EXCLUSIVE: 'When They See Us is LIES.' NYPD cop who arrested two of the Central Park Five says they DID attack jogger and forensic evidence proves it - and showing police and prosecutors as racist is putting lives at risk
By Laura Collins
Daily Mail
June 28, 2019
The NYPD police officer who made the first arrests in the Central Park Five investigation has condemned Netflix's drama When They See Us as 'lies' and said it puts the lives of cops and prosecutors at risk.
Eric Reynolds, who as a plainclothes officer arrested Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson, tells DailyMailTV that the four-part television adaptation is so filled with errors that it is 'malicious recreation'.
He described the miniseries, produced by Robert De Niro and Oprah Winfrey and directed by Ava DuVernay, as 'total nonsense' that left him 'flabbergasted'.
Reynolds retired in 2001 after a 20-year career where he rose to Detective Third Grade and earned department recognition multiple times for his police work.
He spoke out after an outcry in the wake of the series led to prosecutors Linda Fairstein and Elizabeth Lederer losing publishing contracts, board seats and lecturing roles.
Reynolds, 59, rejected criticism of the investigation, prosecution and conviction of the five for the rape of 28-year-old jogger, Patricia Meili - and particularly took issue with the portrayal of the black men as victims of a racist system.
As an African American, he said, the allegations of racism cut particularly deep.
Asked if he has been accused of being a race-traitor he said, 'Oh yes and worse.' Yet all he wanted to do as an officer was, he said, 'serve his community.'
And he said that even the brief appearance he makes in the series, which has been watched by 23 million Netflix accounts worldwide, is pure 'fiction,' portraying events which simply did not happen; he was shown as a uniformed officer when he in fact wore plain clothes.
He believes the series is inflammatory by depicting members of the five looking badly beaten when they were arrested.
Reynolds told DailyMailTV, 'Please, someone, show me the pictures of them. Show me the injuries, show me the black eyes, show me the swollen faces because every single one of them that came out of that precinct had none of that.'
He has shared his own recollections of the night of April 19, 1989 when more than 30 young men embarked on a violent spree of terror, and Meili was found raped and close to death in Central Park.
Raymond Santana, then 14, Kevin Richardson, 14, Korey Wise, 16, Antron McCray, 15 and Yusef Salaam, 15 all confessed and were convicted of participating in multiple crimes on April 19. But the one that is remembered is Meili's rape.
In 2002 their convictions were sensationally vacated in their entirety when Matias Reyes, a serial rapist already in prison, confessed to the crime and claimed to have acted alone. The five sued New York City, said their confessions were coerced and won a $41 million payout.
Supporters said they had been exonerated and the Central Park Five became synonymous with an unimaginable miscarriage of justice.
When They See Us opens on the night of the 'wilding', where a mass of young men rushed through Central Park, casting the five very squarely as innocents caught up in events and on the fringes of any violence.
Reynolds said, 'When I saw the opening scenes it was like watching a musical. I was flabbergasted. That absolutely was not what occurred.'
In one scene a man, most likely a depiction of teacher John Loughlin, is shown being felled by a single punch while three of the five look on.
Reynolds said, 'It did not happen that way. They were beating him with a pipe. They beat him so savagely that both of his eyes were shut and he had a cracked skull.'
Testimony from one who was there stated that Yusef Salaam was wielding that pipe and 'going to work on him.'
The cop who found Loughlin told Reynolds that he 'looked like his head was dunked in a bucket of blood.'
In another scene the boys are part of a crowd halfheartedly harassing a couple on a tandem bike. Again Reynolds watched in outrage at what he said is a 'total fiction.'
He explained, 'The group lay in wait. They stretched out across the roadway and held hands to knock them off their bike. It was a couple on the tandem and the woman said she was scared for her life.
'Her boyfriend just told her, 'Put your head down and pedal as hard as you can.' And they rode through them as they were grabbing at her clothes and by the grace of God they got away.'
Pointing to the couple attacked on their tandem he said it was the violence, not the ethnicity, of its perpetrators that mattered to police officers.
He said, 'I don't understand how that's a race issue if you're in the middle of a park riding on a bike in the middle of the night and a group of males, whether they're black, white or whatever, you know are standing on the road with the express purpose of knocking you off the bike.
'As a woman I think you're going to be scared out of your mind.'
As an example of one of the worst 'lies' in the drama Reynolds pointed to the scenes where Fairstein, played by Felicity Huffman, arrives at the precinct to take charge of the rape investigation.
She is shown repeatedly referring to the boys in the park as 'animals' and delivering orders to detectives with the words, "I need the whole group. Every young black male who was in the park. You go into the projects and stop every motherfucker you see."'
According to Reynolds, 'It is so preposterous that it's laughable. The sad thing is people believe it and are incensed by this.
'As detectives we work on evidence. We don't go rounding people up and Linda Fairstein wasn't even there the first day. It just never happened.'
Reynolds was a plainclothes officer in the Anti-Crime Unit on patrol with his partner on the night of April 19, 1989.
He recalled, 'We were getting numerous radio runs of a large crowd of black and Hispanic kids assaulting and robbing people. We had people going into the station house and cops out in the field who had gotten flagged down by civilians saying, 'There's a crowd of kids there. They've tried to assault us and thrown rocks.'
Reynolds and his partner were just one of many units looking for the group reportedly moving through the vast dark interior of Central Park.
And the reports were getting more serious. Reynolds said, 'We find out about John Loughlin who had been beaten savagely and we figured because there were so many cops in the park they must have left.'
The cops were barely out of the park when they saw them. Reynolds recalled, 'There were 30 of them on the move. There's only two of us so, you know, clearly we're not going to get all of them. Long story short we got five of them.'
Two were Raymond Santana - who had, Reynolds said, been leading the pack - and Kevin Richardson who started crying in the back of the squad car.
Reynolds said, 'He [Richardson] started crying and saying that he 'knew who did the murder'. He said it was Antron McCray and he would tell us where he lived.'
The officers assumed he was talking about Loughlin who was beaten unconscious.
Back at the precinct Reynolds began processing the arrests, reaching out to their parents and writing up appearance tickets for the boys who, as juveniles, would have to return to family court at a later date.
Reynolds' partner asked Santana and Stephen Lopez, a member of the group he was arrested alongside, what they were doing out making trouble and why weren't they with their girlfriends instead.
According to Reynolds, 'Santana said, 'I already got mine,' and they kind of laughed. I just assumed it was an in-joke. It only became significant after we learned what had happened to the jogger.'
Reynolds couldn't release any of them or complete the mounds of paperwork required by their juvenile status until their parents had shown up.
Reynolds, played by 'Power' actor Ty Jones, makes a brief appearance in the mini-series' first episode - but Reynolds says the show makers got this wrong as well.
Reynolds is seen angrily remonstrating with Santana's father Raymond Santana Sr, played by John Leguizamo, for turning up late. Reynolds says that never happened.
Instead, Reynolds explained, he sent a squad car to bring Santana's grandmother to the station as various family members who said they would come failed to show.
He also noted, as a plainclothes officer, he never wore his uniform when in the police precinct. Jones wears a uniform in the scene.
While the boys were waiting, at around 1.30am, the call came in that a female jogger had been found in the park, raped and beaten to within an inch of her life.
The detectives responding to the crime had been told that Reynolds had arrested five out of a group of about 30 kids 'wilding' in the park. Now they instructed Reynolds not to let them go.
He recalled, 'They said, 'Look, we don't think these kids have anything to do with it but they were up there at the same time that she was attacked. They might have seen something so we're going to come down and debrief them.'
Reynolds was in the room for all of those interviews. He said, 'Their parents are there, they're getting their rights read. We ask them what happened in the park?'
According to Reynolds they did not ask the kids about the rape directly. The first two kids told almost identical stories. They said they'd been in the park with a bunch of kids who were beating people up but they didn't touch anybody.
Reynolds wrote them up and let them go home.
Then, he said, 'The third kid is Kevin Richardson. He's there with his mother. We read him his rights. We ask him what happened. He said the exact same thing the other kids said - everyone else was beating people up but I didn't touch anyone.'
Then one of the detectives noticed he had a scratch on his face. They asked him how he'd got it and at first he blamed Reynolds's partner for the injury.
When told the officer was next door and would be asked if that was true Richardson changed his story.
Reynolds said, 'He said, "Okay, it was the female jogger." And I'll be honest with you I almost fell off my seat because I was not expecting him to say that.
'And then he starts to go into the story of the attack on the jogger. No coercion. We didn't even think he was involved. He starts to give it up right there in front of us.'
Ultimately police questioned 37 boys and, contrary to Netflix's dramatic depiction, there was nothing random or rushed in the five who were ultimately charged.
They became the Central Park Five, he said, not because cops were anxious to pin the crime on someone but because they implicated themselves and each other when interviewed.
In DuVernay's drama particular attention is given to Korey Wise's story. He is shown accompanying his friend Salaam to the station, an act of loyalty that sees him embroiled in the case when he wasn't even on the cops' radar.
Reynolds is exasperated by this. He said: 'Korey Wise was named by other participants in the wilding that day. We went specifically to look for him.
'When detectives asked a couple of people in front of their building if they had seen him they said they saw him earlier and he said, "Y'all better stay away from me because the cops are after me."'
When they asked him why, Reynolds said, the people in front of the building stated that Wise had told them: 'You see that woman in Central Park last night? That was us.'
This account was committed to written statements.
Reynolds also pointed to the fact that the first thing Wise did when he got home late on April 19 was wash the clothes he'd been wearing.
When they went to pick up Antron McCray - whom Reynolds had earlier let go - the detective asked him to go and get the clothes he had been wearing the night before.
Reynolds said, 'He comes back out and he's got on a sweat suit. The front of it is completely covered with mud from head to toe. What could he possibly be doing that he's completely flat in mud?'
Reynolds said the officers who discovered the jogger told him she was 'covered from head to toe in mud.'
Several weeks after his police confession to participating in the attack on Meili, McCray repeated this admission, while minimizing his own role, to the pre-trial psychologist appointed by his own team.
Meanwhile, while Wise was being held on Riker's Island awaiting trial, a female friend came forward with information she thought would exonerate him but in fact only bolstered the case against him.
Reynolds said, 'He called this young lady and she was surprised to hear his voice. She was like, 'Korey, what did you do? They're saying that you raped this woman.'
'He says, 'I didn't rape her. I only held her legs while Kevin Richardson fucked her.'
If true, that scenario would make Wise every bit as guilty of rape as Richardson under New York law.
The crime, the trial and the convictions of the four black and one Hispanic teen were the focus of public outrage and racial conflict at the time.
Donald Trump, then a real estate mogul in New York, took out newspaper advertisements calling for the return of the death penalty.
But Reynolds insisted, 'Look, this idea that there's outside pressure for us to wrap it up and get some suspects is totally false.
'Nobody was looking at the newspaper and saying, 'Donald Trump's mad, we'd better do something.' And the jury weren't asking to see the newspaper, they were asking to see the evidence.'
Reynolds points to a wealth of physical evidence that was never refuted at trial: hair and blood 'consistent' with the jogger's was found on the boys' sneakers and clothing, along with semen in the boys' underwear.
The fact that none of them claimed to be able to finish the act of penetrative sex is the reason, Reynolds said, that their semen was only found on the inside of their underwear and clothing rather than on Meili.
But isn't Reynolds in danger of sounding like somebody who just can't accept that he was involved in a terrible miscarriage of justice?
After all, weren't the five exonerated thanks to Reyes' confession - one backed up by the presence of his DNA on the victim and clear proof that he had penetrated her?
Reynolds rejected this notion. He does not equate the vacation of the five's sentences with their exoneration. And he does not believe that Reyes' clear guilt is proof of the others' innocence.
Reynolds said, 'They were not cleared. The convictions were vacated. They were given the opportunity to have another trial but there was no reason to retry because they had already done their time.
'The reason they were granted that is because Matias Reyes came forward with the fictitious claim that he had attacked her alone.
'The medical evidence alone proves that it was not one person that attacked her. There was plenty of physical evidence.
'That notion that there was none, no physical evidence, that tied them to the crime is an absolute lie.'
Asked about what evidence was found, Reynolds said, 'There was blood, semen, there was grass stains on Kevin Richardson's underwear.'
He explained, 'When I heard [about his confession] I was like, 'Really? He did it alone? There's just no way.' Yeah, he was involved. He was just one of the perps that got away.'
He is not alone in this view. Following Reyes' confession the original investigation was itself the subject of an investigation in 2003 set up by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.
Kelly had lawyers Michael F. Armstrong and Jules Martin go through the investigation with Stephen Hammerman, deputy police commissioner for legal affairs.
The result of that forensic review was the 43 page-long Armstrong Report.
It noted that as part of his confession Reyes, who would have been 18 at the time of the rape, had offered up a piece of information that he claimed only he could know since he was there alone.
Reynolds explained, 'Reyes comes forward to say he did it by himself and he can prove it because he knows something we don't know. And he's correct.
'She had a fanny pack with her Walkman in it and he took it and he threw it away.
'She didn't have it on her in the hospital. She was in a coma for 50 something days. She couldn't tell us that she'd had one and it had been stolen, right?
'But then Armstrong found that a detective had taken some notes of an interview with Korey Wise. And Korey said that there was a guy named 'Rudy,' who he said took her fanny pack and her Walkman.'
Reynolds believes that Rudy was Reyes and his name muddled up by Wise who has hearing difficulties.
He said, 'He told that to us on April 20, 1989, the day after. So how in the world does Korey Wise know about her fanny pack and Walkman in 1989 when Reyes says he knows about it because he was the only person there?'
The Armstrong report noted, 'At the time of this interview the police had no way of knowing that the jogger had a Walkman or that she carried it in a pouch.'
It said that, based on the evidence including Reyes confession, 'it was more likely than not that the defendants participated in an attack upon the jogger.'
The report stated, 'the most likely scenario for the events of April 19, 1989 was that the defendants came up on the jogger and subjected her to the same kind of attack, albeit with sexual overtones, that they inflicted upon other victims in the park that night.
'Perhaps attracted to the scene by the jogger's screams, Reyes either joined in the attack as it was ending or waited until the defendants have moved on to their next victims before descending upon her himself, raping her and inflicting upon her the brutal injuries that almost caused her death.'
Reynolds's view is supported by both the medical opinion of Meili's two Urgent Care Physicians at Metropolitan Hospital and the Armstrong Report.
Dr Robert Kurtz is on record as saying Meili had injuries consistent with a sharp, clean blade or object while Reyes' confession only mentioned a blunt object.
Dr Kurtz noted that Reyes, 'never said he had used a knife, or broken glass, or broken bottle or something like that that would have been able to inflict a clean laceration.'
Dr Jane Mauer, a surgeon who helped reconstruct Meili's face recalled seeing hand print bruising on her thighs.
Dr Mauer said, 'You could see the four fingers and the thumb indented in her skin to hold her legs apart.'
It led her to doubt that this could be the work of one man.
Moreover the Armstrong Report concluded Reyes could not be considered a reliable witness.
It revealed a fellow inmate in prison with Reyes said Reyes told him 'the attack on the jogger was already in progress when he joined, attracted to the scene by the jogger's screams.'
Reynolds does not believe that the five should still be in prison. He said, 'They did their time. They paid the price for what they did. You know, that's it.'
When Bill de Blasio was elected New York City mayor in 2014 he ordered the $41 million settlement to go through for the five men.
All legal action finished in 2016 when the men were awarded a further $3.9 million from New York State.
But despite the case now being closed, Reynolds feel the Netflix mini-series is unfairly punishing people who prosecuted the five.
In the wake of the drama's release Linda Fairstein, who supervised the prosecution, and lead prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer have both fallen victim to an angry public backlash.
Fairstein, who now writes crime fiction, was dropped by her publisher. Lederer, who continues to work in the District Attorney's office, resigned from teaching law as an adjunct at Columbia University in New York.
Reynolds said, 'It's like mob justice. People are doing everything they can to destroy these women's lives and they've done nothing wrong. They don't even know that they're not basing their opinions and their fury on what actually happened.
'If they knew what actually happened they would be ashamed of themselves.'
