for the County was attributable to the City only.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ah, but the city, and county too, won’t raise our taxes. Oops! I forgot they keep raising property evaluations, thereby making our taxes go up and up.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
COP WHO SHOT SUSPECTED TEENAGED DRIVE BY SHOOTER IS CHARGED WITH MURDER
Officer Michael Rosfeld is now facing murder charges for shooting 17-year-old Antwon Rose as he fled on foot following a car stop
On June 19, East Pittsburgh police stopped a car that fit the description of a car used in a drive-by shooting 13 minutes earlier. Antwon Rose, 17, and another passenger took off and fled on foot. After a short chase, Officer Michael Rosfeld fired several shots, three of which hit Rose in the back.
The driver of the car was arrested. The rear window of the car had been shattered. Two guns were found in the back seat. An empty magazine was found on Rose. This makes it very likely that Rose was the shooter in the drive-by shooting.
Officer Rosfeld is white. Rose was black.
The shooting of Rose enraged the black community. There have been mass protests ever since.
Rosfeld has just been charged with criminal homicide. His problem is that at the time he shot Rose, he did not know about the evidence in the car which indicated that the teenager was the drive-by shooter. Thus he cannot claim Rose posed a serious threat to the public if he were to escape.
Rosfeld did not help his cause either because at first he said that Rose had a gun, but then he changed his story to say the fleeing youth did not have a gun. Welcome to the Graybar Hotel, Michael.
I suspect that if Rose had been white, there would have been no mass protests and Rosfeld would not be facing a murder charge.
On June 19, East Pittsburgh police stopped a car that fit the description of a car used in a drive-by shooting 13 minutes earlier. Antwon Rose, 17, and another passenger took off and fled on foot. After a short chase, Officer Michael Rosfeld fired several shots, three of which hit Rose in the back.
The driver of the car was arrested. The rear window of the car had been shattered. Two guns were found in the back seat. An empty magazine was found on Rose. This makes it very likely that Rose was the shooter in the drive-by shooting.
Officer Rosfeld is white. Rose was black.
The shooting of Rose enraged the black community. There have been mass protests ever since.
Rosfeld has just been charged with criminal homicide. His problem is that at the time he shot Rose, he did not know about the evidence in the car which indicated that the teenager was the drive-by shooter. Thus he cannot claim Rose posed a serious threat to the public if he were to escape.
Rosfeld did not help his cause either because at first he said that Rose had a gun, but then he changed his story to say the fleeing youth did not have a gun. Welcome to the Graybar Hotel, Michael.
I suspect that if Rose had been white, there would have been no mass protests and Rosfeld would not be facing a murder charge.
DUTCH BAN BURQUAS
by Bob Walsh
The Dutch have approved a ban on full-face coverings worn in public, such as niquabs or burkas but also including ski masks and full-face motorcycle helmets. It is estimated that only a few hundred Muslim women in Holland wear full-face covering clothing, and I am guessing very few ski or ride motorcycles.
Presumably the ski masks and motorcycle helmets would be permissible while actually skiing or riding a motorcycle.
The Dutch have approved a ban on full-face coverings worn in public, such as niquabs or burkas but also including ski masks and full-face motorcycle helmets. It is estimated that only a few hundred Muslim women in Holland wear full-face covering clothing, and I am guessing very few ski or ride motorcycles.
Presumably the ski masks and motorcycle helmets would be permissible while actually skiing or riding a motorcycle.
DID SCOTUS JUST KILL OFF PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS?
Some Of Them, Probably Yes
by Bob Walsh
The formerly great state of California has a mandatory unionized civil service. Even if you do NOT choose to be a member the union can compel you to pay a "fair share" fee, which ALLEGEDLY is used solely for representation purposes and not even a tiny bit for supporting political candidates that the individual members may or may not like or support.
SCOTUS just killed this plan dead.
Now this won't be horrible news to ALL public employee unions. the CAHP represents Ca. Highway Patrol Officers. They have a membership of over 98% and do NOT charge a fair share fee to non-members (the last I heard). They will no doubt do just fine. The group I was a member of and an officer of, CCPOA (Ca. Correctional Peace Officer's Association) will PROBABLY do OK. After all they just got a very nice raise for their membership. When I was on the board (a couple of eons ago) there were very few people that wanted to opt out, many of those were for semi-legit religious purposes. (Apparently some religious groups have a faith-based objection to unions.)
Some of the Ca. unions will not be so lucky. SEIU is NOTORIOUS for being run by the paid staff and not by the membership and often have pol9itical support of powerful but unpopular political figures shoved down their throat at the expense of their wallets. That will be happening no more. Less money to bribe politicians with means fewer favors from politicians which means fewer goodies from those politicians.
There are currently 23 states that have mandatory civil service union membership with fair share fees to non-members. All will be kicked in the ass to one extent or other by this ruling.
by Bob Walsh
The formerly great state of California has a mandatory unionized civil service. Even if you do NOT choose to be a member the union can compel you to pay a "fair share" fee, which ALLEGEDLY is used solely for representation purposes and not even a tiny bit for supporting political candidates that the individual members may or may not like or support.
SCOTUS just killed this plan dead.
Now this won't be horrible news to ALL public employee unions. the CAHP represents Ca. Highway Patrol Officers. They have a membership of over 98% and do NOT charge a fair share fee to non-members (the last I heard). They will no doubt do just fine. The group I was a member of and an officer of, CCPOA (Ca. Correctional Peace Officer's Association) will PROBABLY do OK. After all they just got a very nice raise for their membership. When I was on the board (a couple of eons ago) there were very few people that wanted to opt out, many of those were for semi-legit religious purposes. (Apparently some religious groups have a faith-based objection to unions.)
Some of the Ca. unions will not be so lucky. SEIU is NOTORIOUS for being run by the paid staff and not by the membership and often have pol9itical support of powerful but unpopular political figures shoved down their throat at the expense of their wallets. That will be happening no more. Less money to bribe politicians with means fewer favors from politicians which means fewer goodies from those politicians.
There are currently 23 states that have mandatory civil service union membership with fair share fees to non-members. All will be kicked in the ass to one extent or other by this ruling.
DEMOCRATIC HEAVYWEIGHT KNOCKED OUT BY LIGHTWEIGHT CHALLENGER
'The Democrats are in Turmoil!' Trump celebrates as left wing 28-year-old Bernie supporter wins a shock primary victory over ten-term New York congressman Joe Crowley on night of drama
Associated Press and Emily Crane
Daily Mail
June 27, 2018
President Donald Trump has boasted of celebrating a 'big night' as he relished in a huge Democrat upset that saw 'big hater' and longtime US Rep. Joseph Crowley go down in the primaries to a 28-year-old liberal activist.
Crowley, the number four House Democrat and until Tuesday considered a possible candidate to replace Nancy Pelosi as leader, becomes the first Democratic incumbent to lose this primary season.
The 56-year-old was toppled by underfunded challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the daughter of working-class immigrants who caught fire with the party's left wing.
Ocasio-Cortez, who worked briefly years ago as an aide to Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy and is a Sen. Bernie Sanders supporter, has never held elected office.
Trump was thrilled with Crowley's defeat.
'Wow! Big Trump Hater Congressman Joe Crowley, who many expected was going to take Nancy Pelosi's place, just LOST his primary election. In other words, he's out! That is a big one that nobody saw happening,' Trump tweeted, oddly taking credit for a victory by a candidate more liberal than Crowley.
'Perhaps he should have been nicer, and more respectful, to his President!'
He added: 'The Democrats are in Turmoil! Open Borders and unchecked Crime a certain way to lose elections. Republicans are for Strong Borders, NO Crime! A BIG NIGHT!'
Meanwhile, Crowley told his supporters: 'It's not about me. It's about America. I want nothing but the best for Ms Ocasio-Cortez. I want her to be victorious.'
He later played guitar with a band at his election night gathering and dedicated the first song, Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run,' to Ocasio-Cortez.
Crowley's loss echoed across the political world, sending the unmistakable message that lingering divisions between the Democratic Party's pragmatic and more liberal wings may be widening heading into the high-stakes November midterm elections.
It also exposed a generational divide among Democrats still debating their identity in the Trump era.
All in all, Trump had reason to celebrate Tuesday night as all three of his endorsed candidates survived primary challenges that could have embarrassed him and the party.
Those included former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who once branded Trump 'a fraud' but has warmed to the president in the past two years.
None of the day's contests mattered more to Trump than the one in South Carolina. Gov. Henry McMaster, one of the president's earliest and strongest supporters, survived an unusually tough challenge from a political newcomer, self-made Republican millionaire John Warren.
The White House went all-in for the governor in recent days, dispatching the president and the vice president to the state in an effort to prevent a political debacle.
Trump has a mixed track record when campaigning for other candidates: His preferred candidates have suffered stinging losses in Alabama and western Pennsylvania in recent months.
Voters cast ballots across seven states on Tuesday as the 2018 midterm battlefield continues to take shape: South Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Maryland, Colorado and Utah.
With the November general election a little more than four months away, more than half the states had selected their candidates after the day's final votes were counted.
History suggests that Trump's Republican Party, like the parties of virtually every first-term president dating back to Ronald Reagan in 1982, will suffer losses this fall.
