THE LATEST CEASEFIRE IS LITTLE MORE THAN AN EFFORT BY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO SALVAGE THEIR LACKLUSTER FOREIGN POLICY LEGACY

Why the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire is fated to fail … and why that’s a good thing

Hezbollah and other Islamist terrorist groups don’t view ceasefires as a prelude to peace but as a strategic opportunity to strengthen themselves. 

 

By Jason Shvili

 

JNS

Dec 11, 2024 

 

Israeli tanks leaving Meiss al Jabal in Southern Lebanon on Dec. 4, 2024

 

Some 415 days after Hezbollah launched a war against Israel in solidarity with Hamas following its Oct. 7 massacre, the United States, France, Israel and Lebanon announced a ceasefire. While the Biden administration surely sees this ceasefire as a crowning achievement—the president’s swan song before he exits the White House in just a few weeks—it is almost certainly bound to fail.

Above all, Hezbollah has indicated no desire for peace with Israel—to the contrary, the terror organization remains as ideologically committed as ever to destroying the Jewish state. Thus, every indication is that Hezbollah seeks to return to battle—maintaining its presence in Southern Lebanon and attempting to rearm. Indeed, Hezbollah forces have already broken the new agreement, prompting a harsh Israeli military response.

What’s more, this ceasefire is nearly identical to the previous ceasefire agreed to in 2006 after the Second Lebanon War, which Hezbollah broke when it decided to join Hamas’s attack on Israel last October and force 70,000 Israeli residents from their homes. Likewise, the current ceasefire relies on the same failed enforcement mechanisms as the 2006 one.

The United Nations resolution back in 2006 prohibited the return of Hezbollah to Southern Lebanon or rearming the region. But neither the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) nor the Lebanese government nor the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were able to prevent Hezbollah’s return or stop them from rearming—and there’s no indication they have the power to resist Hezbollah now.

Furthermore, the primary sponsors of the ceasefire—the United States and France—seem unwilling to challenge Hezbollah. Instead, they squander their political credibility, condemning Israel for “violating” the ceasefire when Israel is in reality trying to stop Hezbollah’s continued violations.

This latest ceasefire is little more than an effort by the Biden administration to salvage their lackluster foreign-policy legacy. However, all parties understand that no ceasefire without a credible threat of force, which the United States is unlikely to supply, will succeed in bringing peace to Israel’s northern border. It is no coincidence that the ceasefire is expected to last a scant 60 days, roughly coinciding with the end of President Joe Biden’s term.

Finally, there is little enthusiasm for the ceasefire in Israel. Israeli leaders rightly assume that Hezbollah will not abide by the agreement and only acquiesced under pressure from the Biden administration. Given Israel’s success in soundly, but not thoroughly, debilitating Hezbollah’s military might, there’s little appetite for allowing the terror group ever to resurface.

Hezbollah will not abide by the ceasefire. According to U.S. intelligence, the terrorist group has started to regroup and rearm. Indeed, Israel has already had to take action to enforce the ceasefire since no one else will. Last week, for example, the Israel Defense Forces struck several Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including dozens of rocket launchers, after the terrorist group fired mortars into northern Israel. In addition, the Israeli air force intercepted a plane from Iran suspected of carrying arms for Hezbollah.

None of this should surprise anyone, as Hezbollah and other Islamist terrorist groups don’t view ceasefires as a prelude to peace but as a strategic opportunity to strengthen themselves until they become strong enough to rain terror on their enemies once again. Hamas similarly broke its last ceasefire with Israel by launching the Oct. 7 massacre.

Those responsible for enforcing the ceasefire cannot and will not enforce it. Neither UNIFIL nor the Lebanese state enforced the last ceasefire, and they won’t enforce this one. UNIFIL stood idly by as Hezbollah placed their terrorist infrastructure within sight of the peacekeeping force’s posts. In some cases, Hezbollah bribed UNIFIL personnel to use their outposts and security cameras to observe Israel’s military movements.

The Lebanese state didn’t perform any better. Since 2018, the U.N. secretary-general has reported the Lebanese Armed Forces’s collusion with Hezbollah as an excuse for UNIFIL’s ineffectiveness. Indeed, the LAF is heavily infiltrated by officers and soldiers with links to Hezbollah.

Hezbollah also has a strong presence in municipal councils, banks, the airport, the government and parliament, sometimes to the extent that it and the Lebanese state are indistinguishable. Even if Lebanon wanted to enforce the ceasefire, it likely could not. Its government barely functions and has lacked a president now for two years. The country’s finances and economy are also in dire shape.

The ceasefire’s sponsors—France and the United States—turn a blind eye to Hezbollah violations. If they cared, they wouldn’t condemn Israel for enforcing the agreement. Both the United States and France, for example, have expressed their displeasure at Israel’s continued use of surveillance drones over Lebanon. Yet there is nothing in the ceasefire that prohibits the use of surveillance drones.

