The burglars scaled the outside brick wall like a human fly and entered through a kitchen window, then left the same way
The gang emptied the apartment’s refrigerator and trashed the kitchen as they ate most of the food. They also emptied cabinets and drawers, tore up beds and made off with blankets, bed sheets and curtains. One burglar also stole a giant teddy bear. All but one of the thieves did not bother to hide their faces in front of witnesses, the lone exception being one burglar who disguised himself by hiding under one of the curtains as they made their getaway.
There were many witnesses to this crime but they could do nothing because the apartment’s occupants were away at the time. The intruders spent about 30 minutes inside the apartment. Witnesses reported that after they fled the apartment, some of the burglars played with the teddy bear like kids play with a doll. The witnesses also reported that they groomed the teddy bear like a monkey.
After interviewing a number of witnesses, the police now know that the bold burglars were members of the city’s notorious Chacma Gang.
Oh, I forgot to mention that this brazen crime took place recently in Cape Town, South Africa and that the burglars have been identified as a troop of chacma baboons. It turns out that home intrusions by baboons and other monkeys are quite common in South Africa.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
GOV CHRISTIE: OBAMACARE A ‘TRAIN WRECK’
Says, "This is a disaster and it was a train wreck that anybody who’s managed anything, ever, in their lives, could’ve seen coming"
According to an article in the New York Post, of the 1.6 million Americans who have signed up for Obamacare, 1.46 million actually enrolled in Medicaid, a trend that puts the nation on the ‘Road to Insolvency.’
DEMOCRAT: BLAME CHRISTIE FOR N.J. OBAMACARE WOES
By Audrey Hudson
Newsmax
December 9, 2013
A New Jersey Democrat says it's not the president's fault that 800,000 Garden State residents saw their insurance cancelled in anticipation of new Obamacare requirements — instead, she says Republican Gov. Chris Christie is to blame.
State Sen. Nia Gill says it's Christie fault because he did not establish a statewide health exchange, and now residents have no choice but to negotiate the flawed federal program to find new coverage, the New York Post reports.
The flaw in her argument, the Post says, is that even if Christie had created a statewide system, the insurance policies would have still been cancelled.
Although the Obama administration now says insurance companies can ignore the new standards and reissue the cancelled policies, no company in New Jersey has so far been willing to try it.
The Post reports that Christie warned Obama in 2010 that the law would create a flood of cancelled policies, but his pleas were ignored.
"This is a disaster and it was a train wreck that anybody who’s managed anything, ever, in their lives, could’ve seen coming," Christie said during a recent interview on New Jersey 101.5FM.
"This is just an awful law. It made no sense and that’s why I didn’t get into a state exchange," Christie said. "And no, I have absolutely no regrets. In fact, I’m really glad that the train wreck’s not mine."
According to an article in the New York Post, of the 1.6 million Americans who have signed up for Obamacare, 1.46 million actually enrolled in Medicaid, a trend that puts the nation on the ‘Road to Insolvency.’
DEMOCRAT: BLAME CHRISTIE FOR N.J. OBAMACARE WOES
By Audrey Hudson
Newsmax
December 9, 2013
A New Jersey Democrat says it's not the president's fault that 800,000 Garden State residents saw their insurance cancelled in anticipation of new Obamacare requirements — instead, she says Republican Gov. Chris Christie is to blame.
State Sen. Nia Gill says it's Christie fault because he did not establish a statewide health exchange, and now residents have no choice but to negotiate the flawed federal program to find new coverage, the New York Post reports.
The flaw in her argument, the Post says, is that even if Christie had created a statewide system, the insurance policies would have still been cancelled.
Although the Obama administration now says insurance companies can ignore the new standards and reissue the cancelled policies, no company in New Jersey has so far been willing to try it.
The Post reports that Christie warned Obama in 2010 that the law would create a flood of cancelled policies, but his pleas were ignored.
"This is a disaster and it was a train wreck that anybody who’s managed anything, ever, in their lives, could’ve seen coming," Christie said during a recent interview on New Jersey 101.5FM.
"This is just an awful law. It made no sense and that’s why I didn’t get into a state exchange," Christie said. "And no, I have absolutely no regrets. In fact, I’m really glad that the train wreck’s not mine."
CAN ISRAEL TRUST U.S. SECURITY GUARANTEES?
The U.S. cannot guarantee Israel’s security since Abbas and other Palestinian leaders have repeatedly vowed there will be only one state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. In the event Israel’s security was threatened by its Arab neighbors, the U.S. guarantee would require American military intervention, something our war-weary public probably wouldn’t stand for.
U.S. SAYS ISRAEL PEACE DEAL SECURITY GUARANTEES POSSIBLE
AFP
December 7, 2013
WASHINGTON -- The United States said Saturday it had conducted its deepest-ever analysis of Israel's security needs and believed a two-state solution with Palestinians could include sufficient guarantees to safeguard the Jewish state.
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry revealed some details of the US effort to convince Israel that its security could be ensured in any final peace deal.
Kerry said US Middle East security envoy General John Allen was working closely with Israeli forces to test scenarios and work out how to satisfy Israeli needs for years to come.
"He is helping us make sure that the border on the Jordan River will be as strong as any in the world, so that there will be no question about the security of the citizens, Israelis and Palestinians, living to the west of it," Kerry said at the Brookings Institution's Saban Forum.
"Never before has the United States conducted such an in-depth analysis of Israel's security requirements that arise from a two-state solution," Kerry said.
Obama said earlier at the same event that Allen had concluded "that it is possible to create a two-state solution that preserves Israel's core security needs."
"That's his conclusion, but ultimately he's not the decision-maker here, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli military and intelligence folks have to make that determination."
Allen briefed Netanyahu on his conclusions on Thursday.
Kerry said more than 160 US experts were coordinating with the Palestinians and the Jordanians as well as Israelis and running multiple scenarios, including future border issues and terrorism, to pinpoint Israel's needs.
He described the process as a "critical threading of the needle that needs to happen."
"What we put on the table is deadly serious, real."
Kerry said multiple US government, intelligence and military agencies were working with Israelis and Palestinians on security -- which he billed as a make or break issue for his long-running initiative to broker peace between the two sides.
Netanyahu has said that under any peace agreement, Israel "must be able to defend itself, by itself, with our own forces" -- an allusion to the reported debate over security in the Jordan Valley, which separates the West Bank from neighboring Jordan.
Israel has always insisted that in any final agreement it would have to maintain a military presence there, and has rejected outright the idea of any third party involvement.
Obama also warned that, in the event of a final agreement, the Palestinians would have to accept Israel would require a "transition period" to ensure that the West Bank did not become a security threat akin to Hamas-ruled Gaza.
"This transition period requires some restraint on the part of the Palestinians as well. They don't get everything they want on day one," he said.
U.S. SAYS ISRAEL PEACE DEAL SECURITY GUARANTEES POSSIBLE
AFP
December 7, 2013
WASHINGTON -- The United States said Saturday it had conducted its deepest-ever analysis of Israel's security needs and believed a two-state solution with Palestinians could include sufficient guarantees to safeguard the Jewish state.
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry revealed some details of the US effort to convince Israel that its security could be ensured in any final peace deal.
Kerry said US Middle East security envoy General John Allen was working closely with Israeli forces to test scenarios and work out how to satisfy Israeli needs for years to come.
"He is helping us make sure that the border on the Jordan River will be as strong as any in the world, so that there will be no question about the security of the citizens, Israelis and Palestinians, living to the west of it," Kerry said at the Brookings Institution's Saban Forum.
"Never before has the United States conducted such an in-depth analysis of Israel's security requirements that arise from a two-state solution," Kerry said.
Obama said earlier at the same event that Allen had concluded "that it is possible to create a two-state solution that preserves Israel's core security needs."
"That's his conclusion, but ultimately he's not the decision-maker here, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli military and intelligence folks have to make that determination."
Allen briefed Netanyahu on his conclusions on Thursday.
Kerry said more than 160 US experts were coordinating with the Palestinians and the Jordanians as well as Israelis and running multiple scenarios, including future border issues and terrorism, to pinpoint Israel's needs.
He described the process as a "critical threading of the needle that needs to happen."
"What we put on the table is deadly serious, real."
Kerry said multiple US government, intelligence and military agencies were working with Israelis and Palestinians on security -- which he billed as a make or break issue for his long-running initiative to broker peace between the two sides.
Netanyahu has said that under any peace agreement, Israel "must be able to defend itself, by itself, with our own forces" -- an allusion to the reported debate over security in the Jordan Valley, which separates the West Bank from neighboring Jordan.
Israel has always insisted that in any final agreement it would have to maintain a military presence there, and has rejected outright the idea of any third party involvement.
Obama also warned that, in the event of a final agreement, the Palestinians would have to accept Israel would require a "transition period" to ensure that the West Bank did not become a security threat akin to Hamas-ruled Gaza.
"This transition period requires some restraint on the part of the Palestinians as well. They don't get everything they want on day one," he said.
JORDAN’S FEAR OF PALESTINIANS DRIVES THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM INTO AN ALLIANCE WITH ISRAEL
The Jordanians are adhering to the old Arab proverb the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
U.S., JORDAN AGREE: ISRAEL SHOULD CONTROL JORDAN VALLEY
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
December 9, 2013
The Obama Administration and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan have both reportedly sided with Israel in its demand to retain control over the Jordan Valley in any future peace agreement with the Palestinians.
