Defund police? Democrats lead list of those taking cash from police unions
[FoxNews] Numbers published by Open Secrets, which is run by the watchdog Center for Responsive Politics, shows that among current members of the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, a handful of Democrats have received more campaign donations from police groups since 1994 than any other current members by a significant margin.
The top two recipients of contributions from police groups in the Senate are Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. The top two in the House are Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
The numbers come as Democrats in Congress are working to advance the Justice in Policing Act, a bill that would ban police from using chokeholds; pare back "qualified immunity," a doctrine that limits officers liability when they use force on the job; set up a federal task force to prosecute police misconduct cases and more.
Joe and Bernie stand with the police, more or less, and against their party, which should prove amusing.
Amazon bans police use of its face recognition tech for a year
[IsraelTimes] Civil rights groups and company’s own employees have pushed to stop selling technology to government agencies, saying it could be used to invade privacy and target people of color
Microsoft Bans Police Facial Recognition Sales as Big Tech Reacts to Protests
[Newsmax] Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it would await federal regulation before selling facial recognition to police departments, making it the latest big firm to back away from the surveillance business following protests against police brutality.
The announcement came a day after rival Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) declared it was pausing police use of its "Rekognition" service for a year, while International Business Machines Corp also said this week it no longer is generally offering the software and that technology should not promote racial injustice.
#1
Just because a group of people can code does not mean their code works in the real world. They can actually be disconnected from reality.
They end up in shock mode at first during alpha releases, when their system is introduced to the end user for the first time who often times say, "what the hell is this".
In other words, geeks are by no means the oracle of real world wisdom.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The political official in the "Libyan Struggle Front", Ahmed Qaddaf al-Dam, said on Wednesday that Saif al-Islam Qadaffy, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy ...The late megalomaniac dictator of Libya, admired everywhere for his garish costumes, funny hats, harem of cutie bodyguards, and incoherent ravings. As far as is known, he is the only person who's ever declared jihad on Switzerland... , is popular in Libya, and he should not stand idly by about what is happening in Libya today.
He said, in an intervention on al-Mayadeen channel, that the Libyan al-Wefaq government was not legitimate and expired and had not been authorized by Parliament.
"If the world came together to impose on us a government we would not accept it, we accept the will of the Libyans, and we decide the fate of Libya."
He believes that "the Brotherhood has no place in Libya, and that their number does not exceed 650 individuals," pointing out that "groups of mercenaries who were in Afghanistan did not reach a thousand or two thousand, and a maximum of 5,000 forces of Evil of Libyan origin to the maximum extent."
He stated that, "It is the duty of Saif al-Islam Qadaffy, like any Libyan citizen, not to remain ashamed of the current situation, pointing out that "no one can deny that Saif has a floor in Libya and a legacy, especially among the youth."
On the authority of the Libyan Parliament Speaker, Aqeela Saleh, Qaddaf al-Dam clarified that "he remains only legitimate in Libya now and the straw that we all adhere to."
He added, "I do not disagree with Saleh, but the matter is in the hands of the Libyans and not in the hands of the outside, and we do not accept that Libya is managed from abroad under any circumbstances, after the bitter experience of our country and they are able to form a Libyan government to be approved by Parliament."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/12/2020 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
Seif was being groomed to be the replacement for his father Muamar al-Qadafi. Prior to the revolution he had been in contact with the Islamist and anti-Qadafi forces in exile in an effort to end the internal struggle that had grown stronger in the period 2000-2010. To use him to unify Libya may not be as ridiculous as it seems.
The #GNA Radical Islamist cleric Mufti Sadiq al-#Ghariani says the husband must accompany his wife to her sister's house if the sister's husband is a #Madkhali and not leave her with them alone lest they influence her. #Libya
Posted by: Fred ||
06/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Muslim Brotherhood
#1
Madkhali was not a term familiar to me, so I did a search. From the Economist last November:
FOR MONTHS General Khalifa Haftar, Libya’s most powerful warlord, has besieged Tripoli, struggling to wrest control of the capital from the UN-backed “government of national accord” (GNA). More than 1,000 people have been killed. Mr Haftar is aided by Emirati and Egyptian air strikes. But the lines hardly move. A little-known group of Salafists (ultra-conservative Muslims) called the Madkhalists may yet tip the balance.
Under orders from their leader, an octogenarian Saudi preacher named Rabee al-Madkhali, the Madkhalists outside the capital have joined Mr Haftar’s ranks, while those inside encourage fighters to give up. “Put down your weapons, go home, pray and read the Koran,” says Fahmy Naas, a follower in Tripoli. War is fitna (strife or sedition), he insists.