Moreover, Israel has an understanding with the United States in the form of a “side-letter” that permits the continued use of air surveillance over Lebanon so long as the aircraft doesn’t break the sound barrier and the use of force by the IDF against security threats in Southern Lebanon.

Israel views the ceasefire as a tactical pause. Its leaders only acquiesced to the agreement because of pressure from the Biden administration, which has been withholding weapons shipments from Israel. Indeed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned weapons shortages as one of the reasons his government agreed to the ceasefire. Israel also needs the United States to veto any upcoming anti-Israel resolutions at the U.N. Security Council.

In short, Israel’s government seems simply to be waiting for Biden to leave office, expecting a freer hand to act against Hezbollah and Israel’s other enemies once President-elect Donald Trump assumes the presidency—hence the 60-day length agreed to in the ceasefire.

The current ceasefire is simply a rehash of the failed 2006 ceasefire agreement. Instead of bringing peace to Israel’s northern border, Hezbollah simply used the previous pact as cover to build an immense terrorist infrastructure in Southern Lebanon. Its ultimate goal was apparently to launch an Oct. 7-style attack on Israel. As the famous aphorism goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again … and expecting different results.”

The latest Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is just a last-ditch effort on the part of Team Biden to add a touch of luster to their abysmal foreign-policy record. All evidence indicates it will fail—just as Biden’s other attempts to negotiate peace in the Middle East. But it will also allow Israel to finish terminating Hezbollah’s military threat.

 

Originally published by Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME).

AN ANTISEMITIC UN BITCH ..... SHE WAS APPOINTED TO HER UN POSITION BECAUSE OF HER LONG-STANDING HATRED OF ISAEL AND JEWS

What the UN ignores on Francesca Albanese

Even before she used her position as special rapporteur for the United Nations to blast Israel, Albanese championed the Palestinian cause. 

 

By Giovanni Giacalone

 

JNS

Dec 11, 2024

 

Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for Palestinian rights, briefs reporters at U.N. Headquarters, Oct. 30, 2024.

 

During a press conference at Parliament Hill in the Canadian capital of Ottawa on Nov. 5, Francesca Albanese—the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories—once again accused Israel of the usual. That means genocide in Gaza, apartheid, atrocities, tortures, occupation, mass arrests and even the execution of Palestinian children.

After citing the view of one of the founders of the Italian Communist Party—Antonio Gramsci—regarding the role of financial power in cultural hegemony, she accused the pro-Israel lobbies, quoted as being “very vocal, virulent and aggressive,” of pressuring governments to boycott her.

One of the journalists attending the press conference asked her for clarification. Did she really think that meetings and events were canceled because of pressure from pro-Israel groups?

Albanese replied that she could not tell what the causes behind the withdrawal of the invitations and meetings were and added, “I only know, I mean, I base myself on facts. It happened after pro-Israel groups and pro-Israel individuals started to accuse me of the usual, and I won’t repeat the accusations because they are extremely defamatory … .”

She then accused Israel of taking “the land of historical Palestine as it has been doing ever since, even before its existence.”

When asked by one of the reporters if she believed in the right of Israel to exist, Albanese dodged the question, saying: “Israel does exist, Israel is a recognized member of the U.N. Besides this, there is no such thing in international law as the right of a state to exist … It’s not up to us.”

Albanese provided a colorful example, saying that “Italy exists, but if tomorrow Italy and France merged and formed ‘Itafrance,’ fine.” She then brought the issue back to “the right of the Palestinians to exist.”

It is worth recalling that on Oct. 14, Albanese found herself at the center of a media storm after a series of aggressive anti-Israel posts published in the previous days on her social-media accounts, comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. It sparked immediate outrage from several Jewish organizations, including the World Jewish Congress, which called for her immediate dismissal from the United Nations.

Appointed in May 2022 as the special rapporteur, Albanese has used antisemitic stereotypes and legitimized support for terrorism in her criticism of Israel. In addition to regularly portraying Israelis as Nazis and reiterating that “Hamas has the right to resist,” since the terror group’s assault in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, she has systematically downplayed the atrocities committed by Palestinian terrorists by denying that the attack on Jews was a pogrom believing rather that it was a consequence of Israel’s aggressions.

Alleged problematic financial issues

Moving to the recent financial controversies, Article 3 of the Special Procedures Code of Conduct expressly forbids Albanese from accepting remuneration from any governmental or nongovernmental source for activities carried out in pursuit of the mandate. In June, UN Watch called for an investigation into Albanese for “illegally requesting payments for work performed in her official U.N. capacity” over alleged payments for speaking events and honorarium for a fake lecture; specifically, that she circumvented the prohibition by requesting that, in exchange for her lectures, payments by external groups be made to her research assistant.

The United Nations launched an investigation into allegations that Albanese illegally accepted funding from the Australian Friends of Palestine Association and other pro-Palestinian groups to fund an estimated $20,000 trip to Australia and New Zealand in November 2023, in which she lobbied a major pension fund to divest from Israel. Those groups initially stated that they “sponsored” and “supported” her trip, violating U.N. rules forbidding remuneration from nongovernmental sources.