But, he said, 'Don't come back for revenge and destroy two people who were only doing their job and did nothing wrong. Linda Fairstein and Elizabeth Lederer did absolutely nothing wrong.'
Reynolds believes the show falsely depicts a racist criminal justice system.
He is keen to point out that growing up in Eighties New York, criminals posed the threat to public safety, not police officers.
He said, 'I grew up in the projects, my mother used to go to school at night. She got her high school diploma the same year I got mine. She went to college at night also.
'I would have to go every night and meet [my mother] at the bus-stop and bring her upstairs because it just wasn't safe. And who was she going to get victimized by? It wasn't the cops.'
Reynolds said of When They See Us, 'We can't even call it a sanitized version. It's a malicious recreation, which has nothing to do with the facts other than they ended up arrested and going to jail.
'I think that's the only thing in it that stays true to what actually occurred.'
He said, 'This has got people so divided and so at each other's throats it's sad. Let me tell you there's a lot of people who believe that they are guilty but they're not going to say anything because they don't want to get shouted down. They don't want to be called racist.'
But Reynolds, who was there and part of it all, believes facing that backlash is the lesser of two evils and remaining silent in the face of what he sees as injustice isn't an option.
For Reynolds, his reason for speaking up is clear and unimpeachable, 'The truth matters.'
Sunday, June 30, 2019
THE NY STATE GESTAPO STOMPS ON A POOR GUN OWNER
This New York Man Got Arrested After Defending His Own Home
By Amy Swearer and Lucas Drill
The Daily Signal
June 20, 2019
All too often, advocates of strict gun control promise that more complex and convoluted laws will save lives without imposing a serious burden on the right of law-abiding citizens to exercise their constitutional rights.
Their argument simply doesn’t hold up. Their gun control laws fail not only to address how actual criminals get their firearms, but they also impose a real burden on ordinary citizens’ Second Amendment rights. They even risk making felons out of otherwise law-abiding citizens.
If that sounds like an exaggeration, just look to the case of Ronald Stolarczyk of Oneida County, New York. He’s now facing felony charges for lawfully protecting himself against criminals without first getting the county’s permission to possess a handgun in his home—something that would cost him hundreds of dollars and months of paperwork.
The 64-year-old Stolarczyk was “minding his own business in his kitchen” one day when he heard voices coming from his garage. Stolarczyk tried simply waiting for the intruders to leave, but the two assailants soon ascended the stairs and attempted to enter his central living space.
Stolarczyk then yelled at the burglars to leave, hoping that knowledge of his presence would scare them away. The burglars were undeterred by his warning, and one even aggressively advanced toward him.
Stolarczyk now feared for his life, both because his home had previously been broken into and because he was aware of recent home invasions that resulted in the death of the homeowner.
Stolarczyk quickly retrieved his deceased father’s .38-caliber Rossi revolver and fired several rounds at the burglars, both of whom were killed.
After making sure he was safe from all threats, Stolarczyk immediately called the police and walked to the far end of his driveway to wait for their arrival.
Once they arrived, the responding officers investigated the incident and the Oneida County district attorney concluded that the shooting was likely justified, and that Stolarczyk would not face homicide charges.
The state police, however, arrested Stolarczyk on a charge of felony criminal possession of a firearm.
The gun Stolarczyk used had been legally owned by his father, who had properly registered the revolver and lived with it in the same house where the shooting took place.
Stolarczyk came into possession of it after his father died and left him the gun, and nothing legally prohibited him from possessing firearms.
The problem was that he failed to obtain his own handgun permit and register the gun in his name.
Thus, under state law, this otherwise law-abiding citizen was “guilty” of a Class E felony punishable by up to four years in state prison and the permanent loss of his Second Amendment rights.
Additionally, the local government seized possession of Stolarczyk’s house, claiming it was in violation of local housing codes, purportedly because he could not afford running water or electricity and kept the house full of old electronics.
All of this happened because Stolarczyk—who couldn’t even afford a standard cellphone plan—failed to properly jump through all the hoops necessary to gain the government’s permission to possess a firearm in his home for self-defense.
Just How Bad Is the Local System?
Most people would agree that Stolarczyk, an otherwise law-abiding citizen, should not be criminally punished after calling the police on himself to report the justified use of lethal force against burglars.
More concerning, however, is the fact that these charges expose a deeper problem stemming from the severe burden that Oneida County places on residents’ Second Amendment rights.
To fully appreciate how inappropriate these charges are, we decided to find out exactly what it takes to obtain a pistol permit in Oneida County—again, the only thing Stolarczyk allegedly failed to do properly here.
It turns out that, after a lengthy investigation, we’re still not certain we fully understand the process. Our best educated guess is something like the following:
First, anyone interested in owning a handgun must pick up the application in person, which can only be done at the Oneida County Office Building. But prepare to take time off work, because this building is only open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Alternatively, if you live on the opposite side of the county and want to avoid a 50-minute drive to Utica, you can try the Griffiss Business and Technology Park office, open on Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Once at the Office of Pistol Licensing, you’ll need to present a New York state driver’s license proving that you’re at least 21 years old and have lived in Oneida County for at least one year.
You also must provide a certificate of completion for an NRA Basic Pistol Course, which lasts approximately eight hours and must be led by a county-approved instructor.
After calling many of the recommended instructors, we learned that the introductory course can cost anywhere between $40 and $165 and that classes aren’t necessarily offered on a regular basis.
Further, had we not called these instructors and the licensing office itself for clarification, it would have been nearly impossible to determine which courses Oneida County does and does not accept to meet the requirement.
Finally, after paying a $10 processing fee to the county, you can receive the application form and begin the process of seeking the county’s permission to own a gun in your own home.
The application itself consists of five parts, which must be completed in black ink, and all signatures on the form must be notarized. Two identical head shot photographs no larger than 2 x 2 inches must be attached to the application.
Each application also requires four notarized character references from individuals 21 years of age or older, who are not related to the applicant, and who reside in Oneida County.
After completing the application, you will be responsible for paying several additional fees for processing and fingerprinting. These include $150 to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, $100 to the Utica Police Department, or $50 to the Rome Police Department, depending on the jurisdiction in which you reside.
All payments must be made through a postal money order, which requires a trip to the post office—and possibly additional research if, like many people, you have no idea what a postal money order is or where to get one.
There will then be a six-month waiting period for processing, after which you’ll be informed whether your application was accepted or denied. Denials can occur for a myriad of reasons, including seemingly arbitrary determinations by the application processor that you are not “of good moral character.”
An Onerous Burden
This is the complex and costly system that Stolarczyk—who couldn’t afford to keep his lights on—needed to navigate in order to legally own the revolver that may have saved his life.
That’s not to say the government can never impose any requirements on gun owners, or regulate the manner in which firearms are purchased or carried outside the home. The Second Amendment right, like all other enumerated rights, is not unlimited.
But examples like this make clear that laborious and costly gun licensing requirements impose substantial and undue burdens on the exercise of the right to keep and bear arms—burdens we would never allow to be imposed on another fundamental constitutional right.
Worse still, these burdens fall heaviest on the shoulders of those who, unlike many of the wealthy politicians calling for gun control, can’t afford to live in gated communities and will never receive a police escort.
No level of government—be it federal, state, or local—should get away with imposing such great barriers to exercising a constitutional right.
It certainly shouldn’t punish individuals whose only crime was failing to properly navigate a nightmarishly complex and expensive web of bureaucracy prior to defending their life, liberty, and property with a handgun.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In Texas he would have been given the Citizen of the Year award along with a new pistol.
By Amy Swearer and Lucas Drill
The Daily Signal
June 20, 2019
All too often, advocates of strict gun control promise that more complex and convoluted laws will save lives without imposing a serious burden on the right of law-abiding citizens to exercise their constitutional rights.
Their argument simply doesn’t hold up. Their gun control laws fail not only to address how actual criminals get their firearms, but they also impose a real burden on ordinary citizens’ Second Amendment rights. They even risk making felons out of otherwise law-abiding citizens.
If that sounds like an exaggeration, just look to the case of Ronald Stolarczyk of Oneida County, New York. He’s now facing felony charges for lawfully protecting himself against criminals without first getting the county’s permission to possess a handgun in his home—something that would cost him hundreds of dollars and months of paperwork.
The 64-year-old Stolarczyk was “minding his own business in his kitchen” one day when he heard voices coming from his garage. Stolarczyk tried simply waiting for the intruders to leave, but the two assailants soon ascended the stairs and attempted to enter his central living space.
Stolarczyk then yelled at the burglars to leave, hoping that knowledge of his presence would scare them away. The burglars were undeterred by his warning, and one even aggressively advanced toward him.
Stolarczyk now feared for his life, both because his home had previously been broken into and because he was aware of recent home invasions that resulted in the death of the homeowner.
Stolarczyk quickly retrieved his deceased father’s .38-caliber Rossi revolver and fired several rounds at the burglars, both of whom were killed.
After making sure he was safe from all threats, Stolarczyk immediately called the police and walked to the far end of his driveway to wait for their arrival.
Once they arrived, the responding officers investigated the incident and the Oneida County district attorney concluded that the shooting was likely justified, and that Stolarczyk would not face homicide charges.
The state police, however, arrested Stolarczyk on a charge of felony criminal possession of a firearm.
The gun Stolarczyk used had been legally owned by his father, who had properly registered the revolver and lived with it in the same house where the shooting took place.
Stolarczyk came into possession of it after his father died and left him the gun, and nothing legally prohibited him from possessing firearms.
The problem was that he failed to obtain his own handgun permit and register the gun in his name.
Thus, under state law, this otherwise law-abiding citizen was “guilty” of a Class E felony punishable by up to four years in state prison and the permanent loss of his Second Amendment rights.
Additionally, the local government seized possession of Stolarczyk’s house, claiming it was in violation of local housing codes, purportedly because he could not afford running water or electricity and kept the house full of old electronics.
All of this happened because Stolarczyk—who couldn’t even afford a standard cellphone plan—failed to properly jump through all the hoops necessary to gain the government’s permission to possess a firearm in his home for self-defense.
Just How Bad Is the Local System?
Most people would agree that Stolarczyk, an otherwise law-abiding citizen, should not be criminally punished after calling the police on himself to report the justified use of lethal force against burglars.
More concerning, however, is the fact that these charges expose a deeper problem stemming from the severe burden that Oneida County places on residents’ Second Amendment rights.
To fully appreciate how inappropriate these charges are, we decided to find out exactly what it takes to obtain a pistol permit in Oneida County—again, the only thing Stolarczyk allegedly failed to do properly here.
It turns out that, after a lengthy investigation, we’re still not certain we fully understand the process. Our best educated guess is something like the following:
First, anyone interested in owning a handgun must pick up the application in person, which can only be done at the Oneida County Office Building. But prepare to take time off work, because this building is only open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Alternatively, if you live on the opposite side of the county and want to avoid a 50-minute drive to Utica, you can try the Griffiss Business and Technology Park office, open on Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Once at the Office of Pistol Licensing, you’ll need to present a New York state driver’s license proving that you’re at least 21 years old and have lived in Oneida County for at least one year.
You also must provide a certificate of completion for an NRA Basic Pistol Course, which lasts approximately eight hours and must be led by a county-approved instructor.
After calling many of the recommended instructors, we learned that the introductory course can cost anywhere between $40 and $165 and that classes aren’t necessarily offered on a regular basis.
Further, had we not called these instructors and the licensing office itself for clarification, it would have been nearly impossible to determine which courses Oneida County does and does not accept to meet the requirement.
Finally, after paying a $10 processing fee to the county, you can receive the application form and begin the process of seeking the county’s permission to own a gun in your own home.
The application itself consists of five parts, which must be completed in black ink, and all signatures on the form must be notarized. Two identical head shot photographs no larger than 2 x 2 inches must be attached to the application.
Each application also requires four notarized character references from individuals 21 years of age or older, who are not related to the applicant, and who reside in Oneida County.
After completing the application, you will be responsible for paying several additional fees for processing and fingerprinting. These include $150 to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, $100 to the Utica Police Department, or $50 to the Rome Police Department, depending on the jurisdiction in which you reside.
All payments must be made through a postal money order, which requires a trip to the post office—and possibly additional research if, like many people, you have no idea what a postal money order is or where to get one.
There will then be a six-month waiting period for processing, after which you’ll be informed whether your application was accepted or denied. Denials can occur for a myriad of reasons, including seemingly arbitrary determinations by the application processor that you are not “of good moral character.”
An Onerous Burden
This is the complex and costly system that Stolarczyk—who couldn’t afford to keep his lights on—needed to navigate in order to legally own the revolver that may have saved his life.
That’s not to say the government can never impose any requirements on gun owners, or regulate the manner in which firearms are purchased or carried outside the home. The Second Amendment right, like all other enumerated rights, is not unlimited.
But examples like this make clear that laborious and costly gun licensing requirements impose substantial and undue burdens on the exercise of the right to keep and bear arms—burdens we would never allow to be imposed on another fundamental constitutional right.
Worse still, these burdens fall heaviest on the shoulders of those who, unlike many of the wealthy politicians calling for gun control, can’t afford to live in gated communities and will never receive a police escort.
No level of government—be it federal, state, or local—should get away with imposing such great barriers to exercising a constitutional right.
It certainly shouldn’t punish individuals whose only crime was failing to properly navigate a nightmarishly complex and expensive web of bureaucracy prior to defending their life, liberty, and property with a handgun.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In Texas he would have been given the Citizen of the Year award along with a new pistol.
SORRY ABOUT THAT, BUT WE THOUGHT YOU WERE A JEW
Syrian refugee persuaded Palestinian to murder German 'Jew'
By Benjamin Weinthal
The Jerusalem Post
June 28, 2019
The Syrian refugee Mohammed Omran Albakr persuaded his Palestinian accomplice Iyad Bayatneh to murder a German millionaire because he allegedly was a Jew.
The dramatic development was reported on Thursday by the local newspaper Schwarzwälder Bote.
The 57-year-old victim Michael Riecher, a real estate investor who was not Jewish, was found strangled in his home in November.
According to the report, the 28-year-old Albakr told a number of acquaintances that he was looking for help to rob Riecher, who reportedly had gold and 250,000 Euro in a safe.
A Lebanese-born Palestinian named Haitham Ahmad provided the eye-popping testimony about Albakr and the 31-year-old Bayatneh. Ahmad, who is a barber, said he recommended Bayatneh as an accomplice to Albakr because Bayatneh has a “strong heart.”
According to Ahmad, who used an alias during his testimony, he said Albakr said to Bayatneh that “the man who will be attacked is a Jew.” Bayatneh responded: “The Jews destroyed my country.” Albakr then said "Riecher has no one. We have the right to take the money away from him," according to Ahmad.
The reporter Jürgen Lück, who broke the story about the role of deadly antisemitism as a motive for the murder of Riecher, wrote that a antisemitism watchdog organization Recherchestelle Antisemitismus contacted him on Thursday.
After reports in the Schwarzwälder Bote and The Jerusalem Post , Germany’s top-selling paper Bild titled its Friday story: “Millionaire murdered because perpetrator considered him Jew?”
The next court session is in early July.
By Benjamin Weinthal
The Jerusalem Post
June 28, 2019
The Syrian refugee Mohammed Omran Albakr persuaded his Palestinian accomplice Iyad Bayatneh to murder a German millionaire because he allegedly was a Jew.
The dramatic development was reported on Thursday by the local newspaper Schwarzwälder Bote.
The 57-year-old victim Michael Riecher, a real estate investor who was not Jewish, was found strangled in his home in November.
According to the report, the 28-year-old Albakr told a number of acquaintances that he was looking for help to rob Riecher, who reportedly had gold and 250,000 Euro in a safe.
A Lebanese-born Palestinian named Haitham Ahmad provided the eye-popping testimony about Albakr and the 31-year-old Bayatneh. Ahmad, who is a barber, said he recommended Bayatneh as an accomplice to Albakr because Bayatneh has a “strong heart.”
According to Ahmad, who used an alias during his testimony, he said Albakr said to Bayatneh that “the man who will be attacked is a Jew.” Bayatneh responded: “The Jews destroyed my country.” Albakr then said "Riecher has no one. We have the right to take the money away from him," according to Ahmad.
