Hillary REFUSES to be served legal papers in $50M defamation row with Tulsi Gabbard over Clinton's claim the presidential hopeful is a Russian 'asset'
Daily Mail
January 30, 2020
Tulsi Gabbard's lawyers say they were turned away by the Secret Service at the Clinton residence in Chappaqua, New York, and later by Clinton's attorney when they tried to deliver the paperwork.
The Democratic presidential hopeful is suing Clinton for $50million over an interview in which the 2016 nominee suggested that Gabbard was the 'favorite of the Russians'.
Gabbard's attorney Brian Dunne claimed that Clinton was 'so intimidated by Tulsi Gabbard that she won't accept service of process'.
Dunne, the attorney, said Gabbard's representatives had tried to deliver the papers in person at the Clinton residence in Chappaqua, New York. However, they were allegedly turned away by Secret Service agents who protect the home. Gabbard's camp says the agents directed them to Clinton's lawyer David Kendall, who said he could not accept the papers on her behalf.
Dunne said Gabbard's team was now considering its next move. Gabbard filed the lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan last week, accusing Clinton of promoting 'extremely dubious conspiracy theories.'
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ironically, the Hildebeasr has a law enforcement agency – the Secret Service - standing in the way of a legal process.
Friday, January 31, 2020
THIS KIND OF SHIT NEVER HAPPENS TO ME
by Bob Walsh
Antiques Roadshow just downloaded an interesting clip of one of the soon to air shows. The subject of this particular segment was an Air Force veteran from the Vietnam era. Back in 1975 he bought a very nice Rolex Oyster Chronograph for $345. He was going to use it for diving because they were waterproof but it was so nice he just couldn't bear to do it. He kept it in a safe deposit box, along with all the paperwork. He never wore it.
He took it to the Roadshow. It seems they made the watch with these particular markings for only a very brief period of time. His is possibly the finest condition of these watches known to exist. Even the foil number tag on the back was fully intact, indicating the watch had never been worn. It was essentially a new old stock (NOS) watch. When they told him that similar watches were worth about $400,000 he literally fell on his ass and they had to pick him up. They then told him that this particular watch (his had the more desirable screw-down seal buttons) in this condition was worth about $700,000.
Antiques Roadshow just downloaded an interesting clip of one of the soon to air shows. The subject of this particular segment was an Air Force veteran from the Vietnam era. Back in 1975 he bought a very nice Rolex Oyster Chronograph for $345. He was going to use it for diving because they were waterproof but it was so nice he just couldn't bear to do it. He kept it in a safe deposit box, along with all the paperwork. He never wore it.
He took it to the Roadshow. It seems they made the watch with these particular markings for only a very brief period of time. His is possibly the finest condition of these watches known to exist. Even the foil number tag on the back was fully intact, indicating the watch had never been worn. It was essentially a new old stock (NOS) watch. When they told him that similar watches were worth about $400,000 he literally fell on his ass and they had to pick him up. They then told him that this particular watch (his had the more desirable screw-down seal buttons) in this condition was worth about $700,000.
QUEEN CALLS AN EMERGENCY MEETING
by Bob Walsh
The Queen has called an emergency family meeting with Charles (aka horse face), Harry and William attending her. Allegedly the subject matter will be the Harry-Meghan situation and how it will develop, and possibly Prince Andrew, who is said to be using Special Branch to duck people he does not want to deal with. In addition it is rumored that Special Branch is likely to reopen a solicitation of a minor case against Andrew for an alleged encounter he had with an under-age hooker supplied by Jeffrey Epstein.
I do not know if it is even possible to haul a member of the royal family into criminal court without the consent of the Queen. I am not sure she would go for it, but I am also not sure she would enforce the privilege (even if it still exists) and ride the heat that the action would generate.
You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family.
The Queen has called an emergency family meeting with Charles (aka horse face), Harry and William attending her. Allegedly the subject matter will be the Harry-Meghan situation and how it will develop, and possibly Prince Andrew, who is said to be using Special Branch to duck people he does not want to deal with. In addition it is rumored that Special Branch is likely to reopen a solicitation of a minor case against Andrew for an alleged encounter he had with an under-age hooker supplied by Jeffrey Epstein.
I do not know if it is even possible to haul a member of the royal family into criminal court without the consent of the Queen. I am not sure she would go for it, but I am also not sure she would enforce the privilege (even if it still exists) and ride the heat that the action would generate.
You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family.
FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST
by Bob Walsh
As of 11:00 p.m. this evening GMT the United Kingdom will be FREE from the European Union.
Yippee Skippee.
As of 11:00 p.m. this evening GMT the United Kingdom will be FREE from the European Union.
Yippee Skippee.
ABOUT FACE BY W.H.O.
by Bob Walsh
The World Health Organization is now of the opinion that the Corona Virus rates consideration as a Global Health Emergency. The first documented human-to-human contagion has been established by the Center for Disease Control by a case transmitted from a wife, who had been in China, to her husband, who had not been.
There are now 179 admitted-to deaths in China (the real number is likely to be much larger). The Chinese are building two instant hospital to deal with the now known 8,000 infected individuals in China.
The ratio of infection has still not been fully established (number of people an infected person is likely to infect before isolation) so they don't know if this is going to be crazy infections, like measles, or much less so.
Nobody yet knows if this is going to be World War Z or Swine Flu. More likely something in-between.
The World Health Organization is now of the opinion that the Corona Virus rates consideration as a Global Health Emergency. The first documented human-to-human contagion has been established by the Center for Disease Control by a case transmitted from a wife, who had been in China, to her husband, who had not been.
There are now 179 admitted-to deaths in China (the real number is likely to be much larger). The Chinese are building two instant hospital to deal with the now known 8,000 infected individuals in China.
The ratio of infection has still not been fully established (number of people an infected person is likely to infect before isolation) so they don't know if this is going to be crazy infections, like measles, or much less so.
Nobody yet knows if this is going to be World War Z or Swine Flu. More likely something in-between.
IS THIS OVERKILL ?
by Bob Walsh
Seven thousand people are being held on a cruise ship in Italy because two of the passengers MAY BE showing signs of Corona Virus infection. The ship, the Costa Smeralda, is being held at Civitavecchia, northwest of Rome.
There are also reports that Russia is moving to close off its border with China to stop casual, unauthorized border crossings.
These may be over-reactions. Then again, they may not be. If you under-react, and this bug turns out to be much nastier than thought, it is too late to go back and fix it. That being said, I suspect this is going to turn out like the Swine Flu panic years back. Big noise. Small outcome. My guess, for what that may be worth to you.
Seven thousand people are being held on a cruise ship in Italy because two of the passengers MAY BE showing signs of Corona Virus infection. The ship, the Costa Smeralda, is being held at Civitavecchia, northwest of Rome.
There are also reports that Russia is moving to close off its border with China to stop casual, unauthorized border crossings.
These may be over-reactions. Then again, they may not be. If you under-react, and this bug turns out to be much nastier than thought, it is too late to go back and fix it. That being said, I suspect this is going to turn out like the Swine Flu panic years back. Big noise. Small outcome. My guess, for what that may be worth to you.
TRUMP STILL MAKING A SPLASH
by Bob Walsh
As I type this, about 8:00 A.M. on Thursday morning in CA, people are already lining up to get into a Trump rally in Iowa this evening.
You might recall there was another Trump rally in New Jersey a few days ago. There were 100,000 people OUTSIDE the stadium who couldn't get in. They opened a couple of resort summer-only hotels in the immediate area so the people coming in from out of state would have a place to stay (if the media is to be believed).
Like him or don't like him. The man can draw a crowd. (So can a train wreck. I know.)
As I type this, about 8:00 A.M. on Thursday morning in CA, people are already lining up to get into a Trump rally in Iowa this evening.
You might recall there was another Trump rally in New Jersey a few days ago. There were 100,000 people OUTSIDE the stadium who couldn't get in. They opened a couple of resort summer-only hotels in the immediate area so the people coming in from out of state would have a place to stay (if the media is to be believed).
Like him or don't like him. The man can draw a crowd. (So can a train wreck. I know.)
BAD SNAKE. BAD SNAKE
by Bob Walsh
If you follow the gun press and firearms forums (which I do) you will note that it is being asserted that Colt is recalling all of the Colt Pythons currently in the supply pipeline due to problems with the cylinders binding up. I would like to hope that the release of a not-quite-new-design $1500 revolver was preceded by an appropriate amount of testing and decent individual quality control, but one never knows about such things.
The posts I am seeing seem to be authoritative and first-hand rather than fuzzy and second or third hand so there just might be something to it. Since they aren't on the CA list I can't buy one (legally) yet anyway, so I am in no big rush. I have always heard "Don't buy version 1.0" anyway.
If you follow the gun press and firearms forums (which I do) you will note that it is being asserted that Colt is recalling all of the Colt Pythons currently in the supply pipeline due to problems with the cylinders binding up. I would like to hope that the release of a not-quite-new-design $1500 revolver was preceded by an appropriate amount of testing and decent individual quality control, but one never knows about such things.
The posts I am seeing seem to be authoritative and first-hand rather than fuzzy and second or third hand so there just might be something to it. Since they aren't on the CA list I can't buy one (legally) yet anyway, so I am in no big rush. I have always heard "Don't buy version 1.0" anyway.
WAS TRUMP A RAPIST OR NOT?
Woman who says Trump raped her seeks his DNA
Associated Press
January 30, 2020
WASHINGTON - Lawyers for a woman who says President Donald Trump raped her in the 1990s are asking for a sample of his DNA.
The attorneys for advice columnist E. Jean Carroll say they want to determine whether Trump’s genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter.
They served a legal notice Thursday to one of Trump’s lawyers demanding the sample.
Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump in November after the president said she was lying about the alleged attack.
The Associated Press sent a message to Trump’s attorney seeking comment.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Like Monica Lewinsky, she kept the dress. Maybe Donald went beyond just “Grab 'em by the pussy.”
Associated Press
January 30, 2020
WASHINGTON - Lawyers for a woman who says President Donald Trump raped her in the 1990s are asking for a sample of his DNA.
The attorneys for advice columnist E. Jean Carroll say they want to determine whether Trump’s genetic material is on a dress she says she wore during the encounter.
They served a legal notice Thursday to one of Trump’s lawyers demanding the sample.
Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump in November after the president said she was lying about the alleged attack.
The Associated Press sent a message to Trump’s attorney seeking comment.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Like Monica Lewinsky, she kept the dress. Maybe Donald went beyond just “Grab 'em by the pussy.”
ABBAS CALLS FOR THIRD INTIFADA
“Trump is a Dog” – Palestinian President Responds to Deal of the Century
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
January 30, 2020
Never one for eloquence, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ first public reaction to the publication of the “deal of the century” was to personally insult US President Donald Trump in the most unflattering of terms.
Officials with Abbas’ own Fatah party confirmed to Israeli media that the Palestinian leader responded to the new peace proposal by exclaiming, “Trump is a dog and the son of a dog!”
Abbas added that just before the plan’s publication, “They called me from Washington and I did not pick up the phone. I said no and I will continue to say no.”
In Arabic, calling someone a dog is one of the most severe insults one can dish out, and if done so in person will often lead to physical violence. Adding “son of a dog” expands the insult to include the scorned person’s family.
In other words, rather than address a serious international diplomatic initiative endorsed by many Arab states with some degree of decorum, the head of the Palestinian Authority resorted to vulgar trash-talk.
But he went further than that.
After slandering Trump, Abbas effectively called for a third intifada, or terrorist uprising, against Israel.
“Resistance must be escalated at all points of friction. All young people must be encouraged,” said Abbas, referring to the kind of dangerous incitement of young Palestinian Arabs that Israel has long said is a serious obstacle to peace.
Needless to say, the White House was unimpressed.
Trump’s son-in-law and the primary author of the “deal of the century,” Jared Kushner, told Al Jazeera that it’s time for the Palestinians to stop living a fiction.
“It’s time to let go of past fairy tales that quite frankly will never happen,” said Kushner. “If they have expectations that are not realistic then I feel bad for them. They’ve been lied to by their leadership and they’ve been lied to by a lot of people and they’ve been used as pawns in the Middle East.”
For his part, Abbas vowed to cling fast to his fairy tales, despite what that might mean for his people.
“I was told I’ll pay a heavy price for my foolish behavior,” he told fellow Palestinians. “I do not have much longer to live and I will not go down as a traitor. It’s either dying like martyrs or flying the Palestinian flag on the walls of Jerusalem.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: What kind of a dog … a Rottweiler or a Chihuahua?
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
January 30, 2020
Never one for eloquence, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ first public reaction to the publication of the “deal of the century” was to personally insult US President Donald Trump in the most unflattering of terms.
Officials with Abbas’ own Fatah party confirmed to Israeli media that the Palestinian leader responded to the new peace proposal by exclaiming, “Trump is a dog and the son of a dog!”
Abbas added that just before the plan’s publication, “They called me from Washington and I did not pick up the phone. I said no and I will continue to say no.”
In Arabic, calling someone a dog is one of the most severe insults one can dish out, and if done so in person will often lead to physical violence. Adding “son of a dog” expands the insult to include the scorned person’s family.
In other words, rather than address a serious international diplomatic initiative endorsed by many Arab states with some degree of decorum, the head of the Palestinian Authority resorted to vulgar trash-talk.
But he went further than that.
After slandering Trump, Abbas effectively called for a third intifada, or terrorist uprising, against Israel.
“Resistance must be escalated at all points of friction. All young people must be encouraged,” said Abbas, referring to the kind of dangerous incitement of young Palestinian Arabs that Israel has long said is a serious obstacle to peace.
Needless to say, the White House was unimpressed.
Trump’s son-in-law and the primary author of the “deal of the century,” Jared Kushner, told Al Jazeera that it’s time for the Palestinians to stop living a fiction.
“It’s time to let go of past fairy tales that quite frankly will never happen,” said Kushner. “If they have expectations that are not realistic then I feel bad for them. They’ve been lied to by their leadership and they’ve been lied to by a lot of people and they’ve been used as pawns in the Middle East.”
For his part, Abbas vowed to cling fast to his fairy tales, despite what that might mean for his people.
“I was told I’ll pay a heavy price for my foolish behavior,” he told fellow Palestinians. “I do not have much longer to live and I will not go down as a traitor. It’s either dying like martyrs or flying the Palestinian flag on the walls of Jerusalem.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: What kind of a dog … a Rottweiler or a Chihuahua?
KINGDOM OF JESUS CHRIST NOT SO HEAVENLY IN THIS CASE
FBI Raids Los Angeles Church To Make Human Trafficking Bust
LAPPL News Watch
January 30, 2020
Federal agents raided a Philippines-based church in Los Angeles Wednesday in a human trafficking investigation that led to arrests of three church leaders in what prosecutors said was a decades-long scheme to trick followers into becoming fundraisers and arrange sham marriages to keep them in the U.S.
The local leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church was arrested on immigration fraud charges in the early morning bust along with a worker who confiscated passports of the victims of the scheme and another who handled finances, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Workers who managed to escape from the church told the FBI that they had been sent across the U.S. to work long hours soliciting donations year-round for the church’s charity and were beaten and psychologically abused if they didn't make daily quotas, according to an affidavit filed in support of the charges. Some described having to live in cars at truck stops.
LAPPL News Watch
January 30, 2020
Federal agents raided a Philippines-based church in Los Angeles Wednesday in a human trafficking investigation that led to arrests of three church leaders in what prosecutors said was a decades-long scheme to trick followers into becoming fundraisers and arrange sham marriages to keep them in the U.S.
The local leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church was arrested on immigration fraud charges in the early morning bust along with a worker who confiscated passports of the victims of the scheme and another who handled finances, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Workers who managed to escape from the church told the FBI that they had been sent across the U.S. to work long hours soliciting donations year-round for the church’s charity and were beaten and psychologically abused if they didn't make daily quotas, according to an affidavit filed in support of the charges. Some described having to live in cars at truck stops.
SERIAL RAPIST NABBED BY DNA FOR 24-YEAR OLD MURDER
Using DNA Technology, Authorities Charge Man With 1996 Fresno Rape And Murder
LAPPL News Watch
January 30, 2020
Authorities in Fresno announced Wednesday that have filed a murder charge in the rape and killing of a college student 24 years ago. F
resno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp announced the charges against Nickey Duane Stane, 52, in the 1996 slaying of 22-year-old Debbie Dorian.
Authorities said they linked Stane to Smittcamp’s killing through a DNA match when he was arrested last year in a string of attacks on young women in Visalia from 1999 to 2002. He was arrested on those charges in October and remains in custody in neighboring Tulare County.
An attorney for Stane, Tom Faulkner, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
LAPPL News Watch
January 30, 2020
Authorities in Fresno announced Wednesday that have filed a murder charge in the rape and killing of a college student 24 years ago. F
resno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp announced the charges against Nickey Duane Stane, 52, in the 1996 slaying of 22-year-old Debbie Dorian.
Authorities said they linked Stane to Smittcamp’s killing through a DNA match when he was arrested last year in a string of attacks on young women in Visalia from 1999 to 2002. He was arrested on those charges in October and remains in custody in neighboring Tulare County.
An attorney for Stane, Tom Faulkner, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
TRUMP GAVE WHITE HOUSE PRESS CREDENTIALS TO THIS FAKE NEWS PURVEYOR
Florida pastor says coronavirus is a 'plague sent by God to purge a lot of sin off this planet' and blames parents 'transgendering children' for the outbreak
By James Gordon
Daily Mail
January 28, 2020
A right-wing evangelical pastor has claimed the coronavirus is God's 'death angel' and says parents 'transgendering little children' and 'the filth on our TVs and our movies' are to blame for the outbreak.
Christian Pastor Rick Wiles, who is the creator of the TruNews streaming channel, described China as having a 'godless communist government,' in an attempt to explain why the country had been hit so badly by the virus.
He noted, 'plagues are one of the last steps of judgment' and warned Americans to 'get right with God.'
Wile addressed the deadly outbreak in his evening broadcast on Monday, saying: 'Look at the spiritual rebellion that is in this country, the hatred of God, the hatred of the Bible, the hatred of righteousness.
'Just vile, disgusting people in this country now, transgendering little children, perverting them. Look at the rapes, and the sexual immorality, and the filth on our TVs and our movies.
'Folks, the Death Angel may be moving right now across the planet. This is the time to get right with God.'
In comments that were first noted by Right Wing Watch, Wiles said that his 'spirit bears witness that this is a genuine plague that is coming upon the Earth, and God is about to purge a lot of sin off this planet.'
Wiles has a history of spreading conspiracy theories and warning of an imminent apocalypse.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Wiles has described President Trump's impeachment as “a Jew coup” planned by “a Jewish cabal”.