International Policy Digest was alarmed by them at some length in 2017. BLUF: The Madkhali are anti-democratic Salafists who armed themselves to fight for the cause of the political strong man— Khalifa Hafter in the case of Libya, as governmental heir to Khadaffy, whom they supported in 2011 — who would take care of all that nasty political stuff as Allah intends, so they can live Salafist lives in piece. They are a significant force in Tripoli and Misrata, the latter being where the all-Madkhali 604th Battalion was based.
[Sudan Tribune] South Sudan’s national unity government is under pressure from the former governors and commissioners of the defunct 32 states who demanded be paid compensation as they were relieved when the country reverted to 10 states.
President Salva Kiir briefs state governors in Juba, December 20, 2019 (PPU photo)South Sudan’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning was instructed three months ago and promised to pay some amount in a lump sum to each and every post holder who was removed following the return to the 10 state system.
This money would serve as compensation for them, according to the presidential order.
On Wednesday, a high profile official from former Maiwut state said that the committee that was formed to follow the issue was undermined by Presidential Adviser Tut Gatluak Manime and former Minster of Presidential affairs, Mayik Deng who was relieved recently.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a former commissioner of Jerome county said that the government must pay the money or face rebellion if there would be no compromise reached.
He says they are demanding about $60, 000 for every commissioner and $100,000 for each governor from all the defunct 32 states.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/12/2020 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under:
[AnNahar] Europe's top rights court ruled Thursday that French judges were wrong to convict activists who staged a "boycott Israel" demonstration at a supermarket, saying the protest could not be considered an incitement to discrimination.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered French authorities to pay each of the applicants 7,380 euros in damages, and a further 20,000 euros to jointly cover legal expenses.
Eleven members of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in La Belle France, known as "Collectif Palestine 68," were charged after displaying Israeli-origin products and urging clients not to buy them at a store near Mulhouse, eastern La Belle France, on two occasions in 2009 and 2010.
The protests, which came a few months after a flare-up in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw,murderous Moslems in Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , echoed longstanding calls by NGOs to denounce Israel's policies, including its settlements in Paleostinian territories.
The Israeli government has denounced the boycott movement as an attempt to undermine its legitimacy, and has banned entry to foreigners who support the calls.
Though the activists were initially cleared of charges after arguing it was a case of free speech, an appeals court overturned the ruling and found them guilty of inciting people to discriminate against products from Israel.
They were ordered to pay a joint fine of 1,000 euros ($1,140) to three civil parties, including the International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA).
But the Strasbourg-ECHR said the French judges should have taken into account the fact that "the applicants had not been convicted of making racist or antisemitic remarks or of inciting hatred or violence."
Political speech is by nature controversial, the court said in its ruling, but remains a legitimate public interest, "provided that it did not cross the line and turn into a call for violence, hatred or intolerance."
Amnesia Amnesty International, which in 2018 saw one of its US employees denied access to the West Bank over its support of the boycott, hailed the European court's ruling.
"Today's landmark decision sets a significant precedent that should stop the misuse of anti-discrimination laws to target activists campaigning against human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... violations perpetrated by Israel against Paleostinians," Marco Perolini of Amnesty La Belle France said in a statement.
[Jpost] French organization lists Paleostinian terrorist entity as partner, glorifies Leila Khaled.
The giant American online payment service PayPal closed the account of the pro-BDS French organization Collectif Paleostine Vaincra because of its ties to the US and EU sanctioned terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine (PFLP), The Jerusalem Post learned on Wednesday.
The PayPal notice on the website of Collectif Paleostine Vaincra reads: "This recipient cannot receive money at this time." After a notice that funds can no longer be transferred, the account is typically shut down.
On Tuesday, the Post verified that donors could still continue to donate money via PayPal to Collectif Paleostine Vaincra. When asked about the account, a PayPal spokesperson told the Post that "We’re unfortunately unable to comment on any specific accounts, but our team will review and take appropriate action as needed."
PayPal has a robust enforcement policy of cracking down on organizations that raise funds for terrorism or the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) campaign targeting the Jewish state. Under La Belle France’s anti-discrimination law, the advocacy of BDS against Israel or Israelis is defined as bias based on national origin.
Collectif Paleostine Vaincra lists the PFLP as one of its partners on its website and declared the convicted PFLP terrorist Leila Khaled a "Member of Honor." Khaled lives in Jordan.
Khaled was a key member of the terrorist cell that hijacked TWA Flight 840 in 1969. A year later, she participated in the attempted hijacking of EL AL Flight 219.