The reporter Jürgen Lück, who broke the story about the role of deadly antisemitism as a motive for the murder of Riecher, wrote that a antisemitism watchdog organization Recherchestelle Antisemitismus contacted him on Thursday.
After reports in the Schwarzwälder Bote and The Jerusalem Post , Germany’s top-selling paper Bild titled its Friday story: “Millionaire murdered because perpetrator considered him Jew?”
The next court session is in early July.
JIMMY CARTER SHOULD STICK TO TEACHING BIBLE CLASSES
Trump mocks Jimmy Carter as a 'forgotten' leader who was 'terrible' for the country and 'trashed' by his own party after the Democrat claimed the President is illegitimate because he was elected with the help of 'Russian meddling'
Daily Mail
June 29, 2019
Donald Trump hit back at former President Jimmy Carter's suggestion that he's an 'illegitimate president' calling Carter the 'forgotten' president who was 'terrible' for the country.
Trump responded to the remarks during a news conference Saturday following the G-20 summit in Japan.
He called Carter 'a nice man before going on to say he was a 'terrible president,' and noted he's 'loyal to the Democrats' and that interference in the election is 'a typical talking point.'
'As everybody now understands I won not because of Russia, not because of anybody but myself,' Trump added.
The president went on to say he was 'surprised' by Carter's comments. 'He's been trashed within his own party, he's been badly trashed,' Trump said before remarking he 'felt bad for him.'
EDITOR’S NOTE: Carter served as an officer on U.S. Navy submarines and was a successful peanut farmer, but he was also one of the worst presidents in the history of our country. So, he should keep his bible-thumping mouth shut about Trump!
Daily Mail
June 29, 2019
Donald Trump hit back at former President Jimmy Carter's suggestion that he's an 'illegitimate president' calling Carter the 'forgotten' president who was 'terrible' for the country.
Trump responded to the remarks during a news conference Saturday following the G-20 summit in Japan.
He called Carter 'a nice man before going on to say he was a 'terrible president,' and noted he's 'loyal to the Democrats' and that interference in the election is 'a typical talking point.'
'As everybody now understands I won not because of Russia, not because of anybody but myself,' Trump added.
The president went on to say he was 'surprised' by Carter's comments. 'He's been trashed within his own party, he's been badly trashed,' Trump said before remarking he 'felt bad for him.'
EDITOR’S NOTE: Carter served as an officer on U.S. Navy submarines and was a successful peanut farmer, but he was also one of the worst presidents in the history of our country. So, he should keep his bible-thumping mouth shut about Trump!
MAYBE SHE DID NOT LIKE THE HALF SHE ATE
Woman banned from Walmart after eating half of a cake, refusing to pay for other half
Tribune Media Wire
June 28, 2019
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Wichita Falls police banned a woman from Walmart after she reportedly ate half of a cake and refused to pay for the uneaten half, according to the Wichita Falls Times Record News.
Police responded to a theft call June 25 at the Walmart; they were told a woman entered the store, ate half of a cake and refused to pay for the other half when asked.
According to the Times Record News, the woman was banned from the store by police for the theft.
This is not the first time a Wichita Falls Walmart has been forced to ban a customer this year.
In January, a woman was banned from a Wichita Falls Walmart for reportedly drinking wine out of a Pringles can while riding around on an electric shopping cart.
Tribune Media Wire
June 28, 2019
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Wichita Falls police banned a woman from Walmart after she reportedly ate half of a cake and refused to pay for the uneaten half, according to the Wichita Falls Times Record News.
Police responded to a theft call June 25 at the Walmart; they were told a woman entered the store, ate half of a cake and refused to pay for the other half when asked.
According to the Times Record News, the woman was banned from the store by police for the theft.
This is not the first time a Wichita Falls Walmart has been forced to ban a customer this year.
In January, a woman was banned from a Wichita Falls Walmart for reportedly drinking wine out of a Pringles can while riding around on an electric shopping cart.
IF YOU WANT TO GET RICH BE A LAWYER. BUT IF YOU WANT TO STAY POOR BE A WORKER
Daily Mail
June 29, 2019
Toys 'R' Us bankruptcy lawyers to receive $56 million in fees while tens of thousands of laid-off workers will split $2 million leaving each of them with just $60 severance pay
June 29, 2019
Toys 'R' Us bankruptcy lawyers to receive $56 million in fees while tens of thousands of laid-off workers will split $2 million leaving each of them with just $60 severance pay
Saturday, June 29, 2019
TIME OUT FOR A LITTLE HUMOR
Here are a couple of jokes that should make you laugh out loud.
DID SHE JUMP?
Yesterday, a group of hell's angels, South Carolina bikers were riding east on Rt 378 when they saw a girl about to jump off the Pee Dee River Bridge.
So they stopped. Bubba G, their leader, a big burly man, gets off his Harley, walks through a group of gawkers, past the state trooper who was trying to talk her down off the railing, and says, "Hey baby whatcha doin' up there on that railin'?"
She says tearfully, "I'm going to commit suicide!!"
Why don't you give ol' Bubba G here your best last kiss?
So, with no hesitation at all, she leaned back over the railing and did just that. It was a long, deep, lingering kiss followed immediately by another even better one.
After they breathlessly finished, Bubba G gets a big thumbs-up approval from his biker-buddies, the onlookers, and even the state trooper, and then says, "Wow! That was the best kiss I have ever had! That's a real talent you're wasting there, sugar shorts. You could be famous if you rode with me. Why are you committing suicide?"
"My parents don't like me dressing up like a girl."
It’s unclear if he jumped or was pushed.
__________
MY WIFE SAID I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN DISABILITY TOO
After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's license to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later.
The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'. So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me' and she processed my Social Security application.
When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office.
She said, 'You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability too.'
DID SHE JUMP?
Yesterday, a group of hell's angels, South Carolina bikers were riding east on Rt 378 when they saw a girl about to jump off the Pee Dee River Bridge.
So they stopped. Bubba G, their leader, a big burly man, gets off his Harley, walks through a group of gawkers, past the state trooper who was trying to talk her down off the railing, and says, "Hey baby whatcha doin' up there on that railin'?"
She says tearfully, "I'm going to commit suicide!!"
Why don't you give ol' Bubba G here your best last kiss?
So, with no hesitation at all, she leaned back over the railing and did just that. It was a long, deep, lingering kiss followed immediately by another even better one.
After they breathlessly finished, Bubba G gets a big thumbs-up approval from his biker-buddies, the onlookers, and even the state trooper, and then says, "Wow! That was the best kiss I have ever had! That's a real talent you're wasting there, sugar shorts. You could be famous if you rode with me. Why are you committing suicide?"
"My parents don't like me dressing up like a girl."
It’s unclear if he jumped or was pushed.
__________
MY WIFE SAID I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN DISABILITY TOO
After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's license to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later.
The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'. So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me' and she processed my Social Security application.
When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office.
She said, 'You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability too.'
PERFECT DESCRIPTION OF PAROLE SUPERVISION IN TEXAS
An Anon made this comment on Grits for Breakfast:
Present yourself for office visit, pay, and piss, don't commit a new offense and see you again in 90 days for next appointment.
That about sums it up. His or her comment amounts to a perfect description of parole supervision in Texas. I could not have said it any better.
Present yourself for office visit, pay, and piss, don't commit a new offense and see you again in 90 days for next appointment.
That about sums it up. His or her comment amounts to a perfect description of parole supervision in Texas. I could not have said it any better.
SCOTUS AGREES TO HEAR DACA CASE
by Bob Walsh
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the lawsuit keeping Trump from shitcanning Obama's DACA program. The program was and is clearly illegal. Obama himself SAID it was illegal. The president can not unilaterally make immigration law. Congress must do that. It's in the fucking constitution, though most judges have never read it.
The decision will come down about this time next year, just in time to have a significant impact on the 2020 election. The smart money is betting on a Trump win as he is clearly in the right from a legal standpoint. That isn't a guarantee of victory, but it helps.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the lawsuit keeping Trump from shitcanning Obama's DACA program. The program was and is clearly illegal. Obama himself SAID it was illegal. The president can not unilaterally make immigration law. Congress must do that. It's in the fucking constitution, though most judges have never read it.
The decision will come down about this time next year, just in time to have a significant impact on the 2020 election. The smart money is betting on a Trump win as he is clearly in the right from a legal standpoint. That isn't a guarantee of victory, but it helps.
HELPFUL HINT: DON'T BURY THE BODY IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD
by Bob Walsh
MacKenzie Lueck was a student at the Univ. of Utah. She also had a hobby involving older men. It is a high-risk past time which almost certainly got her killed.
They found her body buried in the back yard of Ayoola A. Ajayi, who has been charged with aggravated murder, kidnapping and desecrating a corpse. Electronic footprints from telephone communication led the cops to Ajayi, who I strongly suspect is in deep shit right about now. Twenty years ago he never would have made it to jail.
They may keep him alive just so they can hang him. They still do that in Utah. Firing squad is an option too. Trouble is, if they really hate you they will all just shoot you in the gut. Whoops. Sights must have been off.
EDITOR'S NOTE: She let it be known on the internet that she was a sugar baby looking for a sugar daddy. She got salt instead.
MacKenzie Lueck was a student at the Univ. of Utah. She also had a hobby involving older men. It is a high-risk past time which almost certainly got her killed.
They found her body buried in the back yard of Ayoola A. Ajayi, who has been charged with aggravated murder, kidnapping and desecrating a corpse. Electronic footprints from telephone communication led the cops to Ajayi, who I strongly suspect is in deep shit right about now. Twenty years ago he never would have made it to jail.
They may keep him alive just so they can hang him. They still do that in Utah. Firing squad is an option too. Trouble is, if they really hate you they will all just shoot you in the gut. Whoops. Sights must have been off.
EDITOR'S NOTE: She let it be known on the internet that she was a sugar baby looking for a sugar daddy. She got salt instead.
OH WE'RE HAVING A HEAT WAVE, A TROPICAL HEAT WAVE.....
by Bob Walsh
Yesterday it hit 115 degrees in France, the highest temperate EVER recorded there. It was so hot some French taxi drivers actually took showers. It wasn't a cleanliness thing, it was just to cool off, but still.........
EDITOR'S NOTE: Proof of global warming.
Yesterday it hit 115 degrees in France, the highest temperate EVER recorded there. It was so hot some French taxi drivers actually took showers. It wasn't a cleanliness thing, it was just to cool off, but still.........
EDITOR'S NOTE: Proof of global warming.
TRUMP IS PUTIN’S KIND OF MAN OR VICE VERSA
Putin attacks Western views on gay rights and multiculturalism and says immigrants are free to 'kill, plunder and rape with impunity because their rights are protected'
Daily Mail
June 28, 2019
Vladimir Putin has boasted that liberalism in Europe and the US has 'outlived its purpose' and called the decision to allow millions of migrants into the EU a 'cardinal mistake' as the G20 summit in Osaka began today with the Russian President sharing warm words with Donald Trump.
The Moscow leader criticised Western views on gay rights, immigration and multiculturalism – which he claimed were an attack on 'traditional family values'.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Putin said 'the liberal idea' was on its way out as the public turned its back on these issues. And he claimed German chancellor Angela Merkel made a 'cardinal mistake' in her 2017 decision to allow a million refugees into the country.
He said: '[Liberals] cannot simply dictate anything to anyone just like they have been attempting to do over the recent decades.
'This liberal idea presupposes that nothing needs to be done. That migrants can kill, plunder and rape with impunity because their rights as migrants have to be protected.'
He added: 'Every crime must have its punishment. The liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population.'
Mr Putin has reserved special praise for Donald Trump for trying to stem the flow of migrants and drugs into the US, just before the men met today.
Daily Mail
June 28, 2019
Vladimir Putin has boasted that liberalism in Europe and the US has 'outlived its purpose' and called the decision to allow millions of migrants into the EU a 'cardinal mistake' as the G20 summit in Osaka began today with the Russian President sharing warm words with Donald Trump.
The Moscow leader criticised Western views on gay rights, immigration and multiculturalism – which he claimed were an attack on 'traditional family values'.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Putin said 'the liberal idea' was on its way out as the public turned its back on these issues. And he claimed German chancellor Angela Merkel made a 'cardinal mistake' in her 2017 decision to allow a million refugees into the country.
He said: '[Liberals] cannot simply dictate anything to anyone just like they have been attempting to do over the recent decades.
'This liberal idea presupposes that nothing needs to be done. That migrants can kill, plunder and rape with impunity because their rights as migrants have to be protected.'
He added: 'Every crime must have its punishment. The liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population.'
Mr Putin has reserved special praise for Donald Trump for trying to stem the flow of migrants and drugs into the US, just before the men met today.
SIX CALIFORNIA COPS FIRED 55 ROUNDS IN FOUR SECONDS
Family of Willie McCoy files civil rights lawsuit after Vallejo deadly police shooting
by Michelle Kingston
KRON 4
June 27, 2019
The family of Willie McCoy, the 20-year-old rapper shot dead by police in Vallejo in February, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims McCoy was fired upon 55 times by six officers, while he was sleeping in his car outside a Taco Bell .
Police claim McCoy had a gun in his lap.
The officers involved, the chief of police and the city manager are all named in the lawsuit.
McCoy was slumped over his steering wheel outside a Taco Bell drive thru when police arrived.
McCoy was unresponsive.
You can hear an officer in the body camera footage tell the other officers to shoot McCoy if he moved and to not give him a chance.
McCoy’s family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Thursday against the vVllejo city manager, the chief of police and the six officers who shot into the car.
They claim the officers did not follow proper policing procedures and failed to develop a plan to safely remove McCoy or the gun from the car despite the fact that the passenger side window was only covered by a thin piece of plastic.
“We as a family have been so shot by the disingenuous nature of the entire city council, city manager, the city attorney,” said Kori McCoy, Willie’s brother.
David Harrison, Willie McCoy’s cousin, is concerned about how quickly the officers were back to work.
“All six officers involved in this shooting were back at work after just three days of paid administrative leave,” he said. “They are back at work before our loved on is buried. It’s a slap in the face to people and this has to stop.”
Civil rights attorney John Burris claims this lawsuit is just one of many incidents of misconduct by Vallejo police.
He’s asking for the federal court to assign a monitor to ensure the department’s compliance with state and federal law.
The City of Vallejo hired an expert to review the shooting and found it to be reasonable and in line with training and practices.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I think it is commendable that all six officers were back on the job just three days after the shooting and before the funeral for Willie was held.
Besides that, I can’t stand that rap shit. They ought to make rap a felony!
by Michelle Kingston
KRON 4
June 27, 2019
The family of Willie McCoy, the 20-year-old rapper shot dead by police in Vallejo in February, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims McCoy was fired upon 55 times by six officers, while he was sleeping in his car outside a Taco Bell .
Police claim McCoy had a gun in his lap.
The officers involved, the chief of police and the city manager are all named in the lawsuit.
McCoy was slumped over his steering wheel outside a Taco Bell drive thru when police arrived.
McCoy was unresponsive.
You can hear an officer in the body camera footage tell the other officers to shoot McCoy if he moved and to not give him a chance.
McCoy’s family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Thursday against the vVllejo city manager, the chief of police and the six officers who shot into the car.
They claim the officers did not follow proper policing procedures and failed to develop a plan to safely remove McCoy or the gun from the car despite the fact that the passenger side window was only covered by a thin piece of plastic.
“We as a family have been so shot by the disingenuous nature of the entire city council, city manager, the city attorney,” said Kori McCoy, Willie’s brother.
David Harrison, Willie McCoy’s cousin, is concerned about how quickly the officers were back to work.
“All six officers involved in this shooting were back at work after just three days of paid administrative leave,” he said. “They are back at work before our loved on is buried. It’s a slap in the face to people and this has to stop.”
Civil rights attorney John Burris claims this lawsuit is just one of many incidents of misconduct by Vallejo police.
He’s asking for the federal court to assign a monitor to ensure the department’s compliance with state and federal law.
The City of Vallejo hired an expert to review the shooting and found it to be reasonable and in line with training and practices.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I think it is commendable that all six officers were back on the job just three days after the shooting and before the funeral for Willie was held.
