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Spain busts gang that helped finance al-Qaeda in Syria
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
09:06 3 22:06 Canuckistan sniper [2]
08:59 2 10:30 M. Murcek []
08:27 2 16:10 DarthVader []
08:25 2 15:29 lord garth [] 
08:23 1 21:52 Bugs Smiter of the Slytherins2880 [1]
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08:14 15 17:23 Capsu 78 [1]
07:46 7 14:30 Herb McCoy []
07:35 3 13:39 Skidmark []
06:56 2 18:59 Large Untervehr3733 [1]
04:30 4 19:17 Frank G [] 
03:52 3 10:18 The peanut gallery [1]
03:38 2 11:35 M. Murcek [1]
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02:58 4 16:19 magpie []
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Great White North
Trans Mountain: Canada approves $5.5bn oil pipeline project
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 09:06 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Justine Treudeaux dies a little inside today...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 11:14 Comments || Top||

#2  the fact that this was controversial at all is a farce

this project is parallel to an existing pipeline that has operated reliably

Justine Trudeau is, apparently with straight face, proclaiming this a 'green project' and that it will reduce dependency on the USA (Canada is a net exporter of oil and gas and electricity to the US).
Posted by: lord garth || 06/19/2019 15:42 Comments || Top||

#3  THis is all so embarrassing . . . . . . and anger making. I wish he'd make another family trip to India.
Posted by: Canuckistan sniper || 06/19/2019 22:06 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Four suspects charged with shooting down passenger jet in Ukraine
[NY Post] Four people – three Russians and one Ukrainian – will face murder charges in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines plane in eastern Ukraine in which 298 people were killed in 2014, officials said Wednesday.

Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, will be prosecuted in the Netherlands, with a trial due to start in March 2020, according to the Dutch-led probe.

"Today we will send out international arrest warrants for the first suspects that we will prosecute. They will also be placed on national and international wanted lists," Dutch police chief Wilbert Paulissen told a press conference.

Flight MH17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, when it was blown apart after being hit by a missile over territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists, according to investigators.

Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said they were the "four who will be held accountable for bringing the deadly weapon, the BUK Telar, into eastern Ukraine."

The four suspects are likely to be tried in absentia as Russia does not allow its nationals to be extradited for prosecution. Investigators said Kharchenko's whereabouts were currently unknown.

Last year, the same investigation team said the BUK anti-aircraft missile that struck the Boeing 777 had originated from the 53rd Russian military brigade based in Russia's southwestern city of Kursk.

Girkin, a former colonel of Russia's FSB spy service, was minister of defense in the Moscow-backed Donetsk People's Republic. He was the commander of the DNR when the flight was shot down, according to The Guardian.

Dubinksy, who is employed by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, served as Girkin's deputy in the DNR, officials said.

Pulatov, a former soldier with the GRU's special forces spetsnaz unit, was Dubinsky's deputy, they said. And Kharchenko, who led a military combat unit in the city of Donetsk, was under their command.

Investigators said the soldiers "formed a chain linking DNR with the Russian Federation," enabling the separatists to get heavy equipment from Russia including the Buk launcher used to fire at the Malaysian plane with "terrible consequences."

The four suspects did not push the button themselves but were responsible for bringing the missile system to eastern Ukraine, therefore they can be held criminally liable, investigators said.
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 08:59 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Meanwhile, the investigative internet site Bellingcat on Wednesday published new details of people allegedly involved in the shootdown of MH17.

They include Girkin and about a dozen other military commanders and separatist fighters, some of whom are Russian and tied to Moscow’s military spy agency, the GRU.

Bellingcat claims the military intelligence wing of the Donetsk People’s Republic – the GRU DNR — was “instrumental” in procuring the BUK launcher and in arranging its transport to Ukraine from Russia, then back to Russian territory.
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 9:04 Comments || Top||

#2  It's your human right to fly on a commercial flight through a combat zone defended by AA missiles. Who didn't get the memo?
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 10:30 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Alabama man allegedly fed 'attack squirrel' meth to keep it aggressive: officials
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 08:27 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1 

Then there is, "a beaver bit his nipple off".
Posted by: Woodrow || 06/19/2019 13:55 Comments || Top||

#2  That's methed up
Posted by: DarthVader || 06/19/2019 16:10 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Nike releases new 'Pro Hijab' as demand for modest fashion increases
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 08:25 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  What will happen when the alphabet gender identity activists bathroom demands encounter conservative Muslims?
Posted by: Glenmore || 06/19/2019 12:20 Comments || Top||

#2  glenmore,

this has started in England

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8751787/muslim-protests-gay-lessons-birmingham-primary-school/
Posted by: lord garth || 06/19/2019 15:29 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Man sues brewery over 'women's only' IPA, claims he 'felt forced to identify as female'
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 08:23 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The best "Western Civilization's Days Grow Short" article I've read today!

Sincere appreciations.
Posted by: Bugs Smiter of the Slytherins2880 || 06/19/2019 21:52 Comments || Top||


-War on Police-
Nearly 2 dozen St. Louis officers flagged over alleged 'racially charged social media posts'
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 08:20 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A crime-ridden city like St. Louis hardly needs fewer policemen able to do their jobs. This will do nothing to stem the population losses in the city. It will just make the already safer suburbs even more attractive.
Posted by: Tom || 06/19/2019 20:58 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Wedding to follow World Cup for US teammates Krieger, Harris
PARIS (AP) ‐ Many World Cup teammates have special bonds. The tie that binds U.S. defender Ali Krieger and American goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris is among the strongest at the tournament.

They got engaged last year and are planning a December wedding.

"A lot of our teammates with their partners and spouses, they don’t get to be here day in and day out," Krieger said. "It’s really nice to be able to share this moment with her and to make these memories with her."

They announced their engagement in People magazine in March, revealing Harris proposed on the beach in Clearwater, Florida, during a picnic last Sept. 15 and surprised Krieger with a ring.

"She is what makes me. She is my life. She is the person I am spending the rest of my life with," Harris said.
"Or at least a couple years, ya know"
They first met in 2010, a time both were training with the national team. They were teammates with the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League for much of 2013-15. Harris was left unprotected in an expansion draft and was taken by the Orlando Pride, and Krieger joined her when she was traded to the Pride after the 2016 season.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 08:14 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Would I be safe in assuming that would be Harris on the right in the graphic ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 8:22 Comments || Top||

#2  As if you needed more confirmation. Soccer is Gay.
Posted by: Ulolump Grumble1426 || 06/19/2019 8:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Is it just me... or do these people oftentimes resemble one another, and if so, what might that indicate ?

Un-urbanized, curious and simple minded in Georgia.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 8:39 Comments || Top||

#4  ..in the old days, resemblance was marked by that fact that you didn't travel more than 20 miles from where you were born. Today, its more like 3 degrees (or less) of social separation.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 9:16 Comments || Top||

#5  ...and not to rule out the amount of narcissism in our Haute couture generations.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 9:17 Comments || Top||

#6  Looking alike could also be the result of family issues messing with ones head.................
Posted by: ruprecht || 06/19/2019 9:42 Comments || Top||

#7  Had to sit in a room where a womens' soccer game was on recently. Some of the US players are very scary looking, some are palatable. Pretty much all of the other countries' players are frightening to look at.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 9:50 Comments || Top||

#8  ...wait till the trans start showing up. Then again, it might be hard to detect.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 10:00 Comments || Top||

#9  Then again, it might be hard to detect.