Albanese denied that the Australian group sponsored her trip, claiming that it was funded by the United Nations. However, the complaint argues that the international body lacks any legal basis to fund trips by its experts beyond their area of investigation.

The U.N. Human Rights Office told JNS on July 12 that the global body paid for the trip. However, these trips did not appear in the mandated U.N. special procedures annual report because “it was not a designated ‘country visit’ per se.”

“Only official country visits aimed at assessing the human rights situation in that country itself, and that are followed by a country visit report to the Human Rights Council, are included in this list,” the U.N. Human Rights Office added.

Going beyond Albanese’s financial controversies, her extreme ideological positions are obvious.

After Albanese compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler on social media, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, in July, called for her removal from the international body, writing on X, “There is no place for antisemitism from U.N.-affiliated officials tasked with promoting human rights. While the United States has never supported Francesca Albanese’s mandate, it is clear she is not fit for this or any position at the U.N.”

U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N. Human Rights Council, Michèle Taylor, tweeted: “Special rapporteurs should be striving to improve human-rights challenges, not employing dehumanizing rhetoric.”

The French representative to the United Nations also called for Albanese’s immediate dismissal and demanded a thorough investigation into the influences to which she was potentially subjected, arguing that “by comparing the defensive operations of Israel—at war for its own survival after the pogroms of 7 October—to the expansion of the Third Reich and the Holocaust, she has crossed a new red line. Her violently anti-Israel and antisemitic statements, which have been spreading for years, seriously damage the credibility of our international organizations.”

The German representative, for his part, said that Albanese’s remarks were “a disgrace” and that it was “appalling” that the special rapporteur appeared to “justify the horrific terrorist attacks and ‘deny their antisemitic nature.’”

Albanese is the first special rapporteur to be condemned by Germany and France for anti-Semitism. She replied to the criticism by saying that “the U.S., Germany and France are clearly involved and supporting what Israel is doing.”

Albanese’s opinions of Israel predate her 2022 United Nations appointment, as she had previously said that Israel was “keeping captive millions of civilians,” organized a panel on “Israel apartheid,” campaigned for an arms embargo against Israel and argued that the “Jewish lobby” was in full control of the United States.

After Oct. 7, Albanese went so far as to deny that the Hamas massacre was antisemitic: “The worst anti-Semitic massacre of the century? No, Mr. President. The victims of 7/10 were killed not because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel’s oppression.”

These comments prompted the International Legal Forum, a body of more than 4,000 lawyers, to send a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres in February, becoming the first to call for Albanese’s resignation.

Nevertheless, Albanese continued her antisemitic propaganda, voicing her support on X for a post published by human-rights official Craig Mokhiber in which Netanyahu was compared to Nazi leader Hitler, “That’s exactly what I think.”

In a speech to the National Press Club of Australia in November 2023, Albanese said Israel cannot claim the right of “self-defense” under international law because Gaza is a territory that it occupies. The statement caused an immediate reaction from the director of the Touro Institute of Human Rights and the Holocaust, Anne Bayefsky, who slammed Albanese’s comments, saying they go “hand-in-hand with all her other legally indefensible claims” regarding the conflict.

This past August, Albanese once again denied Israel’s right to self-defense, citing the West Bank’s “occupation” and “unlawful use of force” in one of her tweets. On another occasion, she admitted that her personal views on the Palestinian issue could compromise her objectivity.

Albanese also omitted the fact that her husband, Massimiliano Calì, worked as an economic advisor for the Palestinian Authority and authored a report entitled “The economic costs of Israeli occupation for the Palestinian occupied territories.”

Why didn’t the UNHRC properly scrutinize her background before hiring her?

Albanese’s anti-Israel propaganda in Italy

While maintaining her position as U.N. special rapporteur, Albanese was busy spreading anti-Israel propaganda on the Italian media.

On Sept. 11, Albanese appeared in a YouTube program with a well-known Italian pro-Palestinian supporter, Alessandro Di Battista. On his program, she once again accused Israel of “genocide” and of dropping the equivalent of “five nuclear bombs” in Gaza. She also claimed that the destruction caused by Israel in Gaza is greater than the destruction during World War II, citing Japan and Germany.

Di Battista stated that Israeli settlers are “fundamentalists who believe that only the creation of a great Israel can bring to the return of the Messiah” and defined them as “the new Ku Klux Klan … because they behave in the exact same way.”  On this occasion, Albanese once again denied that Hamas slaughtered Israeli children and perpetrated mass rapes, stating that they were “fabricated.” This is just part of the 58-minute-long video where other concerning statements were made by the two.

Di Battista is a former Five-Star Movement politician who was exposed by the Italian press for being close to Mohammad Hannoun, a Genoa-based, Palestinian architect who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for being a member of Hamas and for collecting and sending funds to the Palestinian terrorist organization. According to the United States, Hannoun has solicited funding for Hamas with senior Hamas officials and sent at least $4 million to Hamas over a 10-year period. Di Battista also traveled with Hannoun to Lebanon, taking part in the architect’s “humanitarian” activity, and spent time in Iran in 2020.