The PFLP has recently developed a stronger alliance with the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran. The US classifies Iran’s regime as the worst state-sponsor of international terrorism.
The Collectif Paleostine Vaincra appears to be in violation of both La Belle France’s anti-terrorism and anti-discrimination laws. The Post sent numerous press queries to Collectif Paleostine Vaincra. The organization’s twitter account states it is based in Toulouse ...lies on the banks of the River Garonne, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The Toulouse metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in La Belle France... . 1,235 people follow the BDS entity on twitter as of Wednesday.
The Post investigative series into BDS organizations and their funding streams has led to the closure of over 20 bank and online payment accounts since 2016.
The account closures of the BDS entities have spanned Ireland, Germany, Austria, the US and La Belle France.
[BIZPACREVIEW] First they came for "Cops" and "Gone With The Wind," and now they appear to be gunning for Cracker Barrel. Sort of.
Amid the Maoist-like cultural revolution currently happening across the states, there seems to be an emerging movement to smear (and eventually possibly cancel) the iconic Southern restaurant chain Cracker Barrel.
It reportedly began with April Reign, the far-left activist reportedly responsible for launching the stunningly racist #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.
Responding to a Twitter user who’d asked if people have "ever walk[ed] into a place that just FEELS racist," Reign responded by citing Cracker Barrel.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[9 views]
Top|| File under: Antifa
#1
Cracker is a slur against whites, last I checked - shouldn't they be fine with it?
#2
Some of the Cracker Barrel stores I've been in, I've been just about the only white guy there.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
06/12/2020 1:10 Comments ||
Top||
#3
He has obviously never been in Cracker Barrels in Texas. More people of color there than whites most days. Its the only place you can get decent sausage biscuits & gravy or grits on the road.
Posted by: Marilyn Tojo7566 ||
06/12/2020 2:31 Comments ||
Top||
#4
I am a big fan of Cracker Barrel and the staff and patrons look like ‘America’. Some folks should visit a few establishments before going after them.
There ain’t nothing racist about breakfast! 24/7 by the way
#8
More fun than a barrel of (heavily armed) crackers...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/12/2020 13:37 Comments ||
Top||
#9
^ When I was a kid I had a toy that was a little plastic barrel with little plastic monkeys inside. I suppose that in today's world that would be considered racist but it never even occurred to me at the time.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
06/12/2020 14:44 Comments ||
Top||
#10
I think its time we just laugh at them. The more they whine we just laugh more. This has progressed into a clown show.
#14
The family stopped at a Cracker Barrel near Detroit a few years ago. We and a handful of others were the only whites there. Didn't appear racist in any way that I could tell except there were few whites there.
[ALMASDARNEWS] ’Abdel-Latif Darwish, a professor of economics and crisis management in Egypt, said that Egypt’s agreement with Greece on the demarcation of maritime borders represents a strong blow to the agreement between Ottoman Turkish President Recep Erdogan and the Libyan Government of National Accord.
Darwish said, during a call with the Egypt’s Channel 10, that Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... and the major countries should put pressure on The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... to stop the attempt to impose Ottoman Turkish influence in the Arab region and the Mediterranean waters region."
He commented on the signing of the maritime border demarcation agreement between Italia and Greece, saying: "Greece has achieved great success in striking Erdogan’s dreams of seizing the eastern Mediterranean gas."
The Italian agency, "Nova", announced on Wednesday that the Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, will visit Egypt on June 18 to resume negotiations with the Egyptian authorities on the agreement to demarcate the maritime borders between the two countries.
According to the agency, after signing an agreement to designate the exclusive economic zones between Greece and Italia, Dendias announced, in statements on Tuesday (June 9th), that he would visit Egypt to obtain a similar result.
According to the statements of the Greek Foreign Minister, the agreement reached on Tuesday between Italia and Greece to designate the economic zones "certainly angered Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... ," noting that Italia fully adopted an interpretation of international law as intended by Greece.
It is noteworthy that the Foreign Ministers of Italia and Greece held a presser on Tuesday (June 8th) in Athens, after they signed an agreement to designate the economic zones between the two countries and establish an exclusive economic zone.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[1 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#Erdogan making his own militia in #Turkey passes as (neighbourhood guards ) the bill, alarms opposition Due to arming +170k civilians with the authority to arrest and bracking up protests | Article [AMP] | Reuters https://t.co/3pWNIXCMlO
[Jpost] An espionage scandal between Iran and Hamas was recently exposed after the Gaza-based group discovered that Tehran activated agents who followed every movement and recorded phone calls made by senior Hamas member Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, N12 reported.