By James Gordon
Daily Mail
January 28, 2020
A right-wing evangelical pastor has claimed the coronavirus is God's 'death angel' and says parents 'transgendering little children' and 'the filth on our TVs and our movies' are to blame for the outbreak.
Christian Pastor Rick Wiles, who is the creator of the TruNews streaming channel, described China as having a 'godless communist government,' in an attempt to explain why the country had been hit so badly by the virus.
He noted, 'plagues are one of the last steps of judgment' and warned Americans to 'get right with God.'
Wile addressed the deadly outbreak in his evening broadcast on Monday, saying: 'Look at the spiritual rebellion that is in this country, the hatred of God, the hatred of the Bible, the hatred of righteousness.
'Just vile, disgusting people in this country now, transgendering little children, perverting them. Look at the rapes, and the sexual immorality, and the filth on our TVs and our movies.
'Folks, the Death Angel may be moving right now across the planet. This is the time to get right with God.'
In comments that were first noted by Right Wing Watch, Wiles said that his 'spirit bears witness that this is a genuine plague that is coming upon the Earth, and God is about to purge a lot of sin off this planet.'
Wiles has a history of spreading conspiracy theories and warning of an imminent apocalypse.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Wiles has described President Trump's impeachment as “a Jew coup” planned by “a Jewish cabal”.
COUNT CLEAR, MINUS TWO
by Bob Walsh
Two inmates were terminally rehabilitated in separate but apparently connected incident at the California State Prison, Solano (New Vacaville) on Tuesday.
At about 3:20 p.m. Pedro Garcia and Greg Medrano attacked and murdered Mizrain Nava Cano, 26, on the general population yard. At almost the same time Gabriel Mora and Richard Raya attacked and murdered Jorge Cruz-Banuelos, 30, on the same yard. Three inmate manufactured stabbing weapons were recovered at the scenes.
Cano was a guest of the state out of Sonoma county for voluntary manslaughter and gang activity. He was doing a 13-year stretch. Cruz-Banuelos was about 7 years into a 17-year stretch for ADW with GBI, gang activity and other assorted nastiness. He was also out of Sonoma county.
Just off the top of my head I would guess this is the result of internal gang housekeeping. That is the cause of a LOT of prison violence. Prisons will continue to be unpleasant places until we start incarcerating a better class of people.
Two inmates were terminally rehabilitated in separate but apparently connected incident at the California State Prison, Solano (New Vacaville) on Tuesday.
At about 3:20 p.m. Pedro Garcia and Greg Medrano attacked and murdered Mizrain Nava Cano, 26, on the general population yard. At almost the same time Gabriel Mora and Richard Raya attacked and murdered Jorge Cruz-Banuelos, 30, on the same yard. Three inmate manufactured stabbing weapons were recovered at the scenes.
Cano was a guest of the state out of Sonoma county for voluntary manslaughter and gang activity. He was doing a 13-year stretch. Cruz-Banuelos was about 7 years into a 17-year stretch for ADW with GBI, gang activity and other assorted nastiness. He was also out of Sonoma county.
Just off the top of my head I would guess this is the result of internal gang housekeeping. That is the cause of a LOT of prison violence. Prisons will continue to be unpleasant places until we start incarcerating a better class of people.
DAVID HOGG HEARD FROM AGAIN
by Bob Walsh
You might recall David Hogg was a juvenile anti-gun psychopath who got accepted into Harvard on the basis of his anti-gun psychopathy. He is a freshman now. Below is the text of a tweet he apparently sent out a couple of days ago. It has hit some of the gun forums under the heading "Gun-Grabber David Hogg puts out a statement so stupid everyone is now dumber." (I can't vouch for the legitimacy of this. I am not on twitter, and do not care to be.)
David Hogg
@davidhogg111
This is a tweet for the founders of the gun violence prevention movement started centuries ago by almost entirely black, brown and indigenous lgbtq and non-binary people that never got on the news or in most history books.
We may not know all your names but thank you.
8:07 PM -Jan 26.2020
EDITOR'S NOTE: Talk about fake news, this has got to be it!
You might recall David Hogg was a juvenile anti-gun psychopath who got accepted into Harvard on the basis of his anti-gun psychopathy. He is a freshman now. Below is the text of a tweet he apparently sent out a couple of days ago. It has hit some of the gun forums under the heading "Gun-Grabber David Hogg puts out a statement so stupid everyone is now dumber." (I can't vouch for the legitimacy of this. I am not on twitter, and do not care to be.)
David Hogg
@davidhogg111
This is a tweet for the founders of the gun violence prevention movement started centuries ago by almost entirely black, brown and indigenous lgbtq and non-binary people that never got on the news or in most history books.
We may not know all your names but thank you.
8:07 PM -Jan 26.2020
EDITOR'S NOTE: Talk about fake news, this has got to be it!
16 ADDITIONAL US SOLDIERS SUFFERED WHAT TRUNP CALLS ‘JUST HEADACHES’
50 US troops suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iran strike, Pentagon now says
By Tamar Lapin
New York Post
January 29, 2020
At least 50 US service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries resulting from Iran’s missile attack on an Iraqi air base earlier this month, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The number is an increase of 16 from Friday, when the Pentagon said 34 troops had been hurt.
A little over a week after the Jan. 8 attack, the military said 11 service members were injured with “concussion symptoms from the blast.”
Of the 50 injured, 31 have returned to duty, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell said Tuesday.
Eighteen of them were taken to Germany for further evaluation and treatment.
The missile attack on the Al Asad air base was carried out by Iran in retaliation for the US drone strike that killed its top Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3.
President Trump initially said no US service members were injured or killed — a discrepancy that the military attributed to symptoms not being immediately reported or, in some cases, only becoming known days later.
When the Pentagon reported Jan. 17 that the 11 injured troops had been evacuated out of Iraq, Trump said, “I heard they had headaches and a couple of other things … and I can report it is not very serious.”
He said he didn’t consider their ailments to be as severe as those suffered by troops who were hit by roadside bombs in Iraq and lost limbs.
Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, has become a larger concern for the military in recent years. It can impair thinking, memory, vision, hearing and other abilities.
Severe cases can result in coma, amnesia or death.
By Tamar Lapin
New York Post
January 29, 2020
At least 50 US service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries resulting from Iran’s missile attack on an Iraqi air base earlier this month, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The number is an increase of 16 from Friday, when the Pentagon said 34 troops had been hurt.
A little over a week after the Jan. 8 attack, the military said 11 service members were injured with “concussion symptoms from the blast.”
Of the 50 injured, 31 have returned to duty, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell said Tuesday.
Eighteen of them were taken to Germany for further evaluation and treatment.
The missile attack on the Al Asad air base was carried out by Iran in retaliation for the US drone strike that killed its top Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3.
President Trump initially said no US service members were injured or killed — a discrepancy that the military attributed to symptoms not being immediately reported or, in some cases, only becoming known days later.
When the Pentagon reported Jan. 17 that the 11 injured troops had been evacuated out of Iraq, Trump said, “I heard they had headaches and a couple of other things … and I can report it is not very serious.”
He said he didn’t consider their ailments to be as severe as those suffered by troops who were hit by roadside bombs in Iraq and lost limbs.
Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, has become a larger concern for the military in recent years. It can impair thinking, memory, vision, hearing and other abilities.
Severe cases can result in coma, amnesia or death.
CRAZY AND CRAZIER DESCRIBES CRAZY BERNIE’S STAFF
Project Veritas—Bernie Sanders Staffer: ‘After We Abolish Landlords, We Don’t Have to Kill Them’
By Joshua Caplan
Breitbart
January 28, 2020
A Project Veritas video published Tuesday purportedly shows a Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) campaign staffer musing about a ban on private property ownership in the United States as an alternative to mass killings.
A man identified as Mason Baird, a Sanders field organizer in South Carolina, is seen telling a Project Veritas journalist that he believes a “militant labor movement,” working in tandem with a Sanders administration, should “strip power” away from capitalists.
“We would need a federal government and labor union movement that is working together to strip power away from capitalists and preferably directing violence toward property,” the man says. “At the end of the day, this kind of stuff will come out through practice, through the work and it’s hard for me to talk about it in the moment we live in, ’cause I think China today is not what Mao envisioned, right — it was through the practice of Chinese people doing the work to create the China today.
“So, it never – we’re never going – I think a lot of the stuff – a lot of these answers are going to come through practice – we’re going to try things – things aren’t going to work – we’re going to move on to the next thing,” he continues. “And we’re going to try to be as conscious and intentional about those things, but when you get into a certain level of detail, and depth, it’s like, that’s kind of my ‘cop-out’, it comes through the work, you know. The answers come through the work.”
“It would, it’s gonna take, you know, it’s gonna take militancy, like a militant labor movement that’s willing to strike, and if necessary, you know, just destroy property and things like that,” he adds.
The man then turns his attention to landlords, arguing in favor of sparing their lives after they are eradicated from the system.
“After we abolish landlords, we don’t have to kill them, that’s my feeling. I think it’s damaging to the soul, but there were plenty of excesses in 1917 I would hope to avoid,” Baird says, referencing the Russian Revolution.
The Sanders staffer adds: “Labor, I think that’s a big source of power for us, and just try to gain as much leverage and power in the short time that we have. You know, Lenin didn’t have the Internet, they were a peasant society, and, I mean, it was like, so, you know, I would hope that, like, that we would – we’d have – we’d be doing a bunch of prep work before the capitalists got hip to what we were doing, I guess. I’m not excited about the prospect of armed struggle.”
In another part of the Project Veritas video, another purported Sanders staffer says he believes “plans for extreme action” must be made — even if his candidate becomes president.
“We have all this momentum, where do we go, regardless of the outcome, after it’s all over? Change won’t come easily, regardless. Even if Bernie is elected, change will not come swiftly or easily, so the connections we make now in the campaign with people, and volunteers, it’s important we retain that regardless of the outcome,” says a man identified by Project Veritas as Daniel Taylor, a Sanders field organizer in South Carolina. “It’s unfortunate that we have to make plans for extreme action, but like I said, they’re not going to give it to us even if Bernie is elected.”
Tuesday’s video release is part of an ongoing Project Veritas effort aimed at exposing radical staffers inside 2020 Democratic campaigns.
By Joshua Caplan
Breitbart
January 28, 2020
A Project Veritas video published Tuesday purportedly shows a Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) campaign staffer musing about a ban on private property ownership in the United States as an alternative to mass killings.
A man identified as Mason Baird, a Sanders field organizer in South Carolina, is seen telling a Project Veritas journalist that he believes a “militant labor movement,” working in tandem with a Sanders administration, should “strip power” away from capitalists.
“We would need a federal government and labor union movement that is working together to strip power away from capitalists and preferably directing violence toward property,” the man says. “At the end of the day, this kind of stuff will come out through practice, through the work and it’s hard for me to talk about it in the moment we live in, ’cause I think China today is not what Mao envisioned, right — it was through the practice of Chinese people doing the work to create the China today.
“So, it never – we’re never going – I think a lot of the stuff – a lot of these answers are going to come through practice – we’re going to try things – things aren’t going to work – we’re going to move on to the next thing,” he continues. “And we’re going to try to be as conscious and intentional about those things, but when you get into a certain level of detail, and depth, it’s like, that’s kind of my ‘cop-out’, it comes through the work, you know. The answers come through the work.”
“It would, it’s gonna take, you know, it’s gonna take militancy, like a militant labor movement that’s willing to strike, and if necessary, you know, just destroy property and things like that,” he adds.
The man then turns his attention to landlords, arguing in favor of sparing their lives after they are eradicated from the system.
“After we abolish landlords, we don’t have to kill them, that’s my feeling. I think it’s damaging to the soul, but there were plenty of excesses in 1917 I would hope to avoid,” Baird says, referencing the Russian Revolution.
The Sanders staffer adds: “Labor, I think that’s a big source of power for us, and just try to gain as much leverage and power in the short time that we have. You know, Lenin didn’t have the Internet, they were a peasant society, and, I mean, it was like, so, you know, I would hope that, like, that we would – we’d have – we’d be doing a bunch of prep work before the capitalists got hip to what we were doing, I guess. I’m not excited about the prospect of armed struggle.”
In another part of the Project Veritas video, another purported Sanders staffer says he believes “plans for extreme action” must be made — even if his candidate becomes president.
“We have all this momentum, where do we go, regardless of the outcome, after it’s all over? Change won’t come easily, regardless. Even if Bernie is elected, change will not come swiftly or easily, so the connections we make now in the campaign with people, and volunteers, it’s important we retain that regardless of the outcome,” says a man identified by Project Veritas as Daniel Taylor, a Sanders field organizer in South Carolina. “It’s unfortunate that we have to make plans for extreme action, but like I said, they’re not going to give it to us even if Bernie is elected.”
Tuesday’s video release is part of an ongoing Project Veritas effort aimed at exposing radical staffers inside 2020 Democratic campaigns.
FOREIGN REACTION TO TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN
Turkey's President Erdogan declares Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan 'absolutely unacceptable' and accuses it of 'legitimising Israel's occupation'
Daily Mail
January 29, 2020
He said the US president's long-awaited deal 'will not serve peace or bring about a solution.' Erdogan said: 'Jerusalem is sacred for Muslims. The plan to give Jerusalem to Israel is absolutely unacceptable.'He said the US president's long-awaited deal 'will not serve peace or bring about a solution.' Erdogan said: 'Jerusalem is sacred for Muslims. The plan to give Jerusalem to Israel is absolutely unacceptable.'
__________
British PM Boris Johnson praises Trump's plan for peace in the Middle East
Daily Mail
January 29, 2020
Boris Johnson today praised Donald Trump's proposed Middle East peace plan after the US President's blueprint was welcomed by Israel but condemned by Palestinian authorities.
__________
Abbas Blasts Trump’s ‘Conspiracy’
Haaretz
January 29, 2020
Mahmoud Abbas said: “Trump, Jerusalem is not for sale. Our rights are not for sale. Your conspiracy deal will not pass. Trump and Netanyahu declared the slap of the century, not the deal. And we will respond with slaps.” He stressed that the position of the Palestinian leadership has not changed, “We say a thousand times over: No, no, no.”
Daily Mail
January 29, 2020
He said the US president's long-awaited deal 'will not serve peace or bring about a solution.' Erdogan said: 'Jerusalem is sacred for Muslims. The plan to give Jerusalem to Israel is absolutely unacceptable.'He said the US president's long-awaited deal 'will not serve peace or bring about a solution.' Erdogan said: 'Jerusalem is sacred for Muslims. The plan to give Jerusalem to Israel is absolutely unacceptable.'
__________
British PM Boris Johnson praises Trump's plan for peace in the Middle East
Daily Mail
January 29, 2020
Boris Johnson today praised Donald Trump's proposed Middle East peace plan after the US President's blueprint was welcomed by Israel but condemned by Palestinian authorities.
__________
Abbas Blasts Trump’s ‘Conspiracy’
Haaretz
January 29, 2020
Mahmoud Abbas said: “Trump, Jerusalem is not for sale. Our rights are not for sale. Your conspiracy deal will not pass. Trump and Netanyahu declared the slap of the century, not the deal. And we will respond with slaps.” He stressed that the position of the Palestinian leadership has not changed, “We say a thousand times over: No, no, no.”
TRUMP DEAL FLIPS PEACE PROCESS ON ITS HEAD
After 20 years of requiring painful concessions of Israel, it’s now the Palestinians’ turn
Israel Today
January 29, 2020
For the past two decades, the formula underlying the Middle East peace process was to accept the Palestinian positions, turn a blind eye to their transgressions (because they were the “oppressed”), and require painful concessions of Israel.
After more than 20 years of failure despite intensive diplomatic efforts, US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” finally proposes a different approach by effectively turning the peace process on its head.
As top Israeli media commentator Amit Segal wrote: “While Israel will gain its concessions immediately and without conditions, the Palestinians now have to go through ten levels of hell” if they want to gain theirs.
So, what exactly is each side being offered?
Israel gets:
__A green light to annex the 30% of the West Bank containing Jewish settlements, as well as the entire Jordan Valley, what is today known as “Area C”;
__Official US recognition of the annexed areas as sovereign Israeli territory, meaning an automatic veto of any UN effort to sanction Israel; Official US recognition of the annexed areas as sovereign Israeli territory, meaning an automatic veto of any UN effort to sanction Israel;
__Full security control over sea, land, air and electromagnetic space west of the Jordan River, including those areas that are part of a Palestinian state;
__Full security control over all border crossings;
__Hamas and all other independent Palestinian militias will be fully disarmed;
__The Palestinian Authority will stop all payments to terrorists and their families;
__The Palestinian Authority will halt all diplomatic activities against Israel;
__The Palestinian Authority will cease incitement against Israel in its media and schools;
__The Palestinians will recognize Israel as the Jewish state;
__The Palestinians will officially recognize Israel’s new borders after the aforementioned annexation;
__The Palestinians will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel;
__The Palestinians will waive the “right of return” for so-called Palestinian “refugees to sovereign Israel;
__While the Temple Mount will remain under Muslim custodianship, people of all faiths will be permitted to pray there.
Only after they fulfill the above obligations, the Palestinians will get:
__An independent Palestinian state on 70% of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip;
__Two large parcels of land in the western Negev to compensate for the 30% of the West Bank annexed by Israel;
__Dedicated highways connecting Gaza to the Negev enclaves, and a tunnel connecting the Palestinian state in the West Bank to the Gaza Strip;
__Some outlying neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem enabling them to also claim the Holy City as their capital;
_Access to the Israeli ports of Haifa and Ashdod;
__Generous financial incentives including extensive trade agreements with Arab neighbors, Israel and the US to boost the economy of the future Palestinian state.
__________
EDITOR’S NOTE: As expected, Democrats trashed the plan.
Bernie Sanders: “It must end the Israeli occupation and enable Palestinian self-determination in an independent state of their own alongside a secure Israel. Trump's so-called 'peace deal' doesn't come close, and will only perpetuate the conflict. It is unacceptable.”
Elizabeth Warren: “Trump’s ‘peace plan’ is a rubber stamp for annexation and offers no chance for a real Palestinian state. Releasing a plan without negotiating with Palestinians isn’t diplomacy, it’s a sham. I will oppose unilateral annexation in any form — and reverse any policy that supports it.”
Joe Biden: “A peace plan requires two sides to come together. This is a political stunt that could spark unilateral moves to annex territory and set back peace even more. I’ve spent a lifetime working to advance the security & survival of a Jewish and democratic Israel. This is not the way.”
Pete Buttigieg: “It makes complex situations worse. Peace requires both parties at the table. Not a political green light to the leader of one for unilateral annexation.”
Ilhan Omar: “They could have guaranteed justice, and brought everyone into this peace deal, Instead, these two embattled heads of state, impeached and indicted, have a ‘just us’ peace deal. This is not a peace plan. It is theft. It is erasure. Shameful and disingenuous.”