Yet Crowley's loss suggests that Democrats must overcome intraparty divisions if they hope to take control of Congress and key governors' offices nationwide.
In New York, Ocasio-Cortez ran as a working-class daughter of an immigrant, casting Crowley as an elitist out of touch with the community.
'This race is about people versus money. We've got people, they've got money,' Ocasio-Cortez said in biographical web ad. 'Women like me aren't supposed to run for office.'
Trump got more good news elsewhere in New York City as convicted felon Michael Grimm lost his political comeback attempt against the Trump-backed incumbent Rep. Dan Donovan.
'Tremendous win for Congressman Dan Donovan. You showed great courage in a tough race! New York, and my many friends on Staten Island, have elected someone they have always been very proud of. Congratulations!' Trump tweeted.
Grimm had held the Staten Island seat until 2015 when he pleaded guilty to knowingly hiring immigrants who were in the country illegally to work at his Manhattan restaurant and cooking the books to hide income and evade taxes.
Given his political baggage, a Grimm victory would have jeopardized the seat in this fall's general election.
More than 2,000 miles away in deep-red Utah, former Massachusetts Gov. Romney defeated little-known state Rep. Mike Kennedy, who questioned Romney's conservative credentials and ability to work well with the president.
Romney, too, was endorsed by Trump despite his aggressive criticism of Trump before his election.
In a weekend op-ed published in The Salt Lake Tribune, Romney wrote that the Trump administration's policies have exceeded his expectations, but he pledged to 'continue to speak out when the president says or does something which is divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions.'
Trump tweeted that he looked forward to working with Romney and said 'a great and loving family will be coming to DC.'
Not to be forgotten: races to determine gubernatorial candidates in Maryland, Colorado and Oklahoma.
Former NAACP President Ben Jealous seized the Democratic governor's nomination in Maryland. He would become the state's first African-American governor if he beats Republican incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan this fall.
Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson beat former state Sen. Connie Johnson to win the Democratic nomination in the race to be the state's next governor. Oklahoma voters also backed the medicinal use of marijuana despite opposition from law enforcement and business, faith and political leaders.
Democratic US Rep. Jared Polis and Republican state Treasurer Walker Stapleton won their respective party primaries for the Colorado governor's race, setting up a left-versus-Trump showdown as Republicans seek a seat they haven't held in more than a decade.
In Maryland, the State Board of Elections was contacting as many as 80,000 voters whose registration information had not been updated, the result of a computer problem. Voters affected by the problem were asked to cast provisional ballots, which would not be counted until July 5, officials said. They added that the problem was related to a programming error, not infiltration from an outside source.
The most telling test of Trump's influence was in South Carolina, where McMaster -elevated to the state's top office last year when Nikki Haley became U.N. ambassador - had seemed in jeopardy. Two weeks ago, the governor failed to win the GOP primary outright, requiring a runoff election with Warren.
McMaster shocked even his closest advisers when, as lieutenant governor in early 2016, he became the first statewide-elected official in the country to back Trump's White House bid.
And while Trump cheered Crowley's downfall, so did liberal leaders who backed Ocasio-Cortez.
'These results are also a shot across the bow of the Democratic establishment in Washington: a young, diverse, and boldly progressive Resistance Movement isn't waiting to be anointed by the powers that be,' said Matt Blizek, of MoveOn.
Ocasio-Cortez ran a low-budget campaign and was outspent by an 18-1 margin but won the endorsement of some influential groups on the party's far left, including MoveOn.
Born in the Bronx, Ocasio-Cortez said she decided to challenge Crowley to push a more progressive stance on economic and other issues.
She attended Boston University, where she earned degrees in economics and international relations, and also spent time working in the office of the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy.
After graduating, she returned to the Bronx where she became a community organizer. In the 2016 presidential campaign she worked for Sanders.
Among her issues is expanding the Medicare program to people of all ages and abolishing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. She recently went to Tornillo, Texas, to protest against policies that have separated parents from their children at the southern US border.
__________
THIS IS ACTUALLY A BIG DEAL
by Bob Walsh
Something truly remarkable happened in New York a couple of days ago. Representative Joe Crowley, a 10-term Democrat from Queens, lost his primary bid to a 28-year old female politic neophyte Marxist.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez kicked Crowley's ass by 15 points. Crowley had run unopposed in the Democrat primary for 14 years. HE is the first Dem to loose in a primary in almost 30 years.
You can bet your bippy that this outcome has the mainstream undercover leftist shitting their shorts. I am sure they LOVE her point of view but realize that it is not an electable position to take, even in Queens. After all the Democrat-Socialist party has gotten to where they are by concealing their true goals and backdooring gains thru the courts. When they wave their Marxist flag in the open, they don't tend to actually get elected.
It will be fun to watch this one in November. .
Associated Press and Emily Crane
Daily Mail
June 27, 2018
President Donald Trump has boasted of celebrating a 'big night' as he relished in a huge Democrat upset that saw 'big hater' and longtime US Rep. Joseph Crowley go down in the primaries to a 28-year-old liberal activist.
Crowley, the number four House Democrat and until Tuesday considered a possible candidate to replace Nancy Pelosi as leader, becomes the first Democratic incumbent to lose this primary season.
The 56-year-old was toppled by underfunded challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the daughter of working-class immigrants who caught fire with the party's left wing.
Ocasio-Cortez, who worked briefly years ago as an aide to Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy and is a Sen. Bernie Sanders supporter, has never held elected office.
Trump was thrilled with Crowley's defeat.
'Wow! Big Trump Hater Congressman Joe Crowley, who many expected was going to take Nancy Pelosi's place, just LOST his primary election. In other words, he's out! That is a big one that nobody saw happening,' Trump tweeted, oddly taking credit for a victory by a candidate more liberal than Crowley.
'Perhaps he should have been nicer, and more respectful, to his President!'
He added: 'The Democrats are in Turmoil! Open Borders and unchecked Crime a certain way to lose elections. Republicans are for Strong Borders, NO Crime! A BIG NIGHT!'
Meanwhile, Crowley told his supporters: 'It's not about me. It's about America. I want nothing but the best for Ms Ocasio-Cortez. I want her to be victorious.'
He later played guitar with a band at his election night gathering and dedicated the first song, Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run,' to Ocasio-Cortez.
Crowley's loss echoed across the political world, sending the unmistakable message that lingering divisions between the Democratic Party's pragmatic and more liberal wings may be widening heading into the high-stakes November midterm elections.
It also exposed a generational divide among Democrats still debating their identity in the Trump era.
All in all, Trump had reason to celebrate Tuesday night as all three of his endorsed candidates survived primary challenges that could have embarrassed him and the party.
Those included former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who once branded Trump 'a fraud' but has warmed to the president in the past two years.
None of the day's contests mattered more to Trump than the one in South Carolina. Gov. Henry McMaster, one of the president's earliest and strongest supporters, survived an unusually tough challenge from a political newcomer, self-made Republican millionaire John Warren.
The White House went all-in for the governor in recent days, dispatching the president and the vice president to the state in an effort to prevent a political debacle.
Trump has a mixed track record when campaigning for other candidates: His preferred candidates have suffered stinging losses in Alabama and western Pennsylvania in recent months.
Voters cast ballots across seven states on Tuesday as the 2018 midterm battlefield continues to take shape: South Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Maryland, Colorado and Utah.
With the November general election a little more than four months away, more than half the states had selected their candidates after the day's final votes were counted.
History suggests that Trump's Republican Party, like the parties of virtually every first-term president dating back to Ronald Reagan in 1982, will suffer losses this fall.
Yet Crowley's loss suggests that Democrats must overcome intraparty divisions if they hope to take control of Congress and key governors' offices nationwide.
In New York, Ocasio-Cortez ran as a working-class daughter of an immigrant, casting Crowley as an elitist out of touch with the community.
'This race is about people versus money. We've got people, they've got money,' Ocasio-Cortez said in biographical web ad. 'Women like me aren't supposed to run for office.'
Trump got more good news elsewhere in New York City as convicted felon Michael Grimm lost his political comeback attempt against the Trump-backed incumbent Rep. Dan Donovan.
'Tremendous win for Congressman Dan Donovan. You showed great courage in a tough race! New York, and my many friends on Staten Island, have elected someone they have always been very proud of. Congratulations!' Trump tweeted.
Grimm had held the Staten Island seat until 2015 when he pleaded guilty to knowingly hiring immigrants who were in the country illegally to work at his Manhattan restaurant and cooking the books to hide income and evade taxes.
Given his political baggage, a Grimm victory would have jeopardized the seat in this fall's general election.
More than 2,000 miles away in deep-red Utah, former Massachusetts Gov. Romney defeated little-known state Rep. Mike Kennedy, who questioned Romney's conservative credentials and ability to work well with the president.
Romney, too, was endorsed by Trump despite his aggressive criticism of Trump before his election.
In a weekend op-ed published in The Salt Lake Tribune, Romney wrote that the Trump administration's policies have exceeded his expectations, but he pledged to 'continue to speak out when the president says or does something which is divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions.'
Trump tweeted that he looked forward to working with Romney and said 'a great and loving family will be coming to DC.'
Not to be forgotten: races to determine gubernatorial candidates in Maryland, Colorado and Oklahoma.
Former NAACP President Ben Jealous seized the Democratic governor's nomination in Maryland. He would become the state's first African-American governor if he beats Republican incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan this fall.
Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson beat former state Sen. Connie Johnson to win the Democratic nomination in the race to be the state's next governor. Oklahoma voters also backed the medicinal use of marijuana despite opposition from law enforcement and business, faith and political leaders.
Democratic US Rep. Jared Polis and Republican state Treasurer Walker Stapleton won their respective party primaries for the Colorado governor's race, setting up a left-versus-Trump showdown as Republicans seek a seat they haven't held in more than a decade.
In Maryland, the State Board of Elections was contacting as many as 80,000 voters whose registration information had not been updated, the result of a computer problem. Voters affected by the problem were asked to cast provisional ballots, which would not be counted until July 5, officials said. They added that the problem was related to a programming error, not infiltration from an outside source.
The most telling test of Trump's influence was in South Carolina, where McMaster -elevated to the state's top office last year when Nikki Haley became U.N. ambassador - had seemed in jeopardy. Two weeks ago, the governor failed to win the GOP primary outright, requiring a runoff election with Warren.
McMaster shocked even his closest advisers when, as lieutenant governor in early 2016, he became the first statewide-elected official in the country to back Trump's White House bid.
And while Trump cheered Crowley's downfall, so did liberal leaders who backed Ocasio-Cortez.
'These results are also a shot across the bow of the Democratic establishment in Washington: a young, diverse, and boldly progressive Resistance Movement isn't waiting to be anointed by the powers that be,' said Matt Blizek, of MoveOn.
Ocasio-Cortez ran a low-budget campaign and was outspent by an 18-1 margin but won the endorsement of some influential groups on the party's far left, including MoveOn.
Born in the Bronx, Ocasio-Cortez said she decided to challenge Crowley to push a more progressive stance on economic and other issues.
She attended Boston University, where she earned degrees in economics and international relations, and also spent time working in the office of the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy.
After graduating, she returned to the Bronx where she became a community organizer. In the 2016 presidential campaign she worked for Sanders.
Among her issues is expanding the Medicare program to people of all ages and abolishing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. She recently went to Tornillo, Texas, to protest against policies that have separated parents from their children at the southern US border.
__________
THIS IS ACTUALLY A BIG DEAL
by Bob Walsh
Something truly remarkable happened in New York a couple of days ago. Representative Joe Crowley, a 10-term Democrat from Queens, lost his primary bid to a 28-year old female politic neophyte Marxist.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez kicked Crowley's ass by 15 points. Crowley had run unopposed in the Democrat primary for 14 years. HE is the first Dem to loose in a primary in almost 30 years.
You can bet your bippy that this outcome has the mainstream undercover leftist shitting their shorts. I am sure they LOVE her point of view but realize that it is not an electable position to take, even in Queens. After all the Democrat-Socialist party has gotten to where they are by concealing their true goals and backdooring gains thru the courts. When they wave their Marxist flag in the open, they don't tend to actually get elected.
It will be fun to watch this one in November. .
MARISKA HARGITAY, CHRISTOPHER MELONI AND ICE-T HAVE NYPD SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT WELL IN HAND
NYPD responds to scathing Inspector General report
By Tina Moore and Joe Tacopino
New York Post
June 26, 2018
The NYPD released a response to a scathing Inspector General’s report on Tuesday, stating that they were working to “strengthen and bolster” the Special Victim’s Division while taking issue with some the IGs findings.
“Rape and sexual assault are among the most traumatic and horrific crimes someone could ever experience,” Commissioner James P. O’Neill said in a statement.
“The NYPD is deeply committed to doing everything we can to not only apprehend offenders and stop assaults, but to ensure every survivor feels the safety and support they need from our Department to come forward and bravely seek justice.”
The NYPD response highlighted a top-to-bottom review of SVD as part of a reorganization of the Detective Bureau.
Also, all felony sexual assault cases in which arrests are made by patrol personnel will be handled by SVD investigators rather than the precinct detective squad.
“The NYPD will continue to work closely and collaboratively with sexual assault victim advocates and national experts to improve our work,” O’Neill said.
“I thank the Inspector General for taking the time to review this issue and make recommendations. Together, we will make continued strides to best serve survivors in New York City.”
The IG report, released in March, said that the Special Victims Division is understaffed and under-trained.
The NYPD response, however, took issue with the IG stance on it’s personnel.
“Investigators in SVD squads are dedicated, compassionate professionals,” the NYPD said.
“NYPD SVD investigators are among the best-trained sex crimes investigators in the world.”
The Department of Investigation said in a statement Tuesday that “internal NYPD documents state that staffing is not adequate.”
The department added that it remains “committed to its findings that critical reforms in the NYPD are integral to protecting victims of sex abuse and assault.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: “NYPD SVD investigators are among the best-trained sex crimes investigators in the world.” But NYPD failed to give any credit to Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni and Ice-T. Ungrateful bastards!
By Tina Moore and Joe Tacopino
New York Post
June 26, 2018
The NYPD released a response to a scathing Inspector General’s report on Tuesday, stating that they were working to “strengthen and bolster” the Special Victim’s Division while taking issue with some the IGs findings.
“Rape and sexual assault are among the most traumatic and horrific crimes someone could ever experience,” Commissioner James P. O’Neill said in a statement.
“The NYPD is deeply committed to doing everything we can to not only apprehend offenders and stop assaults, but to ensure every survivor feels the safety and support they need from our Department to come forward and bravely seek justice.”
The NYPD response highlighted a top-to-bottom review of SVD as part of a reorganization of the Detective Bureau.
Also, all felony sexual assault cases in which arrests are made by patrol personnel will be handled by SVD investigators rather than the precinct detective squad.
“The NYPD will continue to work closely and collaboratively with sexual assault victim advocates and national experts to improve our work,” O’Neill said.
“I thank the Inspector General for taking the time to review this issue and make recommendations. Together, we will make continued strides to best serve survivors in New York City.”
The IG report, released in March, said that the Special Victims Division is understaffed and under-trained.
The NYPD response, however, took issue with the IG stance on it’s personnel.
“Investigators in SVD squads are dedicated, compassionate professionals,” the NYPD said.
“NYPD SVD investigators are among the best-trained sex crimes investigators in the world.”
The Department of Investigation said in a statement Tuesday that “internal NYPD documents state that staffing is not adequate.”
The department added that it remains “committed to its findings that critical reforms in the NYPD are integral to protecting victims of sex abuse and assault.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: “NYPD SVD investigators are among the best-trained sex crimes investigators in the world.” But NYPD failed to give any credit to Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni and Ice-T. Ungrateful bastards!
PROTESTSAGAINST THE RULERS OF GAZA AND THE WEST BANK AS ISRAEL DEFANGS TERROR KITES
Israel Finds Solution to Gaza Terror Kites, But There's More Trouble Brewing
By Yochanan Visser
Israel Today
June 27, 2018
The Israeli army has finally found an effective solution to the so-called ‘kite terror’ that has already destroyed hundreds of acres of agricultural land and forests in southern Israel.
This solution was initially developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to counter the growing threat of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) that are used by Hamas and Hezbollah to spy on Israel or to carry out terror attacks against the Jewish state.
Hadashot, a state-funded broadcaster in Israel, reported on Thursday that the IDF has begun using the ‘electronic eye’ to identify where the incendiary kites and balloons are launched from in Gaza, and to track them down before they reach Israel.
The system, called Sky Spotter, enables the IDF to determine the trajectory of the terror kites and balloons and to predict where exactly they will land. A group of IDF operators is now able to provide early warning to firefighters, who then arrive on the spot where the balloons and kites land before they can cause a large blaze.
Sky Spotter is also able to direct small Israeli UAV’s, which are used to bring down the kites and balloons mid-flight.
The system will probably prevent a large-scale military operation in Gaza to stop the ‘kite terror,’ though the Israel Air Force and the IDF continue to target Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in response to the organized attempts to scorch southern Israel.
On Tuesday night, the IAF bombed a car belonging to a kite terror cell, after which Hamas responded by firing 12 rockets into Israel. Three of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile shield, while no casualties or damages were reported.
The Israeli army last week revealed that “the launching of arson and explosive device-laden kites and balloons is now a deliberate activity, planned and executed by the Hamas terror organization, targeting Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip.”
The IDF added that “arson kites are made by Hamas terror operatives in large quantities and in an organized manner.”
Hamas, meanwhile, has to cope with growing unrest in Gaza as a result of its failure to bring Israel to its knees via the ‘Great March of Return,’ and to improve the ailing economy of the coastal enclave.
A number of residents of the impoverished Gaza Strip last week took the streets to demand Palestinian unity, meaning reconciliation between Hamas and the central Fatah-led PA government in Ramallah. The protest was organized by disgruntled Palestinian Arabs who served jail-time in Israel for terror-related activities. About a year ago, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas stopped paying monthly stipends to these ex-prisoners, who now demand Hamas relinquishes control over the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority.
The protest was violently dispersed by Hamas members wearing kaffiyehs and white baseball caps who came out of a mosque, according to eye-witnesses. The plainclothes Hamas agents carried signs and shouted slogans against PA-leader Mahmoud Abbas who, they said, must be removed from power. When the protesters refused to back down, the Hamas agents destroyed their stage and confiscated video footage and photos of the violent crackdown.