In a new proposal to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry is said to have suggested that the Jewish state be permitted to maintain a military presence in the strategic Jordan Valley.
The new American position on that matter could be the result of reported Jordanian pressure. According to Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv, Jordan coordinated with Jerusalem to convince Kerry of the crucial importance of continued Israeli army control of the border region.
Israel has long insisted that, even if it surrenders the bulk of Judea and Samaria (the so-called "West Bank"), it must retain control of the Jordan Valley as a buffer against future external threats, and as a deterrent and protection against Palestinian aggression.
Jordan wants Israel in the Jordan Valley to prevent further influx of Palestinian Arabs into the Hashemite Kingdom. Jordan's Palestinian majority has threatened the Bedouin-backed Hashemite monarchy in the past, including in the 1970-1971 Jordanian Civil War.
As expected, the Palestinian Authority responded to the news with outrage.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo told France's AFP that Kerry had put the entire peace process on the verge of "total failure" by backing the Israeli demand. Rabbo later told Palestinian media that the Obama Administration was aiding Israel's "expansionist agenda" on the pretext of "security" as a means of appeasing the Jewish state following the West's nuclear deal with Iran.
US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro told Israel Radio that Rabbo's assertions were incorrect, and that Washington had made no linkage between the Iran deal and the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
U.S., JORDAN AGREE: ISRAEL SHOULD CONTROL JORDAN VALLEY
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
December 9, 2013
The Obama Administration and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan have both reportedly sided with Israel in its demand to retain control over the Jordan Valley in any future peace agreement with the Palestinians.
In a new proposal to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry is said to have suggested that the Jewish state be permitted to maintain a military presence in the strategic Jordan Valley.
The new American position on that matter could be the result of reported Jordanian pressure. According to Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv, Jordan coordinated with Jerusalem to convince Kerry of the crucial importance of continued Israeli army control of the border region.
Israel has long insisted that, even if it surrenders the bulk of Judea and Samaria (the so-called "West Bank"), it must retain control of the Jordan Valley as a buffer against future external threats, and as a deterrent and protection against Palestinian aggression.
Jordan wants Israel in the Jordan Valley to prevent further influx of Palestinian Arabs into the Hashemite Kingdom. Jordan's Palestinian majority has threatened the Bedouin-backed Hashemite monarchy in the past, including in the 1970-1971 Jordanian Civil War.
As expected, the Palestinian Authority responded to the news with outrage.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo told France's AFP that Kerry had put the entire peace process on the verge of "total failure" by backing the Israeli demand. Rabbo later told Palestinian media that the Obama Administration was aiding Israel's "expansionist agenda" on the pretext of "security" as a means of appeasing the Jewish state following the West's nuclear deal with Iran.
US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro told Israel Radio that Rabbo's assertions were incorrect, and that Washington had made no linkage between the Iran deal and the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
TWO HOUSTON SCHOOL ADMINSTATORS RECRUITED FROM VIRGINIA APPARAENTLY WERE DOPERS
Fired Saturday after October arrest in Alabama for possession of marijuana and cocaine came to light Friday
After only five months on the job, Ronald Rodriguez, principal of Houston’s predominantly black Wheatley High School, and his fiancé Dana Bost, the district’s Chief High School Officer, were both fired Saturday after Houston Independent School District officials learned Friday they had been busted on October 18 in in Prichard, Alabama on felony charges for possession of pot and coke. The black couple did not report the arrest to school officials as they were required to do.
According to the Alabama authorities, Bost and Rodriguez were pulled over for speeding. The police searched their rental car because their suspicions were aroused when they learned the couple was driving from Atlanta to Houston without any luggage. During the search they found a purse that contained five marijuana cigarettes and a bag of powder cocaine. The cops also seized a cooler containing a large amount of marijuana.
Rodriguez and Bost, award winning educators, were both hired in July after having been recruited out of the state of Virginia. Apparently HISD’s background checks leave something to be desired.
Now the careers of two educated idiot educators are now down the toilet. Actually that’s a good thing because we sure as shit don’t need a couple of dopers as role models for our kids.
After only five months on the job, Ronald Rodriguez, principal of Houston’s predominantly black Wheatley High School, and his fiancé Dana Bost, the district’s Chief High School Officer, were both fired Saturday after Houston Independent School District officials learned Friday they had been busted on October 18 in in Prichard, Alabama on felony charges for possession of pot and coke. The black couple did not report the arrest to school officials as they were required to do.
According to the Alabama authorities, Bost and Rodriguez were pulled over for speeding. The police searched their rental car because their suspicions were aroused when they learned the couple was driving from Atlanta to Houston without any luggage. During the search they found a purse that contained five marijuana cigarettes and a bag of powder cocaine. The cops also seized a cooler containing a large amount of marijuana.
Rodriguez and Bost, award winning educators, were both hired in July after having been recruited out of the state of Virginia. Apparently HISD’s background checks leave something to be desired.
Now the careers of two educated idiot educators are now down the toilet. Actually that’s a good thing because we sure as shit don’t need a couple of dopers as role models for our kids.
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS OPPOSE WATER DEAL BETWEEN ISRAEL, JORDAN AND PALESTINIANS
It doesn’t surprise me that the environmentalists would oppose such an important water deal. In Houston where I live, the eco-nuts have opposed the construction of a series of dikes and water gates that would protect a huge petrochemical complex, several million homes and countless lives from the devastation of a category 4 or 5 hurricane.
ISRAEL, JORDAN, PALESTINIANS TO SIGN ‘HISTORIC’ WATER DEAL
AFP
December 9, 2013
JERUSALEM — Representatives of Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians will Monday sign a "historic" agreement to link the Red Sea with the shrinking Dead Sea, an Israeli minister said.
Energy and Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom told army radio that under the agreement to be signed at the World Bank in Washington, water will be drawn from the Gulf of Aqaba at the northern end of the Red Sea.
Some will be desalinated and distributed to Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians, while the rest will be transferred in four pipes to the parched Dead Sea, which would otherwise dry out by 2050.
Shalom noted the economic aspects of supplying cheap desalinated water to neighboring states, the environmental angle of "saving the Dead Sea" and the "strategic-diplomatic" aspect of the deal, being signed at a time when peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are floundering.
"This is a breakthrough after many years of efforts," he said. "It is nothing less than a historic move."
According to Yediot, the Palestinian Authority's minister in charge of water issues, Shaddad Attili, and Jordanian Water Minister Hazem Nasser will be signing the agreement with Shalom.
Shalom said that following the signing, "an international tender will be issued for the entire project — building the desalination plant in Aqaba and laying the first of the four pipes."
According to Yediot Aharonot newspaper, which first broke the story, the idea dates back to the 1994 signing of a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan.
The World Bank in 2012 published a feasibility study report on the project.
But Friends of the Earth Middle East and other environmental groups warned that a large influx of Red Sea water could radically change the Dead Sea's fragile ecosystem, forming gypsum crystals and introducing red algae blooms.
ISRAEL, JORDAN, PALESTINIANS TO SIGN ‘HISTORIC’ WATER DEAL
AFP
December 9, 2013
JERUSALEM — Representatives of Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians will Monday sign a "historic" agreement to link the Red Sea with the shrinking Dead Sea, an Israeli minister said.
Energy and Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom told army radio that under the agreement to be signed at the World Bank in Washington, water will be drawn from the Gulf of Aqaba at the northern end of the Red Sea.
Some will be desalinated and distributed to Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians, while the rest will be transferred in four pipes to the parched Dead Sea, which would otherwise dry out by 2050.
Shalom noted the economic aspects of supplying cheap desalinated water to neighboring states, the environmental angle of "saving the Dead Sea" and the "strategic-diplomatic" aspect of the deal, being signed at a time when peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are floundering.
"This is a breakthrough after many years of efforts," he said. "It is nothing less than a historic move."
According to Yediot, the Palestinian Authority's minister in charge of water issues, Shaddad Attili, and Jordanian Water Minister Hazem Nasser will be signing the agreement with Shalom.
Shalom said that following the signing, "an international tender will be issued for the entire project — building the desalination plant in Aqaba and laying the first of the four pipes."
According to Yediot Aharonot newspaper, which first broke the story, the idea dates back to the 1994 signing of a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan.
The World Bank in 2012 published a feasibility study report on the project.
But Friends of the Earth Middle East and other environmental groups warned that a large influx of Red Sea water could radically change the Dead Sea's fragile ecosystem, forming gypsum crystals and introducing red algae blooms.
Monday, December 09, 2013
THE NUMBER OF ISRAELIS WHO NOW BELIEVE IN A TWO-STATE SOLUTION CAN ‘FIT IN TWO TELEPHONE BOOTHS’
Here are two articles from Israel Today which mitigate against a successful conclusion to the U.S. brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
EXPERT: ISRAELIS DON’T BELIEVE IN 2-STATE SOLUTION
Israel Today
December 8, 2013
Middle East expert Dr. Mordechai Kedar of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies says Israelis have almost totally lost their faith in the two-state solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict.