Only owing to context. And the hypocrisy is front and center. The retired players chosen to do TV commentary are all telegenic.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 10:34 Comments || Top||

#10  that would be Harris on the right in the graphic

Yeah, that one does look a bit like Ed Harris...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 10:37 Comments || Top||

#11  Soccar, the new softball.
Posted by: ruprecht || 06/19/2019 10:59 Comments || Top||

#12  How can you play soccer with no balls?
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 13:37 Comments || Top||

#13  @#7

Frightening?
Posted by: European Conservative || 06/19/2019 13:42 Comments || Top||

#14  Try Again
Posted by: European Conservative || 06/19/2019 13:43 Comments || Top||

#15  EC, yes but how many steins can she carry at once in a drindl?
Posted by: Capsu 78 || 06/19/2019 17:23 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Worth repeating: 50% of crime happens in 2% of America
h/t Instapundit
Data from 2014, the most recent year that a county level breakdown is available, shows us that 54% of counties (containing 11% of the population) had zero murders. 69% of counties had no more than one murder, and held about 20% of the population. These counties account for only 4% of all murders in the country.

The worst 1% of counties have 19% of the population and 37% of the murders. The worst 5% of counties contain 47% of the population and account for 68% of murders. The study shows more than half of all murders occurred in just 2% of counties nationwide.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/19/2019 07:46 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Can't say it enough. Even though you have to get there via the questionable Unz Review, Paul Kersey's blog is always worth a look...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 7:52 Comments || Top||

#2  But! We have to punish all Americans because of the actions of a few! [do i need to put a /sarc on that or is it too close to an AOC position?]
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 9:13 Comments || Top||

#3  And that 2% is in demoncrat run shit holes.
Posted by: DarthVader || 06/19/2019 9:40 Comments || Top||

#4  ...and 80% of the prison population.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 13:38 Comments || Top||

#5  Isn't math a bitch racist.
Posted by: Woodrow || 06/19/2019 13:45 Comments || Top||

#6  And the counties with the no murders and low murders have the higher gun ownership per capita.
Posted by: Airandee || 06/19/2019 14:11 Comments || Top||

#7  Homosexual men are 2% of the population but 40% of all pedophiles.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 06/19/2019 14:30 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
AZ fella arrested for beheading former roommates dog
[AP] BUCKEYE, Ariz. (AP) ‐ An Arizona man has been arrested on suspicion of mutilating and beheading his roommate’s dog as she moved out of the home that the two shared in a Phoenix suburb.

Jose Vega Meza, 21, told investigators that he killed the dog on Saturday because his roommate owed rent money to his mother, who owns the home in the city of Buckeye, police said.

The man’s roommate told police she lost track of her dog as she moved out her belongings and saw Vega Meza trying to sneak a box onto her truck.

The roommate opened the box to discover the headless dog inside.

Police could not immediately provide information about the dog’s breed but said it was small.

She was so distraught that she was unable to call authorities until the next day.

Vega Meza told investigators that he killed other animals around his neighborhood, including a cat he said he drowned, police said in court documents.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 07:35 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Jose Vega Meza, the typical Arizona man.

Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 8:09 Comments || Top||

#2  Yeah. See? Here in Florida our five star citizens only sodomize dogs.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 12:01 Comments || Top||

#3  Police could not immediately provide information about the dog’s breed but said it was small.

He just wanted a little head.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 13:39 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Biden: 'Republicans May Have Standards, But We Have Double Standards'
[Babylon Bee] PHILADELPHIA, PA‐During a campaign speech Tuesday, Joe Biden proudly declared that while Republicans have at least some standards, Democrats are going above and beyond with their "double standards."

Biden pointed out that by having two sets of standards, Democrats are leading the race for having the most sets of standards.

"That's two times as many standards," he said proudly. "Double is a lot more than single. Anyone who's ever watched a baseball game knows that."

"Isn't that right, sweetie?" he said to a young girl in the front row of the crowd, asking her to come up and stand on the stage while he put his hands on her shoulders for the duration of the speech.

The presidential candidate then went on to slam Trump for his treatment of women, confident in the knowledge that no one in the Democratic Party would dare call him out for being a hypocritical little creep.

Not to be outdone, Trump quickly took to Twitter to announce that the Republican Party would shortly be debuting its brand new triple standards.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 06:56 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sad thing about this is it could be true...
Posted by: 49 Pan || 06/19/2019 10:43 Comments || Top||

#2  Double Secret Standards.
Posted by: Large Untervehr3733 || 06/19/2019 18:59 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Big changes at NSC
[Twitter]


Posted by: 3dc || 06/19/2019 04:30 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  WaPo sees it as "Bolton's Boys". I see it as getting your team right to all work toward a common goal, with no leakage.
Posted by: Bobby || 06/19/2019 7:48 Comments || Top||

#2  Anyone Darth Bolton approves of is good enough for me.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 12:15 Comments || Top||

#3  Hooray, more wars! Who should we bomb next? After Iran, I mean. How many people alive today won't see their next birthday? To hell with our infrastructure and things we need, we have all the money for wars!
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 06/19/2019 19:02 Comments || Top||

#4  We get it, Capitulation Macro Boy
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 19:17 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Something strange with next Falcon Heavy Launch
[Twitter]



Link to FCC Filing


Posted by: 3dc || 06/19/2019 03:52 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Night launch. Should be pretty dramatic.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 7:11 Comments || Top||

#2  I was in Orlando on business when there was a Shuttle launched at O'Dark thirty. TV for the run up, then a facing window when it took off. Spectacular even from that distance.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 9:11 Comments || Top||

#3  Expanding the envelope and coming in hot! Eventually, SpaceX plans to land from orbital velocities.
Posted by: The peanut gallery || 06/19/2019 10:18 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
China censors are coming down hard on major Chinese film productions
[FT.COM]

China’s top film regulator was merged with the ruling Communist party’s propaganda department last year, a move that several film industry executives said had resulted in a tightening of China’s already restrictive film censorship. 
FT dot COM is not friendly to article or content quoting so head to the title link at FT to see their form of their content.
Posted by: 3dc || 06/19/2019 03:38 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  'the Wandering Earth' is a success in scale, scope and imagination.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 8:18 Comments || Top||

#2  What? They aren't allowed to copy Hollyweird moovies where only black ghey women have sooper powers? How can they make any money if they are locked out of that market?
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 11:35 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Speed Holstering: Why It's a Bad Idea by Sheriff Jim Wilson
[Shooting Illustrated] I’m not really sure where this business of speed re-holstering a handgun got started. Possibly, it began among competition shooters who thought it looked cool and was an indication of savvy gun handling. It might also have started with some defensive trainers for the same reasons. On the other hand, it really doesn’t matter. What folks should know about speed re-holstering is that it's dangerous and not a good idea at all.

Problems and injuries often occur when the hands move faster than the brain does. We get in a hurry and forget to get our index finger out of the trigger guard and put it alongside the frame. The one negligent discharge resulting in an injury that I personally witnessed was just such a case. The student was an old-time revolver guy who just couldn’t remember to get his finger out of the trigger guard when putting his gun away. His finger hit the top of the holster, and it came in contact with the trigger. There was a loud noise, when no one was expecting one.