Hamas later denied it had put a violent end to the protest, which came a week after similar demonstrations in the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem, where they were oddly condoned and even encouraged by the PA police. These protests were more directed at Abbas’ ruling clan, which has totally failed to bring prosperity to the territories under its control and is blamed for the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
“According to reports on Palestinian news sites, the protesters (in Ramallah and Bethlehem) praised Mohammed Def, the head of Hamas’ military wing, called for an end to the security cooperation with Israel, and shouted slogans disparaging the nonviolent struggle and favoring a return to the armed struggle,” the Israeli paper Ha’aretz reported last week.
By Yochanan Visser
Israel Today
June 27, 2018
The Israeli army has finally found an effective solution to the so-called ‘kite terror’ that has already destroyed hundreds of acres of agricultural land and forests in southern Israel.
This solution was initially developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to counter the growing threat of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) that are used by Hamas and Hezbollah to spy on Israel or to carry out terror attacks against the Jewish state.
Hadashot, a state-funded broadcaster in Israel, reported on Thursday that the IDF has begun using the ‘electronic eye’ to identify where the incendiary kites and balloons are launched from in Gaza, and to track them down before they reach Israel.
The system, called Sky Spotter, enables the IDF to determine the trajectory of the terror kites and balloons and to predict where exactly they will land. A group of IDF operators is now able to provide early warning to firefighters, who then arrive on the spot where the balloons and kites land before they can cause a large blaze.
Sky Spotter is also able to direct small Israeli UAV’s, which are used to bring down the kites and balloons mid-flight.
The system will probably prevent a large-scale military operation in Gaza to stop the ‘kite terror,’ though the Israel Air Force and the IDF continue to target Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in response to the organized attempts to scorch southern Israel.
On Tuesday night, the IAF bombed a car belonging to a kite terror cell, after which Hamas responded by firing 12 rockets into Israel. Three of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile shield, while no casualties or damages were reported.
The Israeli army last week revealed that “the launching of arson and explosive device-laden kites and balloons is now a deliberate activity, planned and executed by the Hamas terror organization, targeting Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip.”
The IDF added that “arson kites are made by Hamas terror operatives in large quantities and in an organized manner.”
Hamas, meanwhile, has to cope with growing unrest in Gaza as a result of its failure to bring Israel to its knees via the ‘Great March of Return,’ and to improve the ailing economy of the coastal enclave.
A number of residents of the impoverished Gaza Strip last week took the streets to demand Palestinian unity, meaning reconciliation between Hamas and the central Fatah-led PA government in Ramallah. The protest was organized by disgruntled Palestinian Arabs who served jail-time in Israel for terror-related activities. About a year ago, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas stopped paying monthly stipends to these ex-prisoners, who now demand Hamas relinquishes control over the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority.
The protest was violently dispersed by Hamas members wearing kaffiyehs and white baseball caps who came out of a mosque, according to eye-witnesses. The plainclothes Hamas agents carried signs and shouted slogans against PA-leader Mahmoud Abbas who, they said, must be removed from power. When the protesters refused to back down, the Hamas agents destroyed their stage and confiscated video footage and photos of the violent crackdown.
Hamas later denied it had put a violent end to the protest, which came a week after similar demonstrations in the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem, where they were oddly condoned and even encouraged by the PA police. These protests were more directed at Abbas’ ruling clan, which has totally failed to bring prosperity to the territories under its control and is blamed for the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
“According to reports on Palestinian news sites, the protesters (in Ramallah and Bethlehem) praised Mohammed Def, the head of Hamas’ military wing, called for an end to the security cooperation with Israel, and shouted slogans disparaging the nonviolent struggle and favoring a return to the armed struggle,” the Israeli paper Ha’aretz reported last week.
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
MAXINE WATERS IS A NO-CLASS RABBLE ROUSER WHO CALLS FOR THE HARASSMENT OF TRUMP’S CABINET MEMBERS
Congress has two members who suffer from motor mouth disease, Sheila Jackson Lee and Maxine Waters, with Waters being a no-class rabble rouser
Last week protesters confronted Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen inside a Mexican restaurant in Washington, D.C., yelling “shame” at Nielsen and “End Texas concentration camps.” On Friday a mob blared audio of crying migrant children who allegedly had been separated from their parents.
Recently in Lexington, Va., White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was refused service and told to leave the Red Hen by the restaurant’s co-owner because of her position in the Trump Administration.
In the wake of these incidents, Congresswoman Maxine Waters on Saturday urged a Los Angeles group protesting the separation of illegal immigrant families to personally harass members of Trump’s cabinet in public places like restaurants, department stores and gas stations. Waters said:
“I have no sympathy for these people that are in this administration who know it is wrong what they're doing on so many fronts but they tend to not want to confront this president. For these members of his Cabinet who remain and try to defend him they're not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they're not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they're not going to be able to shop at a department store, the people are going to turn on them, they're going to protest, they're going to absolutely harass them until they decide that they're going to tell the president 'no I can't hang with you, this is wrong this is unconscionable and we can't keep doing this to children.”
It is hard to believe that a member of Congress would urge anyone to personally harass another person, but then Waters is a no-class rabble rouser who has no shame. The shit-for-brains congresswoman should know that sooner or later someone is going to get hurt or even killed during such confrontations.
Even Democratic congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer condemned Waters for her inflammatory statement. Waters than tried to defend herself by stating she was calling for peaceful protests. Nice try Max, but you know that isn’t true.
Congress has two members who suffer from motor mouth disease, Sheila Jackson Lee and Maxine Waters. Sheila has long been an embarrassment to Houston but she is no rabble rouser and you can’t accuse her of having no class. She just can’t keep her big mouth shut. Waters can’t keep her big mouth shut either and she is a no-class rabble rouser to boot.
Last week protesters confronted Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen inside a Mexican restaurant in Washington, D.C., yelling “shame” at Nielsen and “End Texas concentration camps.” On Friday a mob blared audio of crying migrant children who allegedly had been separated from their parents.
Recently in Lexington, Va., White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was refused service and told to leave the Red Hen by the restaurant’s co-owner because of her position in the Trump Administration.
In the wake of these incidents, Congresswoman Maxine Waters on Saturday urged a Los Angeles group protesting the separation of illegal immigrant families to personally harass members of Trump’s cabinet in public places like restaurants, department stores and gas stations. Waters said:
“I have no sympathy for these people that are in this administration who know it is wrong what they're doing on so many fronts but they tend to not want to confront this president. For these members of his Cabinet who remain and try to defend him they're not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they're not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they're not going to be able to shop at a department store, the people are going to turn on them, they're going to protest, they're going to absolutely harass them until they decide that they're going to tell the president 'no I can't hang with you, this is wrong this is unconscionable and we can't keep doing this to children.”
It is hard to believe that a member of Congress would urge anyone to personally harass another person, but then Waters is a no-class rabble rouser who has no shame. The shit-for-brains congresswoman should know that sooner or later someone is going to get hurt or even killed during such confrontations.
Even Democratic congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer condemned Waters for her inflammatory statement. Waters than tried to defend herself by stating she was calling for peaceful protests. Nice try Max, but you know that isn’t true.
Congress has two members who suffer from motor mouth disease, Sheila Jackson Lee and Maxine Waters. Sheila has long been an embarrassment to Houston but she is no rabble rouser and you can’t accuse her of having no class. She just can’t keep her big mouth shut. Waters can’t keep her big mouth shut either and she is a no-class rabble rouser to boot.
CELEBRITY RUG-RAT GETS EIGHT YEARS
by Bob Walsh
Grace Pauline Kelley is the daughter of C&W star Wynonna Judd. It seems she is also pretty messed up. The 22-year old was just sentenced to eight years as a guest of the people of Tennessee after a conviction for violation of probation for bailing out on a drug treatment program last year.
Ms. Kelley was busted originally about three years ago for possession of gear commonly used to cook meth. About a year later she was busted in Alabama, and fled to avoid prosecution. In May of 2017 she pleaded guilty to cooking and selling meth and was supposed to do a year her sentence was suddenly reduced to 30 days and probation. She quickly broke probation and was arrested on December 16, 2017.
Her current sentence will take her to 2025 though she will be eligible for consideration for parole in 2019.
You can pick your friends, you can't pick your family. Unfortunately for some people the power, prestige and to some extend insulation that comes with family fame can be more of a curse than a blessing.
Grace Pauline Kelley is the daughter of C&W star Wynonna Judd. It seems she is also pretty messed up. The 22-year old was just sentenced to eight years as a guest of the people of Tennessee after a conviction for violation of probation for bailing out on a drug treatment program last year.
Ms. Kelley was busted originally about three years ago for possession of gear commonly used to cook meth. About a year later she was busted in Alabama, and fled to avoid prosecution. In May of 2017 she pleaded guilty to cooking and selling meth and was supposed to do a year her sentence was suddenly reduced to 30 days and probation. She quickly broke probation and was arrested on December 16, 2017.
Her current sentence will take her to 2025 though she will be eligible for consideration for parole in 2019.
You can pick your friends, you can't pick your family. Unfortunately for some people the power, prestige and to some extend insulation that comes with family fame can be more of a curse than a blessing.