Albanese has also been invited several times to the Italian TV show “Piazza Pulita” on the LA7 channel, where she called for “immediate sanctions against Israel” and accused Israel of not being a democracy because of the “mistreatment of minorities” and of ruling the West Bank through a “military dictatorship.”

She was interviewed in May 2023 by the Human Rights and Conflict Management of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy, for the Peacekeeping International Day, where she once again attacked the “Israeli military presence in the occupied territories aimed at protecting the colonial presence.”

In January 2024, Albanese’s husband used his Facebook account to publicly accuse the Italian Democratic Party of silencing a “sacrosanct debate on the extermination Israel is committing in Palestine, to continue protecting the egregious violations of international law of a criminal state.”

In March of this year, the special rapporteur stated that “the Italian government should sanction Israel,” and in May, she gave a long interview to the Italian Communist newspaper Il Manifesto, where she claimed that “Israel did not want to stop its Gaza operations and accept a truce because it was afraid to see what it had done there.” Among other things, she also accused Israel of immediately striking places of Palestinian identity: churches, mosques, cultural centers and universities, instead of military targets.

All this can be classified as the activity of a propagandist or a militant and very far from the necessary impartiality and moderation needed by a special rapporteur. Overall, the extensive work provided by UN Watch will further compromise Albanese’s position as rapporteur and the United Nations for having appointed her regardless of her views and propaganda activity.

It is also worth pointing out that Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) had invited Albanese to Capitol Hill to brief congressional staff at the end of October but later canceled the event.

One cannot help but wonder how the situation got to this point with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) working as a front for Hamas in Gaza; U.N. head Guterres lamenting the elimination of Hamas terrorist and Nukhba commander Mohammad Abu Itiwi as a “UNRWA colleague”; the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon-Hezbollah scandal; and, last but not least, Albanese’s appointment as special rapporteur regardless of her pro-Palestinian propaganda and networking and activity. This is indeed the darkest time for the United Nations since its formation in the wake of World War II.

SCHOOL COP AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL PLANTED A VAPE PEN CONTAINING THC ON A STUDENT

Former CCISD officer arrested after accused of framing student with THC-filled vape pen

Sheriff J.C. Hooper told 3NEWS that Andrew Gonzalez bonded out of the Nueces County Jail on Saturday morning.  

By Mia Valdez 

 

3Newa

Dec 9, 2024

 

a day ago

KIII

Former Corpus Christi ISD officer .

Former Corpus Christi ISD officer .

 

Andrew Gonzalez (top) and Amanda Lee Corona

 

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Former CCISD Police Officer Andrew Gonzalez was arrested Saturday morning for his part in reportedly framing CCISD students with a THC-filled vape pen. 

He is accused, along with ex-Hamlin Middle School assistant principal Amanda Lee Corona, of planting a vape pen on students back in March 2023. 

He was booked into custody at 2:30 a.m. Saturday on charges of with intent to impair and official oppression with bond amounts totaling $30,000.  

Sheriff J.C. Hooper told 3NEWS on Monday that he bonded out of the Nueces County Jail later Saturday.

Corona was arrested and charged with crimes in connection with that incident last week.

She is also charged with tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair and official oppression.

In a probable cause statement that was filed ahead of her arrest, an investigator with the Nueces County Sheriff's Criminal Investigation Unit said he was called to the CCISD school last year to look into the allegation. 

It was there that he said he was given an audio recording in which Corona and CCISD police officer Andrew Gonzalez found a vape pen containing THC (marijuana) wax. The report states that the vape pen was found behind a filing cabinet. 

The investigator states that Corona and Gonzalez could be heard agreeing to put the pen into a student's backpack on the recording.

The statement explains that student was disciplined by school officials when the vape pen was found in his belongings. A second student was disciplined after Corona and Gonzalez said the first student accused her of owning the pen.

A third student also was disciplined when the same pen also was found in his binder. The investigator states that Corona and Gonzalez also planted the pen in this student's belongings. 

In a statement, CCISD communications director Leanne Libby told 3NEWS: 

CCISD acts immediately to investigate any allegations of wrongdoing, a process which can include placing employees on administrative leave with pay.

In March 2023, school administration took swift action to launch an investigation into the allegations at Hamlin. While we cannot share details of personnel actions or investigations, we can confirm Ms. Corona was on administrative leave starting in March 2023 and has not been employed at CCISD since August 2023. A campus officer named in the allegations has not been employed at CCISD since March 2023.

KEEP THEM LOCKED UP, THEN KICK THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY

Gov. Greg Abbott vows to crackdown on terminating illegal immigrants' probation

"It's needed because of a ruling by a leftist judge in Harris Co. Keep them in jail."

 

By Faith Bugenhagen

 

Chron

Dec 10, 2024

 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signaled support for one of the first pieces of legislation not within his top list priority, which he intends to sign if it comes across his desk during the upcoming legislative session. 