Whereas a decade or two ago a majority of Israelis viewed the internationally-backed diplomatic effort as a harbinger of peace after 50 years of war, the number of Israelis who still feel that way can “fit in two telephone booths,” Kedar told Israeli radio station Arutz Sheva.
What happened in the intervening years to change most Israelis’ minds? In a word, Gaza.
In 2005, Israel “disengaged” from Gaza, uprooting 21 Jewish communities with a combined population of some 10,000 people. It was a gut-wrenching move for the Jewish state, but it was also the first major test of whether or not the Palestinians were serious about living in peace if they were given the lands they demanded.
“We gave land, they fired rockets into Israel,” noted Kedar. Since Israel pulled out of Gaza, nearly 10,000 rockets have been fired into southern Israel from the coastal enclave.
Kedar explained that Israelis aren’t about to let the same thing happen in Judea and Samaria (the so-called “West Bank”), from which terrorist rockets could easily hit Israel’s largest population centers and its only major international airport.
Kedar is currently promoting a peace plan that would grant the Palestinians increased autonomy in their own cities, but would stop far short of the independent, sovereign control over Judea and Samaria that the current negotiations are aimed at achieving.
__________
ISRAELI MINISTER: OBAMA WRONG TO BE OPTIMISTIC ON PEACE
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
December 8, 2013
Israeli Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday took the Obama Administration to task for sounding such an optimistic note regarding the current Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Over the weekend, both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry told the Brookings Institute’s Saban Forum that they had high hopes for the peace talks, and that a final status framework could be put in place within months.
At around the same time Obama and Kerry were making their lofty remarks, Palestinian terrorists operating out of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip fired two missiles into southern Israel.
Speaking to Israel Radio from Australia, Bennett noted that America cannot oversee a final status deal that somehow does not take Hamas into account.
“Imagine you’re negotiating over a car with someone who only owns half the car, and the owner of the other half says he won’t recognize any agreement you reach. You give him all the money but only get half the car,” the minister explained.
Washington has tried to ignore Hamas for the time being as it pushes forward talks between Israel and the government of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Bennett went on to say that he is “for an agreement, but a real one that doesn’t harm our interests.”
In other remarks carried by France’s AFP, Bennett said that what Israel needed to do was extend its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (the so-called “West Bank”).
“I favor implementation of Israeli sovereignty over the zone where 400,000 Jews live and only 70,000 Arabs,” said Bennett, referring to what is known as “Area C” - territory that is already under full Israeli security control.
As part of that plan, Bennett would grant Israeli citizenship to those 70,000 Arabs.
EXPERT: ISRAELIS DON’T BELIEVE IN 2-STATE SOLUTION
Israel Today
December 8, 2013
Middle East expert Dr. Mordechai Kedar of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies says Israelis have almost totally lost their faith in the two-state solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict.
Whereas a decade or two ago a majority of Israelis viewed the internationally-backed diplomatic effort as a harbinger of peace after 50 years of war, the number of Israelis who still feel that way can “fit in two telephone booths,” Kedar told Israeli radio station Arutz Sheva.
What happened in the intervening years to change most Israelis’ minds? In a word, Gaza.
In 2005, Israel “disengaged” from Gaza, uprooting 21 Jewish communities with a combined population of some 10,000 people. It was a gut-wrenching move for the Jewish state, but it was also the first major test of whether or not the Palestinians were serious about living in peace if they were given the lands they demanded.
“We gave land, they fired rockets into Israel,” noted Kedar. Since Israel pulled out of Gaza, nearly 10,000 rockets have been fired into southern Israel from the coastal enclave.
Kedar explained that Israelis aren’t about to let the same thing happen in Judea and Samaria (the so-called “West Bank”), from which terrorist rockets could easily hit Israel’s largest population centers and its only major international airport.
Kedar is currently promoting a peace plan that would grant the Palestinians increased autonomy in their own cities, but would stop far short of the independent, sovereign control over Judea and Samaria that the current negotiations are aimed at achieving.
__________
ISRAELI MINISTER: OBAMA WRONG TO BE OPTIMISTIC ON PEACE
By Ryan Jones
Israel Today
December 8, 2013
Israeli Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday took the Obama Administration to task for sounding such an optimistic note regarding the current Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Over the weekend, both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry told the Brookings Institute’s Saban Forum that they had high hopes for the peace talks, and that a final status framework could be put in place within months.
At around the same time Obama and Kerry were making their lofty remarks, Palestinian terrorists operating out of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip fired two missiles into southern Israel.
Speaking to Israel Radio from Australia, Bennett noted that America cannot oversee a final status deal that somehow does not take Hamas into account.
“Imagine you’re negotiating over a car with someone who only owns half the car, and the owner of the other half says he won’t recognize any agreement you reach. You give him all the money but only get half the car,” the minister explained.
Washington has tried to ignore Hamas for the time being as it pushes forward talks between Israel and the government of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Bennett went on to say that he is “for an agreement, but a real one that doesn’t harm our interests.”
In other remarks carried by France’s AFP, Bennett said that what Israel needed to do was extend its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (the so-called “West Bank”).
“I favor implementation of Israeli sovereignty over the zone where 400,000 Jews live and only 70,000 Arabs,” said Bennett, referring to what is known as “Area C” - territory that is already under full Israeli security control.
As part of that plan, Bennett would grant Israeli citizenship to those 70,000 Arabs.
WHILE KILLING BALD AND GOLDEN EAGLES IS AGAINST THE LAW, OBAMA NONETHELESS AUTHORIZES WIND FARMS TO KILL EAGLES FOR 30 YEARS
Obama’s passion for renewable energy bodes ill for eagles and other raptors, as well as for all other kinds of birds. After thirty years of the raptors being whacked by windmill blades, there may not be any eagles left to kill.
The environmentalists must be pulling their hair out, torn between their support of alternative energy and strong opposition to fossil fuels, and their support for the survival of wildlife.
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ISSUES PERMITS FOR WIND FARMS TO KILL MORE EAGLES
By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
December 6, 2013
The Interior Department says it will change the rules and issue permits that would let wind farms kill eagles for up to 30 years, or six times longer than the current permits allow.
Wind farms — the fields of windmill turbines that dot the landscape — kill about 440,000 birds of all species every year, according to a government estimate, which raises questions about the balance between the renewable energy resource and the very environment it is supposed to be helping.
“Permits to kill eagles just seems unpatriotic, and 30 years is a long time for some of these projects to accrue a high death rate,” said Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana Republican and a critic of the Interior Department.
He and fellow Republicans said the administration has been tougher on traditional energy sources such as oil and gas when it comes to bird kills, but has been more lenient on renewable energy.
“There needs to be a balanced approach in protecting migratory birds, while also supporting domestic energy, and with this newest decision, the administration has failed to achieve that,” Mr. Vitter said.
The new rule will officially be published on Monday.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which issued the rule, said while it’s raising the maximum permit to 30 years, it could still issue wind farm permits for less than that.
The permits may also include requirements for extra steps the wind farms must take to try to reduce eagle kills — particularly if future evidence suggests the turbines are killing more eagles than expected.
But the service said it makes sense to grant a longer eagle-kill permit because renewable energy projects’ lifespan is generally far longer than the 5 years that are currently allowed.
Killing bald or golden eagles is generally prohibited by federal law, but gives the government the power to grant exemptions.
“Permits may authorize lethal take that is incidental to an otherwise lawful activity, such as mortalities caused by collisions with wind turbines, powerline electrocutions, and other potential sources of incidental take,” the agency said in its official rule posting.
The agency said eagle populations have been about stable over the last 40 years, but acknowledged a lot of uncertainty about wind farms and their effects.
“In the case of managing eagle populations in the face of energy development, there is considerable uncertainty. For example, evidence shows that in some areas or specific situations, large soaring birds, specifically raptors, are especially vulnerable to colliding with wind turbines,” the agency said.
“However, we are uncertain about the relative importance of different factors that influence that risk,” the agency said. “We are also uncertain which strategies would best mitigate the effects of wind energy developments on raptors. Populations of raptors with relatively low fecundity, such as golden eagles, are more susceptible to population declines due to new sources of mortality.”
The environmentalists must be pulling their hair out, torn between their support of alternative energy and strong opposition to fossil fuels, and their support for the survival of wildlife.
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ISSUES PERMITS FOR WIND FARMS TO KILL MORE EAGLES
By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
December 6, 2013
The Interior Department says it will change the rules and issue permits that would let wind farms kill eagles for up to 30 years, or six times longer than the current permits allow.
Wind farms — the fields of windmill turbines that dot the landscape — kill about 440,000 birds of all species every year, according to a government estimate, which raises questions about the balance between the renewable energy resource and the very environment it is supposed to be helping.
“Permits to kill eagles just seems unpatriotic, and 30 years is a long time for some of these projects to accrue a high death rate,” said Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana Republican and a critic of the Interior Department.
He and fellow Republicans said the administration has been tougher on traditional energy sources such as oil and gas when it comes to bird kills, but has been more lenient on renewable energy.
“There needs to be a balanced approach in protecting migratory birds, while also supporting domestic energy, and with this newest decision, the administration has failed to achieve that,” Mr. Vitter said.
The new rule will officially be published on Monday.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which issued the rule, said while it’s raising the maximum permit to 30 years, it could still issue wind farm permits for less than that.