One of Marzook's staff members was recently exposed as an Iranian intelligence officer who was recruited by Tehran with Hezbollah mediation. The agent reported every movement made by Marzook during his official trips.
Marzook is a central figure regarding Hamas's foreign affairs array, and previously served as the head of its political branch. must be hard remembering all those passwords when you are double or triple agent
Perhaps Iran just wanted to ensure they were getting their money’s worth from their donations to Hamas.
[THEBAGHDADPOST] Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... told the U.N.’s aviation agency on Wednesday that it would send black boxes from a downed Ukrainian jetliner to Gay Paree for analysis, once countries involved in the investigation agree, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The other countries involved are Ukraine, Canada and the United States.
Canada previously pressed Iran to send the black boxes to La Belle France for analysis.
Iran has refused to hand over the flight recorders from the Ukraine International Airlines flight, which was shot down on Jan. 8 near Tehran by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, killing 176 people including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
In March, Iran told the U.N.’s aviation agency that it would send the black boxes to Ukraine.
But on Wednesday, a representative from Iran told a virtual meeting of the agency’s governing council that Tehran would now send the heavily damaged recorders to La Belle France’s BEA air accident investigation agency.
"Iran said they will send them to Gay Paree soon subject to agreement of the states involved in the investigation," said one of the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment. A spokeswoman for Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau declined to comment on discussion of the boxes being sent to Gay Paree.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Tehran would now send the heavily damaged recorders to La Belle France’s BEA air accident investigation agency.
Heavily damaged, are they? Don't recall any previous mention of damage.
[THEBAGHDADPOST] Syrian President Bashar al Assad issued a decree on Thursday dismissing prime minister Imad Khamis from the post he has occupied since 2016, state media said.
Assad designated engineer Hussein Arnous as his replacement. State media did not give a reason for the sudden move but the country has been in the throes of a deep economic crisis, with the currency plunging to record lows in recent days, aggravating hardships for ordinary Syrians.
[al-Monitor] Accumulated debt in foreign currency is heralding a grim fate upon a large network of state-funded TV channels Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... has been building over decades to wage what it calls the "soft war" against its western enemies. Among those hardest-hit and facing imminent closure are the international 24-hour English news channel Press TV and its Arabic sister al-Alam owned by a larger organization known as the Islamic Theocratic Republic Public of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Oh NOES! Where will we get our Farsi agitprop and Anti-American loony lefties?
The IRIB World Service director Peyman Jebelli told Iranian media outlets that he expects both television stations, which target foreign audiences, "to be taken off the air in the days or weeks to come." He accused the government of President Hassan Rouhani ...Iran's moderate president, which he is, relative to his predecessor, which doesn't mean he's anything but a puppet of the nearest holy man... of failing to grasp the looming "disaster" facing the IRIB’s overseas branch. According to Jebelli, Rouhani’s Planning and Budget Organization has denied the IRIB World Service its share in the state-allocated foreign currency for five months in a row. "Not even a single dollar or euro," he said, has been provided to help those channels pay their outstanding debts to satellite operators.
The Rouhani government has been grappling with a worsening financial crisis triggered by the US "maximum pressure" policy, which the administration of President Donald Trump ...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party... has been relentlessly pursuing since May 2018, after withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. The campaign has severely restricted the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s access to international banking systems and has scared away customers of Iran’s crude oil, the main supply line for its much-needed hard foreign currency.
The IRIB is affiliated to and directly supervised by the office of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini... . However, women are made to be loved, not understood... for much of its spending, the broadcaster relies on the elected government, with a specified share in the annual state budget. Political differences between the moderate Rouhani administration and the ultraconservative decision-makers leading the IRIB have turned more bitter than ever in recent years, with the broadcaster facing accusations of biased coverage against Rouhani and his policies. The state TV particularly infuriated the Rouhani camp after airing a controversial series that harshly attacked the team of negotiators who engaged in marathon talks with Western powers that culminated in the 2015 nuclear deal.
It was not immediately clear if the IRIB’s shrinking foreign currency was rooted in the older feuds with the government. But Jebelli has time and again pointed out negative intentions behind the decision, suggesting that the broadcaster’s mission was falling victim to partisan brinkmanship and a "stubborn" tug of war.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...The late megalomaniac dictator of Libya, admired everywhere for his garish costumes, funny hats, harem of cutie 
[BIZPACREVIEW] First they came for "Cops" and "Gone With The Wind," and now they appear to be gunning for Cracker Barrel. Sort of.
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
[THEBAGHDADPOST] Syrian President Bashar al Assad issued a decree on Thursday dismissing prime minister Imad Khamis from the post he has occupied since 2016, state media said. 
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