 

Gov. Greg Abbott signaled to Texas lawmakers that he has his mind set on banning early terminations of probation for convicted criminals who are in the country illegally.
 
Abbott took to X on Monday evening to endorse legislation by state senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston), saying he would sign it into law. This is one of the first measures outside of his vocalized priorities, such as school choice, that he has committed to getting across his desk.

 

“I will sign this law. It's needed because of a ruling by a leftist judge in Harris Co. Keep them in jail,” Abbott posted on X.

 

Huffman's bill, Senate Bill 552, would prohibit convicted criminals who lack legal status from having their probation ended early through community service. This would mean they would be ineligible for "judge-ordered or jury-recommended community supervision," including "deferred adjudication community supervision."
 
"This session, we have an opportunity to pass meaningful legislation that will help our law enforcement and judicial system make Texas safer," Huffman wrote in a press release. "This bill is not just about enforcing immigration laws; it's about protecting our communities. By ensuring that those who have broken both our immigration and criminal laws face full accountability, we are taking a firm stand for the safety and security of all Texans."
 
Abbott said such a law was "needed" because of a "ruling by a leftist judge" in Harris County. The governor was referring to a case in which a defendant, charged with acts involving indecency with a child with sexual conduct and indecency with a child with exposure, was illegally in the country and deported multiple times. 

Harris County District Court Judge Natalia Cornelio, who oversaw the case, awarded the defendant with early termination of probation. 

Under current law, defined by the Texas Penal Code, those convicted are not allowed to serve community time if sentenced to serve more than 10 years in prison, but state statute does not place a requirement or references to the citizenship status of convicted criminals who may be eligible to have their probation terminated early. 

Cracking down on those who are in the country illegally is a continued hot-button issue for Abbott and other GOP lawmakers during the upcoming session.

The ramifications of such Republican-pushed policies will reach across and beyond the Lone Star state. President-elect Donald Trump, confirmed his plan to end birthright citizenship once in the Oval Office. 

"We're going to end that because it's ridiculous," Trump said in a Sunday interview on NBC's Meet the Press. 

Alongside Huffman's proposal, others filed by fellow GOP Texas lawmakers could end in-state tuition for college and university students who lack legal status and require an individual's legal status to be printed on their driver's license, among other measures.

2-YEAR OLD SHOOTS MOTHER TO DEATH

By Bob Walsh

Jessinya Mina and the shooter

 

This domestic tragedy with a toddler and a gun played out at the Butterfly Grove Apartments in Fresno, CA.  on Friday.  Jessinya Mina, 22, died from a single gunshot wound apparently inflicted by her toddler who picked up an unsecured gun in the bedroom.  The mother's boyfriend, Andrew Sanchez, 18, is was a guest of the county on charges of felony negligent storage of a firearm and felony child endangerment.  Today jail records show Sanchez is NOT currently in custody.

Both of the parents were residents of the apartment along with their two children, ages 2 years and eight months.  

The boyfriend has no criminal history.  It is not known who the legal owner of the handgun is but it isn't Sanchez, he is too young to own a handgun in CA.  

The rugrats are now housed with Mina's parents. 

THE VIEW IS GETTING SOME COMPETITION

By Bob Walsh

 

 

Rob Schneider, a well-known comedian and moderately conservative individual, announced this morning that he is producing a show to compete directly with The View.  It will feature female panelists and guests who are actually funny rather than judgemental, screaming psychos who actually have some knowledge of what they are talking about and a generally centrist-conservative point of view. He seems to think there will be an actual market for this programming.  I hope he is right.  I think he may have something there.  The marketplace will tell for sure.

GAVIN STANDS ALONE

By Bob Walsh

According to the broadcast news this morning Gavin Newsom, God-Emperor of the formerly great state of California, is the ONLY governor who has refused to meet with representatives from the Western States Petroleum Association.  He has been using the "big oil companies" as a whipping boy, blaming corporate greed for high prices of gas in CA.  The petroleum producers are, as one might expect, blaming the high taxes and shitty business climate for the high prices in CA.  You may decide for yourself who you think is being truthful.

WALGREENS MAY BE GOING PRIVATE

By Bob Walsh

 

 

At the top of the curve Walgreens was valued at right at 100 billion dollars.  It is now valued at about $7.5 billion, assuming the morning radio business report got it right.  It seems that there is a move to take the company private and spin off underperforming stores.  It would be a shame for me personally as there is a decent Walgreens two blocks from my house.  Life is hard sometimes.

AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS NOT YET COME

 By Bob Walsh

GM announced this morning that they are getting out of the robotaxi business, citing large losses and regulatory hassle.  They are putting resources into semi-automated addendums to consumer purchased vehicles.  

I have no doubt that robotaxis will, down the line, become common and generally accepted.  That time is not yet and may not be yet for years yet.

THE REAL CRIMINALS IN THE DANIEL PENNY CASE

By Howie Katz

 

Now that a jury has vindicated Daniel Penny, I want to point out what crime was really committed and who the real criminals are in his case.