Besides that, I can’t stand that rap shit. They ought to make rap a felony!
KILLER TOMATOES NO MATCH FOR METH-FUELED SQUIRREL
‘Attack squirrel’ suspect Mickey Paulk captured in Limestone County
By Howard Koplowitz
AL.com
June 27, 2019
Mickey Paulk, the man suspected of feeding meth to an “attack squirrel” in an incident that has gone viral, was captured Thursday night in Limestone County, authorities said.
The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were surveilling a Lauderdale County hotel when Paulk left the establishment on a stolen motorcycle. Authorities said Paulk rammed an investigator’s vehicle and was captured after a brief pursuit.
Paulk is set to be booked into the Limestone County Jail on drug and gun charges. He is also being charged with attempting to elude, criminal mischief and felon in possession with a firearm stemming from his capture. The sheriff’s office said Paulk had a gun in his waistband when he was captured.
Paulk had been wanted by the sheriff’s office since June 18, when a drug bust in Athens turned up meth, ammunition and body armor.
Also found was a caged squirrel. Before authorities acted on a search warrant, they were told that Paulk fed meth to the animal to keep it aggressive. The sheriff’s office said it released the squirrel into a wooded area.
“There was no safe way to test the squirrel for meth,” Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely’s office said in a June 18 statement shortly after the bust.
The squirrel garnered national fame when the story came to light, including its own Twitter account.
Paulk released a video the day after the bust with a squirrel that he claimed was the same one released by sheriff’s deputies. He denied that he fed the squirrel meth.
By Howard Koplowitz
AL.com
June 27, 2019
Mickey Paulk, the man suspected of feeding meth to an “attack squirrel” in an incident that has gone viral, was captured Thursday night in Limestone County, authorities said.
The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were surveilling a Lauderdale County hotel when Paulk left the establishment on a stolen motorcycle. Authorities said Paulk rammed an investigator’s vehicle and was captured after a brief pursuit.
Paulk is set to be booked into the Limestone County Jail on drug and gun charges. He is also being charged with attempting to elude, criminal mischief and felon in possession with a firearm stemming from his capture. The sheriff’s office said Paulk had a gun in his waistband when he was captured.
Paulk had been wanted by the sheriff’s office since June 18, when a drug bust in Athens turned up meth, ammunition and body armor.
Also found was a caged squirrel. Before authorities acted on a search warrant, they were told that Paulk fed meth to the animal to keep it aggressive. The sheriff’s office said it released the squirrel into a wooded area.
“There was no safe way to test the squirrel for meth,” Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely’s office said in a June 18 statement shortly after the bust.
The squirrel garnered national fame when the story came to light, including its own Twitter account.
Paulk released a video the day after the bust with a squirrel that he claimed was the same one released by sheriff’s deputies. He denied that he fed the squirrel meth.
CHILD CAR SEAT AND STROLLER USED FOR NEFARIOUS PURPOSE
Border Patrol Agents In California Find $100,000 Worth Of Meth, Cocaine, Heroin In Child Car Seat, Stroller
LAPPL News Watch
June 28, 2019
The U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a woman in California after finding drugs in her child’s car seat and stroller. The 25-year-old woman was arrested in Murrieta on Wednesday, June 12.
When authorities searched the vehicle, they found 23 packages containing methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin wrapped in cellophane that had been hidden inside one of the children’s car seat and stroller. A child was sitting in the car seat when the drugs were found, according to U.S. Border Patrol.
Authorities declined to identify her, citing an ongoing investigation. The woman was arrested and turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.
Agents confiscated 32.1 pounds of meth, 2.31 pounds of cocaine, and 4.55 pounds of heroin with a combined street value of $101,680.
Authorities said the vehicle was being driven by a man with two women and three children. The three minor children released to the custody of the second passenger, their 32-year-old aunt.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A small victory in the war on drugs, but still a victory!
LAPPL News Watch
June 28, 2019
The U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a woman in California after finding drugs in her child’s car seat and stroller. The 25-year-old woman was arrested in Murrieta on Wednesday, June 12.
When authorities searched the vehicle, they found 23 packages containing methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin wrapped in cellophane that had been hidden inside one of the children’s car seat and stroller. A child was sitting in the car seat when the drugs were found, according to U.S. Border Patrol.
Authorities declined to identify her, citing an ongoing investigation. The woman was arrested and turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.
Agents confiscated 32.1 pounds of meth, 2.31 pounds of cocaine, and 4.55 pounds of heroin with a combined street value of $101,680.
Authorities said the vehicle was being driven by a man with two women and three children. The three minor children released to the custody of the second passenger, their 32-year-old aunt.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A small victory in the war on drugs, but still a victory!
A STEADFAST ALLIANCE, STRONGER THAN EVER
A strong Israel helps maintain the safety and security of the Middle East, which is essential to us and to our friend, the United States
by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel Hayom
June 27, 2019
Theodor Herzl, who envisioned and paved the way for the rebirth of Israel as a nation, lent great importance to the forging of alliances and the fostering of friendly relations between the Jewish people and the nations of the world. I am happy and proud that in the fabric of our ties with the nations of the world, the alliance between Israel and the United States stands first and prominent. This alliance is steadfast and stronger than ever, and under President Donald Trump it has reached new heights.
We remember very well that it was the United States, led by President Harry Truman, was the first country to recognize Israel 71 years ago. Over time, this friendship has grown deeper, and in the past few years, it has proved itself as a close strategic alliance.
We have always shared the common democratic values of liberty and justice, as well as mutual interests. But the big change lies in the fact that Israel is becoming a growing global force in the fields of security and technological innovation.
These impressive achievements are the result of the policies promoted by the governments under my leadership, with aim of making Israel's economy free and robust, and to establish our status as a technology and cyber power. At the same time, we are investing considerable resources in securing the superiority of our intelligence apparatus and our military might.
Our growing strength has brought many countries closer, which attests to the deep appreciation they have for Israel's capabilities. Israel's flourishing diplomatic relations with nations across the five continents is the result of our exceptional achievements and a policy of fostering and nurturing the strengths that are our advantages.
Particularly noteworthy is the budding ties – both overt and clandestine – between us and leading countries in the moderate Arab and Muslim world. This is a dramatic change that is based on the recognition that partnership with Israel contributes to the security, stability, and prosperity of the Middle East.
We lend great importance to our diplomatic relations as a whole, and we know that our alliance with the United States is the cornerstone of these ties. Throughout all my years as prime minister, I have endeavored to bolster these ties, even when disagreements arose on issues such as the peace process and the Iranian issue.
I thank Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama for signing the memorandums of understanding that granted Israel generous military aid. Every Israeli citizen is grateful for this vital assistance, which enhances our qualitative advantage over those who seek our demise.
The US itself benefits from this because a strong Israel helps maintain stability and security in our region, which is important to both us and our friend, the United States.
Over the past two and a half years, I have been working with President Trump to achieve another goal – we are expanding our military-intelligence collaboration and cyber capabilities so as to make our countries safer.
In addition, we have marked a series of historical decisions: President Trump, in a courageous decision, recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the US Embassy there. He recently made another welcome and strategically important decision for, us when he recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The president has also revolutionized US policy on Iran when he decided to withdraw from the nuclear agreement.
Iran, a rogue state that repeatedly threatens to annihilate Israel and strives to possess nuclear weapons, is currently facing significant American pressure, in the form of restored and exacerbated sanctions on its regime.
For over two decades I have been tirelessly warning about Iran's nuclear aspirations. I remained steadfast in that even when it meant taking on the world. When I address the US Congress in March 2015 and explained at length why the nuclear deal was dangerous to Israel, to the Middle East and to humanity as a whole.
The United States, under President Trump, offers us its unequivocal backing in our efforts to protect ourselves against Iran and our other enemies. The US administration stands as one with Israel vis-à-vis the attempts made by the International Criminal Court to undermine our right of self-defense and lends us its unwavering support in the United Nations, as well.
The team the administration has assigned to the peace deal, headed by senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, special envoy Jason Greenblatt and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, has demonstrated an unfaltering commitment to Israel's vital interests and security needs. I look forward to continuing working with the president to promote security, prosperity, and peace for both our countries.
The alliance between the United States and Israel is stronger than ever. To preserve and even bolster it, we need to continue to nurture American public opinion, for all its parts, to fight hostility toward Zionism and the new wave of anti-Semitism that is rearing its head in the US, as in Europe, and to continue to enhance our economic and military power and diplomatic standing.
Today it is clearer than ever: The US has no more loyal ally than Israel, and Israel has no more important and loyal ally than the United States.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Great campaign material. Nevertheles, Netanyahu is spot on.
by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel Hayom
June 27, 2019
Theodor Herzl, who envisioned and paved the way for the rebirth of Israel as a nation, lent great importance to the forging of alliances and the fostering of friendly relations between the Jewish people and the nations of the world. I am happy and proud that in the fabric of our ties with the nations of the world, the alliance between Israel and the United States stands first and prominent. This alliance is steadfast and stronger than ever, and under President Donald Trump it has reached new heights.
We remember very well that it was the United States, led by President Harry Truman, was the first country to recognize Israel 71 years ago. Over time, this friendship has grown deeper, and in the past few years, it has proved itself as a close strategic alliance.
We have always shared the common democratic values of liberty and justice, as well as mutual interests. But the big change lies in the fact that Israel is becoming a growing global force in the fields of security and technological innovation.
These impressive achievements are the result of the policies promoted by the governments under my leadership, with aim of making Israel's economy free and robust, and to establish our status as a technology and cyber power. At the same time, we are investing considerable resources in securing the superiority of our intelligence apparatus and our military might.
Our growing strength has brought many countries closer, which attests to the deep appreciation they have for Israel's capabilities. Israel's flourishing diplomatic relations with nations across the five continents is the result of our exceptional achievements and a policy of fostering and nurturing the strengths that are our advantages.
Particularly noteworthy is the budding ties – both overt and clandestine – between us and leading countries in the moderate Arab and Muslim world. This is a dramatic change that is based on the recognition that partnership with Israel contributes to the security, stability, and prosperity of the Middle East.
We lend great importance to our diplomatic relations as a whole, and we know that our alliance with the United States is the cornerstone of these ties. Throughout all my years as prime minister, I have endeavored to bolster these ties, even when disagreements arose on issues such as the peace process and the Iranian issue.
I thank Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama for signing the memorandums of understanding that granted Israel generous military aid. Every Israeli citizen is grateful for this vital assistance, which enhances our qualitative advantage over those who seek our demise.
The US itself benefits from this because a strong Israel helps maintain stability and security in our region, which is important to both us and our friend, the United States.
Over the past two and a half years, I have been working with President Trump to achieve another goal – we are expanding our military-intelligence collaboration and cyber capabilities so as to make our countries safer.
In addition, we have marked a series of historical decisions: President Trump, in a courageous decision, recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the US Embassy there. He recently made another welcome and strategically important decision for, us when he recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The president has also revolutionized US policy on Iran when he decided to withdraw from the nuclear agreement.
Iran, a rogue state that repeatedly threatens to annihilate Israel and strives to possess nuclear weapons, is currently facing significant American pressure, in the form of restored and exacerbated sanctions on its regime.
For over two decades I have been tirelessly warning about Iran's nuclear aspirations. I remained steadfast in that even when it meant taking on the world. When I address the US Congress in March 2015 and explained at length why the nuclear deal was dangerous to Israel, to the Middle East and to humanity as a whole.
The United States, under President Trump, offers us its unequivocal backing in our efforts to protect ourselves against Iran and our other enemies. The US administration stands as one with Israel vis-à-vis the attempts made by the International Criminal Court to undermine our right of self-defense and lends us its unwavering support in the United Nations, as well.
The team the administration has assigned to the peace deal, headed by senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, special envoy Jason Greenblatt and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, has demonstrated an unfaltering commitment to Israel's vital interests and security needs. I look forward to continuing working with the president to promote security, prosperity, and peace for both our countries.
The alliance between the United States and Israel is stronger than ever. To preserve and even bolster it, we need to continue to nurture American public opinion, for all its parts, to fight hostility toward Zionism and the new wave of anti-Semitism that is rearing its head in the US, as in Europe, and to continue to enhance our economic and military power and diplomatic standing.
Today it is clearer than ever: The US has no more loyal ally than Israel, and Israel has no more important and loyal ally than the United States.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Great campaign material. Nevertheles, Netanyahu is spot on.
THE WHOLE AIM AND PURPOSE OF BUILDING A PALESTINIAN NATION IS TO DESTROY THE JEWISH STATE
It’s Time for the Palestinians to Surrender: The Palestinians see abandoning their bloody nationalist agenda as “surrender,” but there can be no peace without it
By David Lazarus
Israel Today
June 28, 2019
That’s the conclusion of Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon in his latest NY Times piece titled “What’s Wrong with Palestinian Surrender?” Danon says that Palestinian surrender is needed for peace.
“Many on the Palestinian side, including President Mahmoud Abbas and the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, say that the plan is dead on arrival and that engaging with it is tantamount to a Palestinian declaration of surrender. I ask: What’s wrong with Palestinian surrender?” Danon writes in reference to the “Deal of the Century” peace proposal offered by US President Donald Trump’s envoys in Bahrain this week.
The Palestinian Authority boycotted the gathering and persuaded Palestinian businessmen not to attend even the important economic strategy workshops designed to significantly improve the everyday lives of Palestinians. Danon reminds the Palestinians that yet again they are missing a wonderful opportunity for a better life by finally entering into a peace agreement with Israel.
We all recall Ambassador Danon lifting his Bible in the UN to boldly proclaim that the Land of Israel belongs eternally to the Jewish people. Now Danon is calling for the Palestinians to lay down their “national identity” that is based on a misguided fantasy of destroying Israel. “Yet Mr. Erekat and the Palestinian leadership choose to stay the course and reject the term surrender. In doing so, they expose the uncomfortable truth about the Palestinian national identity: It is motivated not by building a better life for its people, but by destroying Israel,” he writes.
Danon then cites from the PLO charter: “The Palestinian Authority states its ‘mottos’ as ‘national unity, national mobilization, and liberation’ and talks about the ‘basic conflict that exists between the forces of Zionism and of imperialism on the one hand, and the Palestinian Arab people on the other.’ Palestinian leaders have rejected multiple peace overtures, launched intifadas and wars, and sponsored countless acts of terrorism in adherence to this belief.”
Danon points out that the whole aim and purpose of building a Palestinian nation is to destroy the Jewish state, and therefore the Palestinians must abandon their national, not ethnic, identity. “Negotiating without the explicit endorsement of a Palestinian state is seen as a rejection of the Palestinian national identity, and an acknowledgment that Israel and the Jewish people are here to stay. In short, for Mr. Abbas and Mr. Erekat, this approach is akin to national suicide. Yet a national suicide of the Palestinians’ current political and cultural ethos is precisely what is needed for peace. The belief that the Jews have no right to the land and Israel is to be destroyed, which engenders a culture of hate and incitement, needs to end.”
Danon compares the surrender of Egypt to Israel to the situation of the Palestinians. “In the Middle East, following defeat in four conventional wars between 1948 and 1973, Egypt surrendered the idea that it could wipe Israel from the region, and President Anwar Sadat chose peace, which Israel was ready to accept. After the 1979 peace agreement, Egypt became a favored recipient of American foreign and military aid, and the beneficiary of an influx of Western investment. There is no reason to believe a Palestinian declaration of surrender could not lead to a similar transformation.”
Danon concludes his article with, “The Palestinians have little to lose and everything to gain by putting down the sword and accepting the olive branch. Israel awaits the emergence of a Palestinian Anwar Sadat, a leader who is willing to do what is best for his people – a leader who recognizes that building a bright future requires surrendering a dark past.”
By David Lazarus
Israel Today
June 28, 2019
That’s the conclusion of Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon in his latest NY Times piece titled “What’s Wrong with Palestinian Surrender?” Danon says that Palestinian surrender is needed for peace.
“Many on the Palestinian side, including President Mahmoud Abbas and the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, say that the plan is dead on arrival and that engaging with it is tantamount to a Palestinian declaration of surrender. I ask: What’s wrong with Palestinian surrender?” Danon writes in reference to the “Deal of the Century” peace proposal offered by US President Donald Trump’s envoys in Bahrain this week.