Rashida Tlaib: “It’s fitting that the @realDonaldTrump-@netanyahu ‘plan’ was released by a forever impeached President on the same day that Netanyahu was indicted for corruption. This political stunt gets us no closer to peace or justice. As a member of Congress, I consider it a non-starter.”
Ayanna Pressley: “Let’s remember: Trump has been impeached & Netanyahu was indicted. Releasing a plan without negotiating with Palestinians isn’t diplomacy, it’s a planned distraction. I reject this pro-annexation plan, it is a step in the wrong directionI reject this pro-annexation plan, it is a step in the wrong direction.”
(Omar, Tlaib and Pressley, together with AOC make up AOC’s Squad. Omar and Tlaib have each made several statements that expressed a hatred of Jews.)
Israel Today
January 29, 2020
For the past two decades, the formula underlying the Middle East peace process was to accept the Palestinian positions, turn a blind eye to their transgressions (because they were the “oppressed”), and require painful concessions of Israel.
After more than 20 years of failure despite intensive diplomatic efforts, US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” finally proposes a different approach by effectively turning the peace process on its head.
As top Israeli media commentator Amit Segal wrote: “While Israel will gain its concessions immediately and without conditions, the Palestinians now have to go through ten levels of hell” if they want to gain theirs.
So, what exactly is each side being offered?
Israel gets:
__A green light to annex the 30% of the West Bank containing Jewish settlements, as well as the entire Jordan Valley, what is today known as “Area C”;
__Official US recognition of the annexed areas as sovereign Israeli territory, meaning an automatic veto of any UN effort to sanction Israel; Official US recognition of the annexed areas as sovereign Israeli territory, meaning an automatic veto of any UN effort to sanction Israel;
__Full security control over sea, land, air and electromagnetic space west of the Jordan River, including those areas that are part of a Palestinian state;
__Full security control over all border crossings;
__Hamas and all other independent Palestinian militias will be fully disarmed;
__The Palestinian Authority will stop all payments to terrorists and their families;
__The Palestinian Authority will halt all diplomatic activities against Israel;
__The Palestinian Authority will cease incitement against Israel in its media and schools;
__The Palestinians will recognize Israel as the Jewish state;
__The Palestinians will officially recognize Israel’s new borders after the aforementioned annexation;
__The Palestinians will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel;
__The Palestinians will waive the “right of return” for so-called Palestinian “refugees to sovereign Israel;
__While the Temple Mount will remain under Muslim custodianship, people of all faiths will be permitted to pray there.
Only after they fulfill the above obligations, the Palestinians will get:
__An independent Palestinian state on 70% of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip;
__Two large parcels of land in the western Negev to compensate for the 30% of the West Bank annexed by Israel;
__Dedicated highways connecting Gaza to the Negev enclaves, and a tunnel connecting the Palestinian state in the West Bank to the Gaza Strip;
__Some outlying neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem enabling them to also claim the Holy City as their capital;
_Access to the Israeli ports of Haifa and Ashdod;
__Generous financial incentives including extensive trade agreements with Arab neighbors, Israel and the US to boost the economy of the future Palestinian state.
__________
EDITOR’S NOTE: As expected, Democrats trashed the plan.
Bernie Sanders: “It must end the Israeli occupation and enable Palestinian self-determination in an independent state of their own alongside a secure Israel. Trump's so-called 'peace deal' doesn't come close, and will only perpetuate the conflict. It is unacceptable.”
Elizabeth Warren: “Trump’s ‘peace plan’ is a rubber stamp for annexation and offers no chance for a real Palestinian state. Releasing a plan without negotiating with Palestinians isn’t diplomacy, it’s a sham. I will oppose unilateral annexation in any form — and reverse any policy that supports it.”
Joe Biden: “A peace plan requires two sides to come together. This is a political stunt that could spark unilateral moves to annex territory and set back peace even more. I’ve spent a lifetime working to advance the security & survival of a Jewish and democratic Israel. This is not the way.”
Pete Buttigieg: “It makes complex situations worse. Peace requires both parties at the table. Not a political green light to the leader of one for unilateral annexation.”
Ilhan Omar: “They could have guaranteed justice, and brought everyone into this peace deal, Instead, these two embattled heads of state, impeached and indicted, have a ‘just us’ peace deal. This is not a peace plan. It is theft. It is erasure. Shameful and disingenuous.”
Rashida Tlaib: “It’s fitting that the @realDonaldTrump-@netanyahu ‘plan’ was released by a forever impeached President on the same day that Netanyahu was indicted for corruption. This political stunt gets us no closer to peace or justice. As a member of Congress, I consider it a non-starter.”
Ayanna Pressley: “Let’s remember: Trump has been impeached & Netanyahu was indicted. Releasing a plan without negotiating with Palestinians isn’t diplomacy, it’s a planned distraction. I reject this pro-annexation plan, it is a step in the wrong directionI reject this pro-annexation plan, it is a step in the wrong direction.”
(Omar, Tlaib and Pressley, together with AOC make up AOC’s Squad. Omar and Tlaib have each made several statements that expressed a hatred of Jews.)
NY JUDGE QUICKLY OVERRULED WHEN HE TRIED TO KEEP A ‘MENACE TO SOCIETY’ JAILED
Long Island judge ignores bail law, refuses release of ‘menace to society’
By Lorena Mongelli
New York Post
January 28, 2020
A Long Island judge intentionally ignored the state’s controversial bail-reform law and refused to release a defendant he deemed a “menace to society,” The Post has learned.
Nassau County District Judge David McAndrews admitted in court that accused two-time bank robber Romell Nellis wasn’t charged with a “bondable or bail offense” — but still ordered him held on $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.
“I don’t want you walking around my neighborhood,” McAndrews told Nellis, according to a transcript of the Jan. 9 hearing in Hempstead.
But McAndrew’s principled stand was short-lived, as a higher-level judge promptly reversed his order and released Nellis with an ankle monitor — only to have him cut it off and disappear.
The situation has local law-enforcement officials outraged, with Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder saying of Nellis, “He’s out there, somewhere, able to commit another crime.”
“It’s insane, when you think who we’re letting out of jail. It has nothing to do with justice reform,” Ryder said. “We’re not protecting the victims, and we’ve swung the pendulum way too far.”
Nellis, 40, was busted Jan. 8 over two bank heists in which he allegedly handed tellers notes that said, “I have a gun!” and demanded “$100s, 50s & 20s.”
The homeless ex-con made off with a total haul of nearly $9,500 from the Dec. 17 caper in West Hempstead and a Dec. 30 heist in Valley Stream, court papers allege.
At the time of the robberies, Nellis was facing sentencing in Central Islip federal court after admitting he violated his supervised release in a 2012 crack-trafficking case for which he served a seven-year prison term.
He was initially scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16, but his court-appointed lawyer got the proceeding postponed until March 24 because Nellis was “scheduled to enter into an in-patient drug-treatment program,” court records show.
When Nellis was hauled in front of McAndrews a day after his arrest in the bank jobs, the judge acknowledged the third-degree robbery charges were covered by the law that went into effect Jan. 1.
It mandates that defendants charged with most misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies be released without bail.
“Although under [Section] 510.10, this does not qualify as a bondable or bail offense, I find this defendant to be a menace to society,” Andrews said as he ordered Nellis held on bail or bond.
McAndrews — a Republican who’s served on the bench since 2010 — also rejected arguments from Nellis’ Legal Aid lawyer, Diane Clarke, who said that “there are no allegations there was an actual gun used.”
Clarke appealed McAndrews’ move to Nassau County Judge Christopher Quinn, who followed the law and issued an order that released Nellis without bail pending his fitting with a GPS tracking device and another court appearance on Jan. 13, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said.
But Nellis failed to show up in court or at a follow-up hearing Jan. 15, when prosecutor Jed Painter said “we received a strap notification that he cut off his bracelet two days ago,” according to a transcript.
He’s still on the lam, according to cops.
McAndrews wouldn’t discuss Nellis’ case, but smiled before telling The Post, “You know I can’t comment.”
Neither Clarke nor Nellis’ federal defense lawyer, Jeffrey Pittell, would comment.
By Lorena Mongelli
New York Post
January 28, 2020
A Long Island judge intentionally ignored the state’s controversial bail-reform law and refused to release a defendant he deemed a “menace to society,” The Post has learned.
Nassau County District Judge David McAndrews admitted in court that accused two-time bank robber Romell Nellis wasn’t charged with a “bondable or bail offense” — but still ordered him held on $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.
“I don’t want you walking around my neighborhood,” McAndrews told Nellis, according to a transcript of the Jan. 9 hearing in Hempstead.
But McAndrew’s principled stand was short-lived, as a higher-level judge promptly reversed his order and released Nellis with an ankle monitor — only to have him cut it off and disappear.
The situation has local law-enforcement officials outraged, with Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder saying of Nellis, “He’s out there, somewhere, able to commit another crime.”
“It’s insane, when you think who we’re letting out of jail. It has nothing to do with justice reform,” Ryder said. “We’re not protecting the victims, and we’ve swung the pendulum way too far.”
Nellis, 40, was busted Jan. 8 over two bank heists in which he allegedly handed tellers notes that said, “I have a gun!” and demanded “$100s, 50s & 20s.”
The homeless ex-con made off with a total haul of nearly $9,500 from the Dec. 17 caper in West Hempstead and a Dec. 30 heist in Valley Stream, court papers allege.
At the time of the robberies, Nellis was facing sentencing in Central Islip federal court after admitting he violated his supervised release in a 2012 crack-trafficking case for which he served a seven-year prison term.
He was initially scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16, but his court-appointed lawyer got the proceeding postponed until March 24 because Nellis was “scheduled to enter into an in-patient drug-treatment program,” court records show.
When Nellis was hauled in front of McAndrews a day after his arrest in the bank jobs, the judge acknowledged the third-degree robbery charges were covered by the law that went into effect Jan. 1.
It mandates that defendants charged with most misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies be released without bail.
“Although under [Section] 510.10, this does not qualify as a bondable or bail offense, I find this defendant to be a menace to society,” Andrews said as he ordered Nellis held on bail or bond.
McAndrews — a Republican who’s served on the bench since 2010 — also rejected arguments from Nellis’ Legal Aid lawyer, Diane Clarke, who said that “there are no allegations there was an actual gun used.”
Clarke appealed McAndrews’ move to Nassau County Judge Christopher Quinn, who followed the law and issued an order that released Nellis without bail pending his fitting with a GPS tracking device and another court appearance on Jan. 13, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said.
But Nellis failed to show up in court or at a follow-up hearing Jan. 15, when prosecutor Jed Painter said “we received a strap notification that he cut off his bracelet two days ago,” according to a transcript.
He’s still on the lam, according to cops.
McAndrews wouldn’t discuss Nellis’ case, but smiled before telling The Post, “You know I can’t comment.”
Neither Clarke nor Nellis’ federal defense lawyer, Jeffrey Pittell, would comment.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
THE LEADING CAUSE OF MURDER
Now why haven't the social scientists with all their theories on the cause of murder been able to come up with this simple explanation. Sheila makes Houston proud!
THIS SHOOTING IS SURE TO FIRE UP THE WRATH OF COP HATERS
Handcuffed and buckled into seat, man shot and killed inside police cruiser
Associated Press
January 28, 2020
TEMPLE HILLS, Md. -- A man who had been handcuffed with his arms behind his back by police in Maryland was shot and killed inside an officer's cruiser.
Prince George's County police officers responded Monday night to reports that a driver had struck multiple vehicles near the Temple Hills community, spokeswoman Christina Cotterman told news outlets during a news conference.
When officers located the driver, they smelled PCP and believed the man was under the influence, Cotterman said.
The suspect was buckled into the front passenger seat of the vehicle, which Cotterman said is normal for Prince George's County police. The officer then got into the driver's seat.
Two independent witnesses told police they either saw or heard a struggle, and heard loud bangs coming from the cruiser, according to Cotterman.
The man was shot multiple times by the officer's service weapon, the police spokeswoman said. Officers performed lifesaving measures and took the man to a hospital. He died a short time later.
Police haven't publicly identified the suspect because family members had not yet been notified.
The shooting wasn't caught on body-camera video because the officer didn't have one, Cotterman said. Investigators were looking for surveillance cameras in the area that may have recorded the shooting.
The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave. Cotterman said the officer was expected to be identified Tuesday.
UPDATE
Maryland cop charged with murder in shooting of handcuffed man
CBS News
January 28, 2020
A Maryland police officer was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Tuesday after the fatal shooting of a man who was handcuffed in a police cruiser, according to CBS affiliate WUSA-TV. Corporal Michael Owen Jr. is also being charged with manslaughter and associated weapons charges in the death of William Green.
Chief Hank Stawinski called the announcement "the most difficult moment of my tenure as your Chief of Police," according to WUSA-TV.
Police initially said Monday that they received a 911 call at about 8 p.m. reporting a male driver who had struck multiple cars, WUSA-TV reported. Officers said they located Green and thought he was under the influence after smelling what they believed to be PCP in his car.
Police added that they handcuffed Green and buckled him into the front seat of a police cruiser. Two independent witnesses claimed they heard or saw a fight in the front seat and heard loud bangs, according to police. They added that Owen shot Green multiple times, and that lifesaving measures were attempted before he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Stawinski walked back some of those claims on Tuesday.
"We do not believe PCP was involved, we do not have independent witnesses that observed a struggle and we do not know for certain that Mr. Green was seat-belted in that cruiser," Stawinksi said, according to WUSA-TV. He added that seating Green in the front of the car is standard departmental procedure when the vehicle does not have a transport partition, which Owen's cruiser did not.
Police said Owen was not wearing a body camera. He has worked with the department for 10 years, and is assigned to the Bureau of Patrol.
Green's family is represented by Billy Murphy, the attorney who represented the family of Freddie Gray, according to Murphy's office.
Associated Press
January 28, 2020
TEMPLE HILLS, Md. -- A man who had been handcuffed with his arms behind his back by police in Maryland was shot and killed inside an officer's cruiser.
Prince George's County police officers responded Monday night to reports that a driver had struck multiple vehicles near the Temple Hills community, spokeswoman Christina Cotterman told news outlets during a news conference.
When officers located the driver, they smelled PCP and believed the man was under the influence, Cotterman said.
The suspect was buckled into the front passenger seat of the vehicle, which Cotterman said is normal for Prince George's County police. The officer then got into the driver's seat.
Two independent witnesses told police they either saw or heard a struggle, and heard loud bangs coming from the cruiser, according to Cotterman.
The man was shot multiple times by the officer's service weapon, the police spokeswoman said. Officers performed lifesaving measures and took the man to a hospital. He died a short time later.
Police haven't publicly identified the suspect because family members had not yet been notified.
The shooting wasn't caught on body-camera video because the officer didn't have one, Cotterman said. Investigators were looking for surveillance cameras in the area that may have recorded the shooting.
The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave. Cotterman said the officer was expected to be identified Tuesday.
UPDATE
Maryland cop charged with murder in shooting of handcuffed man
CBS News
January 28, 2020
A Maryland police officer was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Tuesday after the fatal shooting of a man who was handcuffed in a police cruiser, according to CBS affiliate WUSA-TV. Corporal Michael Owen Jr. is also being charged with manslaughter and associated weapons charges in the death of William Green.
Chief Hank Stawinski called the announcement "the most difficult moment of my tenure as your Chief of Police," according to WUSA-TV.
Police initially said Monday that they received a 911 call at about 8 p.m. reporting a male driver who had struck multiple cars, WUSA-TV reported. Officers said they located Green and thought he was under the influence after smelling what they believed to be PCP in his car.
Police added that they handcuffed Green and buckled him into the front seat of a police cruiser. Two independent witnesses claimed they heard or saw a fight in the front seat and heard loud bangs, according to police. They added that Owen shot Green multiple times, and that lifesaving measures were attempted before he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Stawinski walked back some of those claims on Tuesday.
"We do not believe PCP was involved, we do not have independent witnesses that observed a struggle and we do not know for certain that Mr. Green was seat-belted in that cruiser," Stawinksi said, according to WUSA-TV. He added that seating Green in the front of the car is standard departmental procedure when the vehicle does not have a transport partition, which Owen's cruiser did not.
Police said Owen was not wearing a body camera. He has worked with the department for 10 years, and is assigned to the Bureau of Patrol.
Green's family is represented by Billy Murphy, the attorney who represented the family of Freddie Gray, according to Murphy's office.
FEEBS ACTUALLY DOING SOME ACTUAL INVESTIGATIVE WORK
by Bob Walsh
The FBI made two interesting arrests yesterday. One was the head of the San Francisco Public Works Department. The charges were kickbacks, accepting bribes and similar stuff that you would expect someone in that position could manage if he wanted to. A famous restaurant owner was also arrested in the same case.
They also busted a Harvard professor (an Anglo) for spying for the Communist Chinese. J. Edgar would be smiling happily if he knew.
The FBI made two interesting arrests yesterday. One was the head of the San Francisco Public Works Department. The charges were kickbacks, accepting bribes and similar stuff that you would expect someone in that position could manage if he wanted to. A famous restaurant owner was also arrested in the same case.
They also busted a Harvard professor (an Anglo) for spying for the Communist Chinese. J. Edgar would be smiling happily if he knew.
MORE IDIOCY FROM THE FORMERLY GREAT STATE OF CALIFORNIA
by Bob Walsh
Nancy Skinner is a member of the state legislature from the People's Republic of Berkeley. She is, by any reasonable definition, a hard-core liberal psychopath. Her latest proposal, if enacted into law, would raise the minimum age of adult prosecution in CA from 18 to 20. She says this is because teenagers (young adult) brains are not yet fully developed and they are not capable of making adult decisions.
And people wonder why California is going down the toilet. It is already almost impossible to prosecute a traditional minor for anything. This would make it impossible to prosecute younger adults as adults for adult crimes, like robbery, rape and murder.
Welcome to California, the buttcrack of the west coast.
Nancy Skinner is a member of the state legislature from the People's Republic of Berkeley. She is, by any reasonable definition, a hard-core liberal psychopath. Her latest proposal, if enacted into law, would raise the minimum age of adult prosecution in CA from 18 to 20. She says this is because teenagers (young adult) brains are not yet fully developed and they are not capable of making adult decisions.
And people wonder why California is going down the toilet. It is already almost impossible to prosecute a traditional minor for anything. This would make it impossible to prosecute younger adults as adults for adult crimes, like robbery, rape and murder.
Welcome to California, the buttcrack of the west coast.
JOE BIDEN IS AN EVEN BIGGER IDIOT THAN I THOUGHT
Assuming That Is Even Possible
by Bob Walsh
Yesterday Joe Biden released an op-ed asserting that Donald Trump is the wrong person to continue forward with our fight against the Corona Virus (which has not yet made significant inroads into the US) because he is a "science denier."