The danger of speed re-holstering is increased if the shooter is using a striker-fired pistol with no external safeties. Not only can the trigger finger be the culprit, but pieces of clothing or some portion of the holster can also inadvertently impact the trigger, causing a discharge. This is not a condemnation of the striker-fire design but rather an indication that the shooter does not know and understand the mechanics of his or her chosen handgun.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 03:15 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The danger of speed re-holstering is increased if the shooter is using a striker-fired pistol with no external safeties.

"Speed" and firearms...generally don't mix. Striker-fired pistol without a safety? Never owned one, never will.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 7:58 Comments || Top||

#2  Not much of a hands-on sheriff, I guess.

When a citizen is momentarily subdued by the threat of the gun a one-handed grab is used for further control. A speedy reholstering frees the gun hand for a cuff reach or other grab (stun baton, pepper spray, taser,...) before the citizen thinks to make a 'break-away' move.

Not a lot of time to find an open holster mouth when the potential for violence looms in close proximity.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 8:02 Comments || Top||

#3  I disagree completely with this man. At first I thought it was a joke. Speed holsters are a good thing. The second you save might just save your life. His points talked all around the truth. Whoever shoot himself using a speed holster does not practice using it. We go to the range and shoot hundreds of rounds so we can hit out target. But how often to people work on the reflex of proper drawing and aiming a gun? If you draw and your finger goes to the trigger, you need a few hundred hours of draw practice.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 06/19/2019 10:50 Comments || Top||

#4  The worst part of the "gun culture" is all the know-it-alls it attracts. It's always interesting holding a loaded gun at the range while someone tells you you are doing everything wrong, often in an uncomfortably rude fashion.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 11:41 Comments || Top||

#5  Whoever shoot himself using a speed holster does not practice using it

That would seem the crux of the matter. Train like you fight, fight like you train and all that.

By no means an expert, but keeping your finger off the on-switch unless you mean it is a good general rule. Same with power tools.
Posted by: SteveS || 06/19/2019 12:21 Comments || Top||

#6  I don't know about "Gun Culture". Sort of has a negative connotation in the way your saying it. Ya want arrogant know it alls? Go to a cooking or fashion convention. They are on every group, loudly proclaiming to know the truth. I chimed in because when there is an AD event, the root cause analysis more often than not, comes back to training deficiency. We see it in guys buying high end 700 HP cars and crashing them within 100 miles. We see it boat owners, and aircraft pilots.
To B point, every weapon and holster is a personal choice, and responsibility to learn how to use effectively. I don't have a problem with no safety, like B does - and he is all good for his choice, I wont own a Glock because you cant control the hammer. Before you all jump me as Glock being the safest gun on earth, its personal preference- nothing more.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 06/19/2019 14:15 Comments || Top||

#7  Re-holstering. Isn't this returning your weapon to the holster (how I envision it)? What's the point of rushing that?
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 18:46 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
‘CRIME BOSS': Closing Arguments in NXIVM Trial ‐ Satanism, Mexico Child Trafficking, Hillary, Schumer and Gillibrand Ties
[Big League Politics] Closing arguments began Monday at Brooklyn federal court in the sex trafficking trial of NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere, who stands accused of violating young illegal immigrant girls from Mexico and imprisoning them on threat of deportation by the cult. Human experiments and Satanism-inspired rituals took place at the cult, according to the mountains of evidence exposed by this historic trial of the new century.

"The defendant tapped into a never-ending flow of women and money," the prosecution said of Raniere Monday, calling him a "crime boss with no limits and no checks on his power."

Evidence shows how the NXIVM sex cult illegally raised money for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, how it counted Clinton friend Richard Mays and Kirsten Gillibrand’s stepmother as active members and Gillibrand’s father as an employee, and how the cult’s "ally" Chuck Schumer was compromised by virtue of the cult possessing his financial records.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 03:08 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It creeps me out and amuses me how much Raniere looks like John Ritter. Proves that not only does everyone have a doppelganger, but often also an "evil twin."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 7:46 Comments || Top||

#2  even worse is that Allison Mack looks like Allison Mack

I thought the Chloe character should have been the one to marry Clack Kent at the end of Smallville but, well, it wasn't to be.

I would be even more in pain if Erica Durance, one of the most beautiful women ever in a SciFy series, was involved.
Posted by: lord garth || 06/19/2019 16:36 Comments || Top||


What a fish rotting from the head down looks like: Hillary Clinton's no-secrets State Department
[American Thinker] Wonder what a country without secrets looks like? Take a look at the State Department, home of Hillary Clinton's illegal private email operation, which had a lot more than just that doozy as a security violation. Turns out there were nearly two dozen violations, suggesting that maybe there was a problem of tone at the top. Apparently, no one kept national security secrets at Hillary Clinton's State Department, judging by the widespread number of violations now getting out.

Sara Carter has the scoop:
In a letter to Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the State Department revealed that it has identified "multiple security incidents" involving current or former employees' handling of Hillary Clinton's emails, and that 23 "violations" and seven "infractions" have been issued as part of the department's ongoing investigation.

"To this point, the Department has assessed culpability to 15 individuals, some of whom were culpable in multiple security incidents," Mary Elizabeth Taylor, the State Department's Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, wrote to Grassley. "DS has issued 23 violations and 7 infractions incidents. ... This number will likely change as the review progresses."

"In every instance in which the Department found an individual to be culpable of a valid security violation or three or more infractions, the Department forwarded the outcome to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security's Office of Personnel Security and Suitability (DS/PSS), to be placed in the individuals' official security file," Taylor wrote. "All valid security incidents are reviewed by DS and taken into account every time an individual's eligibility for access to classified information is considered.

Obviously, none of these people considered national security secrets terribly important. And if Putin, or China, could get his hands on them, well, so what?

Secrets and security clearances, see, were status symbols, not a burden of responsibility linked to protecting America. And if Ben Rhodes could get a security clearance, who the heck couldn't, and why would it matter what one does to determine one's merit for security clearances?
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 02:58 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's important to understand the terms;
--Security Incident: any situation where classified material was not secured in accordance with established procedures.
--Security Violations: unsecured classified where the likelihood of compromise was possible/likely/occurred.
-Security Infraction: unsecured classified where the likelihood of compromise was low/nil.

I could give examples of both but suffice to say 30 incidents assigned to 15 people - there's a big big problem. Multiple people should lose their clearance.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy || 06/19/2019 7:45 Comments || Top||

#2  Multiple people should lose their clearance.
Posted by Bangkok Billy


The Deep State takes care of it's own. The Klingon SSO didn't even suspend or revoke John Brennan's access after a WH prompting.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 7:50 Comments || Top||

#3  These people should be in jail.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 06/19/2019 12:14 Comments || Top||

#4  Private email server + senior government position = (criminal) avoidance of FOIA regulations. At the very least it is questionable and needs "proof of innocence"... eh?
Posted by: magpie || 06/19/2019 16:19 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Dem Politicians admit to mental health struggles
[Washington Examiner] Presidential candidate Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., recently delivered confessions that are rare for members of Congress: They once struggled with and were treated for mental health conditions, he for post-traumatic stress disorder and she for depression.

Discussing such problems out loud is a gamble in politics, and over the years, few others in Congress have been forthcoming, but the chances are high that a number of politicians have faced mental health problems. An estimated 47 million people in the U.S. in any given year struggle with conditions such as anxiety or depression, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 02:42 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I hope Seth Moulton faces another health struggle - the voters getting sick of him in the next election.
Posted by: Raj || 06/19/2019 7:38 Comments || Top||


Britain
Sex doll maker creates replicas of dead partners to combat loneliness
[Metro] A sex doll business owner offers a special bereavement service for those suffering from loneliness, whereby she’ll create a replica of their dead partner. Mum-of-four Jade Stanley, 35, launched Sex Doll Official in 2018, a company which sells customisable dolls designed for different purposes.