 

The only crime that was committed in the death of Jordan Neely was the malicious prosecution of Daniel Penny. 

Penny would never have been charged in Neely's death had Neely been white,

And the real criminals in this case are Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran and New York Black Lives Matter leader  Hawk Newsome.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran 

New York BLM leader Hawk Newsome

 

Bragg should never have charged Penny with any crime. In a city notorious for bystanders not lifting a finger to come to the aid of a victim being physically assaulted by someone, Penny stepped forth to subdue Jordan Neely who was threatening subway passengers. Penny had no intention of harming Neely, but unfortunately he died in the struggle. Bragg caved in to a mob of protesters demanding 'Justice for Jordan Neely'.

Yoran, who prosecuted Penny, went the extra mile to secure a conviction that could send a true hero to prison. If she had any decency, she would have refused to prosecute Penny.

Newsome flat out threatened Penny. He publicly declared that "We need some black vigilantes ...  people want to jump up and choke us and kill us... How about we do the same when they attempt to oppress us?" As Maureen Callahan said, "He should have been arrested on the spot."

Penny is the victim of a malicious prosecution and threats against his life. Bragg, Yoran and Newsome wanted Penny to be imprisoned, but it is they who should be prosecuted and incarcerated in prison.

And then there are the authorities who allowed Neely, a nutjob with a criminal history of more than 40 arrests, to roam free around the streets and subways of New York.

Judge Jeanine was spot on when she called Daniel Penny "A true hero in every sense of the word."   

JUDGE JEANINE CALLS DANIEL PENNY 'A TRUE HERO IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD'

Daniel Penny reveals why he had to defend subway passengers from Jordan Neely

 

By Emma Richter

 

Daily Mail

Dec 10, 2024 

Daniel Penny sat down with Fox host Jeanine Pirro to discuss his fatal subway encounter with vagrant Jordan Neely. 

 

Daniel Penny has revealed that he 'wouldn't have been able to live with himself' if he hadn't got involved to defend subway passengers from Jordan Neely.

Penny, 26, who was found not guilty of killing homeless man Neely, 30, on Monday, told Judge Jeanine Pirro in a new interview that he would have felt responsible 'if someone did get hurt' after the homeless man threatened to kill people onboard. 

'The guilt I would've felt if someone did get hurt, if he did do what he was threatening to do, I would never be able to live with myself,' the Marine veteran told Pirro in a snippet of Fox's The Five interview set to air on Wednesday. 

He told the former judge that he felt that he was 'in a very vulnerable position' as he held Neely back on the floor of an F train. 

'He was just threatening to kill people. He was threatening to go to jail forever, go to jail for the rest of his life, and now I'm on the ground with him. 

'I'm on my back in a very vulnerable position... If I just let him go, now I'm on my back and he can turn around and start doing what he said - to me... killing, hurting,' Penny explained. 

Penny was arrested in May 2023 after he held the Michael Jackson impersonator in a chokehold for a duration that resulted in the victim's death. 

After a bombshell decision to drop the manslaughter charge on Friday, the jury returned on Monday where they decided that Penny did not commit criminally negligent homicide by subduing Neely that day.

 

Daniel Penny, 26, who was found not guilty of murdering Jordan Neely, 30, on Monday, said he had no choice but to intervene that day so he could save others lives 

Neely was killed by the Marine Corp veteran on May 1, 2023 after Penny held him in a chokehold on a Manhattan F train 

 

Penny said that he is 'not a confrontational person' and someone who prefers to stay out of the spotlight, as the case sparked whirlwind attention across the nation. 

'I really don’t extend myself. This type of thing is very uncomfortable. All this attention and lime light is very uncomfortable. 

'I didn't want any attention or praise, and I still don't,' he said, adding that he's come to terms with it because his actions saved the lives of others.

'And I'll take a million court appearances and people calling me names and people hating me just to keep one of those people from getting hurt, or killed.' 

The case itself and Penny's ultimate acquittal enraged BLM activists, who instantly called for revenge in the form of black vigilantes. 

During his interview, Penny also mentioned the 'self-serving' officials who used the fatal incident as part of a 'political game'.

 

He told the former judge exactly what happened on the train, adding that he was left 'in a very vulnerable position.' (Pictured: Jordan Neely) 

 

Despite not mentioning anyone directly, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who spearheaded the case against Penny, has come under fire since the verdict was announced. 

'These are their policies. And I don’t mean to get political, I really don’t’ want to make any enemies, really — although I guess I have already,' he told Pirro. 

'But these are their policies that have clearly not worked, that the people, the general population, are not in support. Yet, their egos are too big to agree that they’re wrong.'

After walking free, the 26-year-old quickly dashed to a downtown bar to celebrate his win with his lawyers and ponder his next move.

Even before the verdict came back, there were calls from Republicans for him to be heralded a hero.