I am not sure how not buying into the man-made global warming hoax means he doesn't believe in epidemiology. Some Biden supporters even had trouble with this one, but of course they will attack Trump as a reflex action just on general principles.
With the now strong possibility that Biden will be kicked in the nutsack by Bernie in Iowa, New Hampshire and maybe even Nevada the Biden team must be absolutely shitting their shorts about now.
FEEL THE BURN.
by Bob Walsh
Yesterday Joe Biden released an op-ed asserting that Donald Trump is the wrong person to continue forward with our fight against the Corona Virus (which has not yet made significant inroads into the US) because he is a "science denier."
I am not sure how not buying into the man-made global warming hoax means he doesn't believe in epidemiology. Some Biden supporters even had trouble with this one, but of course they will attack Trump as a reflex action just on general principles.
With the now strong possibility that Biden will be kicked in the nutsack by Bernie in Iowa, New Hampshire and maybe even Nevada the Biden team must be absolutely shitting their shorts about now.
FEEL THE BURN.
RANDY ANDY BEING UNHELPFUL
by Bob Walsh
Prince Andrew, known in his younger days as Randy Andy, has promised to cooperate with the Jeffrey Epstein. That being said, his actual cooperation has been zero, and it is starting to piss people off.
I admit I do not know a lot of the fine details of how the law works over there and what level of actual legal immunity members of the royal family might enjoy. I strongly suspect that, since the bad guy is dead, the American authorities will have one hell of a time trying to compel any sort of testimony from him. I doubt they can serve him in the U.K., especially if he stays on property controlled by the royal family.
Andrew has denied any knowledge of any illegal activity by Epstein. Andrew has not himself been accused of sexual contact with underage women (the age of consent in NY is 17) but he could possibly be accused of involvement in sex trafficking assuming one of his chief accusers, Ms. Giuffre, is being truth in her statements that Epstein paid her to have sex with Andrew when she was 17.
I strongly suspect that, unless the queen orders it, Andrew will continue to hide out and hold a low profile.
(You didn't really expect a Mea Culpa from him, did you?)
Prince Andrew, known in his younger days as Randy Andy, has promised to cooperate with the Jeffrey Epstein. That being said, his actual cooperation has been zero, and it is starting to piss people off.
I admit I do not know a lot of the fine details of how the law works over there and what level of actual legal immunity members of the royal family might enjoy. I strongly suspect that, since the bad guy is dead, the American authorities will have one hell of a time trying to compel any sort of testimony from him. I doubt they can serve him in the U.K., especially if he stays on property controlled by the royal family.
Andrew has denied any knowledge of any illegal activity by Epstein. Andrew has not himself been accused of sexual contact with underage women (the age of consent in NY is 17) but he could possibly be accused of involvement in sex trafficking assuming one of his chief accusers, Ms. Giuffre, is being truth in her statements that Epstein paid her to have sex with Andrew when she was 17.
I strongly suspect that, unless the queen orders it, Andrew will continue to hide out and hold a low profile.
(You didn't really expect a Mea Culpa from him, did you?)
AOC TRASHES TRUMP’S WEALTH TEST FOR IMMIGRANTS
“The American Dream isn't a private club with a cover charge”
By Theron Mohamed
Business Insider
January 28, 2020
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed President Donald Trump's plan to deny green cards to immigrants who even occasionally use public benefits after the Supreme Court voted Monday to alllow it.
"This is shameful," the freshman lawmaker commented on a tweet about the 5-4 decision. "America shouldn't have a wealth test for admission. It's a place where millions of people are descendants of immigrants who came w nothing & made a life.
"The American Dream isn't a private club with a cover charge - it's the possibility of remaking your future."
Trump wants to tighten a rule allowing the government to deny permanent legal status to immigrants considered to be at risk of becoming "public charges." Previously, fewer than 1% of green-card applicants were disqualified on public-charge grounds, according to The New York Times.
The president intends to withhold green cards from those who use benefits such as food stamps, housing vouchers, and Medicaid in any 12 months within a 36-month period, The Times reported.
The program isn't a done deal, however. Opponents have filed challenges in courts across the country.
Ocasio-Cortez describes herself as a democratic socialist. She recently accused billionaires of exploiting workers and criticized the Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for arguing tuition-free public college should exclude the rich.
EDITOR’S POST: It is a big mistake to belittle AOC. Despite all her faults, AOC is a rising star in American politics.
__________
SCOTUS BACKS TRUMP ON NEW IMMIGRATION RULES
by Bob Walsh
You might remember that recently President Trump implemented new "public charge" rules restricting people from getting "green cards" (permanent resident alien status) who are, or are likely to become, public charges. The new rules applied to relatively short term issues, like food stamps, as well as the older rules regarding long term or cash benefits.
The new rules were stopped by lower court rulings. Yesterday Scotus, by a 5-4 vote, vacated the lower court rulings, allowing immigration to enact the new, more restrictive, rules.
By Theron Mohamed
Business Insider
January 28, 2020
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed President Donald Trump's plan to deny green cards to immigrants who even occasionally use public benefits after the Supreme Court voted Monday to alllow it.
"This is shameful," the freshman lawmaker commented on a tweet about the 5-4 decision. "America shouldn't have a wealth test for admission. It's a place where millions of people are descendants of immigrants who came w nothing & made a life.
"The American Dream isn't a private club with a cover charge - it's the possibility of remaking your future."
Trump wants to tighten a rule allowing the government to deny permanent legal status to immigrants considered to be at risk of becoming "public charges." Previously, fewer than 1% of green-card applicants were disqualified on public-charge grounds, according to The New York Times.
The president intends to withhold green cards from those who use benefits such as food stamps, housing vouchers, and Medicaid in any 12 months within a 36-month period, The Times reported.
The program isn't a done deal, however. Opponents have filed challenges in courts across the country.
Ocasio-Cortez describes herself as a democratic socialist. She recently accused billionaires of exploiting workers and criticized the Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for arguing tuition-free public college should exclude the rich.
EDITOR’S POST: It is a big mistake to belittle AOC. Despite all her faults, AOC is a rising star in American politics.
__________
SCOTUS BACKS TRUMP ON NEW IMMIGRATION RULES
by Bob Walsh
You might remember that recently President Trump implemented new "public charge" rules restricting people from getting "green cards" (permanent resident alien status) who are, or are likely to become, public charges. The new rules applied to relatively short term issues, like food stamps, as well as the older rules regarding long term or cash benefits.
The new rules were stopped by lower court rulings. Yesterday Scotus, by a 5-4 vote, vacated the lower court rulings, allowing immigration to enact the new, more restrictive, rules.
UBER LIBERAL SAN FRANCISCO DA INVITES ATTACKS ON COPS
Police, DA Chesa Boudin battle over withdrawal of charges against attack suspect
By Evan Sernoffsky
San Francisco Chronicle
January 27, 2020
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s decision to withdraw criminal charges last week against a man who was shot by police after allegedly attacking officers with a bottle has inflamed a simmering conflict between the city’s new progressive prosecutor and the law enforcement groups that opposed his election.
The city’s police union accused Boudin — a former public defender — of giving a “green light” to criminals to attack police, and on Monday called on the federal government to prosecute Jamaica Hampton, the 24-year-old man accused in the Dec. 7 attack in the Mission District. Hampton remains hospitalized and recently had his leg amputated after being shot three times, officials said.
The district attorney’s office, though, said there is nothing conclusive about its decision Friday to pull back the charges “without prejudice,”meaning they can be refiled anytime in the next three years. The office said it suspended the charges as part of a new policy aimed at avoiding conflicts between officer-involved shooting investigations and parallel criminal probes.
__________
San Francisco and San Jose Police Officers Association & LA Police Protective League seek federal charges against violent attacker of SF officersSan Francisco and San Jose Police Officers Association & LA Police Protective League seek federal charges against violent attacker of SF officers
LAPPL News Watch
January 28, 2020
The San Francisco Police Officer's Association is asking the U.S. attorney's office to prosecute a man who attacked officers last year. The request comes after San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who formerly worked as a public defender, withdrew charges against Jamaica Hampton, 24, in the December assault.
“Mr. Boudin’s actions impact every police officer patrolling America’s neighborhoods, said LAPPL Director Jamie McBride. “It sends a message that so called reformer district attorneys will let attacks on police officers go unpunished.”
__________
SF COPS AND DA GO NOSE TO NOSE
by Bob Walsh
Chesa Boudin is the new District Attorney for San Francisco, and he is a hard-core liberal, most would say radical extremist. He just dropped charges against a man who was shot by the cops when he attacked the cops using a broken beer bottle as a weapon.
The police union is very unhappy. They assert that the D.A., a former public defender who has never been a prosecutor until elected to be the D.A., has essentially given a green light to criminals to attack cops. The bad guy, Jamaica Hampton, 24, is still in the hospital from the December 7 shooting and lost one leg to gunshot damage.
The D.A.'s spokeshole, Paula Lehman-Ewing, asserted, "No conclusion about the prosecutorial viability of Hampton's case should be drawn here." I guess that means they intend to routinely drop solid cases, just because they can.
The police union announced a new web site, BoudinBlunders.com, where tips can be submitted on screw-ups by the new D.A.
Hampton was originally charged by the acting D.A. with adw, assault on an officer and threats to an officer. Boudin dropped the charges after he was sworn in on January 8. There is in fact body cam footage of the incident.
The D.A. is asserting that he may reinstate the charges when in internal affairs investigation into the shooting is completed. Boudin has announced that a hallmark of his term in office will be investigations of excessive force against cops.
By Evan Sernoffsky
San Francisco Chronicle
January 27, 2020
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s decision to withdraw criminal charges last week against a man who was shot by police after allegedly attacking officers with a bottle has inflamed a simmering conflict between the city’s new progressive prosecutor and the law enforcement groups that opposed his election.
The city’s police union accused Boudin — a former public defender — of giving a “green light” to criminals to attack police, and on Monday called on the federal government to prosecute Jamaica Hampton, the 24-year-old man accused in the Dec. 7 attack in the Mission District. Hampton remains hospitalized and recently had his leg amputated after being shot three times, officials said.
The district attorney’s office, though, said there is nothing conclusive about its decision Friday to pull back the charges “without prejudice,”meaning they can be refiled anytime in the next three years. The office said it suspended the charges as part of a new policy aimed at avoiding conflicts between officer-involved shooting investigations and parallel criminal probes.
__________
San Francisco and San Jose Police Officers Association & LA Police Protective League seek federal charges against violent attacker of SF officersSan Francisco and San Jose Police Officers Association & LA Police Protective League seek federal charges against violent attacker of SF officers
LAPPL News Watch
January 28, 2020
The San Francisco Police Officer's Association is asking the U.S. attorney's office to prosecute a man who attacked officers last year. The request comes after San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who formerly worked as a public defender, withdrew charges against Jamaica Hampton, 24, in the December assault.
“Mr. Boudin’s actions impact every police officer patrolling America’s neighborhoods, said LAPPL Director Jamie McBride. “It sends a message that so called reformer district attorneys will let attacks on police officers go unpunished.”
__________
SF COPS AND DA GO NOSE TO NOSE
by Bob Walsh
Chesa Boudin is the new District Attorney for San Francisco, and he is a hard-core liberal, most would say radical extremist. He just dropped charges against a man who was shot by the cops when he attacked the cops using a broken beer bottle as a weapon.
The police union is very unhappy. They assert that the D.A., a former public defender who has never been a prosecutor until elected to be the D.A., has essentially given a green light to criminals to attack cops. The bad guy, Jamaica Hampton, 24, is still in the hospital from the December 7 shooting and lost one leg to gunshot damage.
The D.A.'s spokeshole, Paula Lehman-Ewing, asserted, "No conclusion about the prosecutorial viability of Hampton's case should be drawn here." I guess that means they intend to routinely drop solid cases, just because they can.
The police union announced a new web site, BoudinBlunders.com, where tips can be submitted on screw-ups by the new D.A.
Hampton was originally charged by the acting D.A. with adw, assault on an officer and threats to an officer. Boudin dropped the charges after he was sworn in on January 8. There is in fact body cam footage of the incident.
The D.A. is asserting that he may reinstate the charges when in internal affairs investigation into the shooting is completed. Boudin has announced that a hallmark of his term in office will be investigations of excessive force against cops.
HIDDEN DWELLER EVICTED AFTER 10 YEARS
Tapeworm removed from man’s brain after months of ‘awful’ headaches, Texas doctors say
By Dawson White
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
January 27, 2020
A Texas man’s “awful” headaches had a disturbing cause.
Last year, a man in Austin told his doctors he’d been tormented by terrible headaches for months before passing out during a soccer game, KXAN reported.
After running a few tests, doctors made a frightening discovery: a tapeworm was lodged in his brain, KVUE reported.
“This can go undetected for years, so you can eat by accident a microscopic egg from the tapeworm larva and not know it for years,” neurosurgeon Dr. Jordan Amadio said, according to the outlet. “They can grow inside the body without causing symptoms until they get big enough.”
Doctors performed surgery to remove the parasite and the man has recovered, KVUE reported. They believe he may have gotten the parasite after eating under-cooked pork in Mexico over a decade ago, according to KEYE.
“In this patient’s case he had been in the states from Mexico for over a decade. We actually think this had been growing in his brain for over a decade undetected,” Amadio said, according to the outlet.
Tapeworm infections occur when a person eats under-cooked pork or beef, the Centers for Disease Control say. Symptoms can be mild or non-existent, but occasionally cause digestive problems, loss of appetite, stomach pain or weight loss. Those infected may also see segments of the tapeworm in their poop, the CDC says.
About 1,000 cases of tapeworm infections are reported each year in the U.S., but the CDC says it’s tough to determine the exact number of cases.
By Dawson White
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
January 27, 2020
A Texas man’s “awful” headaches had a disturbing cause.
Last year, a man in Austin told his doctors he’d been tormented by terrible headaches for months before passing out during a soccer game, KXAN reported.
After running a few tests, doctors made a frightening discovery: a tapeworm was lodged in his brain, KVUE reported.
“This can go undetected for years, so you can eat by accident a microscopic egg from the tapeworm larva and not know it for years,” neurosurgeon Dr. Jordan Amadio said, according to the outlet. “They can grow inside the body without causing symptoms until they get big enough.”
Doctors performed surgery to remove the parasite and the man has recovered, KVUE reported. They believe he may have gotten the parasite after eating under-cooked pork in Mexico over a decade ago, according to KEYE.
“In this patient’s case he had been in the states from Mexico for over a decade. We actually think this had been growing in his brain for over a decade undetected,” Amadio said, according to the outlet.
Tapeworm infections occur when a person eats under-cooked pork or beef, the Centers for Disease Control say. Symptoms can be mild or non-existent, but occasionally cause digestive problems, loss of appetite, stomach pain or weight loss. Those infected may also see segments of the tapeworm in their poop, the CDC says.
About 1,000 cases of tapeworm infections are reported each year in the U.S., but the CDC says it’s tough to determine the exact number of cases.
DAMNED BECAUSE HE DIDN’T, DAMNED BECAUSE HE DID
White Nashville cop charged with shooting dead an armed black man who was running away, had been reprimanded by supervisors months earlier for NOT opening fire on another armed suspect in a similar case
By Frances Mulraney and Associated Press
Daily Mail
January 28, 2020
Newly revealed police records show a rookie white Nashville police officer charged with fatally shooting an armed black man who was running away had been reprimanded by supervisors months earlier for not shooting another armed suspect in a similar case.
Officer Andrew Delke, 26, will soon stand trial for first-degree murder in the shooting of Daniel Hambrick, 25, in July 2018. He will be the first Nashville police officer to face a murder charge for killing someone in the line of duty.
Nine months before Delke shot and killed Hambrick, supervisors gave the rookie officer an 'informal counseling session' and told him he should have drawn his gun in a similar case involving an armed black man running away.
Delke had been on the force for about a year when he used a stun gun to arrest an armed suspect, Terry Crowell, who ran from him in November 2017, WPLN News reports.
His supervisor Sgt. Matthew Boguskie later held an 'informal counseling session' with Delke, stating that his should have used his firearm.
Delke told the sergeant that he didn't pull his service weapon because of what he called 'the hostile climate towards police use of force throughout the country'.
Just nine months later he would pull his gun to shoot and kill Hambrick as he ran away.
On November 4, 2017, Officer Delke was patrolling the north side of Nashville when a call came in from the owner of Caribbean Splash Reggae Cafe on Clarksville Pike.
The owner said a former employee was standing outside the cafe with a gun and called on cops to come immediately.
'The guy that worked in my place, he's on my property now with a big .45 gun in his pocket,' the man said.
'I need somebody to get this guy immediately.
'Please, I hope someone catches him, please.'
The former employee was said to be wearing a black hoodie and black pants and had an Afro and a beard. Several officers, including Delke, were dispatched to the scene.
Delke spotted a man who fit the description with his hands in his pockets. The rookie officer asked the man to show his hands twice but the man ran away and Delke radioed in: '11 — running. Male black. Black hoodie. Beard.'
Catching up with the suspect, Delke used his taser instead of his gun and arrested Terry Crowell, who it emerged had three outstanding warrants.
A few days after the arrest, Delke was called in by his supervisor Sgt. Matthew Boguskie for what the department called an 'informal counseling session', telling the officer that he would have been 'justified' to have pulled his gun on the suspect as per his training.
Delke responded that he didn't for a reason, namely 'the hostile climate towards police use of force throughout the country'.
He also told Boguskie that at the time he was thinking of Officer Josh Lippert, the former Nashville officer who shot Jocques Clemmons, a black man, after a traffic stop.
When the district attorney decided not to prosecute Lippert in this case, demonstrations and protests lasted for months calling on the department to fire anyway.
'I discussed with Officer Delke that we cannot allow outside factors to detract us from our training and what we know we should do in dangerous situations, particularly situations that could quickly rise to a deadly force situation,' Sgt. Boguskie said in the report.
In a memo sent later that month, North Precinct Cmdr. Terrence Graves agreed with the sergeant, and suggested more training across the force, but Metro police said that was never implemented.
Delke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of Daniel Hambrick, 25, who was shot from behind while running from officers in July 2018.
An arrest affidavit said Nashville officer Andrew Delke, 25, pulled into an apartment parking lot on July 26, 2018 after seeing a car he mistook for one he had been following in North Nashville.
Delke had been following a 'suspicious' white Chevrolet Impala initially stopped at a stop sign. He had run plates and found it was not a stolen vehicle. but followed it regardless 'to see if he could develop a reason to stop the Impala'.
Daniel Hambrick, also 25, was in the area at the time when Delke mistook his car for the Impala and pulled up in the parking lot. Hambrick began to run when he saw the cops and can be seen gunned down from behind on a surveillance video.
Delke shot Hambrick in the back, torso and the back of his head.