THIS GUY NEEDS TO FIRE HIS MAID
by Bob Walsh
Janoris Jenkins plays cornerback for the N. Y. Giants and lives in a nice house about 10 miles from the stadium in Fair Lawn, N.J.
It seems that somebody "found" a dead body laying around the house. The cops have declined to say who the head guy is and where Jenkins was when the body was found or when the death is believed to have occurred.
The Giant's team operation has declined comment other than to say they are monitoring the situation.
Remember, a friend will help you move. A GOOD friend will help you move the body. Lacking a good friend, a good maid should have at least shoved the guy under a couch or something. It's hard to find good help these days..
Janoris Jenkins plays cornerback for the N. Y. Giants and lives in a nice house about 10 miles from the stadium in Fair Lawn, N.J.
It seems that somebody "found" a dead body laying around the house. The cops have declined to say who the head guy is and where Jenkins was when the body was found or when the death is believed to have occurred.
The Giant's team operation has declined comment other than to say they are monitoring the situation.
Remember, a friend will help you move. A GOOD friend will help you move the body. Lacking a good friend, a good maid should have at least shoved the guy under a couch or something. It's hard to find good help these days..
BLM THUGS LEAD TO JAIL LOCKDOWN
by Bob Walsh
The Black Lives Matter thugs led a protest outside of the downtown Sacramento CA jail on Monday, causing the jail to be locked down for a couple of hours.
About 50 "demonstrators" many of them carrying signs saying YOU DON'T HAVE TO KILL US TO APPREHEND US stood in front of the door, chanting the names Stephon Clark and Brandon Smith, two local black criminals.
Clark was shot to death while fleeing the cops and attempting to break into houses. He turned on the cops holding a cell phone which they mistook for a gun and terminally rehabilitated him. Smith died of acute meth poisoning while being transported. The coroner found a burst baggie in his stomach.
The Black Lives Matter thugs led a protest outside of the downtown Sacramento CA jail on Monday, causing the jail to be locked down for a couple of hours.
About 50 "demonstrators" many of them carrying signs saying YOU DON'T HAVE TO KILL US TO APPREHEND US stood in front of the door, chanting the names Stephon Clark and Brandon Smith, two local black criminals.
Clark was shot to death while fleeing the cops and attempting to break into houses. He turned on the cops holding a cell phone which they mistook for a gun and terminally rehabilitated him. Smith died of acute meth poisoning while being transported. The coroner found a burst baggie in his stomach.
FIVE MEMBERS OF SCOTUS CAN ACTAULLY READ
Or Four Members Of Scotus Are Fucking Morons, Depending On How You Look At It
by Bob Walsh
To the utter surprise of no one who can actually read SCOTUS, by a vote of 5-4, decided in favor of Donald Trump's travel ban yesterday. The minor opinion screamed that Trump was a racist bigot asshole based on tweets and statements that Candidate Trump or even President Trump had made in general, and not even remotely on the plain text of the order and the plain text of the law that permits his actions.
Maybe now he will decide that unchecked Mexican migration-infiltration-invasion of the country is a national security issue and just plain shut down the border.
by Bob Walsh
To the utter surprise of no one who can actually read SCOTUS, by a vote of 5-4, decided in favor of Donald Trump's travel ban yesterday. The minor opinion screamed that Trump was a racist bigot asshole based on tweets and statements that Candidate Trump or even President Trump had made in general, and not even remotely on the plain text of the order and the plain text of the law that permits his actions.
Maybe now he will decide that unchecked Mexican migration-infiltration-invasion of the country is a national security issue and just plain shut down the border.
FENTANYL USED TO ASSAULT COPS IN HOUSTON
Fentanyl-laced flyers placed on Harris County sheriff’s fleet vehicles in east Houston
By Jay R. Jordan
Houston Chronicle
June 26, 2018
A sergeant with the Harris County Sheriff's Office was hospitalized Tuesday after coming in contact with a fentanyl-laced paper flyer, authorities said.
The flyer was one of several placed on nearly a dozen sheriff's office vehicles at HCSO's recruitment and criminal investigations center at 601 Lockwood Drive in east Houston, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
At least one of the flyers tested positive for fentanyl, a sometimes-deadly opioid. Other flyers, as well as the sergeant herself, are being tested for fentanyl, as well.
So far, authorities have tested one of the 15 to 20 flyers, said Jason Spencer, a spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The remaining flyers were sent to Harris County Institute of Forensic Science for analysis, he said.
The sergeant came across the flyer on her windshield Tuesday afternoon as she left work, Gonzalez said. She initially did not think anything of it but soon started to feel light-headed and showed other fentanyl-related symptoms.
She was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive as authorities investigate the flyers' origination. She was released around 4:30 p.m., authorities said.
"She caught it quickly," Gonzalez said. "We do know from our experience with fentanyl is that it can be very deadly. It's 100 times more potent than morphine."
The flyers could have been placed on the vehicles as early as 8 a.m. Tuesday, Gonzalez said.
"We hope this is an isolated incident," Gonzalez said.
The flyers promoted the organization Targeted Individuals, an organization which believes that the "Deep State" targets certain individuals.
The group believes the FBI and CIA purposefully inflict mental, physical and emotional stress on enemies of the "Deep State," in part, by shooting microwave technology at their heads in order to cause brain damage, according to the group's website.
The organization could not be reached for comment.
Authorities with HCSO are asking anyone who sees the flyers to maintain caution and contact authorities.
By Jay R. Jordan
Houston Chronicle
June 26, 2018
A sergeant with the Harris County Sheriff's Office was hospitalized Tuesday after coming in contact with a fentanyl-laced paper flyer, authorities said.
The flyer was one of several placed on nearly a dozen sheriff's office vehicles at HCSO's recruitment and criminal investigations center at 601 Lockwood Drive in east Houston, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
At least one of the flyers tested positive for fentanyl, a sometimes-deadly opioid. Other flyers, as well as the sergeant herself, are being tested for fentanyl, as well.
So far, authorities have tested one of the 15 to 20 flyers, said Jason Spencer, a spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The remaining flyers were sent to Harris County Institute of Forensic Science for analysis, he said.
The sergeant came across the flyer on her windshield Tuesday afternoon as she left work, Gonzalez said. She initially did not think anything of it but soon started to feel light-headed and showed other fentanyl-related symptoms.
She was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive as authorities investigate the flyers' origination. She was released around 4:30 p.m., authorities said.
"She caught it quickly," Gonzalez said. "We do know from our experience with fentanyl is that it can be very deadly. It's 100 times more potent than morphine."
The flyers could have been placed on the vehicles as early as 8 a.m. Tuesday, Gonzalez said.
"We hope this is an isolated incident," Gonzalez said.
The flyers promoted the organization Targeted Individuals, an organization which believes that the "Deep State" targets certain individuals.
The group believes the FBI and CIA purposefully inflict mental, physical and emotional stress on enemies of the "Deep State," in part, by shooting microwave technology at their heads in order to cause brain damage, according to the group's website.
The organization could not be reached for comment.
Authorities with HCSO are asking anyone who sees the flyers to maintain caution and contact authorities.
LAW AND ORDER MEXICAN STYLE
Entire Mexican police force arrested after mayoral candidate’s murder
By Tamar Lapin
New York Post
June 25, 2018
A Mexican town’s entire police force has been arrested in connection with the slaying of a mayoral candidate.
The 28 officers from the town of Ocampo in the western state of Michoacan were arrested Sunday on suspicion of involvement in the murder of Fernando Angeles Juarez.
Juarez, 64, was running as the candidate for the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution in Ocampo, before being shot dead June 21.
State officials took the cops in for having alleged ties with criminal groups possibly involved in the candidate’s killing, El Universal reported.
Public Security Director Venancio Colin was chased out by 16 Ocampo cops in a hail of bullets when he first tried to arrest them Saturday, sources told the paper.
He came back Sunday with reinforcements and arrested the entire force, who were cuffed and taken to the state capital for questioning.
Juarez, a successful businessman with little previous political experience, was the third politician to be killed in Michoacan in just over a week, the BBC reported.
“He couldn’t stand seeing so much poverty, inequality and corruption and so he decided to run,” one of his closest friends, Miguel Malagón, told El Universal.
Mexico will vote for a new president July 1, alongside more than 3,000 federal, state and municipal posts.
More than 1,000 candidates have dropped out of local races ahead of the elections because they fear being gunned down.
Drug cartels are suspected in many murders of politicians and the 2018 campaign has been a bloody one — with dozens of politicians, candidates and activists murdered by gangsters.
On June 12, congressional candidate Fernando Purón was shot in the head point-blank as he posed for a selfie after an election debate in Piedras Negras.
By Tamar Lapin
New York Post
June 25, 2018
A Mexican town’s entire police force has been arrested in connection with the slaying of a mayoral candidate.
The 28 officers from the town of Ocampo in the western state of Michoacan were arrested Sunday on suspicion of involvement in the murder of Fernando Angeles Juarez.
Juarez, 64, was running as the candidate for the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution in Ocampo, before being shot dead June 21.
State officials took the cops in for having alleged ties with criminal groups possibly involved in the candidate’s killing, El Universal reported.
Public Security Director Venancio Colin was chased out by 16 Ocampo cops in a hail of bullets when he first tried to arrest them Saturday, sources told the paper.
He came back Sunday with reinforcements and arrested the entire force, who were cuffed and taken to the state capital for questioning.