The permits may also include requirements for extra steps the wind farms must take to try to reduce eagle kills — particularly if future evidence suggests the turbines are killing more eagles than expected.
But the service said it makes sense to grant a longer eagle-kill permit because renewable energy projects’ lifespan is generally far longer than the 5 years that are currently allowed.
Killing bald or golden eagles is generally prohibited by federal law, but gives the government the power to grant exemptions.
“Permits may authorize lethal take that is incidental to an otherwise lawful activity, such as mortalities caused by collisions with wind turbines, powerline electrocutions, and other potential sources of incidental take,” the agency said in its official rule posting.
The agency said eagle populations have been about stable over the last 40 years, but acknowledged a lot of uncertainty about wind farms and their effects.
“In the case of managing eagle populations in the face of energy development, there is considerable uncertainty. For example, evidence shows that in some areas or specific situations, large soaring birds, specifically raptors, are especially vulnerable to colliding with wind turbines,” the agency said.
“However, we are uncertain about the relative importance of different factors that influence that risk,” the agency said. “We are also uncertain which strategies would best mitigate the effects of wind energy developments on raptors. Populations of raptors with relatively low fecundity, such as golden eagles, are more susceptible to population declines due to new sources of mortality.”
WHERE DID NEW MEXICO DIG UP THIS BRAINLESS STATE COP? (UPDATE)
Shooting at a fleeing traffic violator’s car full of kids is an act of insanity
On October 28, New Mexico state troopers got into a tussle with a woman driver and her 14-year-old son over a speeding violation and when she drives off, one cop fired three shots at her car which contained five kids.
Elias Montoya, the brainless dipshit who fired at the fleeing car, was fired Friday. Montoya has 30 days to appeal his firing.
This lunatic should have been fired the day of the shooting incident. I cannot imagine that his appeal would be successful. Shooting at a car containing five kids is simply insane.
And the officer who made the traffic stop should be disciplined for pulling out his baton and smashing one of the car’s rear windows as the terrorized kids were screaming their lungs out. A 30-day suspension without pay plus a six-month probationary period would seem to be appropriate in this unbelievable case.
On January 2, suspecting he was concealing drugs up his ass because he clenched his butt during a traffic stop, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s deputies and Deming cops got doctors to subject a minor traffic violator to two digital anal exams, three enemas and a colonoscopy.
These incidents indicate that New Mexico must be recruiting its state cops, sheriff's deputies and city cops at an insane asylum.
On October 28, New Mexico state troopers got into a tussle with a woman driver and her 14-year-old son over a speeding violation and when she drives off, one cop fired three shots at her car which contained five kids.
Elias Montoya, the brainless dipshit who fired at the fleeing car, was fired Friday. Montoya has 30 days to appeal his firing.
This lunatic should have been fired the day of the shooting incident. I cannot imagine that his appeal would be successful. Shooting at a car containing five kids is simply insane.
And the officer who made the traffic stop should be disciplined for pulling out his baton and smashing one of the car’s rear windows as the terrorized kids were screaming their lungs out. A 30-day suspension without pay plus a six-month probationary period would seem to be appropriate in this unbelievable case.
On January 2, suspecting he was concealing drugs up his ass because he clenched his butt during a traffic stop, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s deputies and Deming cops got doctors to subject a minor traffic violator to two digital anal exams, three enemas and a colonoscopy.
These incidents indicate that New Mexico must be recruiting its state cops, sheriff's deputies and city cops at an insane asylum.
SOME FAR-RIGHT POLITICIANS CONDEMN ANY PRAISE OF MANDELA
It is absurd and disgusting to criticize anyone who praises Nelson Mandela. The criticism is coming from some right-wing dipshits in the Republican Party. And this is another reason the Republicans will find it extremely difficult if not impossible to secure the support of African-Americans.
Here is how Newt Gingrich, who has high praise for Mandela, responded to his critics:
GINGRICH TAKES HEAT FOR PRAISING MANDELA
By Greg Richter
Newsmax
December 8, 2013
Newt Gingrich is defending his praise of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday at age 95.
After posting on Facebook that Mandela was "one of the greatest leaders of our time," the former Republican speaker of the House received mixed results, with some saying he should have condemned Mandela's violent actions and embrace of communist allies.
"Such an amazing re-write of history since 1962 and 1990. Newt, I thought you of all people, a historian, would be true to who this guy really was," one person posted.
Appearing Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Gingrich said he was surprised by the criticism. Some people returned up to five times repeating how angry they were, he said.
Gingrich didn't let the matter lie. He took to his online newsletter on Friday, responding with a post titled "What would you have done?"
"As Americans we celebrate the farmers at Lexington and Concord who used force to oppose British tyranny," Gingrich wrote. "We praise George Washington for spending eight years in the field fighting the British Army’s dictatorial assault on our freedom."
He noted to CNN that Mandela attended a Methodist school and "went on to be largely a nonviolent person." As a lawyer, he "very effectively used his role as defendant."
But when the savage pro-apartheid party took over in the late 1940s, he was up against an oppressive dictatorship. Black people were in a police state.
"All your options are gone," Gingrich said.
Mandela had a deep commitment to freedom, Gingrich said, "which I think most of us can identify with."
Mandela did move in the '50s away from a nonviolence model and allied with communists, Gingrich said, but there were no conservative allies. Mandela was desperate by that stage, he said.
Even British Prime Minister Winston Churchill allied with Soviet President Joseph Stalin during World War II, Gingrich noted, because it was a necessity.
Asked why so many people were angered by his praise for Mandela, Gingrich said, "I think some people bought a rationale that defined everybody who was in any way in rebellion against the established system in the third world as anti-American, which I don't think they were."
Gingrich was among a group of young Republicans in the 1980s who opposed apartheid and favored Mandela's release from prison. The Reagan administration opposed sanctions against South Africa and Mandela's release, but Gingrich noted that Reagan's ambassador to South Africa consistently put pressure on the government to moderate and condemned Apartheid.
Gingrich said the Reagan administration, along with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was rightly concerned with ridding the world of the communist threat at the time, but it wasn't concerned enough with "secondary issues," such as Apartheid and the rise of radical Islam.
Gingrich wasn't the only Republican to receive criticism from his own followers over praise for Mandela. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also was blasted over a Facebook post.
Here is how Newt Gingrich, who has high praise for Mandela, responded to his critics:
GINGRICH TAKES HEAT FOR PRAISING MANDELA
By Greg Richter
Newsmax
December 8, 2013
Newt Gingrich is defending his praise of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday at age 95.
After posting on Facebook that Mandela was "one of the greatest leaders of our time," the former Republican speaker of the House received mixed results, with some saying he should have condemned Mandela's violent actions and embrace of communist allies.
"Such an amazing re-write of history since 1962 and 1990. Newt, I thought you of all people, a historian, would be true to who this guy really was," one person posted.
Appearing Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Gingrich said he was surprised by the criticism. Some people returned up to five times repeating how angry they were, he said.
Gingrich didn't let the matter lie. He took to his online newsletter on Friday, responding with a post titled "What would you have done?"
"As Americans we celebrate the farmers at Lexington and Concord who used force to oppose British tyranny," Gingrich wrote. "We praise George Washington for spending eight years in the field fighting the British Army’s dictatorial assault on our freedom."
He noted to CNN that Mandela attended a Methodist school and "went on to be largely a nonviolent person." As a lawyer, he "very effectively used his role as defendant."
But when the savage pro-apartheid party took over in the late 1940s, he was up against an oppressive dictatorship. Black people were in a police state.
"All your options are gone," Gingrich said.
Mandela had a deep commitment to freedom, Gingrich said, "which I think most of us can identify with."
Mandela did move in the '50s away from a nonviolence model and allied with communists, Gingrich said, but there were no conservative allies. Mandela was desperate by that stage, he said.
Even British Prime Minister Winston Churchill allied with Soviet President Joseph Stalin during World War II, Gingrich noted, because it was a necessity.
Asked why so many people were angered by his praise for Mandela, Gingrich said, "I think some people bought a rationale that defined everybody who was in any way in rebellion against the established system in the third world as anti-American, which I don't think they were."
Gingrich was among a group of young Republicans in the 1980s who opposed apartheid and favored Mandela's release from prison. The Reagan administration opposed sanctions against South Africa and Mandela's release, but Gingrich noted that Reagan's ambassador to South Africa consistently put pressure on the government to moderate and condemned Apartheid.
Gingrich said the Reagan administration, along with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was rightly concerned with ridding the world of the communist threat at the time, but it wasn't concerned enough with "secondary issues," such as Apartheid and the rise of radical Islam.
Gingrich wasn't the only Republican to receive criticism from his own followers over praise for Mandela. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also was blasted over a Facebook post.
Sunday, December 08, 2013
TEXAS ACLU WANTS COPS BANNED FROM USING TASERS IN SCHOOLS
On November 20, some female students got into a slugfest at Cedar Creek High School in Bastrop, Texas. Witnesses say Noe Nino de Rivera intervened by trying to break up the fight. A Bastrop County Sheriff’s Deputy assigned to work as a school security officer arrived at the scene and tasered de Rivera. The 17-year-old student went limp and fell, cracking his head on the floor. He was flown by helicopter to an Austin hospital where has been in a medically-induced coma ever since.
