The New York Times hyperbolized the report on the ASA vote by emphasizing that the boycott was endorsed by ‘a ratio of more than two to one’
It’s no surprise that The New York Times, with its Israel-hating columnist Thomas Friedman and reporter Jodi Rudoren, is trying to bolster its anti-Israel positions by trying to make chicken soup out of chicken shit.
FAKING THE NUMBERS FOR B.D.S.
By Marilyn Penn
politicalmavens.com
December 20, 2013
The NYTimes of Dec 17 reported the following in its front page article about the American Studies Association (ASA) vote to boycott Israeli academics:
“Members of the American Studies Association voted by a ratio of more than two to one to endorse the boycott in online balloting that concluded Sunday night….With fewer than 5000 members, the group is not one of the larger scholarly associations. But its vote is a milestone for a Palestinian movement known as B.D.S. for Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions, which for the past decade had found little traction in the United States.”
What the Times purposely withheld is that only 1252 of the 5,000 academicians bothered to vote and only 60% of those approved the resolution. In other words, 751 people out of a total membership of 5000 agreed with the decision to boycott, a far cry from the ratio of 2 to 1. Jodi Rudoren, the Times Bureau Chief in the Middle East has proven to be a reporter with an obvious anti-Israel bias so her participation in fudging these numbers is no surprise. What is inexcusable is that the Times issued a correction about another inaccuracy in this article on Dec 18th but failed to mention the enormous discrepancy in the reporters’ tally.
Readers who have remained blinded to the Times’ yellow journalism when it comes to Israel should need no further proof than this outlandish distortion. Figures don’t lie but liars can figure.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
OBAMACARE NAVIGATORS: TEXAS PROTECTS ITS CITIZENS BY CORRECTING OBAMA ADMINISTRATION’S FAILURE TO REQUIRE QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR THE JOB
Gov. Rick Perry counters Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for accusing Texas of making it hard for its citizens to sign up for Obamacare.
PERRY TO SEBELIUS: DON’T BLAME ‘PESKY TEXANS’ FOR OBAMACARE PROBLEMS
By Sandy Fitzgerald
Newsmax
December 20, 2013
Gov. Rick Perry is defending Texas's decision to strengthen qualification requirements for Obamacare navigators, saying it's not the state's fault that President Barack Obama's signature healthcare program has so many problems.
"Obamacare offers virtually no protection for consumers shopping for health coverage through these so-called navigators," the Republican governor wrote in an scathing op-ed piece that appeared Thursday in The Austin American-Statesman.
The former GOP 2012 presidential candidate, and possible 2016 candidate, also took Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to task for suggesting that Obamacare enrollment would be going a lot smoother if "it weren't for all those pesky Texans getting in the way," as the governor put it.
The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) is implementing "commonsense" rules for navigators who "probe Texans for their most personal and private information in the name of signing consumers up for Obamacare," Perry wrote. "These rules are especially important given the minimal federal requirements navigators must meet."
The rules include basic measures like criminal background checks, Perry said, to help protect Texans.
"Secretary Sebelius herself admitted federal navigators underwent no background check at all and could, in fact, be felons," he continued. "TDI’s rules will help ensure felons, including convicted sex offenders, are not knocking on Texans’ doors under the guise of signing them up for insurance, and that Texans aren’t giving out their most private and sensitive information to someone already convicted of fraud or identity theft."
Further, Perry noted that even though Sebelius has "bragged" that navigators get 20 hours of training, "it hasn’t prevented fraud documented in published videos showing navigators — who have already completed Secretary Sebelius’ training — encouraging applicants to lie about their income and misstate their smoking habits in order to snare higher subsidies and lower premiums at taxpayer expense."
A new report by the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, also points out the need for overseeing the navigators, he added. The report shows instances in which he said "navigators openly encouraged applicants to commit tax fraud to obtain subsidies they otherwise are not qualified to receive."
But consumers are still at risk even if they don't use navigators, the governor said, noting "security flaws" in the Healthcare.gov website that been "widely reported."
"Clearly, Texas’ concerns about this program are well-founded," he added.
Perry went on to describe Obamacare as "a colossal disaster and getting worse."
"Until the Obama administration places the privacy and protection of American consumers above political pushback, Texas will hold the line on protecting our citizens," Perry declared.
PERRY TO SEBELIUS: DON’T BLAME ‘PESKY TEXANS’ FOR OBAMACARE PROBLEMS
By Sandy Fitzgerald
Newsmax
December 20, 2013
Gov. Rick Perry is defending Texas's decision to strengthen qualification requirements for Obamacare navigators, saying it's not the state's fault that President Barack Obama's signature healthcare program has so many problems.
"Obamacare offers virtually no protection for consumers shopping for health coverage through these so-called navigators," the Republican governor wrote in an scathing op-ed piece that appeared Thursday in The Austin American-Statesman.
The former GOP 2012 presidential candidate, and possible 2016 candidate, also took Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to task for suggesting that Obamacare enrollment would be going a lot smoother if "it weren't for all those pesky Texans getting in the way," as the governor put it.
The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) is implementing "commonsense" rules for navigators who "probe Texans for their most personal and private information in the name of signing consumers up for Obamacare," Perry wrote. "These rules are especially important given the minimal federal requirements navigators must meet."
The rules include basic measures like criminal background checks, Perry said, to help protect Texans.
"Secretary Sebelius herself admitted federal navigators underwent no background check at all and could, in fact, be felons," he continued. "TDI’s rules will help ensure felons, including convicted sex offenders, are not knocking on Texans’ doors under the guise of signing them up for insurance, and that Texans aren’t giving out their most private and sensitive information to someone already convicted of fraud or identity theft."
Further, Perry noted that even though Sebelius has "bragged" that navigators get 20 hours of training, "it hasn’t prevented fraud documented in published videos showing navigators — who have already completed Secretary Sebelius’ training — encouraging applicants to lie about their income and misstate their smoking habits in order to snare higher subsidies and lower premiums at taxpayer expense."
A new report by the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, also points out the need for overseeing the navigators, he added. The report shows instances in which he said "navigators openly encouraged applicants to commit tax fraud to obtain subsidies they otherwise are not qualified to receive."
But consumers are still at risk even if they don't use navigators, the governor said, noting "security flaws" in the Healthcare.gov website that been "widely reported."
"Clearly, Texas’ concerns about this program are well-founded," he added.
Perry went on to describe Obamacare as "a colossal disaster and getting worse."
"Until the Obama administration places the privacy and protection of American consumers above political pushback, Texas will hold the line on protecting our citizens," Perry declared.
Friday, December 20, 2013
DEATH PENALTY: PROUD TO BE FROM TEXAS, PROUD TO BE FROM HARRIS COUNTY
Texas continues to lead the nation in executions and Harris County leads all U.S. counties in the number of death sentences
Jeff Balke is obviously not a supporter of capital punishment. As a strong proponent of the death penalty, I for one am proud to be a Texan and proud to be from Harris County. We’re both number one!
As for the nationwide decrease in executions, that is due to prosecutors asking for fewer death penalties and juries being more selective between death and life sentences, not because there has been a shortage of execution drugs.
TEXAS, HARRIS COUNTY STILL NO. 1 IN EXECUTIONS, BUT NUMBERS DOWN SHARPLY NATIONWIDE
By Jeff Balke
Houston Press Hair Balls
December 19, 2013
According to a report from the Death Penalty Information Center, there have been only 39 executions in the United States this year, only the second time that number has been below 40 since 1994 and down 4 from last year's 43. This is additionally a decline of 60 percent since 1999 and the number of death sentences given hovered at a number (80) that, other than last year's 77, is the lowest since 1973. In fact, the number of death sentences has declined 75 percent since 1996.
Not surprisingly, Texas led states in the number of executions, representing more than 40 percent (16 total) of the executions nationwide. Combined with Florida, the two states are responsible for the majority of executions (59 percent). Florida had 7 total. There are 18 states who have abolished the use of the death penalty as a punishment.
There are some positives if you aren't a fan of the needles. Texas, according to the report, sentences fewer than 10 people to death in 2013. By comparison, that number was 48 in 1999. But, it's not all positive, particularly for those of us who live in Harris County.
According to the report, only 2 percent of counties in the entire country represent the vast majority of all death penalty cases and death row inmates. At the top of that list is Harris County. And we lead by a mile.
Since 1975, there have been 115 inmates executed from Harris County. The next closest county is Dallas County at 50. There are only 5 counties with more than 20 executions since 1975. If you were to add on Montgomery and Jefferson, two counties within close proximity to Harris, you would tack on another 30 executions.
There are currently 101 death row inmates from Harris County. This is dwarfed by Los Angeles County and its whopping 248, but part of the reason is because California has not executed anyone for seven years.
An even more grim note from the report indicates the reason for the decline in executions in 2013 is likely due to a shortage of the drug used for lethal injections.
Jeff Balke is obviously not a supporter of capital punishment. As a strong proponent of the death penalty, I for one am proud to be a Texan and proud to be from Harris County. We’re both number one!
As for the nationwide decrease in executions, that is due to prosecutors asking for fewer death penalties and juries being more selective between death and life sentences, not because there has been a shortage of execution drugs.
TEXAS, HARRIS COUNTY STILL NO. 1 IN EXECUTIONS, BUT NUMBERS DOWN SHARPLY NATIONWIDE
By Jeff Balke
Houston Press Hair Balls
December 19, 2013
According to a report from the Death Penalty Information Center, there have been only 39 executions in the United States this year, only the second time that number has been below 40 since 1994 and down 4 from last year's 43. This is additionally a decline of 60 percent since 1999 and the number of death sentences given hovered at a number (80) that, other than last year's 77, is the lowest since 1973. In fact, the number of death sentences has declined 75 percent since 1996.
Not surprisingly, Texas led states in the number of executions, representing more than 40 percent (16 total) of the executions nationwide. Combined with Florida, the two states are responsible for the majority of executions (59 percent). Florida had 7 total. There are 18 states who have abolished the use of the death penalty as a punishment.
There are some positives if you aren't a fan of the needles. Texas, according to the report, sentences fewer than 10 people to death in 2013. By comparison, that number was 48 in 1999. But, it's not all positive, particularly for those of us who live in Harris County.
According to the report, only 2 percent of counties in the entire country represent the vast majority of all death penalty cases and death row inmates. At the top of that list is Harris County. And we lead by a mile.
Since 1975, there have been 115 inmates executed from Harris County. The next closest county is Dallas County at 50. There are only 5 counties with more than 20 executions since 1975. If you were to add on Montgomery and Jefferson, two counties within close proximity to Harris, you would tack on another 30 executions.
There are currently 101 death row inmates from Harris County. This is dwarfed by Los Angeles County and its whopping 248, but part of the reason is because California has not executed anyone for seven years.
An even more grim note from the report indicates the reason for the decline in executions in 2013 is likely due to a shortage of the drug used for lethal injections.
POLICE EQUIPMENT: IS THE M-1 ABRAMS ON THE HORIZON?
Police and sheriff’s departments, especially small ones, have been securing free surplus 18-ton mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPS from the federal government. I’m sure that if the government offered surplus M-1 battlefield tanks to the police for free, they would snap them up. With the M-1 Abram tanks, they won’t have to kick-in doors anymore, they can just knock the whole house down. That’s a whole lot more fun.
LAW ENFORCEMENT GETS NEW VEHICLES
Coming soon to your local sheriff: 18-ton, armor-protected military fighting vehicles with gun turrets and bulletproof glass that were once the U.S. answer to roadside bombs during the Iraq war
By Jerry Reynolds
Car Pro News
December 18, 2013
The hulking vehicles, built for about $500,000 each at the height of the war, are among the biggest pieces of equipment that the Defense Department is giving to law enforcement agencies under a national military surplus program.
For police and sheriff’s departments, which have scooped up 165 of the mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPS, since they became available this summer, the price and the ability to deliver shock and awe while serving warrants or dealing with hostage standoffs were just too good to pass up.
“It’s armored. It’s heavy. It’s intimidating, and it’s free,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, among five county sheriff’s departments and three other police agencies in New York that have taken delivery of an MRAP.
The trucks do have limits. They are too big to travel on some bridges and roads and have a tendency to be tippy on uneven ground. Then there’s some cost of retrofitting them for civilian use and fueling the 36,000-pound behemoths that get about 5 miles to the gallon.
The American Civil Liberties Union is criticizing what it sees as the increasing militarization of the nation’s police. ACLU affiliates have been collecting 2012 records to determine the extent of military hardware and tactics acquired by police, planning to issue a report early next year.
“One of our concerns with this is it has a tendency to escalate violence,” said ACLU Center for Justice senior counsel Kara Dansky.