The Palestinian Authority boycotted the gathering and persuaded Palestinian businessmen not to attend even the important economic strategy workshops designed to significantly improve the everyday lives of Palestinians. Danon reminds the Palestinians that yet again they are missing a wonderful opportunity for a better life by finally entering into a peace agreement with Israel.
We all recall Ambassador Danon lifting his Bible in the UN to boldly proclaim that the Land of Israel belongs eternally to the Jewish people. Now Danon is calling for the Palestinians to lay down their “national identity” that is based on a misguided fantasy of destroying Israel. “Yet Mr. Erekat and the Palestinian leadership choose to stay the course and reject the term surrender. In doing so, they expose the uncomfortable truth about the Palestinian national identity: It is motivated not by building a better life for its people, but by destroying Israel,” he writes.
Danon then cites from the PLO charter: “The Palestinian Authority states its ‘mottos’ as ‘national unity, national mobilization, and liberation’ and talks about the ‘basic conflict that exists between the forces of Zionism and of imperialism on the one hand, and the Palestinian Arab people on the other.’ Palestinian leaders have rejected multiple peace overtures, launched intifadas and wars, and sponsored countless acts of terrorism in adherence to this belief.”
Danon points out that the whole aim and purpose of building a Palestinian nation is to destroy the Jewish state, and therefore the Palestinians must abandon their national, not ethnic, identity. “Negotiating without the explicit endorsement of a Palestinian state is seen as a rejection of the Palestinian national identity, and an acknowledgment that Israel and the Jewish people are here to stay. In short, for Mr. Abbas and Mr. Erekat, this approach is akin to national suicide. Yet a national suicide of the Palestinians’ current political and cultural ethos is precisely what is needed for peace. The belief that the Jews have no right to the land and Israel is to be destroyed, which engenders a culture of hate and incitement, needs to end.”
Danon compares the surrender of Egypt to Israel to the situation of the Palestinians. “In the Middle East, following defeat in four conventional wars between 1948 and 1973, Egypt surrendered the idea that it could wipe Israel from the region, and President Anwar Sadat chose peace, which Israel was ready to accept. After the 1979 peace agreement, Egypt became a favored recipient of American foreign and military aid, and the beneficiary of an influx of Western investment. There is no reason to believe a Palestinian declaration of surrender could not lead to a similar transformation.”
Danon concludes his article with, “The Palestinians have little to lose and everything to gain by putting down the sword and accepting the olive branch. Israel awaits the emergence of a Palestinian Anwar Sadat, a leader who is willing to do what is best for his people – a leader who recognizes that building a bright future requires surrendering a dark past.”
Friday, June 28, 2019
WHOEVER CHOSE THE SLATE OF CANDIDATES FOR WEDNESDAYS DEBATE MUST HAVE TRIED TO TORPEDO ELIZABETH WARREN
Warren was placed with low-polling candidates like Beto O’Rourke and Bill de Blasio, rather than on a slate with Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders
I watched the debate and, like Trump said, it was boring. The only awakening moment occurred when Beto O’Rourke got into a shouting match with Julian Castro over immigration.
A Drudge Report poll had 39-year-old Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the runaway winner with nearly 40 percent of those surveyed saying she won the debate. Elizabeth Warren came in second with 12.26 per cent. O’Rourke and Cory Booker polled last in the10 candidate field with around four percent..
I have to agree with the poll. Gabbard made a very good showing while O’Rourke came across as a blathering idiot.
Gabbard is a Hindu woman who was born in American Samoa. She served in a field medical unit of the Hawaii Army National Guard in a combat zone in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 and was deployed to Kuwait from 2008 to 2009. Gabbard wants our soldiers to get out of Afghanistan and Iraq. In the 2016 primaries she supported Bernie Sanders. In January 2017, she met with Syria’s Assad in Damascus, a trip she claims to have made to broker a peace agreement. She has been a member of congress since 2013.
Except for Warren, all the other candidates polled low before the debate, most if not all of them in single digits. That leads me to believe that whoever made the debate selection deliberately tried to torpedo Warren. She belonged in the slate with Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
__________
KAMALA SHINED THURSDAY
She blistered Biden as demands were made that he and Sanders pass the torch to a “new generation”
Kamala Harris was the clear winner Thursday while Biden was a big loser. Her blistering of Biden over his joining with segregationist senators to oppose school busing of black children to white schools left him stammering as he tried to respond.
And Kamala really shined in a dig at the other candidates when she told them: “Hey guys America does not want to witness a food fight they’re wondering how we’re going to get food on their tables.”
Bernie Sanders was attacked by some of the candidates for his socialism and he had to admit he would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for his programs.
Both Biden and Sanders were attacked over their age with demands they pass the torch to a “new generation.”
Mayor Pete was attacked because one of his cops shot a black man dead.
All the candidates wanted to provide health care for illegal immigrants and they demanded a ban on assault rifles.
Unlike the night before when Trump’s name was hardly mentioned, all of them, especially Biden, attacked Trump’s policies and character, with Sanders calling the President a “pathological liar” and a “racist.”
Thursday’s debate was not boring.
I watched the debate and, like Trump said, it was boring. The only awakening moment occurred when Beto O’Rourke got into a shouting match with Julian Castro over immigration.
A Drudge Report poll had 39-year-old Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the runaway winner with nearly 40 percent of those surveyed saying she won the debate. Elizabeth Warren came in second with 12.26 per cent. O’Rourke and Cory Booker polled last in the10 candidate field with around four percent..
I have to agree with the poll. Gabbard made a very good showing while O’Rourke came across as a blathering idiot.
Gabbard is a Hindu woman who was born in American Samoa. She served in a field medical unit of the Hawaii Army National Guard in a combat zone in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 and was deployed to Kuwait from 2008 to 2009. Gabbard wants our soldiers to get out of Afghanistan and Iraq. In the 2016 primaries she supported Bernie Sanders. In January 2017, she met with Syria’s Assad in Damascus, a trip she claims to have made to broker a peace agreement. She has been a member of congress since 2013.
Except for Warren, all the other candidates polled low before the debate, most if not all of them in single digits. That leads me to believe that whoever made the debate selection deliberately tried to torpedo Warren. She belonged in the slate with Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
__________
KAMALA SHINED THURSDAY
She blistered Biden as demands were made that he and Sanders pass the torch to a “new generation”
Kamala Harris was the clear winner Thursday while Biden was a big loser. Her blistering of Biden over his joining with segregationist senators to oppose school busing of black children to white schools left him stammering as he tried to respond.
And Kamala really shined in a dig at the other candidates when she told them: “Hey guys America does not want to witness a food fight they’re wondering how we’re going to get food on their tables.”
Bernie Sanders was attacked by some of the candidates for his socialism and he had to admit he would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for his programs.
Both Biden and Sanders were attacked over their age with demands they pass the torch to a “new generation.”
Mayor Pete was attacked because one of his cops shot a black man dead.
All the candidates wanted to provide health care for illegal immigrants and they demanded a ban on assault rifles.
Unlike the night before when Trump’s name was hardly mentioned, all of them, especially Biden, attacked Trump’s policies and character, with Sanders calling the President a “pathological liar” and a “racist.”
Thursday’s debate was not boring.
I STRONGLY SUSPECT THAT ROBERT FRANCIS IS TOAST
by Bob Walsh
I watch only a tad of the democrap gaggle Wednesday. I did however see enough to convince me that, barring some miracle, former poster boy Robert Francis O'Rourke is probably history. Responding right out of the box in Spanish and then looking the rest of the night like a deer caught in the headlights is not going to propel him to the big kids table.
I would be very much surprised if he makes it on stage at the next round of the debates. He will probably be too busy to attend anyway, because he will be working his new gig as a shift manager at The Golden Corral.
I watch only a tad of the democrap gaggle Wednesday. I did however see enough to convince me that, barring some miracle, former poster boy Robert Francis O'Rourke is probably history. Responding right out of the box in Spanish and then looking the rest of the night like a deer caught in the headlights is not going to propel him to the big kids table.
I would be very much surprised if he makes it on stage at the next round of the debates. He will probably be too busy to attend anyway, because he will be working his new gig as a shift manager at The Golden Corral.
POLICE UNION CLAIMS INDICTED HOUSTON COP HAD BEEN CLEARED OF WRONGDOING BY INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATION
What the DA's Office, HPOU is saying about HPD officer accused of aggravated assault
By Brittany Jeffers
Click2Houston
June 27, 2019
Houston police Officer Shane Privette has been indicted on a felony charge of aggravated assault which stems back to a case in 2017.
What the DA's Office is saying
Prosecutors with the Civil Rights Division in the Harris County District Attorney's Office said the incident happened on Nov. 14, 2017, when Privette assisted in the arrest of Dwayne Walker on a controlled substance charge.
“On Nov. 14, of 2017, during the course of an arrest, Privette kneed a gentleman, who was being arrested, in the face causing a blown out orbital,” said prosecutor with the Civil Rights Division, Michael Harrison.
Harrison said the Civil Rights Division received the case from HPD’s Internal Affairs several months after the initial incident.
"This case came to us through Internal Affairs of HPD. The process with the Civil Rights Division is a case comes to us and it is our duty to present the case to a grand jury. That happened yesterday (Wednesday) and they made the decision to the return the indictment,” Harrison said.
What HPOU is saying
Houston Police Officers Union President, Joe Gamaldi, claimed that Walker resisted arrest and attempted to flee from officers.
“The knee strikes that Privette utilized to gain control of the suspect are approved and trained by the Houston Police Department. They are acceptable within department procedures, training protocols and guidelines,” Gamaldi said.
During a news conference Thursday, Gamaldi called the indictment "questionable."
He said documents show HPD exonerated Privette in July 2018 of use of excessive force.
“A rigorous and thorough investigation, including body camera video, was done by the Houston Police Department and independent police oversight board and found no wrongdoing from Officer Privette. None,” Gamaldi said.
What Walker is saying
However, in March, Walker wrote a letter from jail asking for an address to HPD’s Internal Affairs Division to ask about what he described as "excessive use of force.”
Walker's attorney did not respond to KPRC2's request for comment.
According to HPD Police Chief Art Acevedo, Privette was relieved of duty pending further investigation.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This does not pass the smell test. Why did the DA wait so long after receiving the internal affairs report before taking this case to a grand jury? Looks like a stinking political stunt to me.
Let me add that we are now in the era of indicting cops.
By Brittany Jeffers
Click2Houston
June 27, 2019
Houston police Officer Shane Privette has been indicted on a felony charge of aggravated assault which stems back to a case in 2017.
What the DA's Office is saying
Prosecutors with the Civil Rights Division in the Harris County District Attorney's Office said the incident happened on Nov. 14, 2017, when Privette assisted in the arrest of Dwayne Walker on a controlled substance charge.
“On Nov. 14, of 2017, during the course of an arrest, Privette kneed a gentleman, who was being arrested, in the face causing a blown out orbital,” said prosecutor with the Civil Rights Division, Michael Harrison.
Harrison said the Civil Rights Division received the case from HPD’s Internal Affairs several months after the initial incident.
"This case came to us through Internal Affairs of HPD. The process with the Civil Rights Division is a case comes to us and it is our duty to present the case to a grand jury. That happened yesterday (Wednesday) and they made the decision to the return the indictment,” Harrison said.
What HPOU is saying
Houston Police Officers Union President, Joe Gamaldi, claimed that Walker resisted arrest and attempted to flee from officers.
“The knee strikes that Privette utilized to gain control of the suspect are approved and trained by the Houston Police Department. They are acceptable within department procedures, training protocols and guidelines,” Gamaldi said.
During a news conference Thursday, Gamaldi called the indictment "questionable."
He said documents show HPD exonerated Privette in July 2018 of use of excessive force.
“A rigorous and thorough investigation, including body camera video, was done by the Houston Police Department and independent police oversight board and found no wrongdoing from Officer Privette. None,” Gamaldi said.
What Walker is saying
However, in March, Walker wrote a letter from jail asking for an address to HPD’s Internal Affairs Division to ask about what he described as "excessive use of force.”
Walker's attorney did not respond to KPRC2's request for comment.
According to HPD Police Chief Art Acevedo, Privette was relieved of duty pending further investigation.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This does not pass the smell test. Why did the DA wait so long after receiving the internal affairs report before taking this case to a grand jury? Looks like a stinking political stunt to me.
Let me add that we are now in the era of indicting cops.
TRUMP ACCUSED OF LACKING MORAL PRINCIPLE BY DALAI LAMA WHO ALSO WARNED EUROPE ABOUT MUSLIM REFUGEES FROM AFRICA
Dalai Lama warns Europe could become ‘Muslim’ or ‘African’
by Zachary Halaschak
Washington Examiner
June 27, 2019
The Dalai Lama said in a recent interview that refugees to Europe should eventually return home, despite his support for international cooperation and institutions like the European Union.
Last year the Dalai Lama sparked controversy after he said, “Europe belongs to the Europeans.” He said he is still standing by that view, in an interview with the BBC.
The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader is a refugee himself, exiled from his homeland after China sent troops to the Tibet region in 1959.
During the interview, he said that although Europe should help the refugees fleeing from the Middle East and Africa, it should also educate them with the goal of the refugees returning to their home countries.
“European countries should take these refugees and give them education and training, and the aim is return to their own land with certain skills,” he said.
Despite his insistence on Europe assisting to rebuild the countries from where the refugees fled, the Dalai Lama also addressed those who might want to remain in Europe.
“A limited number is OK. But the whole of Europe [will] eventually become Muslim country — impossible. Or African country, also impossible,” he said.
The spiritual leader also said that if a woman replaces him, she should be good looking.
"If a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive," he said while laughing.
During the same interview, the Dalai Lama also had some tough words for President Trump, whom he said had a “lack of moral principle.”
“When he became president he expressed America first. That is wrong,” the Dalai Lama said, noting that unlike prior U.S. presidents, Trump has not met with him or called him since becoming president.
The Dalai Lama has been the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people for decades. The Dalai Lama has met with dozens of world leaders and notable figures throughout the years, becoming somewhat of a celebrity himself.
by Zachary Halaschak
Washington Examiner
June 27, 2019
The Dalai Lama said in a recent interview that refugees to Europe should eventually return home, despite his support for international cooperation and institutions like the European Union.
Last year the Dalai Lama sparked controversy after he said, “Europe belongs to the Europeans.” He said he is still standing by that view, in an interview with the BBC.
The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader is a refugee himself, exiled from his homeland after China sent troops to the Tibet region in 1959.
During the interview, he said that although Europe should help the refugees fleeing from the Middle East and Africa, it should also educate them with the goal of the refugees returning to their home countries.
“European countries should take these refugees and give them education and training, and the aim is return to their own land with certain skills,” he said.
Despite his insistence on Europe assisting to rebuild the countries from where the refugees fled, the Dalai Lama also addressed those who might want to remain in Europe.
“A limited number is OK. But the whole of Europe [will] eventually become Muslim country — impossible. Or African country, also impossible,” he said.
The spiritual leader also said that if a woman replaces him, she should be good looking.
"If a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive," he said while laughing.
During the same interview, the Dalai Lama also had some tough words for President Trump, whom he said had a “lack of moral principle.”
“When he became president he expressed America first. That is wrong,” the Dalai Lama said, noting that unlike prior U.S. presidents, Trump has not met with him or called him since becoming president.
The Dalai Lama has been the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people for decades. The Dalai Lama has met with dozens of world leaders and notable figures throughout the years, becoming somewhat of a celebrity himself.
WHILE YOU ARE A REPUBLICAN MEMBER OF CONGRESS, THE BEST WAY TO HIDE YOUR HOMOSEXUALITY IS BY BEING ANTI-GAY
Former Republican congressman known for his anti-gay policies and using taxpayer dollars to 'decorate his office like Downton Abbey' is filmed slipping cash into go-go dancer's tiny briefs at a gay bar in Mexico City
Daily Mail
June 27, 2019
Aaron Schock was filmed slipping cash into a go-go dancer's tiny briefs in a gay bar in Mexico City on Saturday around midnight. The former Republican congressman from Illinois watched as the muscly dancer, who wore just briefs, sneakers and socks, cavorted on stage.