The case sparked an outcry that led to a November referendum approving the creation of a citizen oversight board for Nashville's police force.
Delke had been charged with criminal homicide, which includes murder, voluntary manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide but in January 2019 Judge Melissa Blackburn ruled that the evidence presented in a preliminary hearing showed that Hambrick's behavior 'certainly didn't justify (Delke's) use of lethal force', the Tennessean reported.
The grand jurors selected first-degree murder, showing they believe a premeditated illegal killing was committed by the police officer.
A trial has been set to begin March 16.
It's the first time a Nashville officer will face a murder charge for killing someone in the line of duty, WPLN News reported.
Hambrick's family is suing Delke and the city of Nashville for $30 million.
By Frances Mulraney and Associated Press
Daily Mail
January 28, 2020
Newly revealed police records show a rookie white Nashville police officer charged with fatally shooting an armed black man who was running away had been reprimanded by supervisors months earlier for not shooting another armed suspect in a similar case.
Officer Andrew Delke, 26, will soon stand trial for first-degree murder in the shooting of Daniel Hambrick, 25, in July 2018. He will be the first Nashville police officer to face a murder charge for killing someone in the line of duty.
Nine months before Delke shot and killed Hambrick, supervisors gave the rookie officer an 'informal counseling session' and told him he should have drawn his gun in a similar case involving an armed black man running away.
Delke had been on the force for about a year when he used a stun gun to arrest an armed suspect, Terry Crowell, who ran from him in November 2017, WPLN News reports.
His supervisor Sgt. Matthew Boguskie later held an 'informal counseling session' with Delke, stating that his should have used his firearm.
Delke told the sergeant that he didn't pull his service weapon because of what he called 'the hostile climate towards police use of force throughout the country'.
Just nine months later he would pull his gun to shoot and kill Hambrick as he ran away.
On November 4, 2017, Officer Delke was patrolling the north side of Nashville when a call came in from the owner of Caribbean Splash Reggae Cafe on Clarksville Pike.
The owner said a former employee was standing outside the cafe with a gun and called on cops to come immediately.
'The guy that worked in my place, he's on my property now with a big .45 gun in his pocket,' the man said.
'I need somebody to get this guy immediately.
'Please, I hope someone catches him, please.'
The former employee was said to be wearing a black hoodie and black pants and had an Afro and a beard. Several officers, including Delke, were dispatched to the scene.
Delke spotted a man who fit the description with his hands in his pockets. The rookie officer asked the man to show his hands twice but the man ran away and Delke radioed in: '11 — running. Male black. Black hoodie. Beard.'
Catching up with the suspect, Delke used his taser instead of his gun and arrested Terry Crowell, who it emerged had three outstanding warrants.
A few days after the arrest, Delke was called in by his supervisor Sgt. Matthew Boguskie for what the department called an 'informal counseling session', telling the officer that he would have been 'justified' to have pulled his gun on the suspect as per his training.
Delke responded that he didn't for a reason, namely 'the hostile climate towards police use of force throughout the country'.
He also told Boguskie that at the time he was thinking of Officer Josh Lippert, the former Nashville officer who shot Jocques Clemmons, a black man, after a traffic stop.
When the district attorney decided not to prosecute Lippert in this case, demonstrations and protests lasted for months calling on the department to fire anyway.
'I discussed with Officer Delke that we cannot allow outside factors to detract us from our training and what we know we should do in dangerous situations, particularly situations that could quickly rise to a deadly force situation,' Sgt. Boguskie said in the report.
In a memo sent later that month, North Precinct Cmdr. Terrence Graves agreed with the sergeant, and suggested more training across the force, but Metro police said that was never implemented.
Delke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of Daniel Hambrick, 25, who was shot from behind while running from officers in July 2018.
An arrest affidavit said Nashville officer Andrew Delke, 25, pulled into an apartment parking lot on July 26, 2018 after seeing a car he mistook for one he had been following in North Nashville.
Delke had been following a 'suspicious' white Chevrolet Impala initially stopped at a stop sign. He had run plates and found it was not a stolen vehicle. but followed it regardless 'to see if he could develop a reason to stop the Impala'.
Daniel Hambrick, also 25, was in the area at the time when Delke mistook his car for the Impala and pulled up in the parking lot. Hambrick began to run when he saw the cops and can be seen gunned down from behind on a surveillance video.
Delke shot Hambrick in the back, torso and the back of his head.
The case sparked an outcry that led to a November referendum approving the creation of a citizen oversight board for Nashville's police force.
Delke had been charged with criminal homicide, which includes murder, voluntary manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide but in January 2019 Judge Melissa Blackburn ruled that the evidence presented in a preliminary hearing showed that Hambrick's behavior 'certainly didn't justify (Delke's) use of lethal force', the Tennessean reported.
The grand jurors selected first-degree murder, showing they believe a premeditated illegal killing was committed by the police officer.
A trial has been set to begin March 16.
It's the first time a Nashville officer will face a murder charge for killing someone in the line of duty, WPLN News reported.
Hambrick's family is suing Delke and the city of Nashville for $30 million.
ONE MORE GOOD REASON ISRAELIS SHOULD REELECT NETANYAHU
Donald ‘Adolf’ Trump: Benny Gantz Advisor’s Social Media Tirades Against President Surface
By Deborah Danan
Breitbart
January 27, 2020
TEL AVIV – The senior advisor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief political rival, Benny Gantz, called President Donald Trump a “psychopath” and compared him to Hitler in a shocking series of past tweets unearthed ahead of a meeting between the Blue and White leader and Trump on Monday.
Ronen Tzur accompanied Gantz to Washington to meet with Trump on Monday in what is expected to be a confab about the imminent unveiling of the American president’s much-anticipated “deal of the century” for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
However, if his past tweets are anything to go by, Tzur was far from enthralled at the prospects of meeting Trump.
In an August 2017 tweet, Tzur wrote, “Barack Hussein Obama is out, Donald Adolf Trump is in. Dying to know who’s next.”
Tzur’s tweet from the previous year declared: “Trump’s next book: Mein Trumpf”
In another tweet posted shortly after Trump took office, Tzur wrote, “Trump’s election proves that the world has not suffered through a painful enough war for years.”
A Tzur tweet from May 2018 states, “2 approaches to leadership now clashing fiercely: Obama and Clinton’s psychological approach and Trump and Putin’s psychopathic approach.”
In another tweet from May 2017, Tzur wrote, “The most surprising thing about Trump is only one thing was leaked to the Russians until now.”
In yet another tirade two months later, Tzur wrote: “Tonight at the White House: The Elimination Episode.” The Hebrew word for elimination is the same as impeachment.
Incredibly, Tzur didn’t see it fit to delete the tweets before accompanying Gantz to meet the president.
He released a statement two hours prior to the meeting with Trump apparently referring to Likud members and supporters as a cult.
“Seeing that some members of the cult have gotten overexcited at some tweets from past years I will clarify: There were certain issues that I thought differently about from the president (not that it matters to anyone).
“In the meantime it seems that [Trump] is the most courageous of all American presidents, and the most significant with regard to Israel’s security needs in recent generations and together with millions of Israelis I salute him.”
A source from Likud did not mince words and said that the fiasco only highlighted how unfit Gantz was for the job of prime minister.
“Benny Gantz displayed massive political ignorance and irresponsibility when he brought with him to the White House his aide Ronen Tzur who called the U.S. president ‘Donald Adolf Trump’ and posted a long list of tweets against him on social media networks,” the Likud source said.
“Let’s hope that Gantz’s irresponsible behavior does not hurt Israel’s national interests when facing the U.S. government,” the source added.
This is not the first controversy involving the Blue and White party’s anti-Trump sentiment.
Breitbart Jerusalem reported last week that members of Blue and White signed a letter in 2015 aimed at pressing Netanyahu to cancel a meeting with then-presidential hopeful Trump. The letter in question demanded the Israeli prime minister cancel a December 2015 meeting with Trump over the latter’s “disgraceful racism” with his so-called “Muslim travel ban” campaign promise.
By Deborah Danan
Breitbart
January 27, 2020
TEL AVIV – The senior advisor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief political rival, Benny Gantz, called President Donald Trump a “psychopath” and compared him to Hitler in a shocking series of past tweets unearthed ahead of a meeting between the Blue and White leader and Trump on Monday.
Ronen Tzur accompanied Gantz to Washington to meet with Trump on Monday in what is expected to be a confab about the imminent unveiling of the American president’s much-anticipated “deal of the century” for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
However, if his past tweets are anything to go by, Tzur was far from enthralled at the prospects of meeting Trump.
In an August 2017 tweet, Tzur wrote, “Barack Hussein Obama is out, Donald Adolf Trump is in. Dying to know who’s next.”
Tzur’s tweet from the previous year declared: “Trump’s next book: Mein Trumpf”
In another tweet posted shortly after Trump took office, Tzur wrote, “Trump’s election proves that the world has not suffered through a painful enough war for years.”
A Tzur tweet from May 2018 states, “2 approaches to leadership now clashing fiercely: Obama and Clinton’s psychological approach and Trump and Putin’s psychopathic approach.”
In another tweet from May 2017, Tzur wrote, “The most surprising thing about Trump is only one thing was leaked to the Russians until now.”
In yet another tirade two months later, Tzur wrote: “Tonight at the White House: The Elimination Episode.” The Hebrew word for elimination is the same as impeachment.
Incredibly, Tzur didn’t see it fit to delete the tweets before accompanying Gantz to meet the president.
He released a statement two hours prior to the meeting with Trump apparently referring to Likud members and supporters as a cult.
“Seeing that some members of the cult have gotten overexcited at some tweets from past years I will clarify: There were certain issues that I thought differently about from the president (not that it matters to anyone).
“In the meantime it seems that [Trump] is the most courageous of all American presidents, and the most significant with regard to Israel’s security needs in recent generations and together with millions of Israelis I salute him.”
A source from Likud did not mince words and said that the fiasco only highlighted how unfit Gantz was for the job of prime minister.
“Benny Gantz displayed massive political ignorance and irresponsibility when he brought with him to the White House his aide Ronen Tzur who called the U.S. president ‘Donald Adolf Trump’ and posted a long list of tweets against him on social media networks,” the Likud source said.
“Let’s hope that Gantz’s irresponsible behavior does not hurt Israel’s national interests when facing the U.S. government,” the source added.
This is not the first controversy involving the Blue and White party’s anti-Trump sentiment.
Breitbart Jerusalem reported last week that members of Blue and White signed a letter in 2015 aimed at pressing Netanyahu to cancel a meeting with then-presidential hopeful Trump. The letter in question demanded the Israeli prime minister cancel a December 2015 meeting with Trump over the latter’s “disgraceful racism” with his so-called “Muslim travel ban” campaign promise.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
BEING A FATHER DEFINED KOBE BRYANT IN A WAY BASKETBALL NEVER COULD
Beyond the basketball court was Kobe Bryant the father
By Ed Graney
Las Vegas Review-Journal
January 26, 2020
MIAMI — My daughter got into her preferred college sorority Sunday. She texted me with the news and a picture of the bid and a heart emoji.
I wasn’t thrilled, never a fan of the level of anxiety and sadness such a selective process causes some.
But she has never been happier.
So I texted her back a heart emoji and told her how proud I was of her.
Because she’s my daughter, and I love her unconditionally.
A few hours later, upon landing here to begin covering Super Bowl week, news had broken about the helicopter crash that took the life of NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
Soon after, we learned that his daughter, 13-year-old Gianna, was with him and also perished.
And that the lives of one of her travel ball teammates and that child’s parents were also taken.
And that nine souls in all were lost.
And all I could think about were those heart emojis.
Damn, it’s true. We never really do know the love of a parent until we become one ourselves.
It’s why, while the basketball accomplishments of Bryant will be universally celebrated, his post-career relationship with his daughters fascinated me far more than any Mamba-type hoops domination.
He and wife Vanessa had four girls, ages 17 and 13 and 3 and not yet 1. And while few in sports history owned Bryant’s cutthroat competitive nature, fatherhood seemed to soften him.
It gave him a purpose beyond the adulation.
It fed his drive when the game was gone, and yet allowed him to share his love of it with his children.
And no one loved it more than Bryant. No one.
Mostly, being a father defined him in a way basketball never could.
It made him, well, more human.
We know of his off-court transgressions, of being accused of rape in 2003 and the case ultimately being dropped when his accuser refused to testify. We know about the civil suit and out-of-court settlement and public apology that followed.
You can’t tell his story without all the good and bad.
Anyone’s story, really.
But the most wonderful and indelible images of Bryant were with his girls, him posting pictures across social media of them playing basketball or volleyball, of performing ballet, of his eldest preparing to attend a high school dance.
I can’t count the number of snapshots we saw of Bryant and Gianna, his GiGi, sitting at basketball games, their smiles wide enough to fill all the courts in the world as father explained to daughter those minute details that he mastered like so few.
She was the baller, talented beyond her years, more like him than anyone.
She would also correct others when they told Bryant he needed to have a son to carry on his basketball legacy.
“I’ve got that,” GiGi would say.
And each of those pictures becomes more heartbreaking than the next now.
“We all want our kids to be the best version of themselves and dream as big as they can to reach their highest potential,” Bryant tweeted last September. “But chasing a dream takes a lot of courage. That’s what I want kids to learn by reading these novels.”
He spoke of the book, “Legacy and the Queen,” a creation of his about the kingdom of Nova and a 12-year old tennis player named Legacy who spent long days taking care of other kids at an orphanage.
In it, Legacy must rise above others who have been afforded the advantage of magic, using just her passion for the game and work ethic to overcome all competitors.
Sound like someone?
Send those emojis
It was another way for Bryant to teach his daughters about the traits that defined his own greatness, ones he hoped they would embrace most when facing life’s adversity.
Spouses and siblings and friends and family are left behind to grieve now, the pieces of such an unfathomable tragedy scattered in a million places. Nine souls.
Kobe Bryant will surely be named as part of the 2020 Hall of Fame class.
What a loss, not hearing him speak about what his wife and four girls meant to him when accepting the honor.
But he is gone at 41. It doesn’t feel real.
Most will remember the historic player, the author, the philanthropist, the venture capital businessman, the Academy Award and Emmy winner, the Mamba in all his glory.
I will remember the father.
My daughter got into a sorority Sunday. I wasn’t all that thrilled.
But, man, I’m going to drive her crazy with all the heart emojis to come.
To all parents, do yourself a favor: Never, ever stop sending them.
By Ed Graney
Las Vegas Review-Journal
January 26, 2020
MIAMI — My daughter got into her preferred college sorority Sunday. She texted me with the news and a picture of the bid and a heart emoji.
I wasn’t thrilled, never a fan of the level of anxiety and sadness such a selective process causes some.
But she has never been happier.
So I texted her back a heart emoji and told her how proud I was of her.
Because she’s my daughter, and I love her unconditionally.
A few hours later, upon landing here to begin covering Super Bowl week, news had broken about the helicopter crash that took the life of NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
Soon after, we learned that his daughter, 13-year-old Gianna, was with him and also perished.
And that the lives of one of her travel ball teammates and that child’s parents were also taken.
And that nine souls in all were lost.
And all I could think about were those heart emojis.
Damn, it’s true. We never really do know the love of a parent until we become one ourselves.
It’s why, while the basketball accomplishments of Bryant will be universally celebrated, his post-career relationship with his daughters fascinated me far more than any Mamba-type hoops domination.
He and wife Vanessa had four girls, ages 17 and 13 and 3 and not yet 1. And while few in sports history owned Bryant’s cutthroat competitive nature, fatherhood seemed to soften him.
It gave him a purpose beyond the adulation.
It fed his drive when the game was gone, and yet allowed him to share his love of it with his children.
And no one loved it more than Bryant. No one.
Mostly, being a father defined him in a way basketball never could.
It made him, well, more human.
We know of his off-court transgressions, of being accused of rape in 2003 and the case ultimately being dropped when his accuser refused to testify. We know about the civil suit and out-of-court settlement and public apology that followed.
You can’t tell his story without all the good and bad.
Anyone’s story, really.
But the most wonderful and indelible images of Bryant were with his girls, him posting pictures across social media of them playing basketball or volleyball, of performing ballet, of his eldest preparing to attend a high school dance.
I can’t count the number of snapshots we saw of Bryant and Gianna, his GiGi, sitting at basketball games, their smiles wide enough to fill all the courts in the world as father explained to daughter those minute details that he mastered like so few.
She was the baller, talented beyond her years, more like him than anyone.
She would also correct others when they told Bryant he needed to have a son to carry on his basketball legacy.
“I’ve got that,” GiGi would say.
And each of those pictures becomes more heartbreaking than the next now.
“We all want our kids to be the best version of themselves and dream as big as they can to reach their highest potential,” Bryant tweeted last September. “But chasing a dream takes a lot of courage. That’s what I want kids to learn by reading these novels.”
He spoke of the book, “Legacy and the Queen,” a creation of his about the kingdom of Nova and a 12-year old tennis player named Legacy who spent long days taking care of other kids at an orphanage.
In it, Legacy must rise above others who have been afforded the advantage of magic, using just her passion for the game and work ethic to overcome all competitors.
Sound like someone?
Send those emojis
It was another way for Bryant to teach his daughters about the traits that defined his own greatness, ones he hoped they would embrace most when facing life’s adversity.
Spouses and siblings and friends and family are left behind to grieve now, the pieces of such an unfathomable tragedy scattered in a million places. Nine souls.
Kobe Bryant will surely be named as part of the 2020 Hall of Fame class.
What a loss, not hearing him speak about what his wife and four girls meant to him when accepting the honor.
But he is gone at 41. It doesn’t feel real.
Most will remember the historic player, the author, the philanthropist, the venture capital businessman, the Academy Award and Emmy winner, the Mamba in all his glory.
I will remember the father.
My daughter got into a sorority Sunday. I wasn’t all that thrilled.
But, man, I’m going to drive her crazy with all the heart emojis to come.
To all parents, do yourself a favor: Never, ever stop sending them.
FEELING THE BURN ?
by Bob Walsh
Competent polling is now showing Bernie in the lead by a decent amount in Iowa and New Hampshire and at #2 but within the margin of error in Nevada. (Nobody really expects a huge showing from him in South Carolina but you never know, they were not expecting him to do well in Nevada either as Hispanics are not noted to be Socialists when they have a choice.
Wouldn't it be a blast if he actually got the nod ?
Competent polling is now showing Bernie in the lead by a decent amount in Iowa and New Hampshire and at #2 but within the margin of error in Nevada. (Nobody really expects a huge showing from him in South Carolina but you never know, they were not expecting him to do well in Nevada either as Hispanics are not noted to be Socialists when they have a choice.
Wouldn't it be a blast if he actually got the nod ?
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE
by Bob Walsh
China is now copping to 105 dead and over 80,000 known infected. US public health officials are saying (off the record) that they are afraid that the commies are seriously under-reporting for political reasons.