An Associated Press investigation of the Defense Department military surplus program this year found that a disproportionate share of the $4.2 billion worth of property distributed since 1990 — everything from blankets to bayonets and Humvees — has been obtained by police and sheriff’s departments in rural areas with few officers and little crime.
After the initial 165 of the MRAP trucks were distributed this year, military officials say police have requests in for 731 more, but none are available.
Ohio State University campus police got one, saying they would use it in large-scale emergencies and to provide a police presence on football game days. Others went to police in High Springs, Fla., and the sheriff’s office in Dallas County, Texas.
In Boise, Idaho, police reported using their MRAP two weeks ago to serve a warrant, saying they had evidence the suspect might be heavily armed and have explosives. Authorities said they found 100 pounds of bomb-making material and two guns. A second MRAP from nearby Nampa’s police department was used to shield officers and neighbors from a possible explosion.
In New York, the Albany County sheriff’s department already had four smaller military-surplus Humvees, which have been used for storm evacuations and to pull trees out of roadways. The new MRAP truck will go into service after technicians remove the gun turret and change the paint from military sand to civilian black.
Sheriff Apple rejected the idea that the nation’s police forces are becoming too militaristic. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “Our problem is we have to make sure we are prepared to respond to every type of crisis.”
For example, he said, if SWAT teams need to get close to a shooter or get bystanders safely away from one, the MRAP would be the vehicle of choice.
In Warren County, at the southern edge of the Adirondack Mountains, Undersheriff Shawn Lamouree said its MRAP, which can hold six people and reach 65 mph, will have its turret closed up except for a small slot, the only place to fire a gun. Its bulletproof windows don’t open. The proposed retrofit, including new seating, loudspeakers and emergency lights, would cost an estimated $70,000. The department has applied for grants.
“We have no plans of mounting a machine gun,” he said. “The whole idea is to protect the occupants.”
While Warren County’s Lamouree acknowledged the MRAP will likely spend most of its time in a heated garage, with “minimal” maintenance costs, it could be used occasionally by the emergency response team, which has used armored vehicles to serve drug warrants.
“We live in the North Country,” he said. “It’s very common for people to have high-powered hunting rifles.”
In one recent incident, a team used its armored military-surplus Humvee to approach a barricaded suspect, similar to a circumstance in which it might use the MRAP.
“We rolled the Humvee in the front yard, gave a couple of commands and he said, ‘OK, I’m coming out,” said investigator Jeff Gildersleeve. “That’s the way we like them to end.”
Others in New York that got big armored trucks included sheriff’s departments in Jefferson County, Steuben County and Sullivan County, and police in Nassau County, Plattsburgh and Hamburg Village. Police departments statewide have also acquired almost 150 other trucks and Humvees, a dozen of them armored, over the past two years.
LAW ENFORCEMENT GETS NEW VEHICLES
Coming soon to your local sheriff: 18-ton, armor-protected military fighting vehicles with gun turrets and bulletproof glass that were once the U.S. answer to roadside bombs during the Iraq war
By Jerry Reynolds
Car Pro News
December 18, 2013
The hulking vehicles, built for about $500,000 each at the height of the war, are among the biggest pieces of equipment that the Defense Department is giving to law enforcement agencies under a national military surplus program.
For police and sheriff’s departments, which have scooped up 165 of the mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPS, since they became available this summer, the price and the ability to deliver shock and awe while serving warrants or dealing with hostage standoffs were just too good to pass up.
“It’s armored. It’s heavy. It’s intimidating, and it’s free,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, among five county sheriff’s departments and three other police agencies in New York that have taken delivery of an MRAP.
The trucks do have limits. They are too big to travel on some bridges and roads and have a tendency to be tippy on uneven ground. Then there’s some cost of retrofitting them for civilian use and fueling the 36,000-pound behemoths that get about 5 miles to the gallon.
The American Civil Liberties Union is criticizing what it sees as the increasing militarization of the nation’s police. ACLU affiliates have been collecting 2012 records to determine the extent of military hardware and tactics acquired by police, planning to issue a report early next year.
“One of our concerns with this is it has a tendency to escalate violence,” said ACLU Center for Justice senior counsel Kara Dansky.
An Associated Press investigation of the Defense Department military surplus program this year found that a disproportionate share of the $4.2 billion worth of property distributed since 1990 — everything from blankets to bayonets and Humvees — has been obtained by police and sheriff’s departments in rural areas with few officers and little crime.
After the initial 165 of the MRAP trucks were distributed this year, military officials say police have requests in for 731 more, but none are available.
Ohio State University campus police got one, saying they would use it in large-scale emergencies and to provide a police presence on football game days. Others went to police in High Springs, Fla., and the sheriff’s office in Dallas County, Texas.
In Boise, Idaho, police reported using their MRAP two weeks ago to serve a warrant, saying they had evidence the suspect might be heavily armed and have explosives. Authorities said they found 100 pounds of bomb-making material and two guns. A second MRAP from nearby Nampa’s police department was used to shield officers and neighbors from a possible explosion.
In New York, the Albany County sheriff’s department already had four smaller military-surplus Humvees, which have been used for storm evacuations and to pull trees out of roadways. The new MRAP truck will go into service after technicians remove the gun turret and change the paint from military sand to civilian black.
Sheriff Apple rejected the idea that the nation’s police forces are becoming too militaristic. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “Our problem is we have to make sure we are prepared to respond to every type of crisis.”
For example, he said, if SWAT teams need to get close to a shooter or get bystanders safely away from one, the MRAP would be the vehicle of choice.
In Warren County, at the southern edge of the Adirondack Mountains, Undersheriff Shawn Lamouree said its MRAP, which can hold six people and reach 65 mph, will have its turret closed up except for a small slot, the only place to fire a gun. Its bulletproof windows don’t open. The proposed retrofit, including new seating, loudspeakers and emergency lights, would cost an estimated $70,000. The department has applied for grants.
“We have no plans of mounting a machine gun,” he said. “The whole idea is to protect the occupants.”
While Warren County’s Lamouree acknowledged the MRAP will likely spend most of its time in a heated garage, with “minimal” maintenance costs, it could be used occasionally by the emergency response team, which has used armored vehicles to serve drug warrants.
“We live in the North Country,” he said. “It’s very common for people to have high-powered hunting rifles.”
In one recent incident, a team used its armored military-surplus Humvee to approach a barricaded suspect, similar to a circumstance in which it might use the MRAP.
“We rolled the Humvee in the front yard, gave a couple of commands and he said, ‘OK, I’m coming out,” said investigator Jeff Gildersleeve. “That’s the way we like them to end.”
Others in New York that got big armored trucks included sheriff’s departments in Jefferson County, Steuben County and Sullivan County, and police in Nassau County, Plattsburgh and Hamburg Village. Police departments statewide have also acquired almost 150 other trucks and Humvees, a dozen of them armored, over the past two years.
‘THE POLITICALLY CORRECT CROWD IS TOLERANT OF ALL VIEWPOINTS, EXCEPT THOSE THEY DISAGREE WITH’
Louisiana’s governor slams A&E’s firing of Duck Dynasty’s star, saying “It is a messed-up situation when Miley Cyrus gets a laugh, and Phil Robertson gets suspended”
While I strongly disagree with the crack about homosexuals made by Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson, I also strongly believe that the First Amendment should have protected him from the kneejerk reaction of his detractors. I realize that free speech can have unintended consequences, but in this case Robert’s suspension is unwarranted.
BACKLASH GROWS AGAINST ‘DUCK DYNASTY’ FIRING
By Drew MacKenzie
Newsmax
December 19, 2013
Outrage at the indefinite suspension of "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson was growing Thursday with politicians joining the fray amid a call for a boycott of the cable network that made the decision.
Robertson was canned Wednesday by the A&E Network after a magazine interview was published in which he compared homosexuality to having sex with animals.
But within hours, he was receiving support from conservatives who expressed their belief in Robertson's freedom to speak his mind.
Leading the fray was Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana where "Duck Dynasty" is filmed.
"Phil Robertson and his family are great citizens of the state of Louisiana," Jindal said on the official website of the governor's office. "The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with."
"I don't agree with quite a bit of stuff I read in magazine interviews or see on TV. In fact, come to think of it, I find a good bit of it offensive," Jindal added. "But I also acknowledge that this is a free country and everyone is entitled to express their views. In fact, I remember when TV networks believed in the First Amendment."
Jindal called it a "messed up situation" when people laugh off the controversial sexualized antics of twerking singer Miley Cyrus while someone like Robertson is put on hiatus indefinitely. Cyrus outraged millions of Americans during an awards show when she did a twerking dance routine with pop singer Robin Thicke. Although her performance was lambasted at first, she won plaudits from her peers and even became one of the 10 finalists for Time's Person of the Year award.
Jindal was joined by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who said, "The reason that so many Americans love 'Duck Dynasty' is because it represents the America usually ignored or mocked by liberal elites: a family that loves and cares for each other, believes in God, and speaks openly about their faith."
"If you believe in free speech or religious liberty, you should be deeply dismayed over the treatment of Phil Robertson," Cruz added. "Phil expressed his personal views and his own religious faith; for that, he was suspended from his job. In a free society, anyone is free to disagree with him — but the mainstream media should not behave as the thought police, censoring the views with which they disagree."
Rep. Markwayne Mullin also weighed in. "America is currently witnessing a contradiction in its core principles," he said in a statement to Newsmax.
"The fundamentals that founded our great nation included the freedom of speech and religion. Unfortunately a man who simply voiced his religious belief, which is protected by our Constitution, is now being punished," the Oklahoma Republican said.
"The Robertson family is standing up for what they believe, and our fundamental, core principles of this nation clearly protect them. I support their rights and their view of traditional marriage that is between a man and a woman," Mullin said.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin went on Facebook to voice her concern that his TV ban was an attack on freedom of speech. "Free speech is an endangered species," she wrote next to a photo of herself with the cast of the show. "Those 'intolerants' hatin' and taking on the Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us."
Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, also got involved. "Suggesting that people who hold to what every branch of the Christian faith has held to for 2,000 years is somehow bigoted or hateful is not productive for speech," he said on CNN.
On Fox News, hosts also stood up in support of Robertson. Sean Hannity said it is a "slippery slope" when people are punished for their beliefs. His colleague Megyn Kelly asked, "Why can't there be a debate about it? Why can't there be a discussion … instead of 'you are fired.'"
As the political debate raged, a Twitter account calling for a boycott of A&E had attracted more than 10,000 followers by early Thursday afternoon.
The controversy started when family patriarch Robertson, 67, made controversial comments in a recent GQ magazine article labeling homosexuality a sin and comparing it to bestiality, among other things.
Asked what he considered sinful, Robertson told the magazine, "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there — bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men."
Calling himself a Bible-thumper and paraphrasing Corinthians, he added: "Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won't inherit the kingdom of God."
In a statement, A&E, which has placed Robertson on an indefinite leave from filming, said, "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty."
In remarks Wednesday defending himself, Robertson admitted to leading what he described as a debauched rock-and-roll lifestyle of sex and drugs during the 1960s, but said he had turned his life around after he embraced Jesus Christ.
According to Fox News, he might have dug himself a deeper hole among gay activists by adding, "My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the Bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together."
The gay rights organization GLAAD praised A&E for reacting quickly to Robertson's comments that push "vile and extreme stereotypes."
"What's clear is that such hateful anti-gay comments are unacceptable to fans, viewers, and networks alike," said GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz. "By taking quick action and removing Robertson from future filming, A&E has sent a strong message that discrimination is neither a Christian nor an American value."
"Duck Dynasty," which drew 11.8 million viewers when its Season 4 premiered in August, will return for its fifth season Jan. 15. Despite his suspension, Robertson is expected to appear in many episodes.
While I strongly disagree with the crack about homosexuals made by Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson, I also strongly believe that the First Amendment should have protected him from the kneejerk reaction of his detractors. I realize that free speech can have unintended consequences, but in this case Robert’s suspension is unwarranted.
BACKLASH GROWS AGAINST ‘DUCK DYNASTY’ FIRING
By Drew MacKenzie
Newsmax
December 19, 2013
Outrage at the indefinite suspension of "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson was growing Thursday with politicians joining the fray amid a call for a boycott of the cable network that made the decision.
Robertson was canned Wednesday by the A&E Network after a magazine interview was published in which he compared homosexuality to having sex with animals.
But within hours, he was receiving support from conservatives who expressed their belief in Robertson's freedom to speak his mind.
Leading the fray was Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana where "Duck Dynasty" is filmed.
"Phil Robertson and his family are great citizens of the state of Louisiana," Jindal said on the official website of the governor's office. "The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with."