This is a tragic case where an officer with the best of intentions probably believed that de Rivera was a participant in the cat fight rather than a student trying to break it up. It's easy for armchair experts to condemn the deputy's actions, but being the only officer at the scene, he probably felt that his safest option in breaking up the fight was to use his Taser gun.
Now the ACLU and six other organizations have asked the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to ban the use by cops of Tasers and pepper spray in Texas schools. The commission is taking the request under consideration.
Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texass, does not want the cops to use weapons in schools. He wants them to rely on de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention tactics. Burke wants them to separate students in a fight without using any weapons, by talking with them or waiting for things to calm down.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Burke said, "Tragic incidents like this one demonstrate why the state should not grant police free rein to wield weapons in schools for the apparent purpose of maintaining order. Schools should be safe havens from this type of police use of force. I hope the commission will heed our call to end use of Tasers and pepper spray."
I do not know what world the ACLU’s Burke is living in, but it sure as hell is not the one I’m in. He appears to be oblivious of what goes on in some of our schools nowadays. There’s just no way officers can deal with conflicts among rival gang members by sweet-talking them into a loving embrace with each other.
While cops should use restraint in resorting to the use of weapons at all times, not just in schools, their use may be the only means of ending a volatile brawl. And the use of a weapon in a school, non-lethal or deadly, may be necessary to protect an officer's life or the lives of teachers and students.
The use of Tasers has been controversial because a number of people have died after having been tasered. Five police departments in North Texas — Mansfield, Richland Hills, Crowley, Murphy and Burleson — no longer allow their officers to use Taser guns. Houston Independent School District police officers do not carry Tasers, but they can use pepper foam which is less likely than pepper spray to hit bystanders. The sheriff’s department in Houston prohibits its officers from using Tasers on the elderly, pregnant women, people already under restraint, and children under 13.
This is a tragic case where an officer with the best of intentions probably believed that de Rivera was a participant in the cat fight rather than a student trying to break it up. It's easy for armchair experts to condemn the deputy's actions, but being the only officer at the scene, he probably felt that his safest option in breaking up the fight was to use his Taser gun.
Now the ACLU and six other organizations have asked the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to ban the use by cops of Tasers and pepper spray in Texas schools. The commission is taking the request under consideration.
Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texass, does not want the cops to use weapons in schools. He wants them to rely on de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention tactics. Burke wants them to separate students in a fight without using any weapons, by talking with them or waiting for things to calm down.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Burke said, "Tragic incidents like this one demonstrate why the state should not grant police free rein to wield weapons in schools for the apparent purpose of maintaining order. Schools should be safe havens from this type of police use of force. I hope the commission will heed our call to end use of Tasers and pepper spray."
I do not know what world the ACLU’s Burke is living in, but it sure as hell is not the one I’m in. He appears to be oblivious of what goes on in some of our schools nowadays. There’s just no way officers can deal with conflicts among rival gang members by sweet-talking them into a loving embrace with each other.
While cops should use restraint in resorting to the use of weapons at all times, not just in schools, their use may be the only means of ending a volatile brawl. And the use of a weapon in a school, non-lethal or deadly, may be necessary to protect an officer's life or the lives of teachers and students.
The use of Tasers has been controversial because a number of people have died after having been tasered. Five police departments in North Texas — Mansfield, Richland Hills, Crowley, Murphy and Burleson — no longer allow their officers to use Taser guns. Houston Independent School District police officers do not carry Tasers, but they can use pepper foam which is less likely than pepper spray to hit bystanders. The sheriff’s department in Houston prohibits its officers from using Tasers on the elderly, pregnant women, people already under restraint, and children under 13.
ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE IN 2309
On the 20 the anniversary of the Long Island Rail Road massacre this is a reminder that Colin Ferguson, the convicted shooter, will become eligible for parole on August 6, 2309
On December 7, 1993, Colin Ferguson shot six passengers to death and wounded 19 others on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train before he was tackled by three other passengers.
Ferguson acted as his own lawyer during his trial. It doesn’t look as though he defended himself very well. He was sentenced to six consecutive terms of 25 years to life and 50 years for 19 attempted murders.
Ferguson, now 55, is presently serving his sentence of 315 years and 8 months to life at New York’s Upstate Correctional Facility near the Canadian border.
Ferguson will become eligible for parole on August 6, 2309. Please be sure to mark this date on your calendars so that you can write a letter protesting his release on parole to:
New York State Board of Parole
1220 Washington Ave, Building 2
Albany, New York 12226-2050
Although Ferguson has not been a model prisoner – he’s been disciplined for failure to obey orders, violent conduct, harassment, unhygienic acts and rioting – you never know what a parole board might do.
On December 7, 1993, Colin Ferguson shot six passengers to death and wounded 19 others on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train before he was tackled by three other passengers.
Ferguson acted as his own lawyer during his trial. It doesn’t look as though he defended himself very well. He was sentenced to six consecutive terms of 25 years to life and 50 years for 19 attempted murders.
Ferguson, now 55, is presently serving his sentence of 315 years and 8 months to life at New York’s Upstate Correctional Facility near the Canadian border.
Ferguson will become eligible for parole on August 6, 2309. Please be sure to mark this date on your calendars so that you can write a letter protesting his release on parole to:
New York State Board of Parole
1220 Washington Ave, Building 2
Albany, New York 12226-2050
Although Ferguson has not been a model prisoner – he’s been disciplined for failure to obey orders, violent conduct, harassment, unhygienic acts and rioting – you never know what a parole board might do.
NEWLYWEDS PLANNED MURDEROUS HONEYMOON
The 18-year-old bride lured the victim to his death through a Craigslist dating ad
The two newlywed lovebirds decided that murdering someone would be a neat way to spend their honeymoon together.
POLICE: PENNSYLVANIA NEWLYWEDS ‘WANTED TO MURDER SOMEONE TOGETHER’
Thomson/Reuters
December 7, 2013
A newlywed couple in Pennsylvania killed a man whom the wife had lured to a rendezvous though an online dating advertisement, strangling him and stabbing him repeatedly, police said on Friday.
Elytte and Miranda Barbour "just wanted to murder someone together," Sunbury Police Corp. Brad Hare said.
Elytte Barbour, 22, hid under a blanket in the back of their car as his 18-year-old wife Miranda drove to pick up a man she met through Craigslist at a mall north of Harrisburg on Nov. 11, the Sunbury Police Department said in a report.
On Miranda's signal, Elytte strangled the man, 42-year-old Troy LaFerrara, with a cord while she stabbed him about 20 times, it said.
They dumped his body in an alley in Sunbury, where police found it the next day.
"It was pretty twisted," Hare said.
Miranda told police she connected with LaFerrara through Craigslist, which she used to meet other men who would pay her for escort-style "companionship," he said
Elytte was arrested on Friday and faces multiple criminal homicide and assault charges. Miranda was arrested on Tuesday and faces similar charges, according to local media reports. They were being held without bail.
After dumping the body, Elytte and Miranda bought bleach wipes, towels, and cleaning liquid to remove the blood from inside the vehicle, police said.
After cleaning it, they went out to eat.
The two newlywed lovebirds decided that murdering someone would be a neat way to spend their honeymoon together.
POLICE: PENNSYLVANIA NEWLYWEDS ‘WANTED TO MURDER SOMEONE TOGETHER’
Thomson/Reuters
December 7, 2013
A newlywed couple in Pennsylvania killed a man whom the wife had lured to a rendezvous though an online dating advertisement, strangling him and stabbing him repeatedly, police said on Friday.
Elytte and Miranda Barbour "just wanted to murder someone together," Sunbury Police Corp. Brad Hare said.
Elytte Barbour, 22, hid under a blanket in the back of their car as his 18-year-old wife Miranda drove to pick up a man she met through Craigslist at a mall north of Harrisburg on Nov. 11, the Sunbury Police Department said in a report.
On Miranda's signal, Elytte strangled the man, 42-year-old Troy LaFerrara, with a cord while she stabbed him about 20 times, it said.
They dumped his body in an alley in Sunbury, where police found it the next day.
"It was pretty twisted," Hare said.
Miranda told police she connected with LaFerrara through Craigslist, which she used to meet other men who would pay her for escort-style "companionship," he said
Elytte was arrested on Friday and faces multiple criminal homicide and assault charges. Miranda was arrested on Tuesday and faces similar charges, according to local media reports. They were being held without bail.
After dumping the body, Elytte and Miranda bought bleach wipes, towels, and cleaning liquid to remove the blood from inside the vehicle, police said.
After cleaning it, they went out to eat.
WENDY’S LATEST SPECIALTY: POTCHEESEBURGER
A lady in in Lovejoy, Georgia drove to a local Wendy’s November 1 and ordered a take-out cheeseburger. When she got home, she sat down to eat her burger. At first bite, she smelled a strange odor. She removed the bun off the top of the burger and, to her shocking surprise, discovered a partially smoked blunt on the patty. (For the uninitiated, a blunt is marijuana packed into a hollowed-out cigar.)
After investigating the case of the Potcheeseburger, the Lovejoy cops busted 32-year-old Wendy's employee Amy Elizabeth Seiber and charged her with possession of pot. Seiber admitted the blunt was hers. Wendy’s fired her for serving the new specialty of the house.