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Arizona has been so impressed by Penny and his swift action against Neely that, according to Fox, he wants to award him Congress’ highest civilian honor - a Congressional Gold Medal.

 

After walking free, the 26-year-old quickly dashed to a downtown bar to celebrate his win with his lawyers and ponder his next move

 

‘Daniel Penny’s actions exemplify what it means to stand against the grain to do right in a world that rewards moral cowardice,’ he said.

He went on to describe the justice system as ‘corrupt’ and one which ‘allows degenerates to steamroll our laws and our sense of security, while punishing the righteous.

Vivek Ramaswamy donated $10,000 to Daniel Penny's staggering legal fund, which has now reached $3million. He has also repeatedly spoken out about Neely's lengthy rap sheet, accusing the Manhattan District Attorney's office of sharing 'responsibility for his death for creating an anti law enforcement culture.'

Penny faced 15 years in prison for charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminally-negligent homicide after the incident on the F train last spring, which was partially recorded and sparked a passionate national debate.

After the manslaughter charge was dropped last week, they then went on to decide if Penny was guilty of criminally negligent homicide which would have seen him face four years on a single count of the charge. 

 

Despite admitting that he is 'not a confrontational person', Penny said 'I'll take a million court appearances and people calling me names' if that means nobody got hurt 

 

After finding him not guilty, cheering and clapping erupted in the courtroom by some, while Neely's family yelled horrendous threats, calling Penny a 'racist c**t' and warning: 'It's a small world, buddy,' before being escorted out. 

Judge Wiley allowed the prosecution's request to drop the manslaughter charge even after previously questioning the legality of it last week.

Penny's lawyers argued he acted in self-defense and in defense of other passengers after Neely terrorized their subway car and threatened them, but prosecutors say he overstepped into vigilantism and criminally killed Neely with a chokehold. 

Neely was once among the city’s corps of subway and street performers and was known for his Michael Jackson impersonations. He struggled with drug abuse and a mental illness, and had a criminal record that included assault convictions. 

Penny previously told detectives that Neely 'was talking gibberish' the day of the violent encounter. 

 

The case itself and Penny's ultimate acquittal enraged BLM activists, who instantly called for revenge in the form of black vigilantes

Others have expressed their unwavering support for Penny, hailing him a hero for his actions that day 

 

During her testimony, Ivette Rosario, 19, a witness to the moment, said that Neely said someone would 'die that day'. 

'I got scared by the tone that he was saying it. I have seen situations, but not like that,' Rosario recalled. 

With the trial out of the way, Penny is free to return his attention to his studies. When he was charged, he was studying architecture at the New York City College of Technology.

He was also working two jobs – one as a swim teacher and also at a restaurant in Brooklyn – which he gave up to focus on the trial.

He is also not completely out of the woods after Neely's family filed a civil lawsuit against Penny last week. Penny's legal team, Thomas Kenniff and Steven Raiser, released a statement Friday afternoon revealing they will immediately set their sights on the lawsuit.

OUR'S HAS BECOME A RADICALIZED CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT SEES WHITE PEOPLE AS INHERENTLY EVIL AND BLACK PEOPLE AS PERPETUAL VICTIMS

MAUREEN CALLAHAN: Daniel Penny is a vindicated hero. Now it's up to us to warn the vengeful BLM extremists that if anything happens to him, there'll be all hell to pay

 

By Maureen Callahan 

Daily Mail

Dec 9, 2024

Daniel Penny leaves Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday after his acquittal. The jury has rejected a racialized criminal justice system that sees white people as inherently evil and black people as perpetual victims.

 

Daniel Penny has been vindicated. So has America.

In finding the 26-year-old not guilty in the death of Jordan Neely, the jury has rejected a racialized criminal justice system that sees white people as inherently evil and black people as perpetual victims.

But we still have a long way to go. After the verdict was announced on Monday, Neely's father erupted in the Manhattan courtroom and had to be escorted out.

'Racist f***ing country,' one Neely supporter yelled.

Another, to Penny: 'You're a racist f**king c***.'

Black Lives Matter leader Hawk Newsome, who claims to be Neely's 'uncle', clearly threatened Penny.

'Small f***ing world, buddy,' he said. Later, at a press conference, Newsome went further: 'We need some black vigilantes… people want to jump up and choke us and kill us... How about we do the same when they attempt to oppress us?'

Newsome should have been arrested on the spot.

 

Black Lives Matter leader Hawk Newsome (pictured) clearly threatened Penny. 'Small f***ing world, buddy,' he said. Newsome should have been arrested on the spot.

 

Meanwhile, protestors chanted 'No justice, no peace' and 'f*** the police' — though the police had literally nothing to do with Neely's death. The very lack of police in the subway system caused Penny to intervene and take Neely down.

There was sobbing and wailing and rending of garments, with one person outside the courtroom declaring: 'That is the sound of black pain.'

Please. This has to stop. Jordan Neely was a violent, mentally ill homeless man who was on an internal list of New York City's 'Top 50' most critical cases.