"I don't agree with quite a bit of stuff I read in magazine interviews or see on TV. In fact, come to think of it, I find a good bit of it offensive," Jindal added. "But I also acknowledge that this is a free country and everyone is entitled to express their views. In fact, I remember when TV networks believed in the First Amendment."
Jindal called it a "messed up situation" when people laugh off the controversial sexualized antics of twerking singer Miley Cyrus while someone like Robertson is put on hiatus indefinitely. Cyrus outraged millions of Americans during an awards show when she did a twerking dance routine with pop singer Robin Thicke. Although her performance was lambasted at first, she won plaudits from her peers and even became one of the 10 finalists for Time's Person of the Year award.
Jindal was joined by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who said, "The reason that so many Americans love 'Duck Dynasty' is because it represents the America usually ignored or mocked by liberal elites: a family that loves and cares for each other, believes in God, and speaks openly about their faith."
"If you believe in free speech or religious liberty, you should be deeply dismayed over the treatment of Phil Robertson," Cruz added. "Phil expressed his personal views and his own religious faith; for that, he was suspended from his job. In a free society, anyone is free to disagree with him — but the mainstream media should not behave as the thought police, censoring the views with which they disagree."
Rep. Markwayne Mullin also weighed in. "America is currently witnessing a contradiction in its core principles," he said in a statement to Newsmax.
"The fundamentals that founded our great nation included the freedom of speech and religion. Unfortunately a man who simply voiced his religious belief, which is protected by our Constitution, is now being punished," the Oklahoma Republican said.
"The Robertson family is standing up for what they believe, and our fundamental, core principles of this nation clearly protect them. I support their rights and their view of traditional marriage that is between a man and a woman," Mullin said.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin went on Facebook to voice her concern that his TV ban was an attack on freedom of speech. "Free speech is an endangered species," she wrote next to a photo of herself with the cast of the show. "Those 'intolerants' hatin' and taking on the Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing his personal opinion are taking on all of us."
Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, also got involved. "Suggesting that people who hold to what every branch of the Christian faith has held to for 2,000 years is somehow bigoted or hateful is not productive for speech," he said on CNN.
On Fox News, hosts also stood up in support of Robertson. Sean Hannity said it is a "slippery slope" when people are punished for their beliefs. His colleague Megyn Kelly asked, "Why can't there be a debate about it? Why can't there be a discussion … instead of 'you are fired.'"
As the political debate raged, a Twitter account calling for a boycott of A&E had attracted more than 10,000 followers by early Thursday afternoon.
The controversy started when family patriarch Robertson, 67, made controversial comments in a recent GQ magazine article labeling homosexuality a sin and comparing it to bestiality, among other things.
Asked what he considered sinful, Robertson told the magazine, "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there — bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men."
Calling himself a Bible-thumper and paraphrasing Corinthians, he added: "Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won't inherit the kingdom of God."
In a statement, A&E, which has placed Robertson on an indefinite leave from filming, said, "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty."
In remarks Wednesday defending himself, Robertson admitted to leading what he described as a debauched rock-and-roll lifestyle of sex and drugs during the 1960s, but said he had turned his life around after he embraced Jesus Christ.
According to Fox News, he might have dug himself a deeper hole among gay activists by adding, "My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the Bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together."
The gay rights organization GLAAD praised A&E for reacting quickly to Robertson's comments that push "vile and extreme stereotypes."
"What's clear is that such hateful anti-gay comments are unacceptable to fans, viewers, and networks alike," said GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz. "By taking quick action and removing Robertson from future filming, A&E has sent a strong message that discrimination is neither a Christian nor an American value."
"Duck Dynasty," which drew 11.8 million viewers when its Season 4 premiered in August, will return for its fifth season Jan. 15. Despite his suspension, Robertson is expected to appear in many episodes.
MAN GOES TO SCOTTISH BROTHEL AND ON THREE CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS SPENDS ONE HOUR WITH SUZY AT £5,000 A CRACK
The Unconventional Gazette
December 19, 2013
The madam opened the brothel door in Milngavie, Scotland and saw a rather dignified, well-dressed, good-looking man in his late forties or early fifties.
"May I help you sir?" she asked.
The man replied, "I want to see Suzy."
"Sir, Suzy is one of our most expensive ladies Perhaps you would prefer someone else," said the madam.
He replied, "No, I must see Suzy."
Just then, Suzy appeared and announced to the man she charged £5,000 a visit.
Without hesitation, the man pulled out five thousand pounds and gave it to Suzy, and they went upstairs.
After an hour, the man calmly left.
The next night, the man appeared again, once more demanding to see Suzy.
Suzy explained that no one had ever come back two nights in a row as she was too expensive.
"There are no discounts. The price is still £5,000."
Again, the man pulled out the money, gave it to Suzy, and they went upstairs.
After an hour, he left.
The following night the man was there yet again.
Everyone was astounded that he had come for a third consecutive night, but he paid Suzy and they went upstairs.
After their session, Suzy said to the man, "No one has ever been with me three nights in a row.
Where are you from?"
The man replied, "Edinburgh."
"Really," she said. "I have family in Edinburgh."
"I know." the man said. "Your sister died, and I am her lawyer. She asked me to give you your £15,000 inheritance."
The moral of this story is that three things in life are certain:
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Being screwed by a lawyer!
December 19, 2013
The madam opened the brothel door in Milngavie, Scotland and saw a rather dignified, well-dressed, good-looking man in his late forties or early fifties.
"May I help you sir?" she asked.
The man replied, "I want to see Suzy."
"Sir, Suzy is one of our most expensive ladies Perhaps you would prefer someone else," said the madam.
He replied, "No, I must see Suzy."
Just then, Suzy appeared and announced to the man she charged £5,000 a visit.
Without hesitation, the man pulled out five thousand pounds and gave it to Suzy, and they went upstairs.
After an hour, the man calmly left.
The next night, the man appeared again, once more demanding to see Suzy.
Suzy explained that no one had ever come back two nights in a row as she was too expensive.
"There are no discounts. The price is still £5,000."
Again, the man pulled out the money, gave it to Suzy, and they went upstairs.
After an hour, he left.
The following night the man was there yet again.
Everyone was astounded that he had come for a third consecutive night, but he paid Suzy and they went upstairs.
After their session, Suzy said to the man, "No one has ever been with me three nights in a row.
Where are you from?"
The man replied, "Edinburgh."
"Really," she said. "I have family in Edinburgh."
"I know." the man said. "Your sister died, and I am her lawyer. She asked me to give you your £15,000 inheritance."
The moral of this story is that three things in life are certain:
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Being screwed by a lawyer!
NEW CEO FINDS SLACKER STANDING AMONG WORKERS, FIRES HIM WITH FOUR WEEKS SEVERANCE PAY
The Unconventional Gazette
December 19, 2013
Arcelor-Mittal Steel, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.
On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He asked the guy,
"How much money do you make a week?"
A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, "I make $400 a week. Why?"
The CEO said, "Wait right here." He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $1,600 in cash and said, "Here's four weeks' pay. Now GET OUT and don't come back."
Feeling pretty good about himself the CEO looked around the room and asked, "Does any one want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?"
From across the room a voice said, "Pizza delivery guy from Domino's."
December 19, 2013
Arcelor-Mittal Steel, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.
On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He asked the guy,
"How much money do you make a week?"
A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, "I make $400 a week. Why?"
The CEO said, "Wait right here." He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $1,600 in cash and said, "Here's four weeks' pay. Now GET OUT and don't come back."
Feeling pretty good about himself the CEO looked around the room and asked, "Does any one want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?"
From across the room a voice said, "Pizza delivery guy from Domino's."
Thursday, December 19, 2013
THE SAD STATE OF CRIME LABS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Scandals in local and state crime labs, and even in the prestigious FBI lab, call for implementation of crime labs independent of law enforcement agencies similar to what Houston has done
If only things were like they are depicted on the CSI television series. That is television.
This is the real world. Unlike the cast of CSI, in real life crime scene investigators are usually not peace officers and do not go out to solve crimes … they only gather evidence at the scene to be processed at a crime lab. And half of the techniques used and devices depicted on TV’s CSI are pure fiction.
Sadly, in the real world, law enforcement agency crime labs have been beset by numerous scandals. Even the prestigious FBI crime lab has had its share of scandals as well.
CSI AND SCIENCE: CRIME LABS ACROSS THE COUNTRY GET IT WRONG
By Calvin TerBeek
Houston Press Hair Balls
December 18, 2013
CSI, the venerable CBS television franchise, has placed forensic evidence at the forefront of many people's mind in regard to solving criminal cases. There is a belief -- albeit one without any empirical support -- that CSI and its ilk have made it harder for prosecutors in cases to get convictions in cases without forensic evidence.
What we do have empirical support for, however, is that those crime labs, depicted in television crime dramas as doing careful, pure science, is far from the reality on the ground. Indeed, many crime lab employees aren't scientists at all! What is more, much of the "science" taking place in crime labs has not been "peer reviewed" or otherwise validated, a fundamental precept for something to pass muster as what we call science.
And this is why there seems to continually be problems with state and municipal crime labs. The latest case comes from Massachusetts where a state chemist has been sentenced to three to five years in prison for:
Prosecutors say Ms. Dookhan declared drug samples positive that she had not bothered to test, tampered with evidence, forged signatures and lied about her credentials to enhance her standing in court as an expert witness. In all, her actions may have tainted more than 40,000 drug samples involving thousands of defendants.
The judge, when sentencing Dookhan, said:
"Innocent persons were incarcerated," she said. "Guilty persons have been released to further endanger the public, millions and millions of public dollars are being expended to deal with the chaos Ms. Dookhan created, and the integrity of the criminal justice system has been shaken to the core."
Houston well knows the consequences of having an incompetent crime lab. [The Houston Chronicle had 16 headlines between June 2002 and August 2011 concerning scandals within the Houston police crime lab. In 2012, Houston’s mayor and city council established the Houston Forensic Science Local Government Corporation with a president/CEO and seven board members that will govern an independent crime lab which will replace the current Houston Police lab.]
And this is a nationwide epidemic. The Los Angeles Times reports that the state of California is looking into Orange County's pattern and practice of erroneous blood-alcohol reports in DUI cases. One website has an exhaustive list of every jurisdiction where there have been crime lab issues:
These types of problems have led to scandals at dozens of crime labs across the nation, resulting in full or partial closures, reorganizations, investigations or firings at city or county labs in Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Dallas; Detroit; Erie County, New York; Houston; Los Angeles; Monroe County, New York; Oklahoma City; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego; San Francisco; San Joaquin County, California; New York City; Nashville, Tennessee; and Tucson, Arizona, as well as at state-run crime labs in Illinois, Montana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin, plus the federally-run FBI and U.S. Army crime labs.
This brings to mind the surprised, not shocked cliche. When you're dealing with people who have no real voice or who are not taken seriously by political elites -- people from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds, whether rural or urban -- and a guilty until proven innocent attitude many prosecutors have, all incentives are there for crime lab employees to serve their master (the criminal justice system).
Mayor Annise Parker should be congratulated for her work in setting up an independent crime lab. Sounds like many other cities should follow suit.
If only things were like they are depicted on the CSI television series. That is television.
This is the real world. Unlike the cast of CSI, in real life crime scene investigators are usually not peace officers and do not go out to solve crimes … they only gather evidence at the scene to be processed at a crime lab. And half of the techniques used and devices depicted on TV’s CSI are pure fiction.
Sadly, in the real world, law enforcement agency crime labs have been beset by numerous scandals. Even the prestigious FBI crime lab has had its share of scandals as well.
CSI AND SCIENCE: CRIME LABS ACROSS THE COUNTRY GET IT WRONG
By Calvin TerBeek
Houston Press Hair Balls
December 18, 2013
CSI, the venerable CBS television franchise, has placed forensic evidence at the forefront of many people's mind in regard to solving criminal cases. There is a belief -- albeit one without any empirical support -- that CSI and its ilk have made it harder for prosecutors in cases to get convictions in cases without forensic evidence.
What we do have empirical support for, however, is that those crime labs, depicted in television crime dramas as doing careful, pure science, is far from the reality on the ground. Indeed, many crime lab employees aren't scientists at all! What is more, much of the "science" taking place in crime labs has not been "peer reviewed" or otherwise validated, a fundamental precept for something to pass muster as what we call science.
And this is why there seems to continually be problems with state and municipal crime labs. The latest case comes from Massachusetts where a state chemist has been sentenced to three to five years in prison for:
Prosecutors say Ms. Dookhan declared drug samples positive that she had not bothered to test, tampered with evidence, forged signatures and lied about her credentials to enhance her standing in court as an expert witness. In all, her actions may have tainted more than 40,000 drug samples involving thousands of defendants.