After investigating the case of the Potcheeseburger, the Lovejoy cops busted 32-year-old Wendy's employee Amy Elizabeth Seiber and charged her with possession of pot. Seiber admitted the blunt was hers. Wendy’s fired her for serving the new specialty of the house.
IT’S A GOOD THING HE DID NOT REFER TO THE COPS AS PIGS
Ala Yacoubi, a Tunisian rapper who calls himself Weld El 15, was sentenced to prison Thursday for four months for insulting the police. El 15 had been convicted on charges of insulting a public servant and public morals. The charges stemmed from the rapper’s performance of his song Police Are Dogs during an August concert.
El 15 was originally sentenced in absentia to 21 months. He’s on the lam and the ‘dogs’ are looking for him.
It’s a good thing El 15 did not perform Police Are Pigs. In the Muslim world pigs are about as low as you can get. His sentence would have been much stiffer had he performed a song by that name. The Tunisian court might even have ordered his tongue cut off.
Now in America, Ala Yacoubi and Police are Pigs would have been nominated for some Grammys.
El 15 was originally sentenced in absentia to 21 months. He’s on the lam and the ‘dogs’ are looking for him.
It’s a good thing El 15 did not perform Police Are Pigs. In the Muslim world pigs are about as low as you can get. His sentence would have been much stiffer had he performed a song by that name. The Tunisian court might even have ordered his tongue cut off.
Now in America, Ala Yacoubi and Police are Pigs would have been nominated for some Grammys.
Saturday, December 07, 2013
MANDELA WAS A STRONG OPPONENT OF ANTI-SEMITISM AND A FRIEND TO HIS COUNTRY’S JEWISH COMMUNITY
Just because he also campaigned for Palestinian rights, those who seek to destroy the State of Israel should not be allowed to hijack Mandela’s memory as a cover
While he embraced Yasir Arafat and criticized Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Mandela sympathized with Israel and supported the dream of the Jewish population to live there in peace with their neighbors.
MANDELA, PATRON SAINT OF ISRAEL HATERS?
By Jonathan Tobin
Jewish World Review
December 6, 2013
As the world honors Mandela this week, there will be much written and said about the difference he made in his own country and the way he inspired others to listen to the better angels of their natures. This is entirely appropriate, and we hope the flood of remembrances of the South African leader will spark not just a greater appreciation of what he did but of the cause of freedom.
At a time when tyranny and hate seem to be on the upsurge around the globe, the focus on Mandela should not be just one that honors the demise of apartheid but on the need to resist tyranny, whether it is perpetrated in the name of racism, nationalism, or religion. If Mandela's lessons are merely confined to the conflicts between black and white in Africa or apartheid is allowed to become a metaphor rather than a specific form of authoritarianism, his legacy will be lost.
Mandela came to be embraced by all peoples, both black and white, as a role model, not just because the cause of his opponents was unjust. Tyrants are, alas, a dime a dozen. But freedom fighters that can translate their struggle into one that makes the lives of their people better rather than worse are rare.
Mandela was not perfect and the allies he was forced to accept during his struggle were often unsavory. But whatever his associations, he proved once he was freed that his principle interest was in establishing a genuine democracy in South Africa and one in which all of its peoples could play a role.
That is why it is vital those who do not share his devotion to liberty or to human rights should not be allowed to hijack Mandela's story or that of the anti-apartheid struggle. And by that I refer to those who would wish to invoke the struggle against racism in South Africa to justify support for those who seek to destroy the State of Israel.
It has become commonplace on both the extreme left and the extreme right where anti-Zionism flourishes to libel Israel as an apartheid state that is reminiscent of the South Africa that was ruled by a white minority.
Given that Israel is a democratic nation in which the Arab minority enjoys equality under the law, this claim is an absurd lie. Moreover, even though the Palestinians refused to make peace and accept a two-state solution (their leadership rejected such offers in 2000, 2001, and 2008) and the West Bank remains in legal limbo, it should also be pointed out that unlike white South Africans, Jews remain a clear majority of those living between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River.
If Israel remains locked in conflict, it is because it still remains under a siege in which the Arab and Muslim world seeks its elimination.
The use of the South African analogy against the Jewish state is also particularly disturbing because Mandela was personally a strong opponent of anti-Semitism and a friend to the South African Jewish community. As Richard Goldstone, the controversial former judge who allowed his name to be used to front a vicious attack on Israel before ultimately renouncing that libel, writes in the Forward, though his relationship with Israel was difficult at times because of his embrace of Yasir Arafat and Israel's relations with the old South Africa, "Mandela sympathized with Israel and the aspirations of the Jewish people to live there in peace with their Arab neighbors."
Thus, it is manifestly dishonest of those who seek to use the tactics of the struggle against apartheid against a democratic state like Israel. The goal of those who boycotted South Africa was to replace tyranny with freedom. Those who support the effort to boycott, divest, and sanction (BDS) Israel wish to destroy a democracy and to deprive the Jewish people of the same right of self-determination that Mandela wished for his people.
Those who would use Mandela's memory as a cover for Jew-hatred and intolerance do him and the world he helped enlighten an injustice.
While he embraced Yasir Arafat and criticized Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Mandela sympathized with Israel and supported the dream of the Jewish population to live there in peace with their neighbors.
MANDELA, PATRON SAINT OF ISRAEL HATERS?
By Jonathan Tobin
Jewish World Review
December 6, 2013
As the world honors Mandela this week, there will be much written and said about the difference he made in his own country and the way he inspired others to listen to the better angels of their natures. This is entirely appropriate, and we hope the flood of remembrances of the South African leader will spark not just a greater appreciation of what he did but of the cause of freedom.
At a time when tyranny and hate seem to be on the upsurge around the globe, the focus on Mandela should not be just one that honors the demise of apartheid but on the need to resist tyranny, whether it is perpetrated in the name of racism, nationalism, or religion. If Mandela's lessons are merely confined to the conflicts between black and white in Africa or apartheid is allowed to become a metaphor rather than a specific form of authoritarianism, his legacy will be lost.
Mandela came to be embraced by all peoples, both black and white, as a role model, not just because the cause of his opponents was unjust. Tyrants are, alas, a dime a dozen. But freedom fighters that can translate their struggle into one that makes the lives of their people better rather than worse are rare.
Mandela was not perfect and the allies he was forced to accept during his struggle were often unsavory. But whatever his associations, he proved once he was freed that his principle interest was in establishing a genuine democracy in South Africa and one in which all of its peoples could play a role.
That is why it is vital those who do not share his devotion to liberty or to human rights should not be allowed to hijack Mandela's story or that of the anti-apartheid struggle. And by that I refer to those who would wish to invoke the struggle against racism in South Africa to justify support for those who seek to destroy the State of Israel.
It has become commonplace on both the extreme left and the extreme right where anti-Zionism flourishes to libel Israel as an apartheid state that is reminiscent of the South Africa that was ruled by a white minority.
Given that Israel is a democratic nation in which the Arab minority enjoys equality under the law, this claim is an absurd lie. Moreover, even though the Palestinians refused to make peace and accept a two-state solution (their leadership rejected such offers in 2000, 2001, and 2008) and the West Bank remains in legal limbo, it should also be pointed out that unlike white South Africans, Jews remain a clear majority of those living between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River.
If Israel remains locked in conflict, it is because it still remains under a siege in which the Arab and Muslim world seeks its elimination.
The use of the South African analogy against the Jewish state is also particularly disturbing because Mandela was personally a strong opponent of anti-Semitism and a friend to the South African Jewish community. As Richard Goldstone, the controversial former judge who allowed his name to be used to front a vicious attack on Israel before ultimately renouncing that libel, writes in the Forward, though his relationship with Israel was difficult at times because of his embrace of Yasir Arafat and Israel's relations with the old South Africa, "Mandela sympathized with Israel and the aspirations of the Jewish people to live there in peace with their Arab neighbors."
Thus, it is manifestly dishonest of those who seek to use the tactics of the struggle against apartheid against a democratic state like Israel. The goal of those who boycotted South Africa was to replace tyranny with freedom. Those who support the effort to boycott, divest, and sanction (BDS) Israel wish to destroy a democracy and to deprive the Jewish people of the same right of self-determination that Mandela wished for his people.
Those who would use Mandela's memory as a cover for Jew-hatred and intolerance do him and the world he helped enlighten an injustice.
MAN WHO MASSACRED 8 MEXICAN CITY OFFICIALS 13 YEARS AGO BUSTED IN SACRAMENTO
In 2000, Genaro Olaguez-Rendon fled with his family from the Mexican state of Sinaloa to the Sacramento area where he took up landscaping and attended church regularly. He was also involved in the operation of six marijuana grow houses in Stockton.
SUSPECT IN 2000 MASSACRE OF MEXICAN CITY OFFICIALS ARRESTED IN SACRAMENTO
By Sam Stanton
The Sacramento Bee
December 5, 2013
More than 13 years ago, Genaro Olaguez-Rendon moved with his four children to the Sacramento area from his home state of Sinaloa, Mexico.
In the years since, the 53-year-old Mexican citizen carved out a quiet life working as a landscaper, attending church and eventually settling into a cramped, two-bedroom rental home in North Sacramento, where he drew little attention to himself.
Until Tuesday.