Speaking on This Morning with hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, Jade, who was joined by sex doll Amelia, opened up about one service they offer where they create a replica of deceased partners. Asked if she had people ask for a doll of their dead partner, Jade said: ’Yes I’ve actually had it. Loneliness is a massive issue in the UK and I think one of the most surprising aspects of this industry for me, is really it’s not all seedy and sexual. It really isn’t.

’I’ve had lots of customers who genuinely come to me and they want a doll for comfort purposes only. I think that’s fantastic. I think in that case I’m fulfilling my job by providing comfort to somebody in their time of need.


Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 02:27 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  That bodes well for local psychologists.
Posted by: Beau || 06/19/2019 6:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Next stop, legalized necrophila. The dead already vote and collect Social Security, why can't they have sex ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 6:43 Comments || Top||

#3  I'm sorry but that's just sad as well as kinky.
Posted by: AlanC || 06/19/2019 7:49 Comments || Top||

#4  Can they, uhm..., make pets?
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 8:13 Comments || Top||

#5  Them pets that are 'adult' dollies and teddy bears. When SHTF I see a great cleansing of the hive to unfold.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 9:09 Comments || Top||

#6  How long before the trademarked likenesses of Beyonce and rihanna and all them Hollywood dollies get 'officially licensed' stamps and are found in bedrooms of every leching fan ?
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 9:15 Comments || Top||

#7 

Ohh, uh, spoke too soon. Although this doesn't look trademarked.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 9:17 Comments || Top||

#8 

YAAAAGH !

I will never un-see that.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 9:18 Comments || Top||

#9  Kinda like posters of the '70's.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 9:20 Comments || Top||

#10  You're a little late Dron. Several female adult stars have already marketed full size 'doll' replicas as all too often seen in British Sun features linked numerous times by Drudge. Insert I'm So Ronery here?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 10:19 Comments || Top||

#11  Oh !
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 10:41 Comments || Top||

#12  72 special Omar faced piglet sex dolls for jihadists.
Posted by: Woodrow || 06/19/2019 13:49 Comments || Top||

#13  I think it's more likely we'll see AI's of the starlets that appear on your VR headset or simple screen and don't require an embarrassing 'thing' in your closet when the folks come over.
Posted by: ruprecht || 06/19/2019 17:48 Comments || Top||

#14  Obvious you haven't seen what's coming out on Steam lately...
Posted by: CrazyFool || 06/19/2019 19:50 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Black Education Decline
[Townhall] New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says that the city's specialized high schools have a diversity problem. He's joined by New York City Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, educators, students and community leaders who want to fix the diversity problem. I bet you can easily guess what they will do to "improve" the racial mix of students (aka diversity).

If you guessed they would propose eliminating the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test as the sole criterion for admissions, go to the head of the class. The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test is an examination that is administered to New York City's eighth- and ninth-grade students. By state law, it is used to determine admission to all but one of the city's nine specialized high schools.

It's taken as axiomatic that the relatively few blacks admitted to these high-powered schools is somehow tied to racial discrimination. In a June 2, 2018 "Chalkbeat" article, de Blasio writes: "The problem is clear. Eight of our most renowned high schools -- including Stuyvesant High School, Bronx High School of Science and Brooklyn Technical High School -- rely on a single, high-stakes exam. The Specialized High School Admissions Test isn't just flawed -- it's a roadblock to justice, progress and academic excellence."
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 02:04 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Well phooey, the Wheel was very unkind to you, but in all honesty, it appears you couldn't spell shi* if you had a hand full. We enjoyed having you, and here's a $1000."
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 2:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Admissions Test isn't just flawed -- it's a roadblock to justice

Selective standard testing then. Different question papers for wakandans/retards/delinquents. At least it won't reduce the efficacy of testing for other students who are not complaining.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 2:37 Comments || Top||

#3  It's been a lowering of expectations and standards now for three generations. Who's the real racists? /rhet question

You get what you tolerate.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 8:59 Comments || Top||

#4  See: Crime
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 9:34 Comments || Top||

#5  "Eight of our most renowned high schools", so, they want to get rid of their reputations. Soon there will be no renowned schools in SJW districts.
Posted by: Beau || 06/19/2019 10:26 Comments || Top||

#6  You get lower quality from things you subsidise

"school" is subsidised
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 06/19/2019 18:19 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
Turkey Orders Arrest of Dozens More over Alleged Coup Ties
[AnNahar] Ottoman Turkish police on Tuesday launched nationwide raids to detain 168 individuals suspected of ties to the group blamed for a 2016 coup attempt, state media reported.

Since the failed overthrow of 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...
, authorities have detained tens of thousands of individuals accused of links to the group led by US-based Moslem preacher Fethullah Gülen
... a Turkish preacher living in Pennsylvania whom the current govt of Turkey considers responsible for all the ills afflicting Turkey and possibly the entire world. Gülen and Erdogan used to be really good friends, but only one of them could be sultan, and Gülen lost...
The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
accuses Gulen of ordering the attempted putsch, which he strongly denies.

The Izmir public prosecutor in the Aegean region issued arrest warrants for 65 suspects across 30 provinces including a colonel and lieutenant as part of a probe into the movement's presence inside the armed forces, state news agency Anadolu reported.

The agency said another 22 suspects were sought by police. Some were accused of using an encrypted messaging application which authorities suspect was also used to coordinate the coup bid.

And in another probe in central Turkey, the Konya public prosecutor issued detention warrants for 63 individuals, including soldiers across 30 provinces as well, Anadolu said.

In the capital, the Ankara public prosecutor's office said police sought to arrest 18 suspects in eight provinces including former personnel from the foreign and health ministries.

A total of 28 suspects had already been rounded up across Turkey including 11 in Ankara, the reports said.

More than 140,000 public sector employees have been sacked or suspected over alleged links to Gulen since 2016.

There have been almost daily raids across the country with hundreds of detentions in recent months despite criticism from Western allies and rights defenders who accuse the government of using the purge to crackdown on dissent.

But Ottoman Turkish officials insist the raids are necessary to remove Gulen's influence in state institutions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:18 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  Why don't they just build a wall around the whole country and arrest everyone?

At the rate they've been going there can't be many "innocents" left, no?
Posted by: AlanC || 06/19/2019 7:39 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Four Indian Troops Killed in New Kashmir Clashes
[AnNahar] Indian troops fought a shootout with Kashmire rebels Tuesday after a car kaboom and other festivities left four soldiers and three gunnies dead in 24 hours, military officials said.

A soldier and two suspected rebels were killed in the latest shootout in the Anantnag area of India-administered Kashmire, army front man Colonel Rajesh Kalia said in a statement.

Another two soldiers were killed and many more maimed when a boom-mobile hit an Indian military truck late Monday in Pulwama district, the statement added.

The remote-control bomb was set off in the same district as where a jacket wallah in February targetted an Indian convoy and killed 40 paramilitaries.

The attack led to India and Pakistain staging tit-for-tat air raids.

India and Pakistain divided Moslem-majority Kashmire after their independence in 1947, but both claim it in whole. An insurgency on the Indian side over the past three decades has left more than 70,000 dead, mainly civilians.