The judge, when sentencing Dookhan, said:
"Innocent persons were incarcerated," she said. "Guilty persons have been released to further endanger the public, millions and millions of public dollars are being expended to deal with the chaos Ms. Dookhan created, and the integrity of the criminal justice system has been shaken to the core."
Houston well knows the consequences of having an incompetent crime lab. [The Houston Chronicle had 16 headlines between June 2002 and August 2011 concerning scandals within the Houston police crime lab. In 2012, Houston’s mayor and city council established the Houston Forensic Science Local Government Corporation with a president/CEO and seven board members that will govern an independent crime lab which will replace the current Houston Police lab.]
And this is a nationwide epidemic. The Los Angeles Times reports that the state of California is looking into Orange County's pattern and practice of erroneous blood-alcohol reports in DUI cases. One website has an exhaustive list of every jurisdiction where there have been crime lab issues:
These types of problems have led to scandals at dozens of crime labs across the nation, resulting in full or partial closures, reorganizations, investigations or firings at city or county labs in Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Dallas; Detroit; Erie County, New York; Houston; Los Angeles; Monroe County, New York; Oklahoma City; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego; San Francisco; San Joaquin County, California; New York City; Nashville, Tennessee; and Tucson, Arizona, as well as at state-run crime labs in Illinois, Montana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin, plus the federally-run FBI and U.S. Army crime labs.
This brings to mind the surprised, not shocked cliche. When you're dealing with people who have no real voice or who are not taken seriously by political elites -- people from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds, whether rural or urban -- and a guilty until proven innocent attitude many prosecutors have, all incentives are there for crime lab employees to serve their master (the criminal justice system).
Mayor Annise Parker should be congratulated for her work in setting up an independent crime lab. Sounds like many other cities should follow suit.
SEARCH WARRANT CONTROVERSY: TEXAS COURT RULES SEARCH WARRANTS CAN BE OBTAINED ON INFORMATION THAT A CRIME MAY BE ABOUT TO BE COMMITTED
I suspect this case will end up in the U.S. Supreme Court where the Texas court’s ruling will be overturned.
IN T EXAS, SEARCH WARRANTS CAN NOW BE BASED ON A ‘PREDICTION OF A FUTURE CRIME’
By Eric Nicholson
Dallas Observer
December 17, 2013
Police in Parker County had been watching Michael Fred Wehrenberg's home for a month when, late in the summer of 2010, they received a tip from a confidential informant that Wehrenberg and several others were "fixing to" cook meth. Hours later, after midnight, officers walked through the front door, rounded up the people inside, and kept them in handcuffs in the front yard for an hour and a half.
The only potential problem, at least from a constitutional standpoint, was that the cops didn't have a search warrant. They got one later, before they seized the boxes of pseudoephedrine, stripped lithium batteries, and other meth-making materials, while the alleged meth cooks waited around in handcuffs, but by then they'd already waltzed through the home uninvited. They neglected to mention this on their warrant application, identifying a confidential informant as their only source of information.
Wehrenberg's lawyers argued during materials that the seized materials had been taken illegally and shouldn't be allowed as evidence. The motion was denied -- the trial court cited federal "independent source doctrine," which allows illegally seized evidence a third party told them about beforehand -- and Wehrenberg pleaded guilty to one count of possession and one count of intent to manufacture, getting five years in prison.
The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth wasn't so eager to overlook what appeared to be a clear case of police misconduct and overturned the lower court's ruling.
But it's the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that has the final say, and last week they agreed with the trial court. In a majority opinion, Judge Elsa Alcala wrote that, while Texas' "exclusionary rule" bans illegally seized evidence from trial, federal precedent dictates that it can be introduced if it was first confirmed by an independent source.
Grits for Breakfast's Scott Henson, who first reported the case, isn't sure how significant the decision will prove to be on the ground.
"But the actions of police in the case don't pass the smell test," he writes. "If their informant was so credible, why not go to the judge for a search warrant in the 3-4 hours before their illegal entry? The judge was available in the middle of the night, so there's little basis to believe they couldn't have gotten it earlier. And why conceal the fact that they'd already swept the house and detained the suspects in the search warrant application if everything was on the up and up?"
He has a kindred spirit in CCA Judge Lawrence Meyers, who was the only justice to dissent. As Meyers wrote, "it is obvious to me that this search warrant was obtained based upon the officers' unlawful entry into [Wehrenberg]'s residence."
There was more than enough time to secure a search warrant before the officers' intrusion into the premises, but they deliberately chose not to attempt to obtain it until after they had conducted the unlawful entry. Further, had the officers entered the home and found the occupants only baking cupcakes, the officers would not have bothered to then obtain the warrant at all. It was only after unlawfully entering and finding suspicious activity that they felt the need to then secure the warrant in order to cover their tracks and collect the evidence without the taint of their entry.
In addition, Meyers argues that the confidential informant's report that Wehrenberg was "fixing to" cook meth wasn't independent evidence but a prediction of a future crime. The majority's decision, he writes, means that "search warrants may now be based on predictions of the commission of future crimes," which is an uncomfortable concept to say the least.
IN T EXAS, SEARCH WARRANTS CAN NOW BE BASED ON A ‘PREDICTION OF A FUTURE CRIME’
By Eric Nicholson
Dallas Observer
December 17, 2013
Police in Parker County had been watching Michael Fred Wehrenberg's home for a month when, late in the summer of 2010, they received a tip from a confidential informant that Wehrenberg and several others were "fixing to" cook meth. Hours later, after midnight, officers walked through the front door, rounded up the people inside, and kept them in handcuffs in the front yard for an hour and a half.
The only potential problem, at least from a constitutional standpoint, was that the cops didn't have a search warrant. They got one later, before they seized the boxes of pseudoephedrine, stripped lithium batteries, and other meth-making materials, while the alleged meth cooks waited around in handcuffs, but by then they'd already waltzed through the home uninvited. They neglected to mention this on their warrant application, identifying a confidential informant as their only source of information.
Wehrenberg's lawyers argued during materials that the seized materials had been taken illegally and shouldn't be allowed as evidence. The motion was denied -- the trial court cited federal "independent source doctrine," which allows illegally seized evidence a third party told them about beforehand -- and Wehrenberg pleaded guilty to one count of possession and one count of intent to manufacture, getting five years in prison.
The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth wasn't so eager to overlook what appeared to be a clear case of police misconduct and overturned the lower court's ruling.
But it's the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that has the final say, and last week they agreed with the trial court. In a majority opinion, Judge Elsa Alcala wrote that, while Texas' "exclusionary rule" bans illegally seized evidence from trial, federal precedent dictates that it can be introduced if it was first confirmed by an independent source.
Grits for Breakfast's Scott Henson, who first reported the case, isn't sure how significant the decision will prove to be on the ground.
"But the actions of police in the case don't pass the smell test," he writes. "If their informant was so credible, why not go to the judge for a search warrant in the 3-4 hours before their illegal entry? The judge was available in the middle of the night, so there's little basis to believe they couldn't have gotten it earlier. And why conceal the fact that they'd already swept the house and detained the suspects in the search warrant application if everything was on the up and up?"
He has a kindred spirit in CCA Judge Lawrence Meyers, who was the only justice to dissent. As Meyers wrote, "it is obvious to me that this search warrant was obtained based upon the officers' unlawful entry into [Wehrenberg]'s residence."
There was more than enough time to secure a search warrant before the officers' intrusion into the premises, but they deliberately chose not to attempt to obtain it until after they had conducted the unlawful entry. Further, had the officers entered the home and found the occupants only baking cupcakes, the officers would not have bothered to then obtain the warrant at all. It was only after unlawfully entering and finding suspicious activity that they felt the need to then secure the warrant in order to cover their tracks and collect the evidence without the taint of their entry.
In addition, Meyers argues that the confidential informant's report that Wehrenberg was "fixing to" cook meth wasn't independent evidence but a prediction of a future crime. The majority's decision, he writes, means that "search warrants may now be based on predictions of the commission of future crimes," which is an uncomfortable concept to say the least.
SHOOTING OF UNARMED DRIVER AT END OF POLICE PURSUIT LOOKS FAR DIFFERENT FROM A NEWS HELICOPTER TV CAMERA THAN WHAT THE COPS ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED AT EYE LEVEL
In this instance, from the helicopter it looked like the driver was simply executed. But from an eye level, the cops could have experienced a movement or sound that placed them in fear of their safety. Even if the cops were all pumped up and pissed off over the pursuit, I feel fairly certain they would not have shot him unless they felt their lives were in imminent danger.
LAPD CHIEF: ‘VERY THOROUGH’ INQUIRY INTO FATAL SHOOTING UNDER WAY
By Kate Mather and Richard Winton
Los Angeles Times
December 17, 2013
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said again Tuesday it was too early to say what led his officers to fatally shoot an unarmed car chase suspect, saying a "very thorough" investigation was underway.
Beck told reporters it would be "unfair" for him to comment until he had heard the officers' accounts of the incident, seen evidence and consulted others involved in the use-of-force investigation, including the Los Angeles Police Commission's independent inspector general and the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
"I've got to let that process work.... I have an obligation not only to the public, but to the police officers that I command to do this correctly," Beck said. "But the officers will be held out of the field while we make this judgment."
Beck vowed his department would "go every inch of the way" to investigate Friday's fatal shooting in downtown Los Angeles.
"If there's training required, they'll be trained," Beck said. "If there's discipline required, they'll be disciplined. If not, we'll move on."
The chief's comments followed the weekly Police Commission meeting, which opened with President Steve Soboroff reminding the public that multiple reviews of the incident were underway.
"That takes time," he said. "And we have time to do things fairly and correctly."
Brian Newt Beaird, 51, of Oceanside was shot to death by LAPD officers live on KTLA-TV at the end of a nearly hourlong pursuit just seconds after his Corvette collided with another car at an intersection, spinning it onto the sidewalk.
Beaird is seen on video getting out of the car and walking behind his silver Corvette while briefly raising his hands with his back to officers. While he is on the sidewalk, he grabs his stomach and falls to the ground after one or more officers open fire.
Investigators are examining whether any non-lethal munitions may have been fired prior to the gunfire, triggering the shooting. The footage from KTLA shows an object bounce and roll across the sidewalk almost simultaneously with gunfire.
Beck said Monday it was "way too early" to say whether the sound of a bean bag round being fired triggered the shooting. But he said Tuesday that, given "the situation as presented in this pursuit, a beanbag would be an option."
He again cautioned that the perspective from the officers on the ground would be different than others who watched the pursuit on television.
"The officer's perception is what matters during an officer-involved shooting," Beck told reporters Tuesday. "They have a different set of inputs that somebody in a helicopter, a different set of inputs that someone sitting at home on their couch. So we rigorously inspect those inputs and how they made the decision."
Beck told the Police Commission there have been 43 officer-involved shootings so far in 2013, up seven from 2012. But the 2013 number was "right at" the department's five-year average and "well below" the 58 officer-involved shootings in 2011.
"Every shooting is looked at exhaustively and individually," he said. "But we also track for trends and try to address those trends through training and officer selection."
Friday's incident began as a suspected drunk or reckless driver pursuit in Cudahy around 9:30 p.m. by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies; the LAPD took over the pursuit when it reached city limits.
With several LAPD cars following his Corvette, the suspect T-boned a Nissan crossing the intersection at Olympic Boulevard and Los Angeles Street, sending the passing car into a fire hydrant.
Beaird’s mangled Corvette spun to a rest on the street corner. He tried to pull away, but then abandoned the vehicle and got out, staggering around to the sidewalk on the passenger side.
He was surrounded by officers with patrol cars from the Newton Division when the gunfire rang out. He died less than an hour later at California Hospital Medical Center, authorities said.
LAPD CHIEF: ‘VERY THOROUGH’ INQUIRY INTO FATAL SHOOTING UNDER WAY
By Kate Mather and Richard Winton
Los Angeles Times
December 17, 2013
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said again Tuesday it was too early to say what led his officers to fatally shoot an unarmed car chase suspect, saying a "very thorough" investigation was underway.
Beck told reporters it would be "unfair" for him to comment until he had heard the officers' accounts of the incident, seen evidence and consulted others involved in the use-of-force investigation, including the Los Angeles Police Commission's independent inspector general and the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
"I've got to let that process work.... I have an obligation not only to the public, but to the police officers that I command to do this correctly," Beck said. "But the officers will be held out of the field while we make this judgment."
Beck vowed his department would "go every inch of the way" to investigate Friday's fatal shooting in downtown Los Angeles.
"If there's training required, they'll be trained," Beck said. "If there's discipline required, they'll be disciplined. If not, we'll move on."
The chief's comments followed the weekly Police Commission meeting, which opened with President Steve Soboroff reminding the public that multiple reviews of the incident were underway.