Just after 3 p.m., a fugitive task force led by U.S. marshals confronted Olaguez-Rendon in his driveway and arrested him in connection with the May 2, 2000, massacre of eight municipal officials in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, as well as unrelated marijuana cultivation charges out of San Joaquin County.
The arrest came three months after Mexican officials approached U.S. authorities looking for help in finding Olaguez-Rendon, who apparently had blended seamlessly into everyday life in Sacramento, right down to the lighted reindeer and candy canes that adorned the front lawn of his home Wednesday.
Even his oldest son, 18-year-old Jair Olaguez, expressed bewilderment at the fact that his father had been arrested, much less implicated in an attack that allegedly involved assault-style weapons and killed a city commissioner and seven other city officials and wounded four others.
“He killed what?” his son asked when approached by a reporter at the family home on Grove Avenue on Wednesday. “No, I think they got the wrong person. He didn’t kill no one.”
The U.S. Marshals Service listed the suspect by the name Genaro Olaguez, but he was booked into the Sacramento County jail under the name Olaguez-Rendon, then transferred to San Joaquin County, where he was being held without bail in connection with charges of cultivating marijuana, possessing a firearm and theft of utility services. That case apparently stems from a raid earlier this year on six marijuana grow houses in Stockton linked to Olaguez-Rendon, according to a January report in The Record.
It was unclear Wednesday how Olaguez-Rendon could have faced charges for 11 months without being tied to the case in Sinaloa. He is scheduled to appear in court in Stockton this afternoon on the marijuana charges, but he also is expected to face deportation to Mexico in the Sinaloa case, authorities said.
Olaguez-Rendon had been under surveillance by the task force and offered no resistance when approached Tuesday, said Deputy Frank Newsom of the U.S. Marshals Service in Sacramento.
He initially presented a phony identification card, but agents were having none of it, Newsom said.
“He’s been here for a very long time, and especially for an individual on the run that long you assume he’s gotten comfortable with those new identification documents,” Newsom said. “But we don’t stop looking for you.
“We’ll look until a body is found or until they turn the age of 100.”
The suspect’s son said he knew nothing about fake identity papers and that his father had lived in the Sacramento area under his own name.
“I think they’ve got wrong information or something,” he said. “The whole time he was using his own name for everything.”
U.S. officials had little information about the incident in Mexico, saying in a statement that the suspect “used heavy weapons to massacre a commissioner and seven other city officials in Sinaloa, Mexico,” and that the Mexican government sought help in locating him after he fled to this country.
That region of Mexico is considered to be home to the nation’s most powerful drug cartel, and mass killings, beheadings and shootouts with authorities are considered commonplace. One alleged Sinaloa cartel boss arrested in August in Mexico is suspected in more than 350 killings.
Between 2007 and 2010, Mexico experienced more than 22,000 drug-related murders, according to one FBI report, and the Mexican newspaper Reforma tallied 9,744 murders in 2012 that it attributed to organized crime.
Numerous reports have concluded that the violence has spilled over into the United States as feuding drug lords stake out their territory.
“Many Los Angeles-based Sinaloa cartel members use local gang members to assist in or commit kidnappings, acquire or sell drugs, and collect drug proceeds,” one Department of Homeland Security report stated.
SUSPECT IN 2000 MASSACRE OF MEXICAN CITY OFFICIALS ARRESTED IN SACRAMENTO
By Sam Stanton
The Sacramento Bee
December 5, 2013
More than 13 years ago, Genaro Olaguez-Rendon moved with his four children to the Sacramento area from his home state of Sinaloa, Mexico.
In the years since, the 53-year-old Mexican citizen carved out a quiet life working as a landscaper, attending church and eventually settling into a cramped, two-bedroom rental home in North Sacramento, where he drew little attention to himself.
Until Tuesday.
Just after 3 p.m., a fugitive task force led by U.S. marshals confronted Olaguez-Rendon in his driveway and arrested him in connection with the May 2, 2000, massacre of eight municipal officials in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, as well as unrelated marijuana cultivation charges out of San Joaquin County.
The arrest came three months after Mexican officials approached U.S. authorities looking for help in finding Olaguez-Rendon, who apparently had blended seamlessly into everyday life in Sacramento, right down to the lighted reindeer and candy canes that adorned the front lawn of his home Wednesday.
Even his oldest son, 18-year-old Jair Olaguez, expressed bewilderment at the fact that his father had been arrested, much less implicated in an attack that allegedly involved assault-style weapons and killed a city commissioner and seven other city officials and wounded four others.
“He killed what?” his son asked when approached by a reporter at the family home on Grove Avenue on Wednesday. “No, I think they got the wrong person. He didn’t kill no one.”
The U.S. Marshals Service listed the suspect by the name Genaro Olaguez, but he was booked into the Sacramento County jail under the name Olaguez-Rendon, then transferred to San Joaquin County, where he was being held without bail in connection with charges of cultivating marijuana, possessing a firearm and theft of utility services. That case apparently stems from a raid earlier this year on six marijuana grow houses in Stockton linked to Olaguez-Rendon, according to a January report in The Record.
It was unclear Wednesday how Olaguez-Rendon could have faced charges for 11 months without being tied to the case in Sinaloa. He is scheduled to appear in court in Stockton this afternoon on the marijuana charges, but he also is expected to face deportation to Mexico in the Sinaloa case, authorities said.
Olaguez-Rendon had been under surveillance by the task force and offered no resistance when approached Tuesday, said Deputy Frank Newsom of the U.S. Marshals Service in Sacramento.
He initially presented a phony identification card, but agents were having none of it, Newsom said.
“He’s been here for a very long time, and especially for an individual on the run that long you assume he’s gotten comfortable with those new identification documents,” Newsom said. “But we don’t stop looking for you.
“We’ll look until a body is found or until they turn the age of 100.”
The suspect’s son said he knew nothing about fake identity papers and that his father had lived in the Sacramento area under his own name.
“I think they’ve got wrong information or something,” he said. “The whole time he was using his own name for everything.”
U.S. officials had little information about the incident in Mexico, saying in a statement that the suspect “used heavy weapons to massacre a commissioner and seven other city officials in Sinaloa, Mexico,” and that the Mexican government sought help in locating him after he fled to this country.
That region of Mexico is considered to be home to the nation’s most powerful drug cartel, and mass killings, beheadings and shootouts with authorities are considered commonplace. One alleged Sinaloa cartel boss arrested in August in Mexico is suspected in more than 350 killings.
Between 2007 and 2010, Mexico experienced more than 22,000 drug-related murders, according to one FBI report, and the Mexican newspaper Reforma tallied 9,744 murders in 2012 that it attributed to organized crime.
Numerous reports have concluded that the violence has spilled over into the United States as feuding drug lords stake out their territory.
“Many Los Angeles-based Sinaloa cartel members use local gang members to assist in or commit kidnappings, acquire or sell drugs, and collect drug proceeds,” one Department of Homeland Security report stated.
RACIAL SLURS AND DISPARAGING REMARKS ABOUT THEIR CHIEF GET TWO MINNEAPOLIS COPS FIRED
They got into a fight with a group of black men, then berated intervening Green Bay, Wisconsin cops using racial slurs and telling them “We have a lesbian fucking chief”
I’ve always told my students and police academy cadets that most police officers get into trouble over wine, women and guns. In this case it was whatever they were drinking.
2 OFF-DUTY MINNEAPOLIS COPS FIRED FOR INCIDENT OUTSIDE GREEN BAY BAR
CNN
December 6, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (CNN) -- A pair of Minneapolis police officers who were caught on camera off duty outside a bar berating police and using derogatory epithets in Green Bay have been fired.
That's according to sources with direct knowledge of the incident.
In June, Brian Thole and Shawn Powell were in Wisconsin when they got into a street fight.
When Green Bay police broke up the fight, they say the two used racial slurs and derogatory remarks about their boss.
Now, five months later, their boss, Chief Janee Harteau, has decided they should lose their jobs.
--
"We have a lesbian fucking chief." ... "Doing their little monkey thing."
They were harsh words spoken by two off-duty swat officers on the streets of Green Bay after a trip to a bar that lead to a scuffle with a group of black men.
And, when Brian Thole and Shawn Powell didn't think Green Bay police weren't taking it seriously the police report says they later walked into that Wisconsin police station to demand special treatment.
Thole and Powell have both been collecting their full-time paychecks on home assignment ever since. That's about $70,000 combined.
Last month, Minneapolis police explained to us why its internal investigation was taking so long.
Deputy Chief Travis Glampe said internal affairs is designed to protect the employee and the process.
And, in a case like this there were dozens of witness interviews in another state that they needed to complete first.
But, after a three-person police panel and the police chief looked over what that investigation found it appears that Thole and Powell are off the force.
The officers can still fight to get their jobs back, by filing a grievance with the police union.
They also have some other options available to them because they are both military veterans.
I’ve always told my students and police academy cadets that most police officers get into trouble over wine, women and guns. In this case it was whatever they were drinking.
2 OFF-DUTY MINNEAPOLIS COPS FIRED FOR INCIDENT OUTSIDE GREEN BAY BAR
CNN
December 6, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (CNN) -- A pair of Minneapolis police officers who were caught on camera off duty outside a bar berating police and using derogatory epithets in Green Bay have been fired.