China is now copping to 105 dead and over 80,000 known infected. US public health officials are saying (off the record) that they are afraid that the commies are seriously under-reporting for political reasons.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
by Bob Walsh
In 1547 Henry VIII kicked the bucket.
In 1915 the U. S. Coast Guard was created by act of congress. It was at the time part of the military establishment.
In 1973 the Vietnam War officially ended with the signing of the Paris Accords.
In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off, killing all aboard.
In 1547 Henry VIII kicked the bucket.
In 1915 the U. S. Coast Guard was created by act of congress. It was at the time part of the military establishment.
In 1973 the Vietnam War officially ended with the signing of the Paris Accords.
In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off, killing all aboard.
LOOKS LIKE CALIFORNIA IS MOVING AHEAD WITH DRUG PLAN
by Bob Walsh
It looks like the formerly great state of California is moving ahead with its plan to have its own drug label to reduce drug costs. One of the first items on the list is insulin. It will not be possible for the state to actually manufacture insulin due to lots of regulatory and technical concerns, but they believe that they can create their own drug label and hire an existing manufacturer and buy and distribute in bulk, thereby cutting out a lot of the profit in the distribution stream.
I have no idea if this will work or not. State governments are not known for flexible, efficent operations but Gavin Newsom might have a good idea here. It is certainly worth a shot.
It looks like the formerly great state of California is moving ahead with its plan to have its own drug label to reduce drug costs. One of the first items on the list is insulin. It will not be possible for the state to actually manufacture insulin due to lots of regulatory and technical concerns, but they believe that they can create their own drug label and hire an existing manufacturer and buy and distribute in bulk, thereby cutting out a lot of the profit in the distribution stream.
I have no idea if this will work or not. State governments are not known for flexible, efficent operations but Gavin Newsom might have a good idea here. It is certainly worth a shot.
PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO CARRY OUT YOUR THREAT TO STRIKE BACK?
Rockets Hit US Embassy in Baghdad, 3 Wounded
Asharq Al-Awsat
January 27, 2020
BAGHDAD -- Three rockets slammed into the US embassy in Iraq's capital on Sunday in the first direct hit reported after months of close calls.
“Mortars or rockets have hit our compound,” a US diplomat in Baghdad, who refused to be identified, told Asharq Al-Awast.
One rocket hit an embassy cafeteria at dinner time while two others landed nearby, a security source told Agence France Presse.
A senior Iraqi official told AFP at least one person was wounded, but it was not immediately clear how serious the injuries were and whether the person was an American national or an Iraqi staff member working at the mission.
Reuters said three people were wounded.
The US State Department called on Iraq late Sunday to "fulfil its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities".
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and Speaker Mohammed Halbusi both condemned the incident, saying it risked dragging their homeland into war.
Iraq has already been dragged into a worrying tit-for-tat between the United States and Iran over the last month.
A similar attack on a northern Iraqi base killed an American contractor, and the US retaliated with a strike on an Iran-backed faction known as Kataeb Hezbollah.
Less than a week later, a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani outside the Baghdad airport -- prompting Iran to fire ballistic missiles at an Iraqi base where US troops are stationed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: 34 US troops wounded in air base attack and now the rocket strike on our Baghdad embassy. Was Trump’s warning just bluster?
Asharq Al-Awsat
January 27, 2020
BAGHDAD -- Three rockets slammed into the US embassy in Iraq's capital on Sunday in the first direct hit reported after months of close calls.
“Mortars or rockets have hit our compound,” a US diplomat in Baghdad, who refused to be identified, told Asharq Al-Awast.
One rocket hit an embassy cafeteria at dinner time while two others landed nearby, a security source told Agence France Presse.
A senior Iraqi official told AFP at least one person was wounded, but it was not immediately clear how serious the injuries were and whether the person was an American national or an Iraqi staff member working at the mission.
Reuters said three people were wounded.
The US State Department called on Iraq late Sunday to "fulfil its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities".
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and Speaker Mohammed Halbusi both condemned the incident, saying it risked dragging their homeland into war.
Iraq has already been dragged into a worrying tit-for-tat between the United States and Iran over the last month.
A similar attack on a northern Iraqi base killed an American contractor, and the US retaliated with a strike on an Iran-backed faction known as Kataeb Hezbollah.
Less than a week later, a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani outside the Baghdad airport -- prompting Iran to fire ballistic missiles at an Iraqi base where US troops are stationed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: 34 US troops wounded in air base attack and now the rocket strike on our Baghdad embassy. Was Trump’s warning just bluster?
OUR LONGEST WAR GOES ON
Taliban says it has brought down U.S. military plane in Afghanistan
Reuters
January 27, 2020
KABUL -- The Taliban said it had shot down a U.S. military plane in the central Afghan province of Ghazni on Monday, killing all personnel on board.
“The plane, which was on an intelligence mission, was brought down in Sado Khel area of Deh Yak district of Ghazni province,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said in a statement, adding that everyone on board, including high ranking officers, had been killed.
A senior defense official investigating the crash said no senior U.S. official was killed and added that they were still investigating the cause of the crash. No one from the U.S. military was immediately available for comment.
Reuters
January 27, 2020
KABUL -- The Taliban said it had shot down a U.S. military plane in the central Afghan province of Ghazni on Monday, killing all personnel on board.
“The plane, which was on an intelligence mission, was brought down in Sado Khel area of Deh Yak district of Ghazni province,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said in a statement, adding that everyone on board, including high ranking officers, had been killed.
A senior defense official investigating the crash said no senior U.S. official was killed and added that they were still investigating the cause of the crash. No one from the U.S. military was immediately available for comment.
ANY ULTRA ORTHODOX JEW WHO REFUSES TO SERVE IN THE IDF SHOULD BE KICKED OUT OF ISRAEL
Good Morning, Israel: It Stinks
By Dov Eilon
Israel Today
January 27, 2020
Boker Tov dear readers!
It stinks here! No, I’m not angry. It really stinks at the entrance to the city.
As soon as I got off the bus this morning, an extremely foul odor greeted me. I knew immediately from where it came. Yesterday, there was once again chaos at the entrance to Jerusalem. A number of buses did not arrive and left many people stranded at the Central Bus Station, frustrated after a long day at work.
The reason? The ultra-Orthodox were again demonstrating against moves in the government to draft them into mandatory military service, like every other Israeli Jew.
The Police had responded with blue “skunk” water to break up the disruption to public transportation.
Jews fighting Jews
This group is known as the “Jerusalem Faction,” in Hebrew HaPeleg HaJerushalmi. The reason for it’s actions yesterday was the recent arrest of the son of a well-known rabbi of Ethiopian origin for failing to respond to his military conscription letter. The letter was most likely just a summons to appear at the recruitment office to be told that, like most yeshiva students, he was exempt from service.
But that’s not good enough for this group. They demand full and automatic exemption. And as long as they don’t get it, they refuse to cooperate with the IDF in any way.
The result was yet again ugly images of Jews fighting Jews.
And, of course, the near collapse of public transportation into and out of the city.
I should have taken the train
I had gone to the bus stop just like every other day, certain of soon catching my bus and arriving home to Modi’in at a decent hour. But the bus never came. Nor the one after, or the one after that. Each would appear briefly on the schedule board, only to disappear.
I decided to try a different bus line from a different bus company, and got lucky. After about 30 minutes, I was already at the entrance to Modi’in.
I had gotten out just in time. The situation in Jerusalem deteriorated further and traffic came to a complete standstill. I should have just taken the train yesterday, even if doing so requires a detour via the airport. Next time I won’t let the demonstrators hold me hostage in the city.
A constant annoyance
The situation is a constant annoyance for average Israelis.
Our youngest son will start his army service in just under four weeks. We never once considered trying to get out of it. Why is service to the state a matter of course for us, while other groups will literally fight to avoid it?
Yes, in my opinion, even the very Orthodox Jews should likewise do something for their country, for their fellow citizens. I understand that they are studying the Torah, and that is also important, because we still stand today thanks to our faith.
But I think everyone should also make the time and effort to tangibly serve the nation. A one-year social service program would be a good start. Rejecting any kind of service to the state in such an aggressive way while others risk their lives to protect us all is simply intolerable.
It makes me sad that we have this division in our society, among us Jews. How can we make peace with others if we can’t make peace among ourselves?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Blue skunk water. What a great police crowd control weapon. That’s what we need here in the US to break up unruly crowds.
By Dov Eilon
Israel Today
January 27, 2020
Boker Tov dear readers!
It stinks here! No, I’m not angry. It really stinks at the entrance to the city.
As soon as I got off the bus this morning, an extremely foul odor greeted me. I knew immediately from where it came. Yesterday, there was once again chaos at the entrance to Jerusalem. A number of buses did not arrive and left many people stranded at the Central Bus Station, frustrated after a long day at work.
The reason? The ultra-Orthodox were again demonstrating against moves in the government to draft them into mandatory military service, like every other Israeli Jew.
The Police had responded with blue “skunk” water to break up the disruption to public transportation.
Jews fighting Jews
This group is known as the “Jerusalem Faction,” in Hebrew HaPeleg HaJerushalmi. The reason for it’s actions yesterday was the recent arrest of the son of a well-known rabbi of Ethiopian origin for failing to respond to his military conscription letter. The letter was most likely just a summons to appear at the recruitment office to be told that, like most yeshiva students, he was exempt from service.
But that’s not good enough for this group. They demand full and automatic exemption. And as long as they don’t get it, they refuse to cooperate with the IDF in any way.
The result was yet again ugly images of Jews fighting Jews.
And, of course, the near collapse of public transportation into and out of the city.
I should have taken the train
I had gone to the bus stop just like every other day, certain of soon catching my bus and arriving home to Modi’in at a decent hour. But the bus never came. Nor the one after, or the one after that. Each would appear briefly on the schedule board, only to disappear.
I decided to try a different bus line from a different bus company, and got lucky. After about 30 minutes, I was already at the entrance to Modi’in.
I had gotten out just in time. The situation in Jerusalem deteriorated further and traffic came to a complete standstill. I should have just taken the train yesterday, even if doing so requires a detour via the airport. Next time I won’t let the demonstrators hold me hostage in the city.
A constant annoyance
The situation is a constant annoyance for average Israelis.
Our youngest son will start his army service in just under four weeks. We never once considered trying to get out of it. Why is service to the state a matter of course for us, while other groups will literally fight to avoid it?
Yes, in my opinion, even the very Orthodox Jews should likewise do something for their country, for their fellow citizens. I understand that they are studying the Torah, and that is also important, because we still stand today thanks to our faith.
But I think everyone should also make the time and effort to tangibly serve the nation. A one-year social service program would be a good start. Rejecting any kind of service to the state in such an aggressive way while others risk their lives to protect us all is simply intolerable.
It makes me sad that we have this division in our society, among us Jews. How can we make peace with others if we can’t make peace among ourselves?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Blue skunk water. What a great police crowd control weapon. That’s what we need here in the US to break up unruly crowds.
ISIS LEADERR WANTS TO CONQUER ISRAEL AND TURN IT INTO FIELDS FOR ARMS EXPERIMENTS
ISIS orders militants to begin conquering Israeli settlements and start targeting Jews
By Ryan Fahey
Daily Mail
January 27, 2020
The head of ISIS has called on militants to begin conquering Israeli settlements and to start targeting Jews.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, the leader of the Islamic State, directed the organisation's remaining militants to wage a campaign of terror against Israel and Jews, according to the Israeli public broadcasting corporation.
Al-Quraishi said that combatants, especially those in Sinai and Syria, should turn their focus to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, reconquer the land, and turn it into fields for arms experiments.
Despite the defeat of the ISIS caliphate in December 2018, the Islamist's are still operational in areas of Sinai, Syria and Iraq.
In his statement, al-Quraishi commanded that Muslims across the globe derail US President Donald Trump's Middle East 'peace plan'.
Four days after the suicide of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi when he was cornered by a US tactical operation in October last year, an Islamic State radio message confirmed al-Baghdadi's successor as al-Quraishi.
According to the Guardian, al-Quraishi played a pivotal role in the genocide and enslavement of the Yazidi minority in Iraq.
By Ryan Fahey
Daily Mail
January 27, 2020
The head of ISIS has called on militants to begin conquering Israeli settlements and to start targeting Jews.
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, the leader of the Islamic State, directed the organisation's remaining militants to wage a campaign of terror against Israel and Jews, according to the Israeli public broadcasting corporation.
Al-Quraishi said that combatants, especially those in Sinai and Syria, should turn their focus to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, reconquer the land, and turn it into fields for arms experiments.
Despite the defeat of the ISIS caliphate in December 2018, the Islamist's are still operational in areas of Sinai, Syria and Iraq.
In his statement, al-Quraishi commanded that Muslims across the globe derail US President Donald Trump's Middle East 'peace plan'.
Four days after the suicide of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi when he was cornered by a US tactical operation in October last year, an Islamic State radio message confirmed al-Baghdadi's successor as al-Quraishi.
According to the Guardian, al-Quraishi played a pivotal role in the genocide and enslavement of the Yazidi minority in Iraq.
THE COMPANY OF SECOND CHANCES
At Nehemiah Manufacturing, workers with a criminal past are the norm. But the company has learned that giving someone a job is just half the battle
By Ruth Simon
The Wall Street Journal
January 25, 2020
CINCINNATI—While some companies try to attract and keep employees with yoga classes and lavish cafeterias, Nehemiah Manufacturing Co.’s perks include a social-service team and an attorney.
When two consumer-product veterans started Nehemiah a decade ago, their idea was to create more opportunities in a struggling part of Cincinnati. Increasingly, that meant hiring people who had a particularly hard time finding jobs: those with criminal backgrounds.
Now, workers with criminal records make up around 80% of the company’s about 180 employees—and Nehemiah has learned that offering a job to people trying to turn their lives around is just half the battle.
“We are investing in our employees in order to retain them,” said Richard Palmer, president of Nehemiah, whose brands include Boogie Wipes, Saline Soothers and other consumer products. “It’s no different than tech companies bringing in lunch and a foosball table.”
In one of the tightest labor markets in decades, more employers are willing to give ex-convicts a chance, trying to marry business needs and good intentions. Even large American companies are rethinking whether their responsibilities extend beyond their shareholders. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive James Dimon said in October that the bank would step up efforts to recruit people with criminal backgrounds.
Hiring people with a criminal past can pay big dividends for companies, such as closer community ties and a loyal workforce. But keeping them on the job can be a struggle.
Gina Johnson, 56
Before Nehemiah hired her, Ms. Johnson was in and out of prison. Nehemiah helped her find housing, clean up her credit record and set a budget. Having a steady job has helped her rebuild her relationship with her children. ‘I never knew what a goal was until I got here,’ she says.
Rayshun Holt, 40
When Mr. Holt was 15, he fatally shot a friend during a scuffle. During two decades in prison, he started taking classes and coaching other prisoners. Released in 2016, he was ‘filled with hope and overwhelmed by fear.’ He struggled to find steady work. Nehemiah hired him as a second-shift supervisor at $19 an hour.
Michael Taylor, 37
‘I wanted to make a change,’ says Mr. Taylor, Nehemiah’s operations manager who has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and was jailed for burglary. Nehemiah employees support each other, he says. ‘We tell our stories; we show our scars...I will tell my story a million times if it helps one person.’
Privately held Nehemiah started hiring workers with a criminal record in 2011, about a year and a half after launch, at the request of a local nonprofit. The experiment got off to a rocky start. Many workers continued to struggle with substance abuse or mental illness; some were homeless, the company says.
“We didn’t understand all of the challenges,” says Dan Meyer, Nehemiah’s chief executive and veteran of Procter & Gamble Co. and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Employees showed up one day, only to disappear the next.
At a loss, Nehemiah enlisted the support of a social-service worker to help employees with anything from finding housing to staying clean.
“They were thinking that providing jobs would fix things,” said Dana Merida, who initially provided social services for Nehemiah employees a few hours a week and now heads the company’s three-person social-service team. But some of them would take a break and never come back, she said. “If you are homeless, couch surfing, how productive can you be?”
Karrie Norgren, a 26-year-old recovering heroin addict, said she wasn’t reliable when she first joined Nehemiah in 2018. “Old habits were starting to form,” she said. But “something clicked” after she missed three days of work and Ms. Merida sat her down for a chat. She now runs a small team of employees as a line captain.
Ms. Merida said that Ms. Norgren would have lost her job if she hadn’t shown more commitment to changing her path.
Gina Johnson, 56 years old, has a seventh-grade education and was in and out of prison for drug-related crimes. Nehemiah helped her find housing, clean up her credit record and set a budget. She now runs a team that fulfills Amazon orders for items from Nehemiah and other companies.
“I never knew what a goal was until I got here,” Ms. Johnson said. She spent seven months as a temporary Nehemiah worker before being taken on full time. “It was the best feeling in the world,” she said.
Having a steady job has helped her rebuild her relationship with her children, who were raised by her sister and grandmother. Her oldest daughter is now helping her study to obtain her GED. “It’s good for the kids to say they are proud of me,” she said.
Since its first days, Nehemiah has become more deliberate about identifying candidates who are likely to be good, reliable employees and has developed a more formal system for providing them with support.
Today, Nehemiah’s annual turnover stands at roughly 15%, well below the 38.5% average for consumer-products companies, as reported by Mercer’s 2019 U.S. Turnover Survey. Nehemiah says it had operating income of $5.7 million on sales of $59.4 million in 2018.
Even among companies embracing so-called second-chance hiring, Nehemiah is unusual, with a workforce where a criminal past is the norm rather than the exception.
“We found that the population we were hiring who had criminal backgrounds were our most loyal people,” said Mr. Palmer. “When we were looking for people to work overtime, come in on Saturday or go that extra mile, it was the second-chance population that was saying, ‘I’m in.’”
Nehemiah’s approach to hiring only works if the entire company is committed to it, from the chief executive down, said Matt Mooney, a vice president with nonprofit Cincinnati Works, which helps people with criminal records find work and navigate barriers to self-sufficiency. “If you have front-line supervisors who are not comfortable, it will collapse,” he said.
At Nehemiah, having a criminal past carries less of a stigma because so many workers have been incarcerated. Employers with a more traditional workforce must grapple with what, if any, information about employees’ backgrounds to share with managers and others.
“We don’t put a red star on their names,” said Fred Keller, founder and chair of Cascade Engineering Inc., a privately held Grand Rapids, Mich., contract manufacturer with about 1,700 employees that has hired people with criminal records for more than two decades. “We believe it’s important to treat them the same as everybody else.” Cascade uses a local nonprofit that assists workers with criminal records or other challenges.
Companies also have different tolerances for the types of crimes they are willing to look beyond: More employers are comfortable overlooking minor drug offenses but not violent crimes, or sexual offenses. Nehemiah can’t hire sex offenders because its facility is near a school.