"That takes time," he said. "And we have time to do things fairly and correctly."
Brian Newt Beaird, 51, of Oceanside was shot to death by LAPD officers live on KTLA-TV at the end of a nearly hourlong pursuit just seconds after his Corvette collided with another car at an intersection, spinning it onto the sidewalk.
Beaird is seen on video getting out of the car and walking behind his silver Corvette while briefly raising his hands with his back to officers. While he is on the sidewalk, he grabs his stomach and falls to the ground after one or more officers open fire.
Investigators are examining whether any non-lethal munitions may have been fired prior to the gunfire, triggering the shooting. The footage from KTLA shows an object bounce and roll across the sidewalk almost simultaneously with gunfire.
Beck said Monday it was "way too early" to say whether the sound of a bean bag round being fired triggered the shooting. But he said Tuesday that, given "the situation as presented in this pursuit, a beanbag would be an option."
He again cautioned that the perspective from the officers on the ground would be different than others who watched the pursuit on television.
"The officer's perception is what matters during an officer-involved shooting," Beck told reporters Tuesday. "They have a different set of inputs that somebody in a helicopter, a different set of inputs that someone sitting at home on their couch. So we rigorously inspect those inputs and how they made the decision."
Beck told the Police Commission there have been 43 officer-involved shootings so far in 2013, up seven from 2012. But the 2013 number was "right at" the department's five-year average and "well below" the 58 officer-involved shootings in 2011.
"Every shooting is looked at exhaustively and individually," he said. "But we also track for trends and try to address those trends through training and officer selection."
Friday's incident began as a suspected drunk or reckless driver pursuit in Cudahy around 9:30 p.m. by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies; the LAPD took over the pursuit when it reached city limits.
With several LAPD cars following his Corvette, the suspect T-boned a Nissan crossing the intersection at Olympic Boulevard and Los Angeles Street, sending the passing car into a fire hydrant.
Beaird’s mangled Corvette spun to a rest on the street corner. He tried to pull away, but then abandoned the vehicle and got out, staggering around to the sidewalk on the passenger side.
He was surrounded by officers with patrol cars from the Newton Division when the gunfire rang out. He died less than an hour later at California Hospital Medical Center, authorities said.
SPANISH COP, WHO GOT MAN’S OBEDIENCE BY DROPPING A FLASHBANG IN HIS LAP, IS JAILED AND ORDERED TO PAY RESTITUTION FOR BLOWN-AWAY BALLS
When a martial arts expert wanted for extortion refused to get out of his car, the cop dropped a flashbang in his lap; after the bang, the man got out of his car minus his balls
The Spaniards must have recruited this lunatic cop from the same insane asylum that New Mexico has recruited its crazy cops from (Traffic Stop From Hell Leads To Digital Anal Searches, Enemas And Colonoscopy, 11-10-13; Where Did New Mexico Dig Up This Brainless State Cop?, 11-18 and 12-9-13).
POLICEMAN JAILED FOR A YEAR FOR BLOWING OFF A MAN’S TESTICLES WITH A STUN GRENADE AFTER DROPPING IT IN HIS LAP WHEN HE REFUSED TO GET OUT OF HIS CAR
Blast destroyed left testicle and most of the right, leaving man infertile
By Simon Tomlinson
Mail Online
December 18, 2013
A policeman has been jailed for a year and ordered to pay his victim €168,000 (£140,000) after blowing off a suspect's testicles with a stun grenade.
The Catalan officer had been tasked with arresting two extortionists with a history of violence when the incident happened.
As the men were experts in martial arts and owned two dangerous dogs, his squadron's commanding officer had allowed him to use stun grenades if needed.
The devices are designed to disorientate the victim by causing temporary loss of hearing and balance when detonated a short distance away.
But when one of the men refused to leave the car, the Barcelona Mosso D'Esquadra officer threw the stun grenade into his lap, it was reported by The Local, which translated an article by Spanish daily 20minutos.
The blast blew away the 25-year-old's left testicle and caused him to lose most of his right one, leaving him infertile.
Sentencing the officer on Tuesday, Spain's supreme court said the incident in 2008 had been an act of gross negligence.
It also ordered that he be suspended from his post.
The case comes a month after it was reported how Swedish police had used stun greandes to subdue a mother who refused to hand over her five-month-old son.
The 30-year-old woman had armed herself with a knife when police entered her flat in Helsingborg, southern Sweden to aid social services with taking the child into care.
The Spaniards must have recruited this lunatic cop from the same insane asylum that New Mexico has recruited its crazy cops from (Traffic Stop From Hell Leads To Digital Anal Searches, Enemas And Colonoscopy, 11-10-13; Where Did New Mexico Dig Up This Brainless State Cop?, 11-18 and 12-9-13).
POLICEMAN JAILED FOR A YEAR FOR BLOWING OFF A MAN’S TESTICLES WITH A STUN GRENADE AFTER DROPPING IT IN HIS LAP WHEN HE REFUSED TO GET OUT OF HIS CAR
Blast destroyed left testicle and most of the right, leaving man infertile
By Simon Tomlinson
Mail Online
December 18, 2013
A policeman has been jailed for a year and ordered to pay his victim €168,000 (£140,000) after blowing off a suspect's testicles with a stun grenade.
The Catalan officer had been tasked with arresting two extortionists with a history of violence when the incident happened.
As the men were experts in martial arts and owned two dangerous dogs, his squadron's commanding officer had allowed him to use stun grenades if needed.
The devices are designed to disorientate the victim by causing temporary loss of hearing and balance when detonated a short distance away.
But when one of the men refused to leave the car, the Barcelona Mosso D'Esquadra officer threw the stun grenade into his lap, it was reported by The Local, which translated an article by Spanish daily 20minutos.
The blast blew away the 25-year-old's left testicle and caused him to lose most of his right one, leaving him infertile.
Sentencing the officer on Tuesday, Spain's supreme court said the incident in 2008 had been an act of gross negligence.
It also ordered that he be suspended from his post.
The case comes a month after it was reported how Swedish police had used stun greandes to subdue a mother who refused to hand over her five-month-old son.
The 30-year-old woman had armed herself with a knife when police entered her flat in Helsingborg, southern Sweden to aid social services with taking the child into care.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
BALTIMORE CITY JAIL MORE LIKE A MEXICAN JAIL
27 correctional officers busted for being in cahoots with the Black Guerilla Family
Columnist Mona Charen reports that the feds say the Black Guerilla Family prison gang controlled the Baltimore City jail. According to a federal indictment, 27 correctional officers, along with 17 others, “were in bed with BGF inmates.” That would be literally and figuratively. Gang leader Tavon White impregnated no fewer than four female guards. One had “Tavon” tattooed on her wrist. Guards smuggled in cellphones, drugs and other contraband. Inmates who were not gang members were forced to pay protection money to the BGF, or get family members to do so.
According to the indictment, White boasted of his control of the prison on his prohibited cellphone: “This is my jail. You understand that? I'm dead serious … I make every final call in this jail … and nothing go past me … Any of my brothers that deal with anybody, it's gonna come to me. Before (somebody) stab somebody, they gotta run it through me.”
The indictment charges that participating guards and BGF members profited from “drug trafficking, robbery, assault, extortion, bribery, witness retaliation, money laundering and obstruction of justice.
White obviously had a ball while it lasted, knocking up four women correctional officers. The Baltimore City jail must have been modeled after some of Mexico’s finest penal institutions.
Columnist Mona Charen reports that the feds say the Black Guerilla Family prison gang controlled the Baltimore City jail. According to a federal indictment, 27 correctional officers, along with 17 others, “were in bed with BGF inmates.” That would be literally and figuratively. Gang leader Tavon White impregnated no fewer than four female guards. One had “Tavon” tattooed on her wrist. Guards smuggled in cellphones, drugs and other contraband. Inmates who were not gang members were forced to pay protection money to the BGF, or get family members to do so.
According to the indictment, White boasted of his control of the prison on his prohibited cellphone: “This is my jail. You understand that? I'm dead serious … I make every final call in this jail … and nothing go past me … Any of my brothers that deal with anybody, it's gonna come to me. Before (somebody) stab somebody, they gotta run it through me.”
The indictment charges that participating guards and BGF members profited from “drug trafficking, robbery, assault, extortion, bribery, witness retaliation, money laundering and obstruction of justice.
White obviously had a ball while it lasted, knocking up four women correctional officers. The Baltimore City jail must have been modeled after some of Mexico’s finest penal institutions.
JUDGE RULES CALIFORNIA IS VIOLATING THE RIGHTS OF MURDERERS BY KEEPING THEM IN PRISON FOR AN EXCESSIVE LENGTH OF TIME
Hmm, how could a judge come up with a ruling that California violates the rights of imprisoned murderers? Oh, I know why. The judge is from San Francisco.
CALIFORNIA AGREES TO SET MINIMUM TERMS FRO MURDERERS
By Paige St. John
Los Angeles Times
December 16, 2013
SACRAMENTO -- Facing allegations that California keeps convicted murderers and others serving life-with-parole terms in prison an excessive time, the state has agreed to set initial minimum sentences for those inmates.
The deal is part of a settlement over the case of a Soledad prison inmate who challenged California's parole policies for those in prison on open-ended sentences.
The agreement was signed Monday by state Appeals Court Justice J. Anthony Kline, a San Francisco jurist who questioned the constitutionality of California's long prison stays in a previous case. It does not take full effect, though, until Kline issues a decision on whether the 46-year-old prisoner who had filed the appeal should be paroled.
State prison population reports show nearly 35,000 inmates serving sentences of life with the possibility of parole as of the beginning of the year, including 8,800 inmates sentenced to life for third-strike felonies. State parole records show that 670 were granted release last year, though Gov. Jerry Brown reversed 71 of those decisions.
The issue in the legal challenge was which comes first: public safety or a prisoner's right to a fair sentence. In California's current system, a murderer sentenced to 25 years to life must wait until a parole board determines he is no longer a threat before that minimum sentence is set. By then, critics allege, most convicts have overstayed the minimum sentence based on their crime.
A 2011 Stanford study found that murderers eligible for parole at 16 years (because of good-behavior credits) wound up serving an average 27 years behind bars.
The settlement requires the Board of Parole Hearings to set those minimum sentences at their first parole eligibility hearing.
CALIFORNIA AGREES TO SET MINIMUM TERMS FRO MURDERERS
By Paige St. John
Los Angeles Times
December 16, 2013
SACRAMENTO -- Facing allegations that California keeps convicted murderers and others serving life-with-parole terms in prison an excessive time, the state has agreed to set initial minimum sentences for those inmates.
The deal is part of a settlement over the case of a Soledad prison inmate who challenged California's parole policies for those in prison on open-ended sentences.
The agreement was signed Monday by state Appeals Court Justice J. Anthony Kline, a San Francisco jurist who questioned the constitutionality of California's long prison stays in a previous case. It does not take full effect, though, until Kline issues a decision on whether the 46-year-old prisoner who had filed the appeal should be paroled.
State prison population reports show nearly 35,000 inmates serving sentences of life with the possibility of parole as of the beginning of the year, including 8,800 inmates sentenced to life for third-strike felonies. State parole records show that 670 were granted release last year, though Gov. Jerry Brown reversed 71 of those decisions.
The issue in the legal challenge was which comes first: public safety or a prisoner's right to a fair sentence. In California's current system, a murderer sentenced to 25 years to life must wait until a parole board determines he is no longer a threat before that minimum sentence is set. By then, critics allege, most convicts have overstayed the minimum sentence based on their crime.
A 2011 Stanford study found that murderers eligible for parole at 16 years (because of good-behavior credits) wound up serving an average 27 years behind bars.
The settlement requires the Board of Parole Hearings to set those minimum sentences at their first parole eligibility hearing.
COLORADO UNIVERSITY-BOULDER: EDUCATED IDIOTS AT WORK BOTH ON TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATION LEVELS
It seems as though all parties in this case are educated idiots. Professor Adler’s prostitution skit is of questionable educational value and the administration’s response to some complaints is unwarranted.
PATRICIA ADLER, CU-BOULDER PROFESSOR, ALLEGEDLY FORCED OUT OVER PROSTITUTION LECTURE
By Matt Ferner
The Huffington Post
December 16, 2013
A longtime and tenured professor of sociology at University of Colorado Boulder is allegedly being forced to retire due to a lecture on prostitution that she has delivered for more than 20 years without incident.
According to "Help Patti Adler Stay At CU," a Facebook page set up by CU students, Prof. Patricia Adler's prostitution lecture -- delivered as part of her "Deviance in U.S. Society" class -- was reported by a staff member:
As I am sure you have all heard by now, the prostitution skit that she has done for the last 25 years was reported by a staff member. After hearing what happened from a faculty member, there were absolutely no bad intentions involved in what happened, and the person who initiated contact with administration is fighting incredibly hard to stop this as well.