That's according to sources with direct knowledge of the incident.
In June, Brian Thole and Shawn Powell were in Wisconsin when they got into a street fight.
When Green Bay police broke up the fight, they say the two used racial slurs and derogatory remarks about their boss.
Now, five months later, their boss, Chief Janee Harteau, has decided they should lose their jobs.
--
"We have a lesbian fucking chief." ... "Doing their little monkey thing."
They were harsh words spoken by two off-duty swat officers on the streets of Green Bay after a trip to a bar that lead to a scuffle with a group of black men.
And, when Brian Thole and Shawn Powell didn't think Green Bay police weren't taking it seriously the police report says they later walked into that Wisconsin police station to demand special treatment.
Thole and Powell have both been collecting their full-time paychecks on home assignment ever since. That's about $70,000 combined.
Last month, Minneapolis police explained to us why its internal investigation was taking so long.
Deputy Chief Travis Glampe said internal affairs is designed to protect the employee and the process.
And, in a case like this there were dozens of witness interviews in another state that they needed to complete first.
But, after a three-person police panel and the police chief looked over what that investigation found it appears that Thole and Powell are off the force.
The officers can still fight to get their jobs back, by filing a grievance with the police union.
They also have some other options available to them because they are both military veterans.
BRITISH SOLDIER CHOPPED UP HUMANELY, JIHADIST TOLD COPS
I’m sure the poor soldier’s family appreciates how considerate the two Jihadists were when they hacked him to pieces.
JIHADIST SUSPECT: UK SOLDIER WAS HACKED TO DEATH IN ‘HUMANE’ MANNER
By Joel Himelfarb
Newsmax
December 6, 2013
One of the two jihadists on trial for the hacking death of British soldier Lee Rigby told police he attempted to cut off the soldier’s head because it was “the most humane way to kill any creature,” the Independent reported.
In police interview sessions played for jurors at the Old Bailey, Michael Adebolajo added it seemed “almost as if Allah had chosen” Rigby as a target.
Rigby was the first soldier that Adebolajo and alleged accomplice Michael Adebowale saw May 22 as they sat in their car, seethed with rage over British military involvement in Muslim nations and plotted a revenge attack.
They are charged with running over Rigby, who was walking to his barracks, with their car and then hacking him to death with a cleaver and knives in front of shocked passersby.
“I’m not sure how I struck the first blow but I learned . . . the most humane way to kill any creature is to cut the jugular,” Adebolajo said.“So I struck at the neck and attempted to remove his head to be sure. That’s how Lee Rigby died.”
Adebolajo was shot as he charged towards a car with three police officers inside.
“To be killed on the battlefield is not something we shy away from and in fact this is something that Allah loves,” he said.
Police also found speeches in the possession of both men by Anwar al-Awlaki, a jihadist mastermind killed in a September 2011 U.S. drone strike in Yemen., according to the Independent.
In his police interview, Adebolajo said Rigby was a legitimate target because “he joins the army with kind of an understanding that your life is at risk.”
The day before, jurors heard Adebolajo tell police he was ashamed to be called “British” because the word has become “associated with the murder, pillaging and rape of innocent people. This disgusts me to the core,” the London Evening Standard reported. “I swear to the ends of the earth it makes it difficult for me to sleep.”
JIHADIST SUSPECT: UK SOLDIER WAS HACKED TO DEATH IN ‘HUMANE’ MANNER
By Joel Himelfarb
Newsmax
December 6, 2013
One of the two jihadists on trial for the hacking death of British soldier Lee Rigby told police he attempted to cut off the soldier’s head because it was “the most humane way to kill any creature,” the Independent reported.
In police interview sessions played for jurors at the Old Bailey, Michael Adebolajo added it seemed “almost as if Allah had chosen” Rigby as a target.
Rigby was the first soldier that Adebolajo and alleged accomplice Michael Adebowale saw May 22 as they sat in their car, seethed with rage over British military involvement in Muslim nations and plotted a revenge attack.
They are charged with running over Rigby, who was walking to his barracks, with their car and then hacking him to death with a cleaver and knives in front of shocked passersby.
“I’m not sure how I struck the first blow but I learned . . . the most humane way to kill any creature is to cut the jugular,” Adebolajo said.“So I struck at the neck and attempted to remove his head to be sure. That’s how Lee Rigby died.”
Adebolajo was shot as he charged towards a car with three police officers inside.
“To be killed on the battlefield is not something we shy away from and in fact this is something that Allah loves,” he said.
Police also found speeches in the possession of both men by Anwar al-Awlaki, a jihadist mastermind killed in a September 2011 U.S. drone strike in Yemen., according to the Independent.
In his police interview, Adebolajo said Rigby was a legitimate target because “he joins the army with kind of an understanding that your life is at risk.”
The day before, jurors heard Adebolajo tell police he was ashamed to be called “British” because the word has become “associated with the murder, pillaging and rape of innocent people. This disgusts me to the core,” the London Evening Standard reported. “I swear to the ends of the earth it makes it difficult for me to sleep.”
EUROPE’S BIGGEST WHOREHOUSE WITH 100 HOOKERS IS SET TO OPEN NEXT MONTH
Germany, which legalized prostitution in 2001, now has 400,000 registered hookers working in a thriving sex industry that will soon have a new whorehouse spanning 20,000 square feet
Juergen Rudolf, the owner, says Paradise Island “will be a great place for men to relax.” Oh yeah!
WORK BEGINS ON EUROPE’S BIGGEST BROTHEL IN GERMAN TOWN WHOSE MAYOR COMPLAINS ‘IT’S EASIER TO OPEN A HOUSE OF ILL REPUTE THAN A CHIP SHOP’
The brothel being built in Saarbruecken spans 20,000 square feet and will employ nearly 100 working girls
By Allan Hall
Mail Online
December 6, 2013
Europe’s biggest brothel spanning nearly 20,000 square feet, costing £3.8million and employing nearly 100 working girls is poised to open in Germany.
Building work is already underway on the ‘mega bordello’ as it has been dubbed in the German media as prostitution continues to flourish in the country where the world's oldest profession has been recognised since 2001 as a legal one too.
But for many residents of the city on the border with France, the house of ill repute is one too many in a community already overflowing with sex parlours.
The centre-left SPD mayoress, Charlotte Britz, is apprehensive of the social strains on the city, stating: ‘Prostitution has assumed unbearable proportions here.’
And bemoaning the labyrinthine planning regulations in her homeland, she said: ‘Businesses like this find it is easy to get permission. In fact, it is easier to open a brothel in Saarbruecken than it is a chip shop.’
She is calling for the state government to introduce a higher sex tax that would at least pay dividends back into city coffers.
Tentatively named Paradise Island, the aircraft-hangar style building is expected to employ at least half its staff from the Polish, Hungarian, Romanian and Bulgarian prostitutes already operating in other sex establishments in the city.
Saarbruecken became a magnet for eastern European working girls when the EU expanded its borders in 2007.
There are over 1,000 registered sex workers in the city of 170,000 and probably three times that many working under the radar.
Much of the custom comes from France where official attitudes to prostitution are not as relaxed as in Germany and the laws governing it more complex. Huge number of new customers from the nearby cities of Nancy, Metz and the many small towns in-between are expected to break for the border when Paradise Island opens its doors in January 2014.
Juergen Rudolf, the owner, says Paradise Island “will be a great place for men to relax.” Oh yeah!
WORK BEGINS ON EUROPE’S BIGGEST BROTHEL IN GERMAN TOWN WHOSE MAYOR COMPLAINS ‘IT’S EASIER TO OPEN A HOUSE OF ILL REPUTE THAN A CHIP SHOP’
The brothel being built in Saarbruecken spans 20,000 square feet and will employ nearly 100 working girls
By Allan Hall
Mail Online
December 6, 2013
Europe’s biggest brothel spanning nearly 20,000 square feet, costing £3.8million and employing nearly 100 working girls is poised to open in Germany.
Building work is already underway on the ‘mega bordello’ as it has been dubbed in the German media as prostitution continues to flourish in the country where the world's oldest profession has been recognised since 2001 as a legal one too.
But for many residents of the city on the border with France, the house of ill repute is one too many in a community already overflowing with sex parlours.
The centre-left SPD mayoress, Charlotte Britz, is apprehensive of the social strains on the city, stating: ‘Prostitution has assumed unbearable proportions here.’
And bemoaning the labyrinthine planning regulations in her homeland, she said: ‘Businesses like this find it is easy to get permission. In fact, it is easier to open a brothel in Saarbruecken than it is a chip shop.’
She is calling for the state government to introduce a higher sex tax that would at least pay dividends back into city coffers.
Tentatively named Paradise Island, the aircraft-hangar style building is expected to employ at least half its staff from the Polish, Hungarian, Romanian and Bulgarian prostitutes already operating in other sex establishments in the city.
Saarbruecken became a magnet for eastern European working girls when the EU expanded its borders in 2007.
There are over 1,000 registered sex workers in the city of 170,000 and probably three times that many working under the radar.
Much of the custom comes from France where official attitudes to prostitution are not as relaxed as in Germany and the laws governing it more complex. Huge number of new customers from the nearby cities of Nancy, Metz and the many small towns in-between are expected to break for the border when Paradise Island opens its doors in January 2014.
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