An onlooker who filmed the video said he was surprised to see Schock, who was known for supporting anti-gay policies at gay hotspot Boy Bar. 'I was taking a video of the go-go dancer on stage and all of a sudden I saw him. He looked like he was enjoying himself,' the source told DailyMailTV.
Schock has denied being gay in past interviews but earlier this year he partied with gay men at Coachella and was allegedly photographed kissing a man.
He resigned in 2015 after his lavish spending, including decorating his office like the set of Downton Abbey, was investigated.
Daily Mail
June 27, 2019
Aaron Schock was filmed slipping cash into a go-go dancer's tiny briefs in a gay bar in Mexico City on Saturday around midnight. The former Republican congressman from Illinois watched as the muscly dancer, who wore just briefs, sneakers and socks, cavorted on stage.
An onlooker who filmed the video said he was surprised to see Schock, who was known for supporting anti-gay policies at gay hotspot Boy Bar. 'I was taking a video of the go-go dancer on stage and all of a sudden I saw him. He looked like he was enjoying himself,' the source told DailyMailTV.
Schock has denied being gay in past interviews but earlier this year he partied with gay men at Coachella and was allegedly photographed kissing a man.
He resigned in 2015 after his lavish spending, including decorating his office like the set of Downton Abbey, was investigated.
FORMER COP CRAVED TEEN POONTANG
Fired Georgia officer convicted of coercing underage teens into sex
By Asia Simone Burns
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
June 26, 2019
A former South Georgia police officer was convicted of child enticement for luring two underage girls to meet him for sex, according to the office of the U.S. Attorney in Georgia.
Former Richmond Hill police Officer Jeffrey Allen Allmond Jr., 25, was found guilty by a federal jury on one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine said in a statement Wednesday. Allmond faces a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence and will have to register as a sex offender upon his release.
The conviction stems from an investigation by the GBI that found “Allmond engaged in inappropriate sexual acts with an underage female on multiple occasions,” AJC.com previously reported.
Allmond, who was hired by the Richmond Hill Police Department in July 2017, was placed on administrative leave Aug. 22, 2018, after police Chief Raymond Shores asked the GBI to investigate.
Evidence from the investigation revealed that Allmond met two girls on the Tinder dating app while he was an officer, according to Christine. The girls were 15 and 16 years old.
Prosecutors said Allmond communicated with the girls via Snapchat and arranged to pick them up in the middle of the night outside Fort Stewart, where he was living at the time.
“Allmond then drove the teens back to his apartment and performed sexual acts on both of them,” Christine said. “Later that night, Allmond returned the girls to the Fort Stewart gate.”
Allmond kept talking to the girls through Snapchat, according to prosecutors. Christine said Allmond met up with the girls two more times at his apartment “where he performed sexual acts on them.”
Charges were filed against Allmond days after the investigation was opened. He was fired from the Richmond police force.
“This conviction validates our department’s actions in immediately suspending, and then terminating, Allmond when the allegations came to our attention,” Shores said. “We take such betrayals of the public trust very seriously, and gave full assistance to the agencies that investigated and prosecuted this case.”
By Asia Simone Burns
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
June 26, 2019
A former South Georgia police officer was convicted of child enticement for luring two underage girls to meet him for sex, according to the office of the U.S. Attorney in Georgia.
Former Richmond Hill police Officer Jeffrey Allen Allmond Jr., 25, was found guilty by a federal jury on one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine said in a statement Wednesday. Allmond faces a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence and will have to register as a sex offender upon his release.
The conviction stems from an investigation by the GBI that found “Allmond engaged in inappropriate sexual acts with an underage female on multiple occasions,” AJC.com previously reported.
Allmond, who was hired by the Richmond Hill Police Department in July 2017, was placed on administrative leave Aug. 22, 2018, after police Chief Raymond Shores asked the GBI to investigate.
Evidence from the investigation revealed that Allmond met two girls on the Tinder dating app while he was an officer, according to Christine. The girls were 15 and 16 years old.
Prosecutors said Allmond communicated with the girls via Snapchat and arranged to pick them up in the middle of the night outside Fort Stewart, where he was living at the time.
“Allmond then drove the teens back to his apartment and performed sexual acts on both of them,” Christine said. “Later that night, Allmond returned the girls to the Fort Stewart gate.”
Allmond kept talking to the girls through Snapchat, according to prosecutors. Christine said Allmond met up with the girls two more times at his apartment “where he performed sexual acts on them.”
Charges were filed against Allmond days after the investigation was opened. He was fired from the Richmond police force.
“This conviction validates our department’s actions in immediately suspending, and then terminating, Allmond when the allegations came to our attention,” Shores said. “We take such betrayals of the public trust very seriously, and gave full assistance to the agencies that investigated and prosecuted this case.”
WE ARE STILL A COUNTRY OF BIGOTS AND THE MORE WE TRY TO PUSH INCLUSIVENESS, THE MORE BIGOTS WE CREATE
Racist Video of Antelope Valley Students Draws District Response
By Kim Tobin
NBC Los Angeles
June 26, 2019
The Antelope Valley Union High School District says it believes the students that were in a racist video that featured black face and racial obsenities attend school at Quartz Hill High School.
A letter was sent to parents Wednesday to inform them that the school and the district are aware of the video and are going to take whatever action they see fit.
In the video, the teens are seen painting each other's faces black and using racist language.
The school calls it "deeply offensive and inexcusable racist behavior."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lancaster Station has also been made aware of the video and says it is investigating. The LASD says it knows the video was made off campus during summer break.
"I mean its crazy," says Michaela, a 14-year-old student. "Because this is my generation. And seeing that my generation is doing this—it's kind of like, it's a disgrace to this generation because we are known as the future leaders."
Quartz Hill High school also said in its letter to parents:
"While this video goes against everything QHHS stands for, we will not let it shape our school culture. Our true strength is our diversity and our unity of purpose in creating an inclusive, compassionate and safe school culture."
The district says it has been having conversations about the video with parents, many who have come by Wednesday to enroll their kids in summer school. The school says once those classes start on July 1, counselors will visit each class to reinforce the school's message of unity and core values.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Daily Mail reports that the female recording the short clip can be heard calling out “white nigger” as other students watch on laughing and using racially charged language. Another girl calls out “Ooga booga nigger,” causing another sickening raucous of laughter to break out among the Quartz Hill High School Students.
By Kim Tobin
NBC Los Angeles
June 26, 2019
The Antelope Valley Union High School District says it believes the students that were in a racist video that featured black face and racial obsenities attend school at Quartz Hill High School.
A letter was sent to parents Wednesday to inform them that the school and the district are aware of the video and are going to take whatever action they see fit.
In the video, the teens are seen painting each other's faces black and using racist language.
The school calls it "deeply offensive and inexcusable racist behavior."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lancaster Station has also been made aware of the video and says it is investigating. The LASD says it knows the video was made off campus during summer break.
"I mean its crazy," says Michaela, a 14-year-old student. "Because this is my generation. And seeing that my generation is doing this—it's kind of like, it's a disgrace to this generation because we are known as the future leaders."
Quartz Hill High school also said in its letter to parents:
"While this video goes against everything QHHS stands for, we will not let it shape our school culture. Our true strength is our diversity and our unity of purpose in creating an inclusive, compassionate and safe school culture."
The district says it has been having conversations about the video with parents, many who have come by Wednesday to enroll their kids in summer school. The school says once those classes start on July 1, counselors will visit each class to reinforce the school's message of unity and core values.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Daily Mail reports that the female recording the short clip can be heard calling out “white nigger” as other students watch on laughing and using racially charged language. Another girl calls out “Ooga booga nigger,” causing another sickening raucous of laughter to break out among the Quartz Hill High School Students.
GUADALUPE MUST HAVE MADE FEMINISTS PROUD
Top female leader under 'El Chapo’ pleads guilty to narcotics, money laundering charges in Chicago
By Jason Meisner
Chicago Tribune
June 26, 2019
One of the highest ranking female operatives under infamous Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Chicago to charges alleging she oversaw the distribution of massive shipments of narcotics to the U.S. and helped launder millions of dollars in proceeds back to Mexico.
Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, 59, could face up to life in prison after pleading guilty to one count each of narcotics trafficking and money laundering conspiracy.
In a 25-page plea agreement filed with the court, however, prosecutors said they would recommend a sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison in exchange for Valencia’s full cooperation in any current and future cartel investigations.
U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo said he would delay sentencing Valencia until after her cooperation has been completed.
Valencia, also known as “La Patrona,” allegedly reported directly to one of El Chapo’s sons. She was arrested in February 2016 in the northwestern city of Culiacan in the state of Sinaloa, where Guzman had been recaptured a month earlier.
She was extradited to Chicago in 2017 to face her role in a sweeping indictment against the notorious Mexican cartel that has been described as the most significant drug prosecution in Chicago’s history.
The indictment, which also named Guzman and several of his top henchmen, alleged the cartel used jumbo jets, submarines and tunnels to smuggle massive amounts of drugs into the U.S., much of which was later distributed in wholesale quantities through a network built by Chicago twins Pedro and Margarito Flores.
Valencia’s brother, Manuel Fernandez Valencia, who was charged as part of the same overall conspiracy, was sentenced in Chicago in 2016 to 27 years in prison.
Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit with her dark, shoulder-length hair showing streaks of gray, Guadalupe Valencia listened to the proceedings Wednesday through a Spanish interpreter.
When Castillo asked her if she understood the trial rights she was waiving, she answered “Si, senoria,” or “Yes, your honor.”
The charges alleged that Valencia was a lieutenant for El Chapo’s son, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, helping to coordinate vast shipments of drugs into the U.S. for distribution. The cartel members then laundered billions of dollars in proceeds back to Mexico, according to the charges.
To protect their lucrative drug trade, cartel members used any means necessary, including bribing corrupt public officials, committing kidnappings and extortion, and threatening or committing violence against rival drug dealers as well as members of law enforcement, according to the charges.
In laying out Valencia’s role in the cartel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erika Csicsila said Valencia moved to Culiacan in February 2007 after serving a 10-year prison sentence in the U.S. for unrelated offenses.
Once back in Mexico, Valencia began helping her brother import massive shipments of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine through tunnels and vehicles in the Tijuana area, where they were later taken to Los Angeles for redistribution, Csicsila said.
After her brother’s arrest in 2010, Valencia moved to Guadalajara and briefly left the cartel life, Csicsila said. She resumed in 2012, however, after her brother orchestrated a meeting from jail between his sister and one of his longtime suppliers.
In addition to trafficking the drugs, Valencia was also a major money launderer for the cartel, using workers to send cash through stores in the Los Angeles area to currency exchanges in Mexico, Csicsila said. Valencia paid the currency exchanges 3% of the proceeds to facilitate the deals, Csicsila said.
Guzman, meanwhile, was extradited to the U.S. earlier in 2017 after he was captured in a firefight between his bodyguards and Mexican marine special forces. He was convicted in New York in February on federal charges including drug conspiracy and murder. Guzman, who is seeking a new trial, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17.
By Jason Meisner
Chicago Tribune
June 26, 2019
One of the highest ranking female operatives under infamous Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Chicago to charges alleging she oversaw the distribution of massive shipments of narcotics to the U.S. and helped launder millions of dollars in proceeds back to Mexico.
Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, 59, could face up to life in prison after pleading guilty to one count each of narcotics trafficking and money laundering conspiracy.
In a 25-page plea agreement filed with the court, however, prosecutors said they would recommend a sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison in exchange for Valencia’s full cooperation in any current and future cartel investigations.
U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo said he would delay sentencing Valencia until after her cooperation has been completed.
Valencia, also known as “La Patrona,” allegedly reported directly to one of El Chapo’s sons. She was arrested in February 2016 in the northwestern city of Culiacan in the state of Sinaloa, where Guzman had been recaptured a month earlier.
She was extradited to Chicago in 2017 to face her role in a sweeping indictment against the notorious Mexican cartel that has been described as the most significant drug prosecution in Chicago’s history.
The indictment, which also named Guzman and several of his top henchmen, alleged the cartel used jumbo jets, submarines and tunnels to smuggle massive amounts of drugs into the U.S., much of which was later distributed in wholesale quantities through a network built by Chicago twins Pedro and Margarito Flores.
Valencia’s brother, Manuel Fernandez Valencia, who was charged as part of the same overall conspiracy, was sentenced in Chicago in 2016 to 27 years in prison.
Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit with her dark, shoulder-length hair showing streaks of gray, Guadalupe Valencia listened to the proceedings Wednesday through a Spanish interpreter.
When Castillo asked her if she understood the trial rights she was waiving, she answered “Si, senoria,” or “Yes, your honor.”
The charges alleged that Valencia was a lieutenant for El Chapo’s son, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, helping to coordinate vast shipments of drugs into the U.S. for distribution. The cartel members then laundered billions of dollars in proceeds back to Mexico, according to the charges.
To protect their lucrative drug trade, cartel members used any means necessary, including bribing corrupt public officials, committing kidnappings and extortion, and threatening or committing violence against rival drug dealers as well as members of law enforcement, according to the charges.
In laying out Valencia’s role in the cartel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erika Csicsila said Valencia moved to Culiacan in February 2007 after serving a 10-year prison sentence in the U.S. for unrelated offenses.
Once back in Mexico, Valencia began helping her brother import massive shipments of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine through tunnels and vehicles in the Tijuana area, where they were later taken to Los Angeles for redistribution, Csicsila said.
After her brother’s arrest in 2010, Valencia moved to Guadalajara and briefly left the cartel life, Csicsila said. She resumed in 2012, however, after her brother orchestrated a meeting from jail between his sister and one of his longtime suppliers.
In addition to trafficking the drugs, Valencia was also a major money launderer for the cartel, using workers to send cash through stores in the Los Angeles area to currency exchanges in Mexico, Csicsila said. Valencia paid the currency exchanges 3% of the proceeds to facilitate the deals, Csicsila said.
Guzman, meanwhile, was extradited to the U.S. earlier in 2017 after he was captured in a firefight between his bodyguards and Mexican marine special forces. He was convicted in New York in February on federal charges including drug conspiracy and murder. Guzman, who is seeking a new trial, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17.
GERMANS BUY UP ALL THE BEER TO PROTEST NEO-NAZIS
Small German town is being praised for creative means of neutering neo-Nazi gathering
By David Lazarus
Israel Today
June 27, 2019
Residents in Ostritz, a small town in Saxony on the German-Polish border, protested a neo-Nazi gathering by buying up all the beer in town.
The far-right German rock festival called “Shield and Sword,” or SS, draws neo-Nazi devotees from around the country, and local residents were concerned about the possibility of violence and damage to their quiet town. Police were concerned, too, and enforced a ban on alcohol during the festival after a district court ruled that the event had an “aggressive character” and ordered the police to seize 4,400 liters of beer from festival-goers, according to The Local, a Germany-based online international news portal.
But the residents of the town of about 2,300 were concerned that the white nationalist crowds would simply head to the local supermarket to stock up on alcohol. So they organized a shopping spree and bought up all the beer in town just to make sure the neo-Nazis stayed sober –and thirsty, as beer is Germany’s favorite beverage.
One of the town’s residents told the German daily Bild: “The plan was devised a week in advance. We wanted to dry the Nazis out. We thought, if an alcohol ban is coming, we’ll empty the shelves.”
In the end, only about 500-600 attended the festival, compared to 1,200 last year. About 1,400 police were stationed at the event and reported that there were no major incidents.
Newspapers around German are now praising the creative way the residents responded with civic responsibility to protect their town. Now they can enjoy their large quantities of beer in peace and quiet. “We will have a wonderful celebration shortly,” said one of the boycott organizers, according to The Local.
EDITOR’S NOTE: No beer for the neo-Nazis. These folks sure know how to hurt someone.
By David Lazarus
Israel Today
June 27, 2019
Residents in Ostritz, a small town in Saxony on the German-Polish border, protested a neo-Nazi gathering by buying up all the beer in town.