Juarez, a successful businessman with little previous political experience, was the third politician to be killed in Michoacan in just over a week, the BBC reported.
“He couldn’t stand seeing so much poverty, inequality and corruption and so he decided to run,” one of his closest friends, Miguel Malagón, told El Universal.
Mexico will vote for a new president July 1, alongside more than 3,000 federal, state and municipal posts.
More than 1,000 candidates have dropped out of local races ahead of the elections because they fear being gunned down.
Drug cartels are suspected in many murders of politicians and the 2018 campaign has been a bloody one — with dozens of politicians, candidates and activists murdered by gangsters.
On June 12, congressional candidate Fernando Purón was shot in the head point-blank as he posed for a selfie after an election debate in Piedras Negras.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
YOU MEAN ’CAUSE OF THAT THAR TRUMP THEM BIKES ARE GOING TO BE MADE OVERSEAS ….. QUICK, GIT A ROPE!
Harley-Davidson to Shift Production Overseas to Offset EU Tariffs
By Bob Tita
The Wall Street Journal
June 25, 2018
Harley-Davidson Inc. plans to shift more production overseas to avoid European Union tariffs on its iconic motorcycles, the latest manufacturer to reconfigure operations amid a widening global trade fight.
Harley prizes its made-in-the-USA reputation as central to its appeal to customers all over the world. But the Milwaukee company has opened factories in Brazil, India and Australia to tap international markets and hold down prices as sales falter in the U.S.
That manufacturing footprint outside the U.S. is set to expand. Harley said in a securities filing Monday the 31% tariff the EU enacted last week on its motorcycles would raise the cost of each Hog it ships there from the U.S. by about $2,200. Rather than raise prices, Harley said it would shift production of the motorcycles it sells in the EU outside the U.S. over the next 18 months.
“Expanding international production to alleviate the EU tariff burden is not our preference, but it’s the only sustainable option we have to make motorcycles available and affordable to EU customers,” Harley spokesman Michael Pflughoeft said.
Harley’s shares fell 6% on Monday to $41.57.
President Donald Trump criticized the company’s move. “Surprised that Harley-Davidson, of all companies, would be the first to wave the White Flag,” he wrote in a tweet. “I fought hard for them and ultimately they will not pay tariffs selling into the E.U., which has hurt us badly on trade.” He added: “Taxes just a Harley excuse - be patient!”
The tariffs by the EU, Harley’s second-biggest market after the U.S., are a response to tariffs the Trump administration imposed this spring on steel and aluminum from producers in Europe and elsewhere.
EU officials retaliated by placing tariffs on many U.S. products including those with strong American branding, such as Harleys, Levi’s jeans and Kentucky bourbon. A spokesman for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, declined to comment Monday on Harley’s plans.
The White House on Monday defended its trade policy in the wake of Harley’s announcement. “The European Union is attempting to punish U.S. workers with unfair and discriminatory trade policies,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. “President Trump will continue to push for free, fair and reciprocal trade in the hopes that the EU will join us in that.”
The tariffs are a tough blow for Harley, which has struggled to lift sales. Chief Executive Matthew Levatich has made a priority of boosting overseas sales as ridership in the U.S. stalls and the company’s die-hard fans age.
Harley on Monday urged U.S. and EU officials to reach an agreement to rescind their tariffs.
Harley’s international sales rose for the first time in over a year in the company’s first quarter, by 0.2% annually. Harley wants to boost its international business to half of its annual sales volume over the next decade, from about 40% currently.
U.S. sales fell by 12% in the quarter, continuing a downward trend in recent years. Harley has aimed to boost its U.S. customer base by promoting motorcycle-riding classes and trying to recruit more women and minority riders.
Mr. Levatich has said that it can’t price its motorcycles competitively without opening plants abroad to avoid tariffs and take advantage of lower manufacturing costs in some markets.
Harley was already planning to shrink its U.S. manufacturing base. Earlier this year the company said it would close a factory in Kansas City and consolidate production at plants in Milwaukee and York, Pa. The first layoffs at the Kansas City plant are scheduled for August.
Joe Capra, a district representative for the International Association of Machinists union in Kansas City, said Harley’s response to the EU tariffs and the company’s plan for a plant in Thailand confirmed it aims to siphon production from the U.S.
Mr. Pflughoeft, the Harley spokesman, said the company remained committed to making motorcycles in the U.S.—and to expanding its reach abroad. “To do that, we must provide riders greater access to our brand and our products,” he said. “And we have to do that at a competitive retail price.”
Other companies are also navigating hurdles that the tariffs have thrown up for their international supply chains and sales. Luxury German car manufacturer Daimler AG DMLRY -2.44% warned that tariffs China placed on vehicles it makes in the U.S. would hurt revenue and profit from its Alabama factory that makes SUVs.
Cummins Inc., which imports components from its factories in China for further assembly at its U.S. plants, is weighing whether to raise prices to reflect the 25% tariff the U.S. is implementing on those products July 6.
Harley-Davidson said it expects costs related to the tariffs to reach up to $45 million for the rest of 2018 and about $90 million to $100 million annually thereafter.
“This will make their manufacturing less efficient,” said Sharon Zackfia, an analyst for William Blair & Co. “It’s just another headache for Harley.”
George Gatto, a longtime Harley dealer in the Pittsburgh area, had mixed feelings about the plans to shift production abroad. “I am a big proponent of made in U.S.A. and good-paying union jobs,” he said. “People with these jobs are many times the same people who buy and ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles.”
But, he said, faced with steep tariffs in Europe, Harley needs to do whatever it takes to stay competitive.
EDITOR’S NOTE: So much for that bullshit about the tariff on steel bringing jobs back to America.
By Bob Tita
The Wall Street Journal
June 25, 2018
Harley-Davidson Inc. plans to shift more production overseas to avoid European Union tariffs on its iconic motorcycles, the latest manufacturer to reconfigure operations amid a widening global trade fight.
Harley prizes its made-in-the-USA reputation as central to its appeal to customers all over the world. But the Milwaukee company has opened factories in Brazil, India and Australia to tap international markets and hold down prices as sales falter in the U.S.
That manufacturing footprint outside the U.S. is set to expand. Harley said in a securities filing Monday the 31% tariff the EU enacted last week on its motorcycles would raise the cost of each Hog it ships there from the U.S. by about $2,200. Rather than raise prices, Harley said it would shift production of the motorcycles it sells in the EU outside the U.S. over the next 18 months.
“Expanding international production to alleviate the EU tariff burden is not our preference, but it’s the only sustainable option we have to make motorcycles available and affordable to EU customers,” Harley spokesman Michael Pflughoeft said.
Harley’s shares fell 6% on Monday to $41.57.
President Donald Trump criticized the company’s move. “Surprised that Harley-Davidson, of all companies, would be the first to wave the White Flag,” he wrote in a tweet. “I fought hard for them and ultimately they will not pay tariffs selling into the E.U., which has hurt us badly on trade.” He added: “Taxes just a Harley excuse - be patient!”
The tariffs by the EU, Harley’s second-biggest market after the U.S., are a response to tariffs the Trump administration imposed this spring on steel and aluminum from producers in Europe and elsewhere.
EU officials retaliated by placing tariffs on many U.S. products including those with strong American branding, such as Harleys, Levi’s jeans and Kentucky bourbon. A spokesman for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, declined to comment Monday on Harley’s plans.
The White House on Monday defended its trade policy in the wake of Harley’s announcement. “The European Union is attempting to punish U.S. workers with unfair and discriminatory trade policies,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. “President Trump will continue to push for free, fair and reciprocal trade in the hopes that the EU will join us in that.”
The tariffs are a tough blow for Harley, which has struggled to lift sales. Chief Executive Matthew Levatich has made a priority of boosting overseas sales as ridership in the U.S. stalls and the company’s die-hard fans age.
Harley on Monday urged U.S. and EU officials to reach an agreement to rescind their tariffs.
Harley’s international sales rose for the first time in over a year in the company’s first quarter, by 0.2% annually. Harley wants to boost its international business to half of its annual sales volume over the next decade, from about 40% currently.
U.S. sales fell by 12% in the quarter, continuing a downward trend in recent years. Harley has aimed to boost its U.S. customer base by promoting motorcycle-riding classes and trying to recruit more women and minority riders.
Mr. Levatich has said that it can’t price its motorcycles competitively without opening plants abroad to avoid tariffs and take advantage of lower manufacturing costs in some markets.
Harley was already planning to shrink its U.S. manufacturing base. Earlier this year the company said it would close a factory in Kansas City and consolidate production at plants in Milwaukee and York, Pa. The first layoffs at the Kansas City plant are scheduled for August.
Joe Capra, a district representative for the International Association of Machinists union in Kansas City, said Harley’s response to the EU tariffs and the company’s plan for a plant in Thailand confirmed it aims to siphon production from the U.S.
Mr. Pflughoeft, the Harley spokesman, said the company remained committed to making motorcycles in the U.S.—and to expanding its reach abroad. “To do that, we must provide riders greater access to our brand and our products,” he said. “And we have to do that at a competitive retail price.”
Other companies are also navigating hurdles that the tariffs have thrown up for their international supply chains and sales. Luxury German car manufacturer Daimler AG DMLRY -2.44% warned that tariffs China placed on vehicles it makes in the U.S. would hurt revenue and profit from its Alabama factory that makes SUVs.