Neely was once arrested — one of his 44 arrests — for attempting to abduct a 7-year-old girl in broad daylight.

In 2021, he randomly punched a 67-year-old woman in the face, breaking her nose and orbital bone. A judge released Neely from Rikers in a plea deal that sent him to inpatient treatment but, 13 days into his 15-month sentence, Neely simply walked out, never to return.

If only the criminal justice system had been as dogged with Neely as with Daniel Penny.

In 2010, Neely reportedly threatened to murder his own grandfather. And in that subway car last year, he said that he was going to kill someone and was ready to go back to prison. Penny and his fellow passengers had every reason to believe Neely.

Even New York City's Mayor Eric Adams, a former cop, suggested Penny should never have been charged.

'Those passengers were afraid,' Adams said last week. 'I've been on the subway system. I know what it is as a police officer to wrestle or fight with someone… You have someone [Penny] on that subway who was responding, doing what we should have done as a city.'

Yet Neely's family members, who had all but abandoned him, are now playing victim. Last week, as the jury deliberated, Neely's father Andre Zachary filed a civil suit against Penny.

The system, Zachary said after the verdict, is 'rigged'. It sure is, but not the way Zachary claims.

Let's get real: If Penny had been a black man, or Neely white, this case would never have been brought to trial. Daniel Penny wouldn't have lost over a year of his life to this politically, racially motivated case.

It was so paper-thin that even prosecutors said on Friday – in what seemed to be a desperate attempt to sway the jury into delivering a favorable verdict – that there was a chance Penny might not even serve jail time if found guilty. So spare us the racial justice canard.

'My son didn't have to go through this,' Neely's father said Monday.

He sure didn't. If only Neely had a father and family that would have done something.

Instead, Neely was left to flagrantly threaten a subway car of passengers last May, most of whom were daily riders and had never been so terrified.

 

Meanwhile, protestors chanted 'No justice, no peace' and 'f*** the police' - though the police had literally nothing to do with Neely's death. The very lack of police in the subway system caused Penny to intervene and take Neely down.

Neely's family members, who had all but abandoned him, are now playing victim. Last week, as the jury deliberated, Neely's father Andre Zachary (pictured) filed a civil suit against Penny. 

Neely was left by his family to flagrantly threaten a subway car of passengers last May, most of whom were daily riders and had never been so terrified. 

 

Caedryn Schrunk, senior brand manager at Nike, in her court testimony: 'I was scared that I was going to die in that moment.'

Ivette Rosario, 19, said that she thought she might 'pass out' from fear.

The defense team did an expert job in medically proving that Penny's chokehold did not cause Neely's death. In fact, police bodycam video shown in court confirmed that Neely still had a pulse when first responders arrived.

It's heartening, really, to see this jury — despite hearing the racially-charged chants of outside protesters — deliver a fair verdict.

'It's a great day for our city and our nation,' said Brooklyn council member Inna Vernikov. 'We all feel the tide turning now. Today the jury decided that the woke mob is no longer the arbiter of right and wrong.'

Yes, yes, yes — a million times yes.

Wokery is done. The pendulum of sanity is swinging rightward, as the election of Trump and the rejection of outré progressivism augurs.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called Marine veteran Penny a hero who 'protected the lives of people on that train. We used to celebrate bravery like this in America, but the left continues their crusade to protect criminals and prosecute heroes.'

Exactly right.

New York City councilman Joe Borelli called for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg— whose only other major case this year was the politically-motivated Trump hush-money trial — to go.

'The verdict in this case underscores nothing other than the perverse sense of justice held by Alvin Bragg,' Borelli said. 'Every New Yorker is fearful on the subway and had no problem understanding the context of Daniel Penny's actions. The district attorney should resign in shame.'

Let me assure my fellow New Yorkers: Alvin Bragg won't resign, because he has no shame. Governor Kathy Hochul should fire him.

Not since Al Sharpton has one figure done so much to wreck race relations in New York, a city notable the world over as a true melting pot. Nowhere else do so many different people get along so easily.

But Bragg and his ilk are doing their best to divide us.

After all, Bragg, whose soft-on-crime policies are destroying New York, refused to bring charges against the other man who helped restrain Neely. Could it be because that man is black?

 

It's heartening, really, to see this jury, despite hearing the racially-charged chants of outside protesters, deliver a fair verdict. (Pictured: A person protesting the not guilty verdict being arrested outside the Manhattan court.)

 

Anyone with an iota of common sense knows exactly why Penny was tried and charged. Penny should sue the City of New York, because this isn't over for him.

He was just openly threatened in a court of law. Neely's father is now looking for a hefty payday. And Penny and his family will be looking over their shoulders for the foreseeable future.

Indeed, his vindication comes at great personal cost, not just to him but to every American.

Who in their right mind would ever risk standing up for fellow innocents again, only to be branded a racist, face criminal charges, costly legal battles and potential prison time?

Daniel Penny is a hero. It's up to decent people everywhere to cheer him as such — and make it beyond clear that if anything happens to him, there will be all hell to pay.