The far-right German rock festival called “Shield and Sword,” or SS, draws neo-Nazi devotees from around the country, and local residents were concerned about the possibility of violence and damage to their quiet town. Police were concerned, too, and enforced a ban on alcohol during the festival after a district court ruled that the event had an “aggressive character” and ordered the police to seize 4,400 liters of beer from festival-goers, according to The Local, a Germany-based online international news portal.
But the residents of the town of about 2,300 were concerned that the white nationalist crowds would simply head to the local supermarket to stock up on alcohol. So they organized a shopping spree and bought up all the beer in town just to make sure the neo-Nazis stayed sober –and thirsty, as beer is Germany’s favorite beverage.
One of the town’s residents told the German daily Bild: “The plan was devised a week in advance. We wanted to dry the Nazis out. We thought, if an alcohol ban is coming, we’ll empty the shelves.”
In the end, only about 500-600 attended the festival, compared to 1,200 last year. About 1,400 police were stationed at the event and reported that there were no major incidents.
Newspapers around German are now praising the creative way the residents responded with civic responsibility to protect their town. Now they can enjoy their large quantities of beer in peace and quiet. “We will have a wonderful celebration shortly,” said one of the boycott organizers, according to The Local.
EDITOR’S NOTE: No beer for the neo-Nazis. These folks sure know how to hurt someone.
Thursday, June 27, 2019
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY ….. NO TOOTHBRUSHES AND NO DIAPERS
The Trump-hating media has been full of reports on deplorable conditions children are experiencing in illegal immigrant detention facilities
By Howie Katz
Big Jolly Times
June 26, 2019
Quick, someone call the humanity police. Someone get chief prosecutor Fatou Bom Bensouda of the International Criminal Court to charge President Trump and the U.S. with Crimes Against Humanity.
Children held in illegal immigrant detention facilities have no toothbrushes or toothpaste. They haven’t been able to take showers. There’s no soap. They’re wearing the same dirty clothing they wore when the Border Patrol swooped them up. There are no diapers. They complain about being hungry. And some of them are sleeping on concrete floors because the facilities are overcrowded.
That’s what the Trump-hating media has been reporting for the past couple of weeks. And the reports are most probably true … no fake news here.
But before you get all exercised, it’s time for a reality check. The children swooped up by the Border Patrol are from Latin American families seeking asylum in the U.S. However. they do not meet the standard for asylum seekers. They were not being persecuted, imprisoned or murdered by the governments of Guatemala, Honduras or Mexico. While some of them want to escape the violence in their home countries, that does not constitute grounds for seeking asylum.
The truth is that the ‘asylum seekers’ are really seeking the American dream. They are fleeing living conditions in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico that are no better, if not worse, than the conditions the detained children are experiencing now.
I’ve been to towns in Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and Brazil, and believe me, most of the poor in our country are living a life of luxury by comparison.
The inhabitants of many Latin American slums do not have running water. They pee and shit in the streets. Diaper-age kids are diaperless. The inhabitants are dirty and unkempt. I’m sure many of them go hungry. I suspect some of them do not have toothbrushes or toothpaste. And the slums are overcrowded. Some children are sleeping four or five to a bed. And some children have no bed to sleep on … they sleep on dirt floors.
Those living under those deplorable conditions in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico have heard that the streets of America are paved with gold. That’s why they want to come to this country.
The media has been making a big deal out of children dying at the detention facilities. Of course, the death of any child is tragic whether in a detention facility or a million-dollar home. But I’ll bet the mortality rate of young children at the detention facilities is significantly lower than the mortality rate of young children in the slums of Latin America.
The Democrats are screaming bloody murder, calling the conditions torturous. But not so fast there Dems! The condition of children in the detention facilities under the Obama administration were similar, if not the same, as the condition which now infuriate the Democrats. The only difference is that while Obama was President, there were only blips about that in the Obama-loving media. Obama was given a pass because he was the first black president.
Should the conditions in our illegal immigrant detention facilities be improved? Of course they should! Do I think the conditions are abhorrent? Of course I do! But before Trump is charged with Crimes Against Humanity, it is important to note that the detained children are suffering no more than they did when they lived free in the slums of their home countries.
By Howie Katz
Big Jolly Times
June 26, 2019
Quick, someone call the humanity police. Someone get chief prosecutor Fatou Bom Bensouda of the International Criminal Court to charge President Trump and the U.S. with Crimes Against Humanity.
Children held in illegal immigrant detention facilities have no toothbrushes or toothpaste. They haven’t been able to take showers. There’s no soap. They’re wearing the same dirty clothing they wore when the Border Patrol swooped them up. There are no diapers. They complain about being hungry. And some of them are sleeping on concrete floors because the facilities are overcrowded.
That’s what the Trump-hating media has been reporting for the past couple of weeks. And the reports are most probably true … no fake news here.
But before you get all exercised, it’s time for a reality check. The children swooped up by the Border Patrol are from Latin American families seeking asylum in the U.S. However. they do not meet the standard for asylum seekers. They were not being persecuted, imprisoned or murdered by the governments of Guatemala, Honduras or Mexico. While some of them want to escape the violence in their home countries, that does not constitute grounds for seeking asylum.
The truth is that the ‘asylum seekers’ are really seeking the American dream. They are fleeing living conditions in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico that are no better, if not worse, than the conditions the detained children are experiencing now.
I’ve been to towns in Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and Brazil, and believe me, most of the poor in our country are living a life of luxury by comparison.
The inhabitants of many Latin American slums do not have running water. They pee and shit in the streets. Diaper-age kids are diaperless. The inhabitants are dirty and unkempt. I’m sure many of them go hungry. I suspect some of them do not have toothbrushes or toothpaste. And the slums are overcrowded. Some children are sleeping four or five to a bed. And some children have no bed to sleep on … they sleep on dirt floors.
Those living under those deplorable conditions in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico have heard that the streets of America are paved with gold. That’s why they want to come to this country.
The media has been making a big deal out of children dying at the detention facilities. Of course, the death of any child is tragic whether in a detention facility or a million-dollar home. But I’ll bet the mortality rate of young children at the detention facilities is significantly lower than the mortality rate of young children in the slums of Latin America.
The Democrats are screaming bloody murder, calling the conditions torturous. But not so fast there Dems! The condition of children in the detention facilities under the Obama administration were similar, if not the same, as the condition which now infuriate the Democrats. The only difference is that while Obama was President, there were only blips about that in the Obama-loving media. Obama was given a pass because he was the first black president.
Should the conditions in our illegal immigrant detention facilities be improved? Of course they should! Do I think the conditions are abhorrent? Of course I do! But before Trump is charged with Crimes Against Humanity, it is important to note that the detained children are suffering no more than they did when they lived free in the slums of their home countries.
SHOES STILL DROPPING FROM PARKLAND
by Bob Walsh
Two more Broward County deputies have been sacked due to the Parkland School debacle on Valentine's Day last year.
Edward Eason and Josh Stambaugh were both fired yesterday for inaction at the scene. Two other deputies were sacked earlier this month. One of them, the school resources officer, Scot Peterson, is being prosecuted.
No action was taken against three other deputies who were involved in the Parkland response.
Scott Israel, the sheriff at the time, was removed from office by the Governor. Gregory Tony is the new sheriff. Former Sheriff Israel is appealing his dismissal via the state legislature.
Two more Broward County deputies have been sacked due to the Parkland School debacle on Valentine's Day last year.
Edward Eason and Josh Stambaugh were both fired yesterday for inaction at the scene. Two other deputies were sacked earlier this month. One of them, the school resources officer, Scot Peterson, is being prosecuted.
No action was taken against three other deputies who were involved in the Parkland response.
Scott Israel, the sheriff at the time, was removed from office by the Governor. Gregory Tony is the new sheriff. Former Sheriff Israel is appealing his dismissal via the state legislature.
SEEKING MORE INFORMATION
by Bob Walsh
This is, of course, from an news report and not an incident report. It does, however, point out some holes somewhere, either in the reporting or in the procedure being reported on.
Sunday afternoon a guest of the state of California tried to escape. Specifically an inmate was being transported from Mule Creek State Prison at Ione to the prison ward at San Joaquin County Hospital for a scheduled medical appointment. OK, not a big deal, that happens all the time. Then a CHP officer who happens to be arriving at the hospital sees a man hot-footing it across the parking lot with two state correctional officers in pursuit.
The prisoner makes it to I-5 nearby, then crosses part of the freeway and starts to shed his orange jump suit. At that point the CHP officer pepper sprays the crap out of the suspected escapee and the state correctional officers gaffle him back up. He was then returned to Ione, presumably without completing his medical appointment.
The prisoner, Isidro Hernandez, was a lifer out of Santa Clara county and was 12 years into his sentence for L&L with a minor. He physically attacked one of the correctional officers and then ran.
Here we get into questions. How is it he was unrestrained? Did he beat feet from the parking lot of inside the building? Why didn't the officer who was not attacked shoot him? How close was he being pursued? Why wasn't he fired on as he left the parking lot if nothing else? (The freeway is elevated there, there would be little risk to others.)
Somehow I doubt subsequent news stories, if any, will fill in the blanks. I am, however, curious.
This is, of course, from an news report and not an incident report. It does, however, point out some holes somewhere, either in the reporting or in the procedure being reported on.
Sunday afternoon a guest of the state of California tried to escape. Specifically an inmate was being transported from Mule Creek State Prison at Ione to the prison ward at San Joaquin County Hospital for a scheduled medical appointment. OK, not a big deal, that happens all the time. Then a CHP officer who happens to be arriving at the hospital sees a man hot-footing it across the parking lot with two state correctional officers in pursuit.
The prisoner makes it to I-5 nearby, then crosses part of the freeway and starts to shed his orange jump suit. At that point the CHP officer pepper sprays the crap out of the suspected escapee and the state correctional officers gaffle him back up. He was then returned to Ione, presumably without completing his medical appointment.
The prisoner, Isidro Hernandez, was a lifer out of Santa Clara county and was 12 years into his sentence for L&L with a minor. He physically attacked one of the correctional officers and then ran.
Here we get into questions. How is it he was unrestrained? Did he beat feet from the parking lot of inside the building? Why didn't the officer who was not attacked shoot him? How close was he being pursued? Why wasn't he fired on as he left the parking lot if nothing else? (The freeway is elevated there, there would be little risk to others.)
Somehow I doubt subsequent news stories, if any, will fill in the blanks. I am, however, curious.
THE RISE OF AOC REWARDS RADICAL LEFTIES IN QUEENS WITH FUNDS RAISED NATIONWIDE
The Queens majority needs to unite to stop Tiffany Cabán
By Post Editorial Board
New York Post
June 26, 2019
Lefties nationwide are crowing over Tiffany Cabán’s apparent victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for the Queens district-attorney job. The question now is whether leaders who represent the solid majority of the borough’s residents can join together to beat Cabán in the general election.
This is about not just the rise of the Democratic Socialists, but also the slow death of the once-vaunted Queens Democratic machine. It started losing at least three years ago, to moderates angry at how the establishment had grown out of touch with local concerns.
Brian Barnwell beat longtime Assemblywoman Marge Markey on the issue of a homeless shelter opening in Maspeth. The next year, reformer Robert Holden ousted incumbent City Councilwoman Liz Crowley.
But the machine’s weakness attracted national progressives to move in, recruit Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to challenge Rep. Joe Crowley — and succeed in offing the king of the machine.
Rep. Greg Meeks took over as county chairman — and opted for business as usual. But AOC’s rise allows Queens lefties to fund-raise nationwide: Cabán drew a legion of small donations from across America, plus endorsements from Sens. Liz Warren and Bernie Sanders. The New York Times, desperate to renew its lefty cred, also blessed her.
And Cabán’s win wasn’t even Meeks’ only humiliation Tuesday: Lumarie Maldonado-Cruz also beat the machine, as the ex-Bronx resident won a “once-in-a-generation” countywide Civil Court race.
Borough President Melinda Katz, on Election Night a close second to Cabán, has a tiny chance of turning out the victor once all the votes are counted next week. More likely, she’ll need to find a way to fight on in the general election, by allying with voters the machine’s been ignoring — including the county’s Republicans. The current GOP candidate for DA has no hope, and there’s already talk of replacing him with Katz.
Queens residents deserve some real alternative to Cabán, who has vowed to stop prosecutions for prostitution, pot possession and other “broken windows” crimes, and to completely stop seeking cash bail.
The borough’s future is at stake: Its non-lefty majority needs to unite, and fast.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Those who have been belittling and laughing at AOC or calling her crazy better beware. She is no dummy and she is not crazy! She has acquired a nationwide following of radical lefties and that is helping other radical candidates like her. We are seeing a transformation in the Democratic party from old white men to young radical men and women.
By Post Editorial Board
New York Post
June 26, 2019
Lefties nationwide are crowing over Tiffany Cabán’s apparent victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for the Queens district-attorney job. The question now is whether leaders who represent the solid majority of the borough’s residents can join together to beat Cabán in the general election.
This is about not just the rise of the Democratic Socialists, but also the slow death of the once-vaunted Queens Democratic machine. It started losing at least three years ago, to moderates angry at how the establishment had grown out of touch with local concerns.
Brian Barnwell beat longtime Assemblywoman Marge Markey on the issue of a homeless shelter opening in Maspeth. The next year, reformer Robert Holden ousted incumbent City Councilwoman Liz Crowley.
But the machine’s weakness attracted national progressives to move in, recruit Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to challenge Rep. Joe Crowley — and succeed in offing the king of the machine.
Rep. Greg Meeks took over as county chairman — and opted for business as usual. But AOC’s rise allows Queens lefties to fund-raise nationwide: Cabán drew a legion of small donations from across America, plus endorsements from Sens. Liz Warren and Bernie Sanders. The New York Times, desperate to renew its lefty cred, also blessed her.
And Cabán’s win wasn’t even Meeks’ only humiliation Tuesday: Lumarie Maldonado-Cruz also beat the machine, as the ex-Bronx resident won a “once-in-a-generation” countywide Civil Court race.
Borough President Melinda Katz, on Election Night a close second to Cabán, has a tiny chance of turning out the victor once all the votes are counted next week. More likely, she’ll need to find a way to fight on in the general election, by allying with voters the machine’s been ignoring — including the county’s Republicans. The current GOP candidate for DA has no hope, and there’s already talk of replacing him with Katz.
Queens residents deserve some real alternative to Cabán, who has vowed to stop prosecutions for prostitution, pot possession and other “broken windows” crimes, and to completely stop seeking cash bail.
The borough’s future is at stake: Its non-lefty majority needs to unite, and fast.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Those who have been belittling and laughing at AOC or calling her crazy better beware. She is no dummy and she is not crazy! She has acquired a nationwide following of radical lefties and that is helping other radical candidates like her. We are seeing a transformation in the Democratic party from old white men to young radical men and women.
DID THE PENTAGON ‘ACCIDENTALLY’ POST NUCLEAR DOCUMENTS FOR IRAN TO TAKE NOTE?
Pentagon document on US nuclear operations inadvertently posted online
by Assaf Golan
Israel Hayom
June 26, 2019
A Pentagon document laying out the US doctrine on nuclear operations was accidentally posted online and was publicly available for about a week, Israel Hayom has learned.
Dated June 11, the document, which has since been removed, noted that Pentagon believes using nuclear weapons could "create conditions for decisive results and the restoration of strategic stability."
According to The Guardian, the simply titled "Nuclear Operations" document was the first such doctrine paper in 14 years. It reveals that Washington essentially sees nuclear war as "winnable.
The report quotes arms control experts as saying the doctrine marks "a shift in US military thinking towards the idea of fighting and winning a nuclear war – which they believe is a highly dangerous mindset."
"Using nuclear weapons could create conditions for decisive results and the restoration of strategic stability," the joint chiefs’ document says. "Specifically, the use of a nuclear weapon will fundamentally change the scope of a battle and create conditions that affect how commanders will prevail in conflict."
According to The Guardian, the document quotes Cold War theorist Herman Kahn as saying: "My guess is that nuclear weapons will be used sometime in the next hundred years, but that their use is much more likely to be small and limited than widespread and unconstrained."
A spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the document was removed "because it was determined that this publication, as is with other joint staff publications, should be for official use only".
The spokesperson did not say why the document was made public in the first place.