Adler, who called the class "the highlight of the semester in my signature course," described what goes on during the prostitution lecture to Inside Higher Ed:
She seeks volunteers from among assistant teaching assistants (who are undergraduates) to dress up as various kinds of prostitutes -- she named as categories "slave whores, crack whores, bar whores, streetwalkers, brothel workers and escort services." They work with Adler on scripts in which they describe their lives as these types of prostitutes.
During the lecture, Adler talks with them (with the assistant teaching assistants in character) about such issues as their backgrounds, "how they got into the business," how much they charge, the services they perform, and the risks they face of violence, arrest and AIDS. The class is a mix of lecture and discussion, just like most classes, she said.
Many students who attended her current session said that during last Thursday's lecture, Adler announced that she wouldn't be coming back to CU-Boulder after winter break, that the current Deviance class would be her last she ever teaches at CU and that it wasn't by choice, The Boulder Daily Camera reported.
However CU spokesman Mark Miller told the Daily Camera that Adler is still a "tenured faculty member at CU-Boulder and, as long as she remains at the university, we expect that she'll teach along with her other duties." Miller also stressed to Inside Higher Ed that "no one is forced to retire" at the University of Colorado.
Adler characterized the situation differently in an interview with Inside Higher Ed:
Adler said that she was given the choice of accepting a buyout now, or staying but not teaching the course, and not giving the prostitution lecture, and to be aware that she could be fired and lose her retirement benefits if anyone complained about her teaching in the future.
Concerned students have set up an online petition demanding that CU-Boulder keep Adler on as a professor.
"Patti Adler is a professor in the Sociology Department at CU Boulder who teaches Deviance," the petition reads. "In her lecture, she presented a skit about prostitution as an interactive learning activity. The university saw this as 'inappropriate' and decided to force a buyout upon her. The lecture was attempting to make a lesson about a deviant activity more interesting (considering that the class is indeed entitled 'Deviance'). This petition will assist in presenting to the school's administrators how important she is to the student body here, and how much of a poor decision we think this is by the school."
Students supportive of Adler have also planned a protest for Jan. 3, 2014.
PATRICIA ADLER, CU-BOULDER PROFESSOR, ALLEGEDLY FORCED OUT OVER PROSTITUTION LECTURE
By Matt Ferner
The Huffington Post
December 16, 2013
A longtime and tenured professor of sociology at University of Colorado Boulder is allegedly being forced to retire due to a lecture on prostitution that she has delivered for more than 20 years without incident.
According to "Help Patti Adler Stay At CU," a Facebook page set up by CU students, Prof. Patricia Adler's prostitution lecture -- delivered as part of her "Deviance in U.S. Society" class -- was reported by a staff member:
As I am sure you have all heard by now, the prostitution skit that she has done for the last 25 years was reported by a staff member. After hearing what happened from a faculty member, there were absolutely no bad intentions involved in what happened, and the person who initiated contact with administration is fighting incredibly hard to stop this as well.
Adler, who called the class "the highlight of the semester in my signature course," described what goes on during the prostitution lecture to Inside Higher Ed:
She seeks volunteers from among assistant teaching assistants (who are undergraduates) to dress up as various kinds of prostitutes -- she named as categories "slave whores, crack whores, bar whores, streetwalkers, brothel workers and escort services." They work with Adler on scripts in which they describe their lives as these types of prostitutes.
During the lecture, Adler talks with them (with the assistant teaching assistants in character) about such issues as their backgrounds, "how they got into the business," how much they charge, the services they perform, and the risks they face of violence, arrest and AIDS. The class is a mix of lecture and discussion, just like most classes, she said.
Many students who attended her current session said that during last Thursday's lecture, Adler announced that she wouldn't be coming back to CU-Boulder after winter break, that the current Deviance class would be her last she ever teaches at CU and that it wasn't by choice, The Boulder Daily Camera reported.
However CU spokesman Mark Miller told the Daily Camera that Adler is still a "tenured faculty member at CU-Boulder and, as long as she remains at the university, we expect that she'll teach along with her other duties." Miller also stressed to Inside Higher Ed that "no one is forced to retire" at the University of Colorado.
Adler characterized the situation differently in an interview with Inside Higher Ed:
Adler said that she was given the choice of accepting a buyout now, or staying but not teaching the course, and not giving the prostitution lecture, and to be aware that she could be fired and lose her retirement benefits if anyone complained about her teaching in the future.
Concerned students have set up an online petition demanding that CU-Boulder keep Adler on as a professor.
"Patti Adler is a professor in the Sociology Department at CU Boulder who teaches Deviance," the petition reads. "In her lecture, she presented a skit about prostitution as an interactive learning activity. The university saw this as 'inappropriate' and decided to force a buyout upon her. The lecture was attempting to make a lesson about a deviant activity more interesting (considering that the class is indeed entitled 'Deviance'). This petition will assist in presenting to the school's administrators how important she is to the student body here, and how much of a poor decision we think this is by the school."
Students supportive of Adler have also planned a protest for Jan. 3, 2014.
HEROIN KEPT ALL HOUSES IN SIBERIAN VILLAGE WARM FOR 24 HOURS
Good news for opium poppy farmers in Central Asia. Their crop may be more valuable as a heating fuel than as an illegal narcotic.
HIGH TEMPERATURES: SIBERIAN VILLAGE’S HOMES ARE KEPT WARM FOR 24 HOURS BY HEROIN BURNED IN LOCAL FURNACE AFTER NARCOTICS RAID
Three tons of poppy seeds, one kilogram of heroin and 300 grams of synthetic drug burned at central heating plant which then pumped hot water to homes
By Tara Brady
Mail Online
December 17, 2013
Homes in a remote Siberian village were kept warm for 24 hours by burning drugs including heroin seized during a narcotics raid.
Three tons of poppy seeds mixed with straw were destroyed in the furnace of the heating system of Yagunovo village, near Kemerovo.
More than one kilogram of heroin and 300 grams of synthetic drugs also went up in flames.
The experiment was so successful that authorities plan to repeat it at other locations.
The drugs were burned under the supervision of a board of experts from Kemerovo regional drug control service and Kemerovo regional health department service, an official said.
Like many Siberian communities, Yagunovo is warmed by central heating plants which pump hot water to homes and businesses.
The hot water then heats the various rooms in people's homes through pipes and radiators.
At the time the narcotics were burned, night time temperatures dipped to minus 14C.
'The amount burned in the boiler room was enough to keep all houses in the village warm for 24 hours,' said the local authority.
Much of the haul was seized from an unnamed Kazakhstan citizen, aged 34, who brought them to Siberia.
The man was later sentenced to more than 13 years in jail.
In all, illegal narcotics relating to 27 separate offences were destroyed in the village furnace which heats a dozen two-storey blocks of flats, a dormitory, a school, a library, a bank, and a House of Arts.
Kemerovo is one of a number of Siberian regions prone to illegal imports of drugs from Central Asia, some of which find their way west to Europe.
HIGH TEMPERATURES: SIBERIAN VILLAGE’S HOMES ARE KEPT WARM FOR 24 HOURS BY HEROIN BURNED IN LOCAL FURNACE AFTER NARCOTICS RAID
Three tons of poppy seeds, one kilogram of heroin and 300 grams of synthetic drug burned at central heating plant which then pumped hot water to homes
By Tara Brady
Mail Online
December 17, 2013
Homes in a remote Siberian village were kept warm for 24 hours by burning drugs including heroin seized during a narcotics raid.
Three tons of poppy seeds mixed with straw were destroyed in the furnace of the heating system of Yagunovo village, near Kemerovo.
More than one kilogram of heroin and 300 grams of synthetic drugs also went up in flames.
The experiment was so successful that authorities plan to repeat it at other locations.
The drugs were burned under the supervision of a board of experts from Kemerovo regional drug control service and Kemerovo regional health department service, an official said.
Like many Siberian communities, Yagunovo is warmed by central heating plants which pump hot water to homes and businesses.
The hot water then heats the various rooms in people's homes through pipes and radiators.
At the time the narcotics were burned, night time temperatures dipped to minus 14C.
'The amount burned in the boiler room was enough to keep all houses in the village warm for 24 hours,' said the local authority.
Much of the haul was seized from an unnamed Kazakhstan citizen, aged 34, who brought them to Siberia.
The man was later sentenced to more than 13 years in jail.
In all, illegal narcotics relating to 27 separate offences were destroyed in the village furnace which heats a dozen two-storey blocks of flats, a dormitory, a school, a library, a bank, and a House of Arts.
Kemerovo is one of a number of Siberian regions prone to illegal imports of drugs from Central Asia, some of which find their way west to Europe.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
POTHEAD PARENTS PROVE POT DANGEROUS
Teenage parents and grandfather forced 23-month-old son to smoke pot
Jessica Kelsey, 17 and George Kelsey, 18, along with her grandfather Don Baker, 54, were arrested Friday by Chautauqua County, New York authorities and charged with 2nd degree reckless endangerment and with endangering the welfare of a child for forcing the teen couple’s 23-month-old son to smoke pot.
The stoner trio is in custody with bail set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. The toddler and his sibling are now under the care of child protective services.
According to press reports, the Chautauqua County Undersheriff said: “They packed the marijuana pipe, lit it for the baby and gave it to him and encouraged him to inhale … it’s just unbelievable.”
Unbelievable? Not to me! This is your brains on pot. It's just one more example of Marijuana not being the harmless substance that pot advocates keep telling us it is.
Even an imbecile would not get a toddler to smoke pot. But evidently that’s not the case with potheads. And this is just one of many reasons why marijuana should not be legalized.
Jessica Kelsey, 17 and George Kelsey, 18, along with her grandfather Don Baker, 54, were arrested Friday by Chautauqua County, New York authorities and charged with 2nd degree reckless endangerment and with endangering the welfare of a child for forcing the teen couple’s 23-month-old son to smoke pot.
The stoner trio is in custody with bail set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. The toddler and his sibling are now under the care of child protective services.
According to press reports, the Chautauqua County Undersheriff said: “They packed the marijuana pipe, lit it for the baby and gave it to him and encouraged him to inhale … it’s just unbelievable.”
Unbelievable? Not to me! This is your brains on pot. It's just one more example of Marijuana not being the harmless substance that pot advocates keep telling us it is.
Even an imbecile would not get a toddler to smoke pot. But evidently that’s not the case with potheads. And this is just one of many reasons why marijuana should not be legalized.
SPECIAL FBI UNIT CLAIMS IT PREVENTED 150 SHOOTINGS THIS YEAR
The FBI’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Center works with information provided by federal, state, local and campus law enforcement, schools, businesses and houses of worship to profile potential offenders and recommend referrals to mental health professionals.
While I am sure the FBI has disrupted a number of potential shootings, it would not surprise me if the numbers Eric Holder bragged about were significantly inflated.
FBI SAYS IT DISRUPTS SHOOTINGS THROUGH INTERVENTIONS
There have been hundreds of these disruptions since 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder recently told an audience of police chiefs
By Eileen Sullivan
Associated Press
December 16, 2013
WASHINGTON — The FBI says it has helped to disrupt or prevent nearly 150 shootings and violent attacks this year, in part by steering potential gunmen toward mental health professionals. It's an achievement that stands out during a year when President Barack Obama made curbing gun violence a priority, yet has had little success in getting new restrictions enacted.
There have been hundreds of these disruptions since 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder recently told an audience of police chiefs, touting the behind-the-scenes work of a small FBI unit based out of Quantico, Va. In most cases, the FBI has helped potential offenders get access to mental health care.
Preventing mass shootings through threat assessments and treatment is an unusual tactic for an agency known for its crime fighting and not for interventions. One year after the deadly mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, the White House's biggest efforts to curb gun violence — attempts to reinstate the assault weapons ban and expand background checks for all gun purchases — failed without congressional support.
Mass shootings like the rampages in Newtown, Conn., the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard and the Aurora, Colo., movie theater do not represent the majority of gun violence. Yet when they do occur, the impact is high. And many times there's the question of whether the shooter had adequate mental health treatment to prevent it from happening. Yet, in the national discourse about reducing gun violence, mental health treatment has received much less attention than banning assault weapons.
The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, for years, has been working with state and local authorities to profile potential offenders with the goal of preventing violent crimes like mass shootings. The "prevented" shootings and violent attacks from January through November of this year represent 148 cases that a division of that unit, the Behavioral Threat Assessment Center, has conferred on during 2013. And that number is up 33 percent from 2012, Andre Simmons, unit chief of the center, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
In the past year, this unit has received about three new cases a week referred by federal, state, local and campus law enforcement, schools, businesses and houses of worship, Simmons said.