Nehemiah’s hiring process typically includes a session with a member of the social-service team who scrutinizes applicants’ histories and current support systems. Applicants also sign a release that allows the team to contact the agencies that provide them with housing, drug treatment or other support.
Only half of applicants make it through that initial screening, according to the company. Those that do are taken on as temporary workers and assigned a job coach who helps them understand employer expectations. They typically spend a week or more in a job-readiness program that includes classes on how to create a résumé, interview for a job and manage in the workplace. After a probation period of three to six months or so, about 60% of the temp workers are elevated to full-time employees.
“There’s a misconception that Nehemiah will hire anybody,” said Mr. Palmer. “No, we won’t. If we bring on somebody who is not ready to work, it will impact our operations.”
Conversely, Nehemiah’s approach also means it can spot potential other employers might overlook. When Rayshun Holt came to Nehemiah roughly two years ago, Ms. Merida said he immediately stood out as someone the company wanted.
Mr. Holt, 40, spent two decades in prison after fatally shooting a friend when he was 15 during what he describes as a scuffle over a gun. While in prison, Mr. Holt reconnected to his faith, started taking classes and began coaching other prisoners on how to turn their lives around.
Released in 2016 with $96 in his pocket, he said, “I was filled with hope and overwhelmed by fear.” His first job was in a fast-food restaurant specializing in chicken fingers. “I was the oldest person there and the most enthusiastic. It was the first time in my life I was earning an honest check,” he said.
But he struggled to find steady work with decent pay. Nehemiah hired him as a second-shift supervisor at $19 an hour.
Ms. Merida said she was impressed by Mr. Holt’s passion, humility and sincerity when he told his life story, how he knew the streets but had already taken steps to turn his life around. “I knew this was a born leader who could really have a profound impact on our employees,” said Ms. Merida. “He could show them that no matter how bad it is, your life isn’t over.”
Mr. Holt now works as the company’s commercialization coordinator, responsible for taking new products and product improvements from concept to market.
Nehemiah spends about $120,000 a year on its social-service team, not including the standard human-resources tasks the team also handles. It donates about $150,000 a year to nonprofits including City Gospel Mission, which sends job candidates to Nehemiah and provides drug-treatment classes and rehab programs to the company’s employees.
Other expenses include about $15,000 for the services of an attorney who helps workers with legal issues such as getting criminal records expunged or navigating bankruptcy proceedings and about $50,000 for continuing education. The company owns four apartment units it rents out to employees at half of market rates; it hopes to add more in the next few years.
“Can I cut some of this stuff and make a little more money? I sure don’t want to,” said Mr. Meyer. “This is a business model about a social enterprise making money.”
In their previous lives, Mr. Meyer had sold a business he founded to a private-equity company; part of Mr. Palmer’s work had focused on economic development. Both wanted to bring manufacturing jobs, which had moved to the suburbs, back to the city and partner with social-service agencies as a way to allow people a chance to work their way out of poverty.
Their Christian beliefs were a motivator; the pair named the company Nehemiah after an Old Testament prophet who helped rebuild Jerusalem. A family member’s struggles with substance abuse has also shaped Mr. Meyer’s willingness to offer workers more than one chance.
Government support, such as federal tax credits for hiring workers who face barriers to employment, has been minimal, the company says, but $300,000 in state funding helped lower the cost of building a new 183,000-square-foot facility, which opened last year in a ZIP Code where more than a third of residents live below the poverty line.
Jeffrey Korzenik, chief investment strategist for Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp, who has studied the practices of Nehemiah and other employers, says Nehemiah’s screening process is crucial for success. “For this to work on a business basis, not as charity, it requires selectivity in who is hired,” he said.
One job candidate had been drug-free for 25 days when he showed up at Nehemiah for an interview in the fall. “It was commendable; he had made changes,” said Basette Smith, a member of the social-service team. But Mr. Smith wasn’t ready to make him an offer. “I wanted a more stable history of treatments,” he said. “It’s not a ‘yes’ right now. It’s not a ‘no.’”
In the months since, the social-service team found the job applicant had showed up for just one drug-treatment session and didn’t get back in touch with the team, as requested. The door isn’t closed, but “it doesn’t bode well,” said Mr. Smith.
New hires must not only be job ready, Mr. Smith added, but also be prepared “for what life looks like as a working adult,” which includes everything from having a bank account to deposit paychecks to a support system and treatment plan.
Permanent employees at Nehemiah start at $12.50 an hour, with midlevel workers earning around $15. That is roughly in line with the national average for similar work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nehemiah workers also receive a year-end bonus of around 7%. All full-time employees are also eligible for health insurance, tuition reimbursement, a retirement-savings plan and other benefits.
Roughly 70% of Nehemiah’s employees have dealt with drug addiction or committed drug-related crimes. About a dozen have been fired after relapsing, said Michael Taylor, Nehemiah’s operations manager who has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and was jailed for burglary.
At a previous job, Mr. Taylor was escorted off the premises by armed guards after the company determined he had lied about his past, he said. “I wanted to make a change,” he said. On his first day, Mr. Meyer shook his hand. The biggest challenge for Nehemiah employees, Mr. Taylor said, “is having them see value in themselves, the confidence that they can succeed. We did bad things, but we were never bad people.”
He said employees support each other. “We tell our stories; we show our scars,” he said. “I will tell my story a million times if it helps one person.”
Nehemiah conducts random drug tests of employees; depending on the situation, it may pay the cost of treatment for those who fail the tests as well as workers’ salaries while they’re out.
Its hiring model hasn’t scared away customers, Mr. Palmer said, but the company’s leaders have sometimes struggled to balance heart and head, taking action that may not in the end be helpful.
After discovering that a temporary worker was living in his car, Mr. Meyer pulled out his wallet to give the man money for a hotel. Instead of handing cash to the temporary worker, the social-service team paid his hotel bill for three weeks, then moved him to an apartment and bought him furniture. He eventually moved on to a job in the construction industry.
Another time, Mr. Meyer brought a man who had been panhandling on a nearby street corner to Nehemiah’s offices and told the staff to hire him. Nehemiah helped him secure a government ID, therapy and a bed at a shelter; it bought him new clothes and an alarm clock. He spent a rocky six months at the company, and was ultimately fired for showing up drunk.
“He wasn’t ready,” said Mr. Meyer. But “we are about second chances, third chances,” he said. “I may go to five.”
Catching On
Nehemiah has tried to help other Cincinnati companies open their workforces to those with criminal pasts.
It launched the Beacon of Hope Business Alliance for employers and held a golf outing to raise funds for three vans that Alliance members can use to transport workers without cars to far-flung jobs. The social-service team connected workers to other employers until this fall, when Nehemiah handed the job to Cincinnati Works, a nonprofit.
Kroger Co. Chief Executive Rodney McMullen toured Nehemiah’s operation in 2016 and, a year later, asked the consumer-products company for help with recruiting. The grocery giant hired 40 people with criminal records in two Cincinnati manufacturing plants; Kroger is expanding the program to manufacturing and distribution facilities in Indiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Oregon.
At Kroger, with 460,000 employees, only hiring managers know workers’ backgrounds. Kroger partners with nonprofits and local business groups for services its human-resources department doesn’t offer.
Of the initial hires, 37 still work for Kroger; about half have been promoted from entry-level jobs to lead manufacturing roles paying $20 or more an hour. “We have many examples of people buying their first car, buying a house,” Mr. McMullen said.
JBM Packaging, a privately held maker of seed packets and other specialty packaging, began “second-chance” hiring after struggling to find new employees. The 35-year-old Lebanon, Ohio, company donated two excess folding machines that are used to train workers at the Pickaway Correctional Institution; it also recruits at the Dayton Correctional Institution, a women’s prison. Roughly 25 of JBM’s 145 employees have criminal records.
“Nehemiah has been a big inspiration,” said JBM CEO Marcus Sheanshang, who uses the van service launched by Nehemiah to ferry workers to his facility. A JBM “change coach” teaches classes to inmates nearing release and helps employees find housing, set up bank accounts, obtain reliable transportation and navigate other challenges.
The extra services cost about $200,000 a year, said Mr. Sheanshang. Turnover has fallen, he added, as JBM has strengthened its support program and focused on identifying inmates who want to change their lives upon release.
By Ruth Simon
The Wall Street Journal
January 25, 2020
CINCINNATI—While some companies try to attract and keep employees with yoga classes and lavish cafeterias, Nehemiah Manufacturing Co.’s perks include a social-service team and an attorney.
When two consumer-product veterans started Nehemiah a decade ago, their idea was to create more opportunities in a struggling part of Cincinnati. Increasingly, that meant hiring people who had a particularly hard time finding jobs: those with criminal backgrounds.
Now, workers with criminal records make up around 80% of the company’s about 180 employees—and Nehemiah has learned that offering a job to people trying to turn their lives around is just half the battle.
“We are investing in our employees in order to retain them,” said Richard Palmer, president of Nehemiah, whose brands include Boogie Wipes, Saline Soothers and other consumer products. “It’s no different than tech companies bringing in lunch and a foosball table.”
In one of the tightest labor markets in decades, more employers are willing to give ex-convicts a chance, trying to marry business needs and good intentions. Even large American companies are rethinking whether their responsibilities extend beyond their shareholders. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive James Dimon said in October that the bank would step up efforts to recruit people with criminal backgrounds.
Hiring people with a criminal past can pay big dividends for companies, such as closer community ties and a loyal workforce. But keeping them on the job can be a struggle.
Gina Johnson, 56
Before Nehemiah hired her, Ms. Johnson was in and out of prison. Nehemiah helped her find housing, clean up her credit record and set a budget. Having a steady job has helped her rebuild her relationship with her children. ‘I never knew what a goal was until I got here,’ she says.
Rayshun Holt, 40
When Mr. Holt was 15, he fatally shot a friend during a scuffle. During two decades in prison, he started taking classes and coaching other prisoners. Released in 2016, he was ‘filled with hope and overwhelmed by fear.’ He struggled to find steady work. Nehemiah hired him as a second-shift supervisor at $19 an hour.
Michael Taylor, 37
‘I wanted to make a change,’ says Mr. Taylor, Nehemiah’s operations manager who has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and was jailed for burglary. Nehemiah employees support each other, he says. ‘We tell our stories; we show our scars...I will tell my story a million times if it helps one person.’
Privately held Nehemiah started hiring workers with a criminal record in 2011, about a year and a half after launch, at the request of a local nonprofit. The experiment got off to a rocky start. Many workers continued to struggle with substance abuse or mental illness; some were homeless, the company says.
“We didn’t understand all of the challenges,” says Dan Meyer, Nehemiah’s chief executive and veteran of Procter & Gamble Co. and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Employees showed up one day, only to disappear the next.
At a loss, Nehemiah enlisted the support of a social-service worker to help employees with anything from finding housing to staying clean.
“They were thinking that providing jobs would fix things,” said Dana Merida, who initially provided social services for Nehemiah employees a few hours a week and now heads the company’s three-person social-service team. But some of them would take a break and never come back, she said. “If you are homeless, couch surfing, how productive can you be?”
Karrie Norgren, a 26-year-old recovering heroin addict, said she wasn’t reliable when she first joined Nehemiah in 2018. “Old habits were starting to form,” she said. But “something clicked” after she missed three days of work and Ms. Merida sat her down for a chat. She now runs a small team of employees as a line captain.
Ms. Merida said that Ms. Norgren would have lost her job if she hadn’t shown more commitment to changing her path.
Gina Johnson, 56 years old, has a seventh-grade education and was in and out of prison for drug-related crimes. Nehemiah helped her find housing, clean up her credit record and set a budget. She now runs a team that fulfills Amazon orders for items from Nehemiah and other companies.
“I never knew what a goal was until I got here,” Ms. Johnson said. She spent seven months as a temporary Nehemiah worker before being taken on full time. “It was the best feeling in the world,” she said.
Having a steady job has helped her rebuild her relationship with her children, who were raised by her sister and grandmother. Her oldest daughter is now helping her study to obtain her GED. “It’s good for the kids to say they are proud of me,” she said.
Since its first days, Nehemiah has become more deliberate about identifying candidates who are likely to be good, reliable employees and has developed a more formal system for providing them with support.
Today, Nehemiah’s annual turnover stands at roughly 15%, well below the 38.5% average for consumer-products companies, as reported by Mercer’s 2019 U.S. Turnover Survey. Nehemiah says it had operating income of $5.7 million on sales of $59.4 million in 2018.
Even among companies embracing so-called second-chance hiring, Nehemiah is unusual, with a workforce where a criminal past is the norm rather than the exception.
“We found that the population we were hiring who had criminal backgrounds were our most loyal people,” said Mr. Palmer. “When we were looking for people to work overtime, come in on Saturday or go that extra mile, it was the second-chance population that was saying, ‘I’m in.’”
Nehemiah’s approach to hiring only works if the entire company is committed to it, from the chief executive down, said Matt Mooney, a vice president with nonprofit Cincinnati Works, which helps people with criminal records find work and navigate barriers to self-sufficiency. “If you have front-line supervisors who are not comfortable, it will collapse,” he said.
At Nehemiah, having a criminal past carries less of a stigma because so many workers have been incarcerated. Employers with a more traditional workforce must grapple with what, if any, information about employees’ backgrounds to share with managers and others.
“We don’t put a red star on their names,” said Fred Keller, founder and chair of Cascade Engineering Inc., a privately held Grand Rapids, Mich., contract manufacturer with about 1,700 employees that has hired people with criminal records for more than two decades. “We believe it’s important to treat them the same as everybody else.” Cascade uses a local nonprofit that assists workers with criminal records or other challenges.
Companies also have different tolerances for the types of crimes they are willing to look beyond: More employers are comfortable overlooking minor drug offenses but not violent crimes, or sexual offenses. Nehemiah can’t hire sex offenders because its facility is near a school.
Nehemiah’s hiring process typically includes a session with a member of the social-service team who scrutinizes applicants’ histories and current support systems. Applicants also sign a release that allows the team to contact the agencies that provide them with housing, drug treatment or other support.
Only half of applicants make it through that initial screening, according to the company. Those that do are taken on as temporary workers and assigned a job coach who helps them understand employer expectations. They typically spend a week or more in a job-readiness program that includes classes on how to create a résumé, interview for a job and manage in the workplace. After a probation period of three to six months or so, about 60% of the temp workers are elevated to full-time employees.
“There’s a misconception that Nehemiah will hire anybody,” said Mr. Palmer. “No, we won’t. If we bring on somebody who is not ready to work, it will impact our operations.”
Conversely, Nehemiah’s approach also means it can spot potential other employers might overlook. When Rayshun Holt came to Nehemiah roughly two years ago, Ms. Merida said he immediately stood out as someone the company wanted.
Mr. Holt, 40, spent two decades in prison after fatally shooting a friend when he was 15 during what he describes as a scuffle over a gun. While in prison, Mr. Holt reconnected to his faith, started taking classes and began coaching other prisoners on how to turn their lives around.
Released in 2016 with $96 in his pocket, he said, “I was filled with hope and overwhelmed by fear.” His first job was in a fast-food restaurant specializing in chicken fingers. “I was the oldest person there and the most enthusiastic. It was the first time in my life I was earning an honest check,” he said.
But he struggled to find steady work with decent pay. Nehemiah hired him as a second-shift supervisor at $19 an hour.
Ms. Merida said she was impressed by Mr. Holt’s passion, humility and sincerity when he told his life story, how he knew the streets but had already taken steps to turn his life around. “I knew this was a born leader who could really have a profound impact on our employees,” said Ms. Merida. “He could show them that no matter how bad it is, your life isn’t over.”
Mr. Holt now works as the company’s commercialization coordinator, responsible for taking new products and product improvements from concept to market.
Nehemiah spends about $120,000 a year on its social-service team, not including the standard human-resources tasks the team also handles. It donates about $150,000 a year to nonprofits including City Gospel Mission, which sends job candidates to Nehemiah and provides drug-treatment classes and rehab programs to the company’s employees.
Other expenses include about $15,000 for the services of an attorney who helps workers with legal issues such as getting criminal records expunged or navigating bankruptcy proceedings and about $50,000 for continuing education. The company owns four apartment units it rents out to employees at half of market rates; it hopes to add more in the next few years.
“Can I cut some of this stuff and make a little more money? I sure don’t want to,” said Mr. Meyer. “This is a business model about a social enterprise making money.”
In their previous lives, Mr. Meyer had sold a business he founded to a private-equity company; part of Mr. Palmer’s work had focused on economic development. Both wanted to bring manufacturing jobs, which had moved to the suburbs, back to the city and partner with social-service agencies as a way to allow people a chance to work their way out of poverty.
Their Christian beliefs were a motivator; the pair named the company Nehemiah after an Old Testament prophet who helped rebuild Jerusalem. A family member’s struggles with substance abuse has also shaped Mr. Meyer’s willingness to offer workers more than one chance.
Government support, such as federal tax credits for hiring workers who face barriers to employment, has been minimal, the company says, but $300,000 in state funding helped lower the cost of building a new 183,000-square-foot facility, which opened last year in a ZIP Code where more than a third of residents live below the poverty line.
Jeffrey Korzenik, chief investment strategist for Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp, who has studied the practices of Nehemiah and other employers, says Nehemiah’s screening process is crucial for success. “For this to work on a business basis, not as charity, it requires selectivity in who is hired,” he said.
One job candidate had been drug-free for 25 days when he showed up at Nehemiah for an interview in the fall. “It was commendable; he had made changes,” said Basette Smith, a member of the social-service team. But Mr. Smith wasn’t ready to make him an offer. “I wanted a more stable history of treatments,” he said. “It’s not a ‘yes’ right now. It’s not a ‘no.’”
In the months since, the social-service team found the job applicant had showed up for just one drug-treatment session and didn’t get back in touch with the team, as requested. The door isn’t closed, but “it doesn’t bode well,” said Mr. Smith.
New hires must not only be job ready, Mr. Smith added, but also be prepared “for what life looks like as a working adult,” which includes everything from having a bank account to deposit paychecks to a support system and treatment plan.
Permanent employees at Nehemiah start at $12.50 an hour, with midlevel workers earning around $15. That is roughly in line with the national average for similar work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nehemiah workers also receive a year-end bonus of around 7%. All full-time employees are also eligible for health insurance, tuition reimbursement, a retirement-savings plan and other benefits.
Roughly 70% of Nehemiah’s employees have dealt with drug addiction or committed drug-related crimes. About a dozen have been fired after relapsing, said Michael Taylor, Nehemiah’s operations manager who has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and was jailed for burglary.
At a previous job, Mr. Taylor was escorted off the premises by armed guards after the company determined he had lied about his past, he said. “I wanted to make a change,” he said. On his first day, Mr. Meyer shook his hand. The biggest challenge for Nehemiah employees, Mr. Taylor said, “is having them see value in themselves, the confidence that they can succeed. We did bad things, but we were never bad people.”