Kalia called the boom-mobile "a failed attempt
Curses! Foiled again!
" to hit an Indian patrol, but gave no other details.

However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow...
a police brass hat speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
told AFP that at least 12 soldiers were maimed in the blast and taken to a military hospital in Kashmire's main city, Srinagar.

Hours before the boom-mobileing, a clash between suspected rebels and Indian forces left one soldier and one Death Eater dead, according to Kalia.

Southern Kashmire has seen intense fighting over the past three years between Indian forces and rebels, who are demanding independence for the Himalayan region or a merger with Pakistain.

More then 100 rebels have been killed in Indian Kashmire this year in festivities with soldiers.

India has about 500,000 troops in its side of Kashmire, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly said they have a "free hand" to eradicate gunnies in the restive territory.

But the Kashmire public has also taken a more radical stance, with local residents increasingly trying to help besieged gunnies escape military cordons.

The Indian government accuses Pakistain of supporting the rebels, while Islamabad says it provides only moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris demanding self-determination.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:18 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies

#1  right after the recent covering fire across the LOC
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 7:02 Comments || Top||

#2  Military babus don't care for the grunt. We are just numbers to them. They care only if their ass is in the sling. This has been going on for decades now.

Undermanned, underarmoured, the administration doesn't even cater to the common battle needs of the soldier. It's only grit and jingo madness that makes young men in India sign up for this shit.

Officers catch on quickly and learn that there are two ways for the career to go. As a remf in safe environs strategizing cluelessly or as a prospective corpse in the bitch frontline of the NW border. It's the clueless pogues that usually make policy, or this wouldn't happen.

Also, border protection routines are the sole jurisdiction of police which is a Home department, non-military. As you can guess, Indian police is not very good at securing much. Much of the police is corrupt and has stakes in cross border smuggling and the heroin trade too, fuck national security.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 8:31 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
ISIS bomb kills 10-year-old girl, critically wounds woman in Nangarhar province
[KhaamaPress] An explosion in eastern Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
province killed a 10-year-old girl in Nangarhar province.

According to local officials, the earth-shattering kaboom triggered by roadside kaboom also maimed a woman.

The Governor’s Office of Nangarhar in a statement said the incident took place in Achin district on Monday.

The statement further added that ISIS turbans had planted the improvised bomb in Mamand Bagh area of Achin.

The governor’s office of Nangarhar also added that the woman lost one of her legs and is currently undergoing treatment in Bagram hospital.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Airstrike kills Taliban’s shadow district chief and his fighters in Farah
[KhaamaPress] An Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
killed the shadow district chief of Taliban
...Arabic for students...
for Bala Bolok district of Farah province.

The 207th Zafar Corps in a statement said the security forces carried out the airstrike in Arif Village of Bala Bolok district.

The statement further added that the airstrike killed Mullah Esamuddin, the shadow district chief of Taliban for Bala Bolok district.

The airstrike also killed three fighters of Mullah Esamuddin and destroyed a vehicle.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Notorious Taliban commander involved in major terrorist attacks arrested in Kabul
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan forces arrested a notorious Taliban
...Arabic for students...
commander Zmarai in Kabul city.

Nasrat Rahimi, a front man for the Ministry of Interior said Zmarai is one of the most dangerous commanders of Taliban.

Rahimi further added that the security forces arrested Zmarai from the 7th district of Kabul city on Monday.

Originally a resident of Pashtun-infested Logar, Zmarai was in orchestrating major terrorist attacks in Kabul city.

The Talibs have not commented regarding the arrested of Zmarai so far.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Bill Maher Condemns Oberlin College SJWs: ‘There’s a Price to Pay’
[BREITBART] Comedian Bill Maher criticized social justice warriors at Oberlin College this week over their role in defaming a local bakery. The family-owned business won a $44 million judgment in a defamation case against the notoriously progressive school.

Gibson’s Bakery was awarded $44 million in total damages by an Ohio jury last week when they decided that Oberlin College had defamed the bakery, calling it racist for its actions during a shoplifting incident.

This week, comedian Bill Maher condemned the "social justice warriors" behind the defamation.

"Social justice warriors ... are finally finding that maybe there’s a price to pay [for political correctness]," Maher said during his weekly HBO show. The liberal comedian has long argued that political correctness does more harm than good to the cause of liberalism.

Oberlin College maintains that they did not defame Gibson’s Bakery. According to the college, it simply aided students who wished to engage in activism in response to the incident at the bakery. Oberlin believes that it was simply helping its students express themselves.

The jury did not see it that way.

"I’m tired of the term ’political correctness’," Sykes said on the panel. "It’s like ’performative wokeness.’ In our mono-culture, we have to find a way to humiliate, to drive people out that we disagree with, and I will tell you that there’s a huge backlash. ... The folks on the right were bailing on liberalism. ... They’re basically saying that, ’The Left wants to destroy you, they hate you, they want to take away your rights, they want to destroy your business.’ Unfortunately, you have anecdotes like this that make it that plausible."
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Unleash the hungry lawyers!
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/19/2019 7:30 Comments || Top||

#2  I've noticed that the ads for "we'll handle your disability denial claim" have dried up. Clearly there is a hunger for new opportunities among that crowd of shysters.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 10:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Old Bolshevik asks for chistka to end.
Posted by: charger || 06/19/2019 16:35 Comments || Top||

#4  Maher is occasionally correct, as in this. Don't pin any honorific badges on him based on his actual batting average
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 19:16 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Those who oppose military are 'enemies of Algeria': Army chief
[Al Jazeera] Algeria's powerful army chief of staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah has branded those who oppose the military as enemies of the country, as protesters keep demanding the removal of the ruling elite that has run the state for decades.

The army is currently the main player in Algerian politics after longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
... 10th president-for-life of Algeria. He was elected in 1999 and is currently on his third or fourth term. Maybe it's the fifth....
was forced to step down in early April in the wake of mass protests against his rule and the establishment.

Those with "grudges and animosity towards the army and its command ... are undoubtedly enemies of Algeria," a defence ministry statement on Tuesday quoted Gaid Salah as saying at a military base in the southwestern province of Bechar.

"Those who are knowingly trying to circumvent ... terms of the constitution, do they realise what it means to suppress all state institutions?" he asked.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Bangladesh
Shut out from Bangladesh schools, Rohingyas turn to madrassas
[AlAhram] Half a million refugee Rohingya children are shut out of local schools in Bangladesh, leaving many in religious madrassas where critics say educational standards are low and students are vulnerable to indoctrination.

Around 740,000 Moslem Rohingya fled into the country during a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar's military, swelling the numbers of the minority in Bangladesh to around a million.

But while their language and culture are similar to people in southeastern Bangladesh, authorities regard the Rohingya as temporary guests and their children are denied access to local schools, raising fears of a "lost generation".
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Admit one muslim kid into a school, he may learn something. Admit two, they'll muddle through while trying to make life hard for everyone else. Admit three and you've set a fucking knifer gang among schoolchildren.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 7:05 Comments || Top||

#2  "I wanted to be a doctor, but I don't think it will be possible," she told AFP, breaking down in tears.