Cummins Inc., which imports components from its factories in China for further assembly at its U.S. plants, is weighing whether to raise prices to reflect the 25% tariff the U.S. is implementing on those products July 6.
Harley-Davidson said it expects costs related to the tariffs to reach up to $45 million for the rest of 2018 and about $90 million to $100 million annually thereafter.
“This will make their manufacturing less efficient,” said Sharon Zackfia, an analyst for William Blair & Co. “It’s just another headache for Harley.”
George Gatto, a longtime Harley dealer in the Pittsburgh area, had mixed feelings about the plans to shift production abroad. “I am a big proponent of made in U.S.A. and good-paying union jobs,” he said. “People with these jobs are many times the same people who buy and ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles.”
But, he said, faced with steep tariffs in Europe, Harley needs to do whatever it takes to stay competitive.
EDITOR’S NOTE: So much for that bullshit about the tariff on steel bringing jobs back to America.
MAYBE YOU SHOULD LEAVE YOUR GOD AT HOME WHEN YOU GO TO WORK
by Bob Walsh
Port Allen, Louisiana is kind of unusual in the U. S. in that their Chief of Police is elected. He is now on the receiving end of a civil suit by a former officer for prosletyzing on the job.
Patrick Marshall asserts that Chief Esdron Brown violated his constitutional rights by DEMANDING that he attend religious counselling with the department chaplain, and threatened to fire or suspend him if he refused. He also allegedly passed Marshall over for promotion in favor of less qualified applicants who went to the same church as Chief Brown. The Chief is alleged to have regular said that he wanted a "SAVED" department.
When Marshall complained to the Mayor the Mayor allegedly ordered him to attend anger management classes and suspended his Thanksgiving vacation. Marshall had worked for Port Allen since 2006 and is currently employed by another department in the area.
Brown has been the Chief since 2013 and was elected to a second four-year term in 2016. The department has a very high turn-over rate. In the last five years they have hired 28 officers, 14 of whom have since left that department.
Port Allen, Louisiana is kind of unusual in the U. S. in that their Chief of Police is elected. He is now on the receiving end of a civil suit by a former officer for prosletyzing on the job.
Patrick Marshall asserts that Chief Esdron Brown violated his constitutional rights by DEMANDING that he attend religious counselling with the department chaplain, and threatened to fire or suspend him if he refused. He also allegedly passed Marshall over for promotion in favor of less qualified applicants who went to the same church as Chief Brown. The Chief is alleged to have regular said that he wanted a "SAVED" department.
When Marshall complained to the Mayor the Mayor allegedly ordered him to attend anger management classes and suspended his Thanksgiving vacation. Marshall had worked for Port Allen since 2006 and is currently employed by another department in the area.
Brown has been the Chief since 2013 and was elected to a second four-year term in 2016. The department has a very high turn-over rate. In the last five years they have hired 28 officers, 14 of whom have since left that department.
IDIOTIC CIVIL SUIT PROCEEDING
by Bob Walsh
SCOTUS is allowing an idiotic civil suit to move ahead against a Sonoma County Sheriff's Deputy and his department. The lack of action by SCOTUS will allow the suit to proceed.
Anthony Lopez, 13, was shot to death by Sonoma County Deputy Erick Gelhaus who was, at the time, carrying a very realistic looking AK-47 that was actually an air-soft gun. If I recall correctly he also had a pretty realistic fake pistol in the waist band of his trousers, but I am not 100% sure on that.
With luck the federal jury will have their shit together more than the federal courts do.
SCOTUS is allowing an idiotic civil suit to move ahead against a Sonoma County Sheriff's Deputy and his department. The lack of action by SCOTUS will allow the suit to proceed.
Anthony Lopez, 13, was shot to death by Sonoma County Deputy Erick Gelhaus who was, at the time, carrying a very realistic looking AK-47 that was actually an air-soft gun. If I recall correctly he also had a pretty realistic fake pistol in the waist band of his trousers, but I am not 100% sure on that.
With luck the federal jury will have their shit together more than the federal courts do.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
But First Take Your Head Out Of Your Ass
by Bob Walsh
There are actually some decent places to live in Oakland, CA. Mostly up in the hills. Since the people who live up there have actual jobs with actual incomes and buy their drugs from reliable drug-dealers rather than street-corner hood-rats some of these neighborhoods are actually full of nice houses and nice cars. The nice houses were helped by a very nasty urban fire storm some years ago that destroyed hundreds of houses in the Oakland hills. Since these people actually have some shit worth stealing they sort-of keep their eyes open, and call the cops when they see suspicious loiterers.
This particular lurker who had the cops called on him was very clever. He was disguised as a fire fighter, with a full set of turn-outs and equipment. He had even gone so far as to drive to the scene in a big red fire truck. He had several conspirators with him, also having driven into the area in a big red fire truck which was parked at the scene of the lurking. They were also dressed in accoutrements and attire suitable for an Oakland fire fighter, hence the Oakland Fire Dept. insignia on the fire truck and on the uniforms.
Also, of course, the suspicious lurker was black.
He was, of course, actually a fire fighter who was, along with his colleagues, doing a perfectly legal and laudable fire safety check in the neighborhood because they don't want another urban fire storm destroying their tax base.
Come on people, get your heads out of your butts.
by Bob Walsh
There are actually some decent places to live in Oakland, CA. Mostly up in the hills. Since the people who live up there have actual jobs with actual incomes and buy their drugs from reliable drug-dealers rather than street-corner hood-rats some of these neighborhoods are actually full of nice houses and nice cars. The nice houses were helped by a very nasty urban fire storm some years ago that destroyed hundreds of houses in the Oakland hills. Since these people actually have some shit worth stealing they sort-of keep their eyes open, and call the cops when they see suspicious loiterers.
This particular lurker who had the cops called on him was very clever. He was disguised as a fire fighter, with a full set of turn-outs and equipment. He had even gone so far as to drive to the scene in a big red fire truck. He had several conspirators with him, also having driven into the area in a big red fire truck which was parked at the scene of the lurking. They were also dressed in accoutrements and attire suitable for an Oakland fire fighter, hence the Oakland Fire Dept. insignia on the fire truck and on the uniforms.
Also, of course, the suspicious lurker was black.
He was, of course, actually a fire fighter who was, along with his colleagues, doing a perfectly legal and laudable fire safety check in the neighborhood because they don't want another urban fire storm destroying their tax base.
Come on people, get your heads out of your butts.
WRONG CLAY HIGGINS ENDORSED BY TRUMP FOR CONGRESS
Trump's Twitter fail as he tried to endorse Republican Congressman who had been slammed for making a video from Auschwitz's gas chambers - and tagged the wrong user instead
By Jessa Schroeder
Daily Mail
June 25, 2018
President Donald Trump on Sunday attempted to endorse US Representative Clay Higgins for re-election, but accidentally tagged a young man on Twitter who shares the same name as the Louisiana politician.
Trump took to social media to initially write: '@ClayHiggins18 has been a great help to me on cutting taxes, creating new healthcare programs at low cost, fighting for border security, our military and our vets.
'He is tough on crime and has my full endorsement. The great state of Louisiana, we want Clay!'
Roughly two hours after sending out the tweet, Trump deleted the status and and re-posted the celebratory tweet under the correct username of the controversial conservative.
The US representative followed up with comment to Trump's first tweet writing: 'Thank you Mr. President!'
Trump had tagged another Clay Higgins who had 111 followers and a private account before he gained attention. He also updated his profile photo.
Later on Sunday night, the young man set his account to public after he received a slew of user comments reacting to Trump's mistake.
Twitter users said things like: 'I am pretty sure that Clay Higgins would do a better job than grown-up Clay Higgins and 'IQ45 tweeted the wrong Clay Higgins, the incompetence is beyond staggering.' One even corrected the president's spelling.
The young man did not respond to DailyMail.com when asked to make comment about the matter.
It seems the Sunday incident wasn't the first time the young man was mistaken for the politician.
Last July, the young Higgins re-tweeted several posts that were accidentally aimed at him after the congressman's narration of a five-minute video inside a former gas chamber at the Nazi concentration camp in occupied Poland.
The representative posted the video in which in said the killings lasted 20 minutes and show why the US military 'must be invincible'.
A few days later, the Auschwitz Memorial publicly chastised Higgins for violating the rules requiring visitors to remain silent while inside the former gas chambers.
Officials later posted a photo of the entrance sign to that building, asking visitors to 'maintain silence here'.
The sign further read: 'You are in a building where the SS murdered thousands of people.
'Please maintain silence here: remember their suffering and show respect for their memory.'
By Jessa Schroeder
Daily Mail
June 25, 2018
President Donald Trump on Sunday attempted to endorse US Representative Clay Higgins for re-election, but accidentally tagged a young man on Twitter who shares the same name as the Louisiana politician.
Trump took to social media to initially write: '@ClayHiggins18 has been a great help to me on cutting taxes, creating new healthcare programs at low cost, fighting for border security, our military and our vets.
'He is tough on crime and has my full endorsement. The great state of Louisiana, we want Clay!'
Roughly two hours after sending out the tweet, Trump deleted the status and and re-posted the celebratory tweet under the correct username of the controversial conservative.