He said employees support each other. “We tell our stories; we show our scars,” he said. “I will tell my story a million times if it helps one person.”
Nehemiah conducts random drug tests of employees; depending on the situation, it may pay the cost of treatment for those who fail the tests as well as workers’ salaries while they’re out.
Its hiring model hasn’t scared away customers, Mr. Palmer said, but the company’s leaders have sometimes struggled to balance heart and head, taking action that may not in the end be helpful.
After discovering that a temporary worker was living in his car, Mr. Meyer pulled out his wallet to give the man money for a hotel. Instead of handing cash to the temporary worker, the social-service team paid his hotel bill for three weeks, then moved him to an apartment and bought him furniture. He eventually moved on to a job in the construction industry.
Another time, Mr. Meyer brought a man who had been panhandling on a nearby street corner to Nehemiah’s offices and told the staff to hire him. Nehemiah helped him secure a government ID, therapy and a bed at a shelter; it bought him new clothes and an alarm clock. He spent a rocky six months at the company, and was ultimately fired for showing up drunk.
“He wasn’t ready,” said Mr. Meyer. But “we are about second chances, third chances,” he said. “I may go to five.”
Catching On
Nehemiah has tried to help other Cincinnati companies open their workforces to those with criminal pasts.
It launched the Beacon of Hope Business Alliance for employers and held a golf outing to raise funds for three vans that Alliance members can use to transport workers without cars to far-flung jobs. The social-service team connected workers to other employers until this fall, when Nehemiah handed the job to Cincinnati Works, a nonprofit.
Kroger Co. Chief Executive Rodney McMullen toured Nehemiah’s operation in 2016 and, a year later, asked the consumer-products company for help with recruiting. The grocery giant hired 40 people with criminal records in two Cincinnati manufacturing plants; Kroger is expanding the program to manufacturing and distribution facilities in Indiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Oregon.
At Kroger, with 460,000 employees, only hiring managers know workers’ backgrounds. Kroger partners with nonprofits and local business groups for services its human-resources department doesn’t offer.
Of the initial hires, 37 still work for Kroger; about half have been promoted from entry-level jobs to lead manufacturing roles paying $20 or more an hour. “We have many examples of people buying their first car, buying a house,” Mr. McMullen said.
JBM Packaging, a privately held maker of seed packets and other specialty packaging, began “second-chance” hiring after struggling to find new employees. The 35-year-old Lebanon, Ohio, company donated two excess folding machines that are used to train workers at the Pickaway Correctional Institution; it also recruits at the Dayton Correctional Institution, a women’s prison. Roughly 25 of JBM’s 145 employees have criminal records.
“Nehemiah has been a big inspiration,” said JBM CEO Marcus Sheanshang, who uses the van service launched by Nehemiah to ferry workers to his facility. A JBM “change coach” teaches classes to inmates nearing release and helps employees find housing, set up bank accounts, obtain reliable transportation and navigate other challenges.
The extra services cost about $200,000 a year, said Mr. Sheanshang. Turnover has fallen, he added, as JBM has strengthened its support program and focused on identifying inmates who want to change their lives upon release.
Monday, January 27, 2020
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
In 1934, a Nazi storm trooper was driving down a street in Frankfurt, Germany when suddenly he hit a Scottish Terrier.
He stopped to examine the animal and saw that he had killed the poor dog. A bystander approached and pointed him to the dog owner’s residence.
The storm trooper knocked on the dog owner’s door. When a man opened the door, the storm trooper clicked the heels of his boots together, gave the Nazi salute and said, “Heil Hitler, the dog is dead.”
The man jumped up and down with joy. “Come in, come in, this callas for a celebration,” he said. “Hitler is dead. Let’s have some schnaps together.”
He stopped to examine the animal and saw that he had killed the poor dog. A bystander approached and pointed him to the dog owner’s residence.
The storm trooper knocked on the dog owner’s door. When a man opened the door, the storm trooper clicked the heels of his boots together, gave the Nazi salute and said, “Heil Hitler, the dog is dead.”
The man jumped up and down with joy. “Come in, come in, this callas for a celebration,” he said. “Hitler is dead. Let’s have some schnaps together.”
AVIATION IS UNFORGIVING
And Gravity Is A Nasty Bitch
by Bob Walsh
Kobe Bryant, 41, found out the hard way what comes next the hard way yesterday morning when a helicopter carrying him and five others crashed in L.A. There were no survivors. Bryant was, I understand, a genuinely decent guy (kind of unusual in a rich, famous jock) and we have few enough of them in the world so his death, while maybe not tragic, is certainly a net loss in the balance of things. I am confident the NTSB will be all over this like olfactory offense on excrement and they will likely figure out what went wrong.
Damn shame all around.
by Bob Walsh
Kobe Bryant, 41, found out the hard way what comes next the hard way yesterday morning when a helicopter carrying him and five others crashed in L.A. There were no survivors. Bryant was, I understand, a genuinely decent guy (kind of unusual in a rich, famous jock) and we have few enough of them in the world so his death, while maybe not tragic, is certainly a net loss in the balance of things. I am confident the NTSB will be all over this like olfactory offense on excrement and they will likely figure out what went wrong.
Damn shame all around.
TIT FOR TAT
by Bob Walsh
The Governor of Oklahoma signed an executive order a couple of days ago to stop all state payed travel TO the formerly great state of California. I am not aware of the exact reason, but perhaps he is afraid they will catch typhoid, plague, or be murdered by illegal aliens. All of these are very real threats in CA.
The Governor of Oklahoma signed an executive order a couple of days ago to stop all state payed travel TO the formerly great state of California. I am not aware of the exact reason, but perhaps he is afraid they will catch typhoid, plague, or be murdered by illegal aliens. All of these are very real threats in CA.
ONE WEEK UNTIL THE SERIOUS STUPIDITY BEGINS
by Bob Walsh
The Iowa Caucuses will be held in one week. The polling is still very fluid. Depending on who you believe either Crazy Bernie, Uncle Joe or Mayor Pete is likely to come out on top. Bloomberg may put in a credible showing, due to spending buckets of money. Yang and Klobuchar are still on the board, but that's all. It's hard to say what will get the most air time, Iowa or the Impeachment Show. Or perhaps a new episode of the Mystery of Oak Island. They may find the treasure this week. You never know.
Remember a Caucus is much different than a primary. It is done in public and takes hours. Everybody in the precinct gets together in a school gym or whatever and somebody says "OK, if you are for Bernie stand over here, if you are for Uncle Joe stand in that corner over there....." and they count noses. In some respects, due to the structure of the thing in Iowa, who comes in second can be more important than who comes in first.
Remember its winter there, and they get a real winter in Iowa. They may have to take snow mobiles or skis to get to the caucus sites.
The Iowa Caucuses will be held in one week. The polling is still very fluid. Depending on who you believe either Crazy Bernie, Uncle Joe or Mayor Pete is likely to come out on top. Bloomberg may put in a credible showing, due to spending buckets of money. Yang and Klobuchar are still on the board, but that's all. It's hard to say what will get the most air time, Iowa or the Impeachment Show. Or perhaps a new episode of the Mystery of Oak Island. They may find the treasure this week. You never know.
Remember a Caucus is much different than a primary. It is done in public and takes hours. Everybody in the precinct gets together in a school gym or whatever and somebody says "OK, if you are for Bernie stand over here, if you are for Uncle Joe stand in that corner over there....." and they count noses. In some respects, due to the structure of the thing in Iowa, who comes in second can be more important than who comes in first.
Remember its winter there, and they get a real winter in Iowa. They may have to take snow mobiles or skis to get to the caucus sites.
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE
by Bob Walsh
There are now 41 known deaths from this virus in China. The Chinese authorities are building two brand new hospitals on an emergency basis to deal with what they believe will be the intake from the disease.
It seems to be fairly easy to transmit. In one case in China the entire operating theater staff who were operating on a patient who was not known at the time to have the virus came down with it and they were all (presumably) wearing routine surgical protective clothing during the operation.
It is most dangerous to people who already have a crappy immune system. It presents first as a mild cough that turns into pneumonia-like symptoms including serious shortness of breath, which normally leads to contact with the health care system.
There are now 15 cities in various forms of travel restriction in China. There are at least two known cases in the U. S., with several dozen more suspected cases. Travelers from China are being screened at U S airports that accept flights from China.
The virus is thought to be less virulent than the SARS virus that killed 774 people in Asia 17 years ago. The death rate of the SARS virus was about 1% of those known to be infected.
There are now 41 known deaths from this virus in China. The Chinese authorities are building two brand new hospitals on an emergency basis to deal with what they believe will be the intake from the disease.
It seems to be fairly easy to transmit. In one case in China the entire operating theater staff who were operating on a patient who was not known at the time to have the virus came down with it and they were all (presumably) wearing routine surgical protective clothing during the operation.
It is most dangerous to people who already have a crappy immune system. It presents first as a mild cough that turns into pneumonia-like symptoms including serious shortness of breath, which normally leads to contact with the health care system.
There are now 15 cities in various forms of travel restriction in China. There are at least two known cases in the U. S., with several dozen more suspected cases. Travelers from China are being screened at U S airports that accept flights from China.
The virus is thought to be less virulent than the SARS virus that killed 774 people in Asia 17 years ago. The death rate of the SARS virus was about 1% of those known to be infected.
A LIFE WELL-LIVED
by Bob Walsh
Sophie Yazzie, a veteran of the United States Army Air Corps, has died at the age of 105. She was a member of the Navajo nation and enlisted at the age of 28. She may have been the oldest living female veteran of WW II. She leaves behind four children, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Sophie Yazzie, a veteran of the United States Army Air Corps, has died at the age of 105. She was a member of the Navajo nation and enlisted at the age of 28. She may have been the oldest living female veteran of WW II. She leaves behind four children, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
TRAGEDY HAS TRAGIC ENDING
by Bob Walsh
The four year old boy who was allegedly accidentally shot while play-wrestling with his father on a bed a few days ago has died.
Assuming the story being reported is accurate the father had the weapon in the back of his waistband (holster ?) and it fell out, hit the floor and discharged one round, striking both the father and the son in the head.
As I pointed out in an earlier comment this is not quite impossible. Modern firearms are specifically designed to NOT fire when dropped. It would be an odd accident where a gun could fall onto a hard enough surface (presumably the floor) in just such a way as to fire and that one bullet could manage to hit two people who were on the bed both in the head, killing one.
The local constabulary is debating whether or not to file charges in the death.
Nationwide about 1% of firearms deaths are considered to be accidental or otherwise preventable. In 2017 there were 486 such deaths nationwide.
None of the few articles I have seen on this have offered any reason why this should have been something other than an accident other than the seeming improbability of the chain of occurrences that would have have to happened to make it come about.
FURTHER INFO ON FIREARMS DEATH
The weapon involved in the death of Tripp Shaw, 4, in Monroe County, Indiana was a Glock semi-automatic pistol which was being carried without a holster in the waistband of the father's pants. The Glock pistol is a modern design that is specifically intended to be drop safe. Assuming the weapon was properly assembled at the factory, was properly maintained and was not diddled with afterwards, it will NOT fire when dropped. The firing pin (striker) can not contact the primer on the cartridge unless the trigger is pulled and held back. It is difficult to see how this could happen if the gun were dropped.
The Monroe County S. O. is sending the weapon out for an extensive forensic examination to determine if there was in fact some flaw in the weapon.
The four year old boy who was allegedly accidentally shot while play-wrestling with his father on a bed a few days ago has died.
Assuming the story being reported is accurate the father had the weapon in the back of his waistband (holster ?) and it fell out, hit the floor and discharged one round, striking both the father and the son in the head.
As I pointed out in an earlier comment this is not quite impossible. Modern firearms are specifically designed to NOT fire when dropped. It would be an odd accident where a gun could fall onto a hard enough surface (presumably the floor) in just such a way as to fire and that one bullet could manage to hit two people who were on the bed both in the head, killing one.
The local constabulary is debating whether or not to file charges in the death.
Nationwide about 1% of firearms deaths are considered to be accidental or otherwise preventable. In 2017 there were 486 such deaths nationwide.
None of the few articles I have seen on this have offered any reason why this should have been something other than an accident other than the seeming improbability of the chain of occurrences that would have have to happened to make it come about.
FURTHER INFO ON FIREARMS DEATH
The weapon involved in the death of Tripp Shaw, 4, in Monroe County, Indiana was a Glock semi-automatic pistol which was being carried without a holster in the waistband of the father's pants. The Glock pistol is a modern design that is specifically intended to be drop safe. Assuming the weapon was properly assembled at the factory, was properly maintained and was not diddled with afterwards, it will NOT fire when dropped. The firing pin (striker) can not contact the primer on the cartridge unless the trigger is pulled and held back. It is difficult to see how this could happen if the gun were dropped.
The Monroe County S. O. is sending the weapon out for an extensive forensic examination to determine if there was in fact some flaw in the weapon.
RASHIDA TLAIB EXPLOITS A TRAGEDY TO EXHIBIT HER HATRED OF JEWS
The exploitation of a tragedy: 8-year-old Palestinian boy found dead in Jerusalem
The Jerusalem Post
January 25, 2020
Before he was found dead early Saturday morning, the disappearance of an eight-year-old boy from the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina was snowballing into a political football that threatened the tenuous calm between Jews and Arabs in the capital.
Qais Abu Ramila’s body was discovered in a reservoir of rainwater Saturday after long hours of search efforts after he was last seen at 4 p.m. Friday heading to a local market to buy pita. The boy apparently slipped into and drowned in the pool, full from the heavy rains last week, according to police.
Residents of Beit Hanina, including MK Ahmad Tibi, joined search teams in the area throughout the night.
Relatives of Abu Ramila claimed to have security footage showing the boy entering a car Friday afternoon, raising suspicions that he had been kidnapped.
With the 2014 abduction and murder of teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir by Jewish terrorists still fresh in the minds of many residents, the family issued a statement saying: “We demand the police check security footage [from the streets]. If it turns out he was kidnapped by settlers it would set the entire neighborhood on fire,” The Jerusalem Post’s sister publication Maariv reported.
The boy’s father later clarified that the video didn’t contain footage of his son, but some residents marched toward the nearby Jewish neighborhood of Neveh Ya’acov. Rock throwing ensued when police prevented them from entering the neighborhood and 12 demonstrators were lightly injured and three arrested.
Adding fuel to the fire, Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi re-tweeted a tweet from an account named “Real Seif Bitar” that accused “Israeli settlers” of kidnapping and executing Abu Ramila and also accused IDF soldiers of assaulting search teams. Ashrawi added to her tweet “the heart just shatters, the pain is unbearable, no words.”
US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib then re-tweeted Ashrawi and included all the allegations.
Ashrawi later apologized for her tweet. “My apologizes for re-tweeting something that’s not fully verified. It seems that the news of his being kidnapped is not certain.” Tlaib, the Democratic representative from Michigan, also retweeted and the tweet was thereafter deleted but she did not apologize for spreading the false information.
The tweets led to an outpouring of incitement against Israel and responses of blood libel against Israel.
Israeli-Jewish Congress executive director Arsen Ostrovsky wrote “seriously Rashida Tlaib?... This was a tragic case of a child who went missing and fell into a pool of rainwater. Have you no shame in reposting these lies?”
On Saturday, video clips showed first responders wading through the waist-deep pond carrying Abu Ramila’s lifeless body, bringing the drama to its tragic conclusion.
At Abu Ramila’s funeral Saturday, the family and residents of Beit Hanina criticized the Jerusalem Municipality for neglecting the reservoir and not building a fence around it.
“It’s not a reservoir, it’s death trap,” said one family member.
Despite the best efforts by some who would have liked to have propelled the tragedy into another incendiary chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this time there was just a young boy whose life ended way too soon and a shattered family left to mourn.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Even Hanan Ashrawi apologized for wrongly blaming the Jews, but not Rashida Tlaib.
The Jerusalem Post
January 25, 2020
Before he was found dead early Saturday morning, the disappearance of an eight-year-old boy from the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina was snowballing into a political football that threatened the tenuous calm between Jews and Arabs in the capital.
Qais Abu Ramila’s body was discovered in a reservoir of rainwater Saturday after long hours of search efforts after he was last seen at 4 p.m. Friday heading to a local market to buy pita. The boy apparently slipped into and drowned in the pool, full from the heavy rains last week, according to police.
Residents of Beit Hanina, including MK Ahmad Tibi, joined search teams in the area throughout the night.
Relatives of Abu Ramila claimed to have security footage showing the boy entering a car Friday afternoon, raising suspicions that he had been kidnapped.
With the 2014 abduction and murder of teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir by Jewish terrorists still fresh in the minds of many residents, the family issued a statement saying: “We demand the police check security footage [from the streets]. If it turns out he was kidnapped by settlers it would set the entire neighborhood on fire,” The Jerusalem Post’s sister publication Maariv reported.
The boy’s father later clarified that the video didn’t contain footage of his son, but some residents marched toward the nearby Jewish neighborhood of Neveh Ya’acov. Rock throwing ensued when police prevented them from entering the neighborhood and 12 demonstrators were lightly injured and three arrested.
Adding fuel to the fire, Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi re-tweeted a tweet from an account named “Real Seif Bitar” that accused “Israeli settlers” of kidnapping and executing Abu Ramila and also accused IDF soldiers of assaulting search teams. Ashrawi added to her tweet “the heart just shatters, the pain is unbearable, no words.”
US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib then re-tweeted Ashrawi and included all the allegations.
Ashrawi later apologized for her tweet. “My apologizes for re-tweeting something that’s not fully verified. It seems that the news of his being kidnapped is not certain.” Tlaib, the Democratic representative from Michigan, also retweeted and the tweet was thereafter deleted but she did not apologize for spreading the false information.
The tweets led to an outpouring of incitement against Israel and responses of blood libel against Israel.
Israeli-Jewish Congress executive director Arsen Ostrovsky wrote “seriously Rashida Tlaib?... This was a tragic case of a child who went missing and fell into a pool of rainwater. Have you no shame in reposting these lies?”
On Saturday, video clips showed first responders wading through the waist-deep pond carrying Abu Ramila’s lifeless body, bringing the drama to its tragic conclusion.
At Abu Ramila’s funeral Saturday, the family and residents of Beit Hanina criticized the Jerusalem Municipality for neglecting the reservoir and not building a fence around it.
“It’s not a reservoir, it’s death trap,” said one family member.
Despite the best efforts by some who would have liked to have propelled the tragedy into another incendiary chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this time there was just a young boy whose life ended way too soon and a shattered family left to mourn.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Even Hanan Ashrawi apologized for wrongly blaming the Jews, but not Rashida Tlaib.
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