Hold the tears. It wasn't possible anyway. Rohingya girls get married at 11. Fucking fake muslim media 'boo hoo' nonsense. Rohingya girls are treated less than cattle, they are bred only for breeding or selling or covering debts.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 7:11 Comments || Top||

#3  Notice that the Bangladeshis aren't letting them into their schools. But the problem is entirely caused by the non-Muslims who object to the colonists...
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 06/19/2019 7:17 Comments || Top||

#4  RAB setting up dedicated battalion [in Cox's Bazar] to monitor Rohingya muslims (2 min: generic street footage, a few words from the boss, more generic route march). DG of RAB an English major (sez Wiki)? Color me boggled charmed.
Posted by: Albert Angitle1976 || 06/19/2019 22:49 Comments || Top||

#5  English lit, even.
Posted by: Albert Angitle1976 || 06/19/2019 22:50 Comments || Top||

#6  Argh. From January, meant to add. Gonna shut up now (and suffer ;-)).
Posted by: Albert Angitle1976 || 06/19/2019 22:52 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
IL Sen. Taunts Gun Owner: Forget the Fine, Maybe We’ll Just Take Your Firearms
Ass.
[BREITBART] Illinois State Sen. Julie Morrison (D) taunted a concerned gun owner during a town hall by telling him she might forgo fining him and simply confiscate his firearms.

The exchange was caught on video by the Illinois State Rifle Association and was tied to proposed fines for keeping commonly owned semiautomatic firearms in one’s home.

The concerned gun owner pointed to SB107 and said the purpose of it was "to take away [his] semiautomatic firearms."

Morrison then interjected that the purpose was not to take them, but to prevent any future sales.

The gun owner responded by pointing out that the ban on future sales included a fine for current owners who did not hand their guns over. He said, "You want me to turn them over to the state police unless I pay a fine for each firearm and register them, then I get to keep them."

Morrison concurred, saying, "Okay."

The gun owner then asked, "If I get to keep it‐if I pay a fine and register it‐then, how dangerous is it in the first place and why do you need to ban it all?"

People in attendance applauded the gun owner’s point and once applause died Morrison said, "Well, you just maybe changed my mind. Maybe we won’t have a fine at all, maybe it’ll just be a confiscation and we won’t have to worry about paying the fine."
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I believe the British tried that approach unsuccessfully.

These people repeatedly have demonstrated they have no history. You can't learn from something you have purged. That is why the next civil war is inevitable.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 8:45 Comments || Top||

#2  If you try, prepare to be shot.
Posted by: DarthVader || 06/19/2019 9:14 Comments || Top||

#3  She's the state senator for the north and sort-of northwest side of Chicago, with a bit of gerrymandering built in for the Buffalo Grove area. Quite a few 2nd Amendment folks.

She lives in the 'nice' part of Deerfield though, and those folks probably don't frequent her local coffee bars.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 06/19/2019 9:34 Comments || Top||

#4  A nice reminder of why the Founders thought the 2nd Amendment was important. Thanks, Julie!
Posted by: SteveS || 06/19/2019 9:38 Comments || Top||

#5  When we completely fence both borders - and that's inevitable, libs don't get that - who's to say Illinois doesn't end up on the north side of the fence. Proactive insurance against their soon to be announced full court press to make all American taxpayers pick up the tab for their century plus of dem / mob / union corruption.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 9:39 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Mexican Army Kills 3 Gulf Cartel Men, Rescues Border City Kidnapping Victim
[BREITBART] Mexican soldiers rescued a kidnapping victim and killed three Gulf Cartel button men. The shootout comes after a series of festivities between police forces and cartel members.

The rescue took place late last week just behind a gas processing plant called "Burgos" on the south side of Reynosa. According to information provided to Breitbart News by law enforcement sources, a convoy of Mexican soldiers were patrolling dirt roads near the plant which have been used in the past by cartel members to move without drawing attention.

The soldiers spotted a white SUV and another vehicle and moved to intercept them. Rather than stop, the Gulf Cartel button men began shooting and tried to flee the area. The chase ended shortly after when the vehicle got stuck in a ditch and the button men made their stand.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Narcos


Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka policeman defies president to testify at attack probe
[DAWN] A Sri Lankan police officer on Tuesday defied President Maithripala Sirisena and testified before a parliamentary investigation into the Easter Sunday suicide kabooms that killed 258 people.

Sirisena has come in for major criticism after ordering top brass not to allow police, military or intelligence personnel to take part in hearings into the attacks being held by a parliamentary committee.

The president, who has said the hearings could reveal classified information, is accused by critics of presiding over a security and intelligence apparatus which ignored warnings that could have prevented the attack on three churches and luxury hotels.

On Tuesday the committee heard evidence ‐ much of it in camera ‐ from Inspector N.B.Kasthuriarachchi, who had been in charge of an area where the bombing criminal mastermind was based before he went underground in the months prior to the attack.

Deputy parliamentary speaker Ananda Kumarasiri opened the hearing with a warning to public servants that refusing to cooperate with the committee could lead to a 10-year jail term.

"Anyone who refuses to appear... or withholds any evidence, will be violating the parliamentary privileges act and will be liable to punishment," he said.

The state telecommunication service provider, which previously broadcast live proceedings of the hearing on cable TV, stopped doing so after a presidential order two weeks ago.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa Horn
U.S. airstrike kills 2 al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia
[RADIOSHABELLE] The United States military said Monday its special forces killed two al-Shabaab
...... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa...
turbans in an Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
in southern Somalia on Sunday.

The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the strike was conducted in cooperation with Somali government near Jilib, Middle Juba Region.

Since 2017, the U.S. military has stepped up air raids against al-Shabaab. The al-Shabaab group still controls large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in the capital Mogadishu.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


Afghanistan
Afghan intelligence forces arrest young ISIS recruits in Jalalabad city
Oh good. I was beginning to think that ISIS in the Khurasan had vanished softly and completely away, leaving the Taliban in control of the jihadi field.
[KhaamaPress] The Special Forces of the Afghan Intelligence arrested three new recruits of ISIS terrorist group during an operation in Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
The Governor’s Office of Nangarhar in a statement said the Special Forces of National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
(NDS) arrested three young recruits of ISIS terrorist group in Jalalabad city on Monday.

The statement further added that another ISIS group member who was transporting the young men was also arrested during the operation.

The Governor’s Office also added that the new recruits are originally hailing from Faryab province and cannot speak Pashto language.

The anti-government armed elements including ISIS loyalists have not commented in this regard so far.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Iraq
Iraqi security destroy secret Islamic State tunnels in Anbar
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) ‐ Iraqi security forces destroyed on Tuesday several Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
tunnels and seized a large cache of the terrorist group’s weapons in Anbar province, a security source was quoted as saying.

Speaking to the privately-owned Almaalomah news agency, the source said that a security operation was launched to purge the desert of Hit district, west of Anbar, from Islamic State’s terrorist hotbeds.

The operation, according to the source, resulted in destroying many secret tunnels of Islamic State and seizing a large cache of ammunition and weapons at the scene. It was launched based on intelligence information, he added.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa North
Gunmen 'kill dozens' in attack on two villages in central Mali
[Al Jazeera] Dozens of people are reported killed after a new attack on two villages in central Mali, a part of the country experiencing a dire security situation amid an increase in tit-for-tat ethnic violence.

A local mayor told Rooters News Agency on Tuesday that unidentified button men on cycle of violences attacked the villages of Yoro and Gangafani 2 the previous evening, killing at least 41 civilians.

The victims of the raids were mostly ethnic Dogons, according to Issiaka Ganame, the mayor of Yoro, where 24 people were killed. Another 17 died in Gangafani 2.