The US representative followed up with comment to Trump's first tweet writing: 'Thank you Mr. President!'
Trump had tagged another Clay Higgins who had 111 followers and a private account before he gained attention. He also updated his profile photo.
Later on Sunday night, the young man set his account to public after he received a slew of user comments reacting to Trump's mistake.
Twitter users said things like: 'I am pretty sure that Clay Higgins would do a better job than grown-up Clay Higgins and 'IQ45 tweeted the wrong Clay Higgins, the incompetence is beyond staggering.' One even corrected the president's spelling.
The young man did not respond to DailyMail.com when asked to make comment about the matter.
It seems the Sunday incident wasn't the first time the young man was mistaken for the politician.
Last July, the young Higgins re-tweeted several posts that were accidentally aimed at him after the congressman's narration of a five-minute video inside a former gas chamber at the Nazi concentration camp in occupied Poland.
The representative posted the video in which in said the killings lasted 20 minutes and show why the US military 'must be invincible'.
A few days later, the Auschwitz Memorial publicly chastised Higgins for violating the rules requiring visitors to remain silent while inside the former gas chambers.
Officials later posted a photo of the entrance sign to that building, asking visitors to 'maintain silence here'.
The sign further read: 'You are in a building where the SS murdered thousands of people.
'Please maintain silence here: remember their suffering and show respect for their memory.'
OFFICER STACY SHERIDAN BADLY NEEDS SGT. T. J. HOOKER’S GUIDANCE
Heather Locklear arrested AGAIN for punching a cop and kicking an EMT while 'heavily intoxicated' just days after she was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold for choking her mom
By Chris Spargo
Daily Mail
June 25, 2018
Heather Locklear has once again found herself in trouble with the law, just days after she was released from an involuntary psychiatric hold.
Police arrested the actress on Sunday night after the 56-year-old actress allegedly attacked an officer and an EMT.
She previously had an altercation with law enforcement in February which also led to an arrest.
Authorities were twice called to Locklear’s residence on Sunday, first around 6pm and then again at 11pm. Those were both were dispatched as 'disturbance' calls per the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies determined no crime had occurred after responding to the first call and left the scene.
It was when responding to the second call that deputies made contact with Locklear, who allegedly attacked an officer when he tried to separate her from other parties at the residence.
The dispatcher can be heard telling officers that a woman was cursing in the background while a man stated 'get the police here now' during that second call.
'There was a physical earlier with female. There are no weapons inside the residence. No one else is there,' says the dispatcher.
Locklear 'battered that officer by kicking him' according to a fellow member of the force, at which point she was arrested.
That same officer described Locklear as 'extremely intoxicated and uncooperative,' noting that while being checked at the scene she also kicked one of the EMS personnel examining her.
Ventura County Sheriff's Office records show that Locklear was taken into custody at 11:30pm and later booked just after 2am on Monday on two misdemeanor counts of battery. Locklear was first taken to the hospital to be cleared for booking according to the Sheriff's Office.
She is currently being held on $20,000 bail and due in court on Tuesday.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Locklear's reps for comment. She is currently on a hiatus with the firm that handles her public relations.
The actress had already been facing four counts of battery upon an officer and emergency personnel along with a single count of resist, obstruct, delay of peace officer or EMT for an incident that occurred earlier this year.
Locklear was arrested on suspicion of injuring a partner and fighting with sheriff’s officers at her home in Thousand Oaks on the night of February 25.
She had just returned from a trip to Boston at the time when she and boyfriend Chris Heisser began to fight.
Locklear's daughter Ava, 20, was also in the house at the time.
A search warrant that was executed at her home by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office revealed that during her February arrest, Locklear told deputies she would shoot them if they ever came to her house again.
Investigators had learned that Locklear had a gun registered in her name, and after hearing this went to seize the weapon.
The warrant states that officers were not able to locate the gun.
On the night of her arrest, Locklear screamed at one officer: 'Get the fuck out of my house!'
She did this while trying to slam a door on the man inside her home according to the Probable Cause Affidavit, which resulted in the five charges she is currently facing in the case.
Another officer reported that Locklear screamed: 'You fucking deserve your kids to die! You fucking deserve it! And when you find yourself in that position, think of me!'
Locklear told officers that Heisser had been choking her to the point where she believed she was about to lose consciousness and pass out.
Heisser told a different story, claiming it was Locklear who attacked him, and had red mark on his chest and blood on his nose according to the report.
Locklear checked herself into rehab after the incident, and in late May was seen smiling with Heisser as the two walked hand-in-hand into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in California.
Things took a turn again however just last week, when the actress allegedly battered her parents and threatened to take her own life.
That landed her in the hospital on an involuntary psychiatric hold on June 17, and she had just been released when this latest incident occurred on Sunday.
It was her mother who called police.
It is unclear now how these new misdemeanors might impact Locklear's parole given her previous arrest for the same offense.
She was on probation and due in court later this summer for her February arrest.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Heather appears to be in need of some serious head shrinking and a prolonged stay at a drug rehab center. What a shame.
__________
SELF-ENTITLED ASSHOLE ARRESTED FOR ASSHOLEISH BEHAVIOR...AGAIN
by Bob Walsh
Heather Locklear is a one-time famous actress, primarily known for her work on Melrose Place. Last night the cops showed up in response to a call to her home in Ventura County. She was stinking drunk and attacked a cop and an EMT.
Ms. Locklear was taken to the hospital, and then to the county slammer facing a battery charge.
By Chris Spargo
Daily Mail
June 25, 2018
Heather Locklear has once again found herself in trouble with the law, just days after she was released from an involuntary psychiatric hold.
Police arrested the actress on Sunday night after the 56-year-old actress allegedly attacked an officer and an EMT.
She previously had an altercation with law enforcement in February which also led to an arrest.
Authorities were twice called to Locklear’s residence on Sunday, first around 6pm and then again at 11pm. Those were both were dispatched as 'disturbance' calls per the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies determined no crime had occurred after responding to the first call and left the scene.
It was when responding to the second call that deputies made contact with Locklear, who allegedly attacked an officer when he tried to separate her from other parties at the residence.
The dispatcher can be heard telling officers that a woman was cursing in the background while a man stated 'get the police here now' during that second call.
'There was a physical earlier with female. There are no weapons inside the residence. No one else is there,' says the dispatcher.
Locklear 'battered that officer by kicking him' according to a fellow member of the force, at which point she was arrested.
That same officer described Locklear as 'extremely intoxicated and uncooperative,' noting that while being checked at the scene she also kicked one of the EMS personnel examining her.
Ventura County Sheriff's Office records show that Locklear was taken into custody at 11:30pm and later booked just after 2am on Monday on two misdemeanor counts of battery. Locklear was first taken to the hospital to be cleared for booking according to the Sheriff's Office.
She is currently being held on $20,000 bail and due in court on Tuesday.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Locklear's reps for comment. She is currently on a hiatus with the firm that handles her public relations.
The actress had already been facing four counts of battery upon an officer and emergency personnel along with a single count of resist, obstruct, delay of peace officer or EMT for an incident that occurred earlier this year.
Locklear was arrested on suspicion of injuring a partner and fighting with sheriff’s officers at her home in Thousand Oaks on the night of February 25.
She had just returned from a trip to Boston at the time when she and boyfriend Chris Heisser began to fight.
Locklear's daughter Ava, 20, was also in the house at the time.
A search warrant that was executed at her home by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office revealed that during her February arrest, Locklear told deputies she would shoot them if they ever came to her house again.
Investigators had learned that Locklear had a gun registered in her name, and after hearing this went to seize the weapon.
The warrant states that officers were not able to locate the gun.
On the night of her arrest, Locklear screamed at one officer: 'Get the fuck out of my house!'
She did this while trying to slam a door on the man inside her home according to the Probable Cause Affidavit, which resulted in the five charges she is currently facing in the case.
Another officer reported that Locklear screamed: 'You fucking deserve your kids to die! You fucking deserve it! And when you find yourself in that position, think of me!'
Locklear told officers that Heisser had been choking her to the point where she believed she was about to lose consciousness and pass out.
Heisser told a different story, claiming it was Locklear who attacked him, and had red mark on his chest and blood on his nose according to the report.
Locklear checked herself into rehab after the incident, and in late May was seen smiling with Heisser as the two walked hand-in-hand into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in California.
Things took a turn again however just last week, when the actress allegedly battered her parents and threatened to take her own life.
That landed her in the hospital on an involuntary psychiatric hold on June 17, and she had just been released when this latest incident occurred on Sunday.
It was her mother who called police.
It is unclear now how these new misdemeanors might impact Locklear's parole given her previous arrest for the same offense.
She was on probation and due in court later this summer for her February arrest.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Heather appears to be in need of some serious head shrinking and a prolonged stay at a drug rehab center. What a shame.
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SELF-ENTITLED ASSHOLE ARRESTED FOR ASSHOLEISH BEHAVIOR...AGAIN
by Bob Walsh
Heather Locklear is a one-time famous actress, primarily known for her work on Melrose Place. Last night the cops showed up in response to a call to her home in Ventura County. She was stinking drunk and attacked a cop and an EMT.
Ms. Locklear was taken to the hospital, and then to the county slammer facing a battery charge.
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