The Behavioral Threat Assessment Center gets involved when someone notifies law enforcement, for example, about some troubling behavior, and law enforcement reaches out to the center to help assess the situation.
"The people around that subject often become fearful that that outcome is catastrophic act of violence, such as an active shooting or some type of mass attack," Simmons said.
The center is staffed by agents and analysts of the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives and a psychiatrist. It helps the local officials assess the threat the person of concern poses. And then the center recommends how to proceed. Depending how far along the person is on the "pathway to violence," Simmons said, the center makes recommendations based on the specific case. The recommendations could be arrest, if the person is involved in illegal activity, but most often, it's getting that person access to mental health care, he said.
As an example, Simmons referred to a case his unit consulted on a few years back. There was a man at a university who began to display bizarre behaviors coupled with an increasing interest in firearms, Simmons said. This man created a makeshift shooting range in the basement of his home where he lived with roommates, and he used pictures of the roommates as bull's-eyes for target practice. He also was involved in animal abuse, Simmons said, and he was making statements that were troubling. Collecting firearms and target practice are not illegal activities, but the roommates feared for their safety. So they alerted university authorities, Simmons said.
The university reached out to the FBI behavioral analysts and worked with them to develop a strategy. Working with mental health officials and campus police, a "caretaking" interview was arranged with the man, Simmons said. And that meeting resulted in a voluntary admission to a psychiatric facility.
"Once in that facility, he was deemed to be of such compromised state, that it turned into an involuntary evaluation," Simmons said. "And the attending physician noted as well that it was not really a question of if he would attack, but when, given the statements that he made and the thoughts he was disclosing."
The FBI would not provide specific details of this case or others they've consulted on because many are ongoing and involve people who have not been charged with crimes.
The Behavioral Threat Assessment Center operates with the knowledge that mass shootings like Newtown are uncommon, and that's important, said Ronald Schouten, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and expert on threat assessments.
"These occur very rarely, and there's no profile," Schouten said of those who carry out the shootings.
The center was launched in the fall of 2010. The unit's existence is not yet common knowledge around the country. But awareness is growing, as the FBI has recently been sponsoring two-day conferences about the threat of active shooters, Simmons said.
Having a mental illness does not mean that a person is predisposed to violent behavior, Simmons said. So a person's history and surroundings are an important part of assessing the threat.
"And we recognize that for many individuals, the coping strategies may be overwhelmed and they may lose the ability to see an alternative to violence," he said.
One year ago, a 20-year-old gunman, Adam Lanza, shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and massacred 20 children and six women with a semi-automatic rifle. He also killed his mother in their Newtown home before driving to the school. He committed suicide as police arrived at the scene, and authorities still do not know his motive. Since the shooting, Lanza has been described as "troubled." Investigators said his fascination with violence was apparent to teachers and other acquaintances.
After that tragedy, President Barack Obama spoke to the nation about reducing gun violence.
"We're going to need to work on making access to mental health care at least as easy as access to a gun," he said five days after the deadly shooting.
The Behavioral Threat Assessment Center has not been promoted by the White House as one of its major efforts to reduce gun violence. Instead, it's continued the behind-the-scenes work it's been doing for the past three years. And referrals keep coming in.
While I am sure the FBI has disrupted a number of potential shootings, it would not surprise me if the numbers Eric Holder bragged about were significantly inflated.
FBI SAYS IT DISRUPTS SHOOTINGS THROUGH INTERVENTIONS
There have been hundreds of these disruptions since 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder recently told an audience of police chiefs
By Eileen Sullivan
Associated Press
December 16, 2013
WASHINGTON — The FBI says it has helped to disrupt or prevent nearly 150 shootings and violent attacks this year, in part by steering potential gunmen toward mental health professionals. It's an achievement that stands out during a year when President Barack Obama made curbing gun violence a priority, yet has had little success in getting new restrictions enacted.
There have been hundreds of these disruptions since 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder recently told an audience of police chiefs, touting the behind-the-scenes work of a small FBI unit based out of Quantico, Va. In most cases, the FBI has helped potential offenders get access to mental health care.
Preventing mass shootings through threat assessments and treatment is an unusual tactic for an agency known for its crime fighting and not for interventions. One year after the deadly mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, the White House's biggest efforts to curb gun violence — attempts to reinstate the assault weapons ban and expand background checks for all gun purchases — failed without congressional support.
Mass shootings like the rampages in Newtown, Conn., the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard and the Aurora, Colo., movie theater do not represent the majority of gun violence. Yet when they do occur, the impact is high. And many times there's the question of whether the shooter had adequate mental health treatment to prevent it from happening. Yet, in the national discourse about reducing gun violence, mental health treatment has received much less attention than banning assault weapons.
The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, for years, has been working with state and local authorities to profile potential offenders with the goal of preventing violent crimes like mass shootings. The "prevented" shootings and violent attacks from January through November of this year represent 148 cases that a division of that unit, the Behavioral Threat Assessment Center, has conferred on during 2013. And that number is up 33 percent from 2012, Andre Simmons, unit chief of the center, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
In the past year, this unit has received about three new cases a week referred by federal, state, local and campus law enforcement, schools, businesses and houses of worship, Simmons said.
The Behavioral Threat Assessment Center gets involved when someone notifies law enforcement, for example, about some troubling behavior, and law enforcement reaches out to the center to help assess the situation.
"The people around that subject often become fearful that that outcome is catastrophic act of violence, such as an active shooting or some type of mass attack," Simmons said.
The center is staffed by agents and analysts of the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives and a psychiatrist. It helps the local officials assess the threat the person of concern poses. And then the center recommends how to proceed. Depending how far along the person is on the "pathway to violence," Simmons said, the center makes recommendations based on the specific case. The recommendations could be arrest, if the person is involved in illegal activity, but most often, it's getting that person access to mental health care, he said.
As an example, Simmons referred to a case his unit consulted on a few years back. There was a man at a university who began to display bizarre behaviors coupled with an increasing interest in firearms, Simmons said. This man created a makeshift shooting range in the basement of his home where he lived with roommates, and he used pictures of the roommates as bull's-eyes for target practice. He also was involved in animal abuse, Simmons said, and he was making statements that were troubling. Collecting firearms and target practice are not illegal activities, but the roommates feared for their safety. So they alerted university authorities, Simmons said.
The university reached out to the FBI behavioral analysts and worked with them to develop a strategy. Working with mental health officials and campus police, a "caretaking" interview was arranged with the man, Simmons said. And that meeting resulted in a voluntary admission to a psychiatric facility.
"Once in that facility, he was deemed to be of such compromised state, that it turned into an involuntary evaluation," Simmons said. "And the attending physician noted as well that it was not really a question of if he would attack, but when, given the statements that he made and the thoughts he was disclosing."
The FBI would not provide specific details of this case or others they've consulted on because many are ongoing and involve people who have not been charged with crimes.
The Behavioral Threat Assessment Center operates with the knowledge that mass shootings like Newtown are uncommon, and that's important, said Ronald Schouten, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and expert on threat assessments.
"These occur very rarely, and there's no profile," Schouten said of those who carry out the shootings.
The center was launched in the fall of 2010. The unit's existence is not yet common knowledge around the country. But awareness is growing, as the FBI has recently been sponsoring two-day conferences about the threat of active shooters, Simmons said.
Having a mental illness does not mean that a person is predisposed to violent behavior, Simmons said. So a person's history and surroundings are an important part of assessing the threat.
"And we recognize that for many individuals, the coping strategies may be overwhelmed and they may lose the ability to see an alternative to violence," he said.
One year ago, a 20-year-old gunman, Adam Lanza, shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and massacred 20 children and six women with a semi-automatic rifle. He also killed his mother in their Newtown home before driving to the school. He committed suicide as police arrived at the scene, and authorities still do not know his motive. Since the shooting, Lanza has been described as "troubled." Investigators said his fascination with violence was apparent to teachers and other acquaintances.
After that tragedy, President Barack Obama spoke to the nation about reducing gun violence.
"We're going to need to work on making access to mental health care at least as easy as access to a gun," he said five days after the deadly shooting.
The Behavioral Threat Assessment Center has not been promoted by the White House as one of its major efforts to reduce gun violence. Instead, it's continued the behind-the-scenes work it's been doing for the past three years. And referrals keep coming in.
BEWARE OF INTERNET SCAMS
Cyber thieves are out to get you, especially during the holidays
I frequently get bogus shipment notifications both on the internet and telephone. I also get those phony prize notifications, offers of information about my credit card and notices about this or that which is about to expire.
HOLIDAY SCAMS TO AVOID
By Cameron Huddleston
Jewish World Review
December 16, 2013
Unfortunately, the holiday season isn't just a time of giving. It's an opportunity for identity thieves, computer hackers and fraudsters to take what they can from unsuspecting victims.
A lot of the scams at this time of year are cyber-driven, says Bill Kowalski, a former FBI agent and director of operations for corporate investigative services at financial services firm Rehmann. But thieves also use less-sophisticated tactics to steal money or personal information from consumers while they're shopping in stores or looking to give to those in need, he says.
Here are several scams that will be popular this holiday season and tips for avoiding them.
Bogus shipment notifications. Watch out for e-mails notifying you about package shipments. Kowalski says that scammers send out bogus notifications that prompt people to click on links to track packages and those links contain computer viruses. If you're not expecting any shipments, it's easy to recognize these e-mails as fakes. But if you've made purchases online, Kowalski recommends going directly to shipping companies' sites to track your packages rather than clicking on links an any e-mails -- even those that appear to be legitimate.
Used gift cards. A lot of retailers display gift cards at the checkout -- and thieves take advantage of this, says Rip Mason, the CEO of LegalShield, a legal services and identity theft protection provider. They take cards, copy the numbers on them then put the cards back on the rack. The thieves can assess when the cards are purchased and activated and will drain the cards of all their funds -- leaving the consumer with a card that can't be used. So Mason says that if you buy a gift card, ask the sales clerk to give you one from behind the counter.
Malware e-cards. Scammers are taking advantage of the fact that more and more people are sending holiday greetings by e-mail and are sending e-cards with malicious software embedded in them, Mason says. If you receive an e-mail from someone you don't know, don't let curiosity get the best of you. Just delete the e-mail.
Special offers. If you receive an e-mail or text message claiming that you've won a prize or gift card, resist the temptation to respond. The sender likely is a scammer trying to get your personal information or money. Kowalski also says scammers will send texts or e-mails prompting recipients to click on links to access information about a retailer's sale or special offers. Go directly to the retailer's Web site or Facebook page to see if it's having a sale.
Phony Web sites. If you do a Google search for a popular toy your kid wants for Christmas, there's a good chance that some of the results will be links to fake sites or images that have viruses or malware. That's because scammers build sites based on popular search terms. When doing your holiday shopping online, stick with sites you know.
Scammers also create sites with Web addresses similar to those of legitimate retailers, Kowalski says. The Better Business Bureau reports that several Web sites have cropped up that include the word "overstock" in the domain name, hoping to fool consumers into thinking they are shopping with Overstock.com, a legitimate online retailer. Always type the Web address of a site you wish to visit directly into the browser rather than clicking on links in e-mails or on social media sites. Make sure you have the most updated version of the browser you use, which can flag suspicious sites, and updated virus software on your computer. Look for "contact us" information on sites you visit and make sure "https" appears at the beginning of the url on the payment page.
Malicious apps. Be wary of the apps you download on your phone or Facebook page -- especially free ones that you're prompted by anonymous text messages or Facebook posts to download. Be wary of any app that asks for access to your e-mail account or for any personal information because it likely will be malicious. Even legitimate apps might ask permission to access your personal information, from your birthday to your current location to your list of friends. So before you click install, read the list of permissions being requested by an app to make sure it's not asking for information you don't want to provide.
Fraudulent charities. Scammers hope to take advantage of people's desire to give to those in need during the holidays by sending e-mails or texts asking for contributions. Kowalski says that some are even using copied logos from legitimate charities in e-mails or on fraudulent Web sites. Often you can hover over links in such e-mails and see Web addresses that point to fraudulent sites instead of a legitimate charity's site. Rather than respond to those pleas, visit CharityNavigator.org for reviews of charitable organizations to find a cause that will benefit from your generosity. Don't make large donations in cash and always ask for a receipt.
Merchandize paid for but never received. It may be tempting to get a hot product at a super low price. Scammers use e-mail or online auctions to promote products at really low prices and often ask for payments to be wired. The Better Business Bureau warns against sending cash to strangers. In these situations, the consumer sends money but never receives the merchandise. Only purchase from trusted retailers to ensure that you're getting what you pay for, Mason says.