Before it was taken down, the Nuclear Operations document was downloaded by Steven Aftergood, who directs the project on government secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists.
Aftergood told the British daily that the doctrine "is very much conceived as a war-fighting doctrine – not simply a deterrence doctrine, and that’s unsettling."
He pointed out that as a Pentagon document – rather than a policy paper – the doctrine sets out to plan for worst-case scenarios.
"That kind of thinking itself can be hazardous. It can make that sort of eventuality more likely instead of deterring it," he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This must have the liberal quaking all over. But it is inevitable that sooner or later one of the nuclear powers is going to use its nuclear weapons. Those weapons are not made just to be polished every day. If we used them, say against Iran, the lives of many American soldiers would not be lost.
by Assaf Golan
Israel Hayom
June 26, 2019
A Pentagon document laying out the US doctrine on nuclear operations was accidentally posted online and was publicly available for about a week, Israel Hayom has learned.
Dated June 11, the document, which has since been removed, noted that Pentagon believes using nuclear weapons could "create conditions for decisive results and the restoration of strategic stability."
According to The Guardian, the simply titled "Nuclear Operations" document was the first such doctrine paper in 14 years. It reveals that Washington essentially sees nuclear war as "winnable.
The report quotes arms control experts as saying the doctrine marks "a shift in US military thinking towards the idea of fighting and winning a nuclear war – which they believe is a highly dangerous mindset."
"Using nuclear weapons could create conditions for decisive results and the restoration of strategic stability," the joint chiefs’ document says. "Specifically, the use of a nuclear weapon will fundamentally change the scope of a battle and create conditions that affect how commanders will prevail in conflict."
According to The Guardian, the document quotes Cold War theorist Herman Kahn as saying: "My guess is that nuclear weapons will be used sometime in the next hundred years, but that their use is much more likely to be small and limited than widespread and unconstrained."
A spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the document was removed "because it was determined that this publication, as is with other joint staff publications, should be for official use only".
The spokesperson did not say why the document was made public in the first place.
Before it was taken down, the Nuclear Operations document was downloaded by Steven Aftergood, who directs the project on government secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists.
Aftergood told the British daily that the doctrine "is very much conceived as a war-fighting doctrine – not simply a deterrence doctrine, and that’s unsettling."
He pointed out that as a Pentagon document – rather than a policy paper – the doctrine sets out to plan for worst-case scenarios.
"That kind of thinking itself can be hazardous. It can make that sort of eventuality more likely instead of deterring it," he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This must have the liberal quaking all over. But it is inevitable that sooner or later one of the nuclear powers is going to use its nuclear weapons. Those weapons are not made just to be polished every day. If we used them, say against Iran, the lives of many American soldiers would not be lost.
KOOKFORNIA’S NO. 1 PRIORITY … GUN RSTRICTIONS AND AMMO CONTROL
After Cop’s Death, Gov. Gavin Newsom Says He Supports Expanding ‘Red Flag’ Gun Laws
LAPPL News Watch
June 26, 2019
Days after the shooting death of a Sacramento police officer, Gov. Gavin Newsom signaled Tuesday that he was prepared to sign additional gun control measures making their way through the California Legislature.
Newsom made his comments as he touted a new state law taking effect July 1 that will require background checks of people purchasing ammunition to make sure they are not prohibited from possessing firearms.
The governor was asked about the death Wednesday of Sacramento police Officer Tara O'Sullivan, who was shot in an ambush after she responded to a domestic violence call. Officers say the alleged gunman had criminal convictions for domestic violence, DUI and battery, and had guns that are illegal in California, including two assault weapons.
Newsom said Tuesday he has provided millions of dollars more funding in his budget to remove guns from prohibited persons. He also has supported California’s “red flag” law, which allows family members and law enforcement officers to seek a court order to remove all firearms from an individual deemed to pose a danger.
LAPPL News Watch
June 26, 2019
Days after the shooting death of a Sacramento police officer, Gov. Gavin Newsom signaled Tuesday that he was prepared to sign additional gun control measures making their way through the California Legislature.
Newsom made his comments as he touted a new state law taking effect July 1 that will require background checks of people purchasing ammunition to make sure they are not prohibited from possessing firearms.
The governor was asked about the death Wednesday of Sacramento police Officer Tara O'Sullivan, who was shot in an ambush after she responded to a domestic violence call. Officers say the alleged gunman had criminal convictions for domestic violence, DUI and battery, and had guns that are illegal in California, including two assault weapons.
Newsom said Tuesday he has provided millions of dollars more funding in his budget to remove guns from prohibited persons. He also has supported California’s “red flag” law, which allows family members and law enforcement officers to seek a court order to remove all firearms from an individual deemed to pose a danger.
MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE INFURIATES PRO-ABORTION GROUPS
Alabama woman loses unborn child after being shot, gets arrested; shooter goes free
By Carol Robinson
AL.com
June 26, 2019
A woman whose unborn baby was killed in a 2018 Pleasant Grove shooting has now been indicted in the death.
Marshae Jones, a 27-year-old Birmingham woman, was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury on a manslaughter charge. She was taken into custody on Wednesday.
Though Jones didn’t fire the shots that killed her unborn baby girl, authorities say she initiated the dispute that led to the gunfire. Police initially charged 23-year-old Ebony Jemison with manslaughter, but the charge against Jemison was dismissed after the grand jury failed to indict her.
The shooting happened about noon on Dec. 4, 2018, outside Dollar General on Park Road. Officers were dispatched to the scene on a report of someone shot but arrived to find the shooting victim – later identified as Jones - had been picked up and driven to Fairfield. Police and paramedics then found the Jones at a Fairfield convenience store.
Jones was taken from Fairfield to UAB Hospital. She was five months pregnant and was shot in the stomach. The unborn baby did not survive the shooting.
“The investigation showed that the only true victim in this was the unborn baby,’’ Pleasant Grove police Lt. Danny Reid said at the time of the shooting. “It was the mother of the child who initiated and continued the fight which resulted in the death of her own unborn baby.”
Reid said the fight stemmed over the unborn baby’s father. The investigation showed, he said, that it was Jones who initiated and pressed the fight, which ultimately caused Jemison to defend herself and unfortunately caused the death of the baby.
"Let’s not lose sight that the unborn baby is the victim here,’’ Reid said. “She had no choice in being brought unnecessarily into a fight where she was relying on her mother for protection."
The 5-month fetus was "dependent on its mother to try to keep it from harm, and she shouldn’t seek out unnecessary physical altercations,” Reid added.
Jones will be transferred to the Jefferson County Jail where she will be held on $50,000 bond.
News of Jones’ grand jury indictment outraged many, including women’s rights activists.
The Yellowhammer Fund, a member of the National Network of Abortion Funds which helps women access abortion services, released a statement Wednesday night. The group gained national attention after the passage of Alabama’s new abortion law.
“The state of Alabama has proven yet again that the moment a person becomes pregnant their sole responsibility is to produce a live, healthy baby and that it considers any action a pregnant person takes that might impede in that live birth to be a criminal act,’’ Executive Director Amanda Reyes said in the statement.“
“Today, Marshae Jones is being charged with manslaughter for being pregnant and getting shot while engaging in an altercation with a person who had a gun. Tomorrow, it will be another black woman, maybe for having a drink while pregnant. And after that, another, for not obtaining adequate prenatal care,” Reyes said.
“We commit ourselves to making sure that Marshae is released from jail on bond, assisting with her legal representation, and working to ensure that she gets justice for the multiple attacks that she has endured,’’ Reyes said.
By Carol Robinson
AL.com
June 26, 2019
A woman whose unborn baby was killed in a 2018 Pleasant Grove shooting has now been indicted in the death.
Marshae Jones, a 27-year-old Birmingham woman, was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury on a manslaughter charge. She was taken into custody on Wednesday.
Though Jones didn’t fire the shots that killed her unborn baby girl, authorities say she initiated the dispute that led to the gunfire. Police initially charged 23-year-old Ebony Jemison with manslaughter, but the charge against Jemison was dismissed after the grand jury failed to indict her.
The shooting happened about noon on Dec. 4, 2018, outside Dollar General on Park Road. Officers were dispatched to the scene on a report of someone shot but arrived to find the shooting victim – later identified as Jones - had been picked up and driven to Fairfield. Police and paramedics then found the Jones at a Fairfield convenience store.
Jones was taken from Fairfield to UAB Hospital. She was five months pregnant and was shot in the stomach. The unborn baby did not survive the shooting.
“The investigation showed that the only true victim in this was the unborn baby,’’ Pleasant Grove police Lt. Danny Reid said at the time of the shooting. “It was the mother of the child who initiated and continued the fight which resulted in the death of her own unborn baby.”
Reid said the fight stemmed over the unborn baby’s father. The investigation showed, he said, that it was Jones who initiated and pressed the fight, which ultimately caused Jemison to defend herself and unfortunately caused the death of the baby.
"Let’s not lose sight that the unborn baby is the victim here,’’ Reid said. “She had no choice in being brought unnecessarily into a fight where she was relying on her mother for protection."
The 5-month fetus was "dependent on its mother to try to keep it from harm, and she shouldn’t seek out unnecessary physical altercations,” Reid added.
Jones will be transferred to the Jefferson County Jail where she will be held on $50,000 bond.
News of Jones’ grand jury indictment outraged many, including women’s rights activists.
The Yellowhammer Fund, a member of the National Network of Abortion Funds which helps women access abortion services, released a statement Wednesday night. The group gained national attention after the passage of Alabama’s new abortion law.
“The state of Alabama has proven yet again that the moment a person becomes pregnant their sole responsibility is to produce a live, healthy baby and that it considers any action a pregnant person takes that might impede in that live birth to be a criminal act,’’ Executive Director Amanda Reyes said in the statement.“
“Today, Marshae Jones is being charged with manslaughter for being pregnant and getting shot while engaging in an altercation with a person who had a gun. Tomorrow, it will be another black woman, maybe for having a drink while pregnant. And after that, another, for not obtaining adequate prenatal care,” Reyes said.
“We commit ourselves to making sure that Marshae is released from jail on bond, assisting with her legal representation, and working to ensure that she gets justice for the multiple attacks that she has endured,’’ Reyes said.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
TRUMP INSISTS HE NEVER MET E. JEAN CARROLL DESPITE PHOTO SHOWING THE PAIR YACKING IT UP AT A 1987 PARTY
E. Jean Carrol tells CNN’s Anderson Cooper that “I think most people think of rape as being sexy.”
Advice columnist E. Jean Carrol, who has accused Trump of sexually assaulting her 23 years ago, shocked an unsettled CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday with her response when he asked her about her refusal to use the word rape and pointed out that most people describe rape as a violent assault. Here is how Carrol responded:
“I think most people think of rape as being sexy. Think of the fantasies.”
Cooper immediately interrupted the interview by calling for a commercial.
In her forthcoming book, Carrol said she ran into Trump at Bergdorf Goodman in either the fall of 1995 or the spring of 1996. She said Trump recognized her and asked for her help choosing a gift. She said they eventually made their way into the lingerie section, and then a dressing room. Then she describes what happened next:
“The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he lunges at me, pushes me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips. I am so shocked I shove him back and start laughing again. He seizes both my arms and pushes me up against the wall a second time, and, as I become aware of how large he is, he holds me against the wall with his shoulder and jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights. I am astonished by what I'm about to write: I keep laughing. The next moment, still wearing correct business attire, shirt, tie, suit jacket, overcoat, he opens the overcoat, unzips his pants, and, forcing his fingers around my private area, thrusts his penis halfway -- or completely, I'm not certain -- inside me.”
According to Carrol, Trump did more than just grab her pussy. But she must have enjoyed it since she thinks of rape as being sexy.
Trump vehemently denies the sexual encounter with Carrol ever occurred and states that he “never met this person in my life.”
But - Oops - a photo has emerged which shows him and Carrol in 1987 yacking it up at an NBC party.
When Trump told The Hill that “she’s not my type,” Carrol responded “I love that, I am so glad I am not his type. I’m so glad.”
NY mayor Bill DeBlasio is unhappy with Carrol because she won’t file a rape complaint against Trump. The uber-left mayor, now also a Democratic presidential candidate, – hahaha – wants NYPD to investigate Trump for rape. But de Blasio needs a complainant in order for NYPD to start such an investigation. And then there is the problem of NYPD classifying rape as illegal entry so as to give the appearance of NY being safe for women tourists.
I wonder if Anderson Cooper has recovered by now.
Advice columnist E. Jean Carrol, who has accused Trump of sexually assaulting her 23 years ago, shocked an unsettled CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday with her response when he asked her about her refusal to use the word rape and pointed out that most people describe rape as a violent assault. Here is how Carrol responded:
“I think most people think of rape as being sexy. Think of the fantasies.”
Cooper immediately interrupted the interview by calling for a commercial.
In her forthcoming book, Carrol said she ran into Trump at Bergdorf Goodman in either the fall of 1995 or the spring of 1996. She said Trump recognized her and asked for her help choosing a gift. She said they eventually made their way into the lingerie section, and then a dressing room. Then she describes what happened next:
“The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he lunges at me, pushes me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips. I am so shocked I shove him back and start laughing again. He seizes both my arms and pushes me up against the wall a second time, and, as I become aware of how large he is, he holds me against the wall with his shoulder and jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights. I am astonished by what I'm about to write: I keep laughing. The next moment, still wearing correct business attire, shirt, tie, suit jacket, overcoat, he opens the overcoat, unzips his pants, and, forcing his fingers around my private area, thrusts his penis halfway -- or completely, I'm not certain -- inside me.”
According to Carrol, Trump did more than just grab her pussy. But she must have enjoyed it since she thinks of rape as being sexy.
Trump vehemently denies the sexual encounter with Carrol ever occurred and states that he “never met this person in my life.”
But - Oops - a photo has emerged which shows him and Carrol in 1987 yacking it up at an NBC party.
When Trump told The Hill that “she’s not my type,” Carrol responded “I love that, I am so glad I am not his type. I’m so glad.”
NY mayor Bill DeBlasio is unhappy with Carrol because she won’t file a rape complaint against Trump. The uber-left mayor, now also a Democratic presidential candidate, – hahaha – wants NYPD to investigate Trump for rape. But de Blasio needs a complainant in order for NYPD to start such an investigation. And then there is the problem of NYPD classifying rape as illegal entry so as to give the appearance of NY being safe for women tourists.
I wonder if Anderson Cooper has recovered by now.
UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT
by Bob Walsh
If you are in the retail business you are there to sell shit to people who want to buy your shit and who have the money to pay for it. It is really fairly simple.
A bunch of employees of Wayfair, an internet based furniture store, are planning a walkout to protest the fact that their employer is actually selling office equipment to ...... wait for it......ICE.
Specifically the sale, for $200,000, was to a NGO non-profit that operates detention facilities for ICE. A group of 500 employees signed a letter asking Wayfair to stop dealing with this contractor and similar businesses. The furniture is mostly camp beds so the illegal aliens won't have to sleep on the fucking floor.
Wayfair said the order will be processed and shipped as scheduled. They further said, "...we believe it is our business to sell to any customer who is acting within the laws of the countries within which we operate."
I hope they've got the stones to follow thru. The 547 employees who are threatening a walkout all work at the Boston offices of the company.
EDITOR'S NOTE: If the do walk out, fire all 547 of them!
If you are in the retail business you are there to sell shit to people who want to buy your shit and who have the money to pay for it. It is really fairly simple.
A bunch of employees of Wayfair, an internet based furniture store, are planning a walkout to protest the fact that their employer is actually selling office equipment to ...... wait for it......ICE.
Specifically the sale, for $200,000, was to a NGO non-profit that operates detention facilities for ICE. A group of 500 employees signed a letter asking Wayfair to stop dealing with this contractor and similar businesses. The furniture is mostly camp beds so the illegal aliens won't have to sleep on the fucking floor.
Wayfair said the order will be processed and shipped as scheduled. They further said, "...we believe it is our business to sell to any customer who is acting within the laws of the countries within which we operate."
I hope they've got the stones to follow thru. The 547 employees who are threatening a walkout all work at the Boston offices of the company.
EDITOR'S NOTE: If the do walk out, fire all 547 of them!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)