"About 100 unidentified gunnies circulating on motos all of a sudden invaded Yoro and fired on the population," Ganame said.

"Then they descended on the village of Gangafani 2, which is about 15km away."

Separately, local judicial official Boubacar Sidiki Samake told the AFP news agency that Monday's attacks in the two villages near the border with Burkina Faso
...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other...
had left "14 people dead according to a provisional toll".

A Malian military source said as many as 40 people may have been killed.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


Afghanistan
Afghan forces foil ISIS bid to recruit militants in Logar province
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan forces foiled ISIS terrorist group’s bid to recruit bandidos turbans in its ranks from Pashtun-infested Logar province.

The 203rd Thunder Corps in a statement said the security forces arrested Shafi Gul, a commander of ISIS terrorist group in Pul-e-Alam city of Pashtun-infested Logar.

The statement further added Shafi Gul was looking to recruit bandidos turbans into ISIS ranks from Pul-e-Alam city.

The security forces arrested Shafi Gul during a joint operation conducted with the support of coalition forces.

The anti-government armed elements including ISIS sympathizers have not commented in this regard so far.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa Subsaharan
Nigeria villagers in Borno mourn the dead, lament state failures
[Al Jazeera] There were three jacket wallahs: an adult male and two maiden of tender yearss who blew themselves up among those watching football and enjoying tea at a shop along Sambisa street, named for the Sambisa Forest - the notorious stronghold of Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
less than 100 kilometres away.

Villagers say the bombers mingled with them earlier in the evening before rushing into the crowd and detonating the explosives strapped to their bodies.

"Twenty persons were killed in all - one of them died in the hospital while the other 19 died here in the village. Thirty-eight persons were maimed and are receiving treatment in the hospital," said Sadiq Usmobik, a police front man of Borno state.

The casualty figures could potentially have been higher but one of the bombers, a girl, tripped while running towards a crowd and her bomb went off early.

Usman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency, put the corpse count at 30.

No group has grabbed credit for the attack, but it has been strongly linked to Boko Haram murderous Moslems, who are known to use children in suicide kabooms targeting civilians in churches, mosques, markets, schools and other small gatherings.

The UN children's agency, UNICEF, did not single out Boko Haram on Monday.

"UNICEF condemns the use of children as human bombs and in any combat or non-combat roles in the conflict in northeast Nigeria
... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border...
," it said in a statement.

"This incident brings the number of children who have been reported as having been used as human bombs to five since January 2019. In 2018, 48 children - including 38 girls - were used in suicide kabooms."

Assaults by Boko Haram since 2009 have killed more than 27,000 people and forced two million to leave their homes.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Boko Haram (ISIS)


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Palestinian finances on the brink of ruin
Their choice. All they have to do is stop providing pensions to terrorists and teaching their children vicious lies, and all would be forgiven. But they refuse to walk away from the opium of hatred.
[Al Jazeera] Paleostinian finances are on the brink of ruin after the suspension of hundreds of millions of dollars of United States aid, the governor of the Paleostine Monetary Authority (PMA) said on Tuesday.

The mounting financial pressures on the Paleostinians' self-ruling entity have sent its debt soaring to $3bn and led to a severe contraction in its estimated $13bn economy for the first time in years, PMA head Azzam Shawwa told Rooters news agency.

"We are now going through a critical point," Shawwa said with respect to Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
's Western-backed Paleostinian Authority (PA), which exercises limited self-government in the occupied West Bank.

"What's next, we don't know. How we are going to pay salaries next month? How are we going to finance our obligations? How will daily life continue without liquidity in the hands of people?" asked the head of the PMA, which is the Paleostinians' equivalent of a central bank.

"I don't know where we are heading. This uncertainty makes it difficult to plan for tomorrow," Shawwa said during a visit to neighbouring Jordan.
"But at least we still got out Joooo-Hate!"
The steep cuts in US aid over the past year were widely seen as an attempt to pressure the PA to return to the negotiating table after it cut off political dealings with the administration of US President Donald Trump
...Oh, noze!...
in 2017.

That move followed Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to move the US embassy to the city despite its internationally disputed status, reversing decades of US policy and practice.

The White House wants the Paleostinians to engage with a long-delayed Middle East peace plan drawn up by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The plan's economic component is due to be unveiled at a conference in Bahrain next week, which the Paleostinians are boycotting, citing pro-Israel bias by Washington.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: PLO

#1  Caliphornia, too. Still.
Posted by: Bobby || 06/19/2019 7:49 Comments || Top||

#2 
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/19/2019 7:55 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
EU warns Turkey over ‘illegal’ drilling off Cyprus
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Europe
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
an Union on Tuesday hit out at The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor...
for its "illegal drilling activities" off Cyprus and warned of possible retaliation over the controversial gas exploration bid.

Ministers from the 28 member states tasked the European Commission, the bloc’s executive, with preparing "appropriate measures" to hit back at Turkey ‐ which could ultimately include sanctions against companies and individuals involved in the drilling.

The discovery of huge gas reserves in the Mediterranean has fueled a race to tap underwater resources and triggered an escalating dispute between Turkey and EU member Cyprus, which also plans to ramp up its exploratory activities in the area.

European affairs ministers from the 28 states discussed Turkey at a meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday, lamenting Ankara’s "deeply worrying backsliding" on human rights
...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you...
and that it "continues to move further away from the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
"The Council expresses serious concerns over Turkey’s current illegal drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and deplores that Turkey has not yet responded to the European Union’s repeated calls to cease such activities," the ministers said in their formal conclusions from the meeting.

"The EU will closely monitor developments and stands ready to respond appropriately and in full solidarity with Cyprus. The Council invites the Commission and the European External Action Service to submit options for appropriate measures without delay."

The EU in May urged Turkey to show restraint and respect the sovereign rights of Cyprus over the energy dispute, while the United States also asked Ankara to reconsider.

Turkey says its actions abide by international law and that it is drilling inside its continental shelf, but it does not recognize Cyprus as a sovereign or EU member state with its exclusively Greek Cypriot administration.

Earlier on Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras used a phone call with European Council President Donald Tusk to demand the EU step up its response after Ankara defied calls for the drilling to stop.

In theory, Turkey is applying to join the EU but accession talks have been frozen and at Tuesday’s meeting the ministers said: "no further work towards the modernization of the EU-Turkey Customs Union is foreseen".
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  You and whose army will back up the warning?
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 06/19/2019 14:27 Comments || Top||


Ousted Istanbul mayor leading re-run polls after TV debate
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Ottoman Turkish opposition candidate for Istanbul mayor who was ousted from office when his March victory was annulled bested his ruling party rival in a rare TV debate, a pollster said on Monday, putting him in the lead ahead of a June 23 re-vote.

In the first debate of its kind in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
in nearly two decades, ruling AK Party (AKP) candidate Binali Yildirim on Sunday faced the main opposition CHP’s Ekrem Imamoglu, who won an initial vote on March 31 before he was ejected from city hall.

Defeat for Ottoman Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP in Istanbul, where he launched his political career and served as mayor in the 1990s, would be a huge symbolic shock and a broader sign of dwindling support amid an economic downturn.

In a poll of more than 30,000 city residents on Monday morning, polling firm Mak Danismanlik found that 46 percent of respondents said Imamoglu was more successful than his rival, versus 44 percent for Yildirim. The CHP candidate was likely to get the votes of 65 percent of those who shied away from the ballot box in March, it found.