I frequently get bogus shipment notifications both on the internet and telephone. I also get those phony prize notifications, offers of information about my credit card and notices about this or that which is about to expire.
HOLIDAY SCAMS TO AVOID
By Cameron Huddleston
Jewish World Review
December 16, 2013
Unfortunately, the holiday season isn't just a time of giving. It's an opportunity for identity thieves, computer hackers and fraudsters to take what they can from unsuspecting victims.
A lot of the scams at this time of year are cyber-driven, says Bill Kowalski, a former FBI agent and director of operations for corporate investigative services at financial services firm Rehmann. But thieves also use less-sophisticated tactics to steal money or personal information from consumers while they're shopping in stores or looking to give to those in need, he says.
Here are several scams that will be popular this holiday season and tips for avoiding them.
Bogus shipment notifications. Watch out for e-mails notifying you about package shipments. Kowalski says that scammers send out bogus notifications that prompt people to click on links to track packages and those links contain computer viruses. If you're not expecting any shipments, it's easy to recognize these e-mails as fakes. But if you've made purchases online, Kowalski recommends going directly to shipping companies' sites to track your packages rather than clicking on links an any e-mails -- even those that appear to be legitimate.
Used gift cards. A lot of retailers display gift cards at the checkout -- and thieves take advantage of this, says Rip Mason, the CEO of LegalShield, a legal services and identity theft protection provider. They take cards, copy the numbers on them then put the cards back on the rack. The thieves can assess when the cards are purchased and activated and will drain the cards of all their funds -- leaving the consumer with a card that can't be used. So Mason says that if you buy a gift card, ask the sales clerk to give you one from behind the counter.
Malware e-cards. Scammers are taking advantage of the fact that more and more people are sending holiday greetings by e-mail and are sending e-cards with malicious software embedded in them, Mason says. If you receive an e-mail from someone you don't know, don't let curiosity get the best of you. Just delete the e-mail.
Special offers. If you receive an e-mail or text message claiming that you've won a prize or gift card, resist the temptation to respond. The sender likely is a scammer trying to get your personal information or money. Kowalski also says scammers will send texts or e-mails prompting recipients to click on links to access information about a retailer's sale or special offers. Go directly to the retailer's Web site or Facebook page to see if it's having a sale.
Phony Web sites. If you do a Google search for a popular toy your kid wants for Christmas, there's a good chance that some of the results will be links to fake sites or images that have viruses or malware. That's because scammers build sites based on popular search terms. When doing your holiday shopping online, stick with sites you know.
Scammers also create sites with Web addresses similar to those of legitimate retailers, Kowalski says. The Better Business Bureau reports that several Web sites have cropped up that include the word "overstock" in the domain name, hoping to fool consumers into thinking they are shopping with Overstock.com, a legitimate online retailer. Always type the Web address of a site you wish to visit directly into the browser rather than clicking on links in e-mails or on social media sites. Make sure you have the most updated version of the browser you use, which can flag suspicious sites, and updated virus software on your computer. Look for "contact us" information on sites you visit and make sure "https" appears at the beginning of the url on the payment page.
Malicious apps. Be wary of the apps you download on your phone or Facebook page -- especially free ones that you're prompted by anonymous text messages or Facebook posts to download. Be wary of any app that asks for access to your e-mail account or for any personal information because it likely will be malicious. Even legitimate apps might ask permission to access your personal information, from your birthday to your current location to your list of friends. So before you click install, read the list of permissions being requested by an app to make sure it's not asking for information you don't want to provide.
Fraudulent charities. Scammers hope to take advantage of people's desire to give to those in need during the holidays by sending e-mails or texts asking for contributions. Kowalski says that some are even using copied logos from legitimate charities in e-mails or on fraudulent Web sites. Often you can hover over links in such e-mails and see Web addresses that point to fraudulent sites instead of a legitimate charity's site. Rather than respond to those pleas, visit CharityNavigator.org for reviews of charitable organizations to find a cause that will benefit from your generosity. Don't make large donations in cash and always ask for a receipt.
Merchandize paid for but never received. It may be tempting to get a hot product at a super low price. Scammers use e-mail or online auctions to promote products at really low prices and often ask for payments to be wired. The Better Business Bureau warns against sending cash to strangers. In these situations, the consumer sends money but never receives the merchandise. Only purchase from trusted retailers to ensure that you're getting what you pay for, Mason says.
PRISONER’S CHILD GETS $1 MILLION AFTER TASER DEATH
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
December 15, 2013
Alameda County, California and the health care provider company for the Alameda County Jail have agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a survivor of a prisoner who died after being tasered.
Martin Harrison, 50, of Oakland was a guest of the county on a DUI beef. He was acting like a drunk assbite in custody, flooding his cell and busting up a food tray.
When deputies responded they found Harrison hiding behind his mattress, saying that other inmates were trying to kill him. (Maybe they were pissed because he was flooding and acting like an assbite.) When the deputies entered the cell Harrison tried to grab one of their Tasers as they attempted to handcuff him. In response they lit him up, then hauled his happy ass to the infirmary. He croaked two days later.
It was determined that he died due to lack of oxygen caused by a heart attack.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Harrison’s minor child. He also has four adult children, who have separate lawsuits pending.
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
December 15, 2013
Alameda County, California and the health care provider company for the Alameda County Jail have agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a survivor of a prisoner who died after being tasered.
Martin Harrison, 50, of Oakland was a guest of the county on a DUI beef. He was acting like a drunk assbite in custody, flooding his cell and busting up a food tray.
When deputies responded they found Harrison hiding behind his mattress, saying that other inmates were trying to kill him. (Maybe they were pissed because he was flooding and acting like an assbite.) When the deputies entered the cell Harrison tried to grab one of their Tasers as they attempted to handcuff him. In response they lit him up, then hauled his happy ass to the infirmary. He croaked two days later.
It was determined that he died due to lack of oxygen caused by a heart attack.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Harrison’s minor child. He also has four adult children, who have separate lawsuits pending.
Monday, December 16, 2013
COULD LIBYAN ABDELBASET AL-MEGRAHI HAVE BEEN WRONGLY CONVICETED FOR THE BOMBING OF PAN AM FLIGHT 103?
A private investigation points to an Egyptian terrorist as the likely Lockerbie bomber and to a CIA cover-up
Who knows what the truth is in this case. The private investigation conducted by two reputable investigators could very well be true, but on the other hand it could be nothing more than conjecture. As for a possible CIA cover-up, that seems quite plausible.
IS THIS THE REAL LOCKERBIE BOMBER? EGYPTIAN TERRORIST LINKED TO AVIATION DISASTER 25 YEARS AFTER PLANE CAME DOWN
Private investigation - Operation Bird – named Egyptian terrorist Mohammed Abu Talb as likely suspect in bombing and also claims CIA covered up the truth
By Sophie Jane Evans
Mail Online
December 15, 2013
For 25 years, the Lockerbie Bombing has been shrouded in mystery.
Now, an Eyptian terrorist has been revealed as a likely suspect in the devastating attack.
Mohammed Abu Talb - who is serving life in prison for a series of bombings - has been named in a private investigation called Operation Bird.
He is alleged to be behind the blast that took place on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland in 1988 - killing 270 people.
The investigation - put forward as a report by Forensic Investigative Associates in London - has also accused the CIA of covering up Talb's role in the atrocity, according the The Sunday People and Exaro.
It was commissioned by lawyers for Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was jailed in 2001 for masterminding the bombing.
If the report is correct, it means al-Megrahi - who died of cancer aged 60 last year after being controversially freed from jail in 2009 - may have been wrongly imprisoned.
Investigators claim key pieces of evidence in the case against al-Megrahi - including a fragment of circuit board for a timer - were faked.
They also allege the bomb was planted in luggage at Heathrow airport in London - not loaded by al-Megrahi in Malta, as the prosecution claimed during his trial in 2001.
And they say Talb - who was an initial suspect in the case - met with other Middle East terror suspects in the run-up to the bombing.
The report - written in 2002 - was supposed to form part of al-Megrahi's appeal in 2009, but it was never used.
However, it is due to be aired in an Al Jazeera TV documentary this week.
Its authors - Jessica de Grazia, a former New York chief assistant district attorney, and ex-Met police officer Philip Corbett - expect their findings to provoke calls for the case to be re-opened.
They conclude: 'We have never seen a criminal investigation in which there has been such a consistent disregard of an alternative and far more persuasive theory of the case.'
Talb, now 59, was jailed for life in 1989 after carrying out bombings in Copenhagen, Denmark and Amsterdam - killing one person and reportedly injuring a further 20.
He has always denied any involvement in the Lockerbie bombing - and even gave evidence against al-Megrahi during his trial in return for immunity from prosecution.
However, ex-CIA expert Robert Baer later claimed the terrorist had been paid $500,000 (£307,000) just months after the atrocity.
And Operation Bird suggests police were misled in their investigation due to a government agency - most likely, the CIA - deliberately covering up the true culprit.
Ms De Grazia and Mr Corbett said the five-month inquiry 'leads us to believe the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing was directed off-course as a result of government interference.'
They added: 'In our experience, the decision to intervene would have been made at the highest level of government, most likely a top executive of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.'
Earlier this year, members of the Lockerbie investigation team - including officers from Dumfries and Galloway Police - visited Libya to look into possible leads which could result in further convictions for the bombing.
However, Libyan authorities later said they did not want to 'dig into the past' amid fears they could be forced to pay out further compensation to the families of the victims.
Who knows what the truth is in this case. The private investigation conducted by two reputable investigators could very well be true, but on the other hand it could be nothing more than conjecture. As for a possible CIA cover-up, that seems quite plausible.
IS THIS THE REAL LOCKERBIE BOMBER? EGYPTIAN TERRORIST LINKED TO AVIATION DISASTER 25 YEARS AFTER PLANE CAME DOWN
Private investigation - Operation Bird – named Egyptian terrorist Mohammed Abu Talb as likely suspect in bombing and also claims CIA covered up the truth
By Sophie Jane Evans
Mail Online
December 15, 2013
For 25 years, the Lockerbie Bombing has been shrouded in mystery.
Now, an Eyptian terrorist has been revealed as a likely suspect in the devastating attack.
Mohammed Abu Talb - who is serving life in prison for a series of bombings - has been named in a private investigation called Operation Bird.
He is alleged to be behind the blast that took place on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland in 1988 - killing 270 people.
The investigation - put forward as a report by Forensic Investigative Associates in London - has also accused the CIA of covering up Talb's role in the atrocity, according the The Sunday People and Exaro.
It was commissioned by lawyers for Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was jailed in 2001 for masterminding the bombing.
If the report is correct, it means al-Megrahi - who died of cancer aged 60 last year after being controversially freed from jail in 2009 - may have been wrongly imprisoned.
Investigators claim key pieces of evidence in the case against al-Megrahi - including a fragment of circuit board for a timer - were faked.
They also allege the bomb was planted in luggage at Heathrow airport in London - not loaded by al-Megrahi in Malta, as the prosecution claimed during his trial in 2001.
And they say Talb - who was an initial suspect in the case - met with other Middle East terror suspects in the run-up to the bombing.
The report - written in 2002 - was supposed to form part of al-Megrahi's appeal in 2009, but it was never used.
However, it is due to be aired in an Al Jazeera TV documentary this week.
Its authors - Jessica de Grazia, a former New York chief assistant district attorney, and ex-Met police officer Philip Corbett - expect their findings to provoke calls for the case to be re-opened.
They conclude: 'We have never seen a criminal investigation in which there has been such a consistent disregard of an alternative and far more persuasive theory of the case.'
Talb, now 59, was jailed for life in 1989 after carrying out bombings in Copenhagen, Denmark and Amsterdam - killing one person and reportedly injuring a further 20.
He has always denied any involvement in the Lockerbie bombing - and even gave evidence against al-Megrahi during his trial in return for immunity from prosecution.
However, ex-CIA expert Robert Baer later claimed the terrorist had been paid $500,000 (£307,000) just months after the atrocity.
And Operation Bird suggests police were misled in their investigation due to a government agency - most likely, the CIA - deliberately covering up the true culprit.
Ms De Grazia and Mr Corbett said the five-month inquiry 'leads us to believe the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing was directed off-course as a result of government interference.'
They added: 'In our experience, the decision to intervene would have been made at the highest level of government, most likely a top executive of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.'
Earlier this year, members of the Lockerbie investigation team - including officers from Dumfries and Galloway Police - visited Libya to look into possible leads which could result in further convictions for the bombing.
However, Libyan authorities later said they did not want to 'dig into the past' amid fears they could be forced to pay out further compensation to the families of the victims.
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