"Imamoglu talked more about what he would do, while Yildirim focused more on what he had already done. Usually, those who offer a future projection tend to do better in elections," Mehmet Ali Kulat, owner of Mak Danismanlik, told Rooters.

Kulat added that, as of Monday morning, Imamoglu was 1.5 percentage points ahead of his rival according to the latest polls. In an interview with Rooters, Imamoglu, of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said the debate was a boost.

"We are at a very good point...I am very clear in my opinion that after last night there isn’t at all a drop in support," he said, adding he expects an even larger margin of victory this coming Sunday.

Pro-AKP newspaper columnists said Yildirim’s performance was superior and a hashtag spread on Twitter ‐ translated as "lightning strikes" ‐ suggested he made a mark.

Yildirim, a former prime minister, narrowly lost in March by some 13,000 votes in what was one of the biggest election setbacks for Erdogan since the AKP first came to power in 2002.

His political alliance retained a majority of the nationwide vote but also lost control of the capital Ankara. The re-run ordered by the High Electoral Board, and praised by Erdogan, has drawn international criticism and deepened fears about the erosion of rule of law in Turkey.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte


Africa Subsaharan
'Hacked to death': DRC violence survivors recall horrific scenes
[Al Jazeera] Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes in northeastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material...
(DRC) in the past two weeks, escaping a wave of resurgent inter-ethnic violence that killed more than 160 people, including babies and young children hacked to death.

The United Nations
...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly...
refugee agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday expressed deep alarm over the flare-up in violence in the DRC's Ituri province, which it said had seen "multiple attacks" involving the Hema and Lendu groups since early June.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from the Swiss city of Geneva, UNHCR front man Babar Baloch said the violence had forced more than 300,000 "desperate people" to flee their homes.

"People have been coming in with horrifying tales of how violence has been unleashed against them," he said, warning that the figure of those displaced was likely to be higher.

The cause of the latest flare-up was not immediately clear, but it occurred in a region where tens of thousands died in festivities between the Hema and Lendu between 1999 and 2003.

Attacks between the two communities had also displaced some 350,000 in late 2017 and early 2018, killing about 300 people before a tenuous calm took hold.

But last week, four Lendu traders were killed in attacks the Lendu blamed on the Hema, which locals say sparked off the latest violence.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yeah it hurts, why did you let it happen?
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 9:21 Comments || Top||

#2  Blaming America in 3...2...1...
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 06/19/2019 18:28 Comments || Top||

#3  you don't have to preview your next comments...
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 18:31 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syria Clashes Kill 45 Fighters
[AnNahar] Clashes between pro-government forces and jihadist-led groups that control Syria's northwest killed at least 45 combatants on Tuesday, a war monitor said.

The fighting flared on the edge of Hama province when jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
launched a dawn attack on regime positions, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

At least 14 pro-government forces died in ensuing festivities, said the Britannia-based monitor.

"Regime forces foiled the attack," Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.

State news agency SANA also said the offensive had been thwarted.

Hama's northern countryside lies on the edge of a jihadist-controlled region including most of Idlib province.

The frontline had been relatively calm since festivities on Saturday killed more than 35 combatants, including jihadists and regime forces, Abdul Rahman said.

Regime Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s on northern Hama and neighbouring Idlib had also paused for more than 24 hours, before resuming Tuesday following the latest bout of fighting, according to the monitor.

The bombardment killed one civilian in southern Idlib, it said.

The latest battles come after rocket fire by HTS -- led by a former al-Qaeda affiliate -- and allied rebels killed more than 12 civilians in a regime-held village in Aleppo province late Sunday.

Parts of Aleppo, Hama and Idlib are supposed to be protected from a massive regime offensive by a buffer zone deal that Russia and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...
signed in September.

But it was never fully implemented as jihadists refused to withdraw from a planned demilitarised zone.

In January, HTS extended its administrative control over the region, which includes most of Idlib province as well as adjacent slivers of Latakia, Hama and Aleppo provinces.

The Syrian government and Russia have upped their bombardment of the region since late April, killing more than 400 civilians, according to the Observatory.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra


Home Front: Politix
Julián Castro: ‘Our Border Is as Secure as It Ever Has Been’
[BREITBART] Appearing Tuesday on MSNBC’s Velshi & Ruhle, longshot 2020 White House candidate Julián Castro (D) claimed the U.S.-Mexico border is "as secure as it ever has been"
...sadly true, but not acceptable for all of that. In the old days they couldn’t afford to fly from India or Africa to Ecuador, then catch busses to the American border before crossing over...
and re-upped his call to dismantle the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Non-American by self proclamation.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 8:46 Comments || Top||

#2  I. Am. Cornhoolian...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 8:59 Comments || Top||

#3  As secure as it has ever been which is not secure at all.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 06/19/2019 11:48 Comments || Top||

#4  Ricardo haters.

No border, no point in paying taxes.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 06/19/2019 13:16 Comments || Top||

#5  What's sad is, that's actually true.
Posted by: charger || 06/19/2019 16:36 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Saudi air defenses intercept two Houthi drones
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed two bomb-laden drones launched by Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
’s Iranian-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
militia.

Col. Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson of the Arab coalition made the remarks early Tuesday in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA.)

Al-Maliki says one drone targeted a residential area in the southern city of Abha.

He added that the other drone was shot down over Yemen.

The Houthis have launched several strikes at Abha since last week, when a missile attack on the city’s airport maimed 26 people.

The drone attacks come amid heightened tensions between 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 a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and the US.

The West and the UN say Iran arms the Houthis. Tehran denies that.

On Monday, the UN Security Council condemned the attack by Yemen’s Houthi militia on the Abha airport "in the strongest terms."

In a statement, the UN called for those behind "these reprehensible actions" to be held accountable.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Youtube CNET Video : The Real Iron Man Suit
Despite the title, Adam Savage didn't build it.


Posted by: charger || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Too KOOL!
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 9:27 Comments || Top||


Couldn't be pollution: Flesh-eating bacteria in New Jersey
(CNN) Climate change may lead to unlikely illnesses in unexpected places, new research suggests: In the past two years, five cases of Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacterial infection spread by handling or eating contaminated seafood, have been tied to Delaware Bay, where water temperatures have been on the rise in recent years, according to a study.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  oh, thought the article was going to be about the legislature....
Posted by: Mercutio || 06/19/2019 7:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Beat me to it Mercutio, this is NJ after all.
Posted by: AlanC || 06/19/2019 7:51 Comments || Top||

#3  I'm not the first to say it -

"Global Warming - is there anything it can't do?"
Posted by: Bobby || 06/19/2019 8:06 Comments || Top||

#4  I'm telling you, Cthulhu is coming back.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 8:35 Comments || Top||

#5  Five cases in 2 years - is that an increase, a decline, business as usual? Journalists seem to lack any sense of curiosity.

Note the word 'Possible' in the article headline. And this nice quote buried N paragraphs deep: "hard to say this is all due to climate change -- although it very well could be." A lot of stuff is possible but how likely is it?
Posted by: SteveS || 06/19/2019 10:11 Comments || Top||

#6  this disease is one that has been known for centuries even though it wasn't named until the 1950s

it typically occurs in 1 person per 200,000 which would mean in a normal years there would be dozens of cases in New Jersey.

it is also more common in people with diabetes or persons taking illegal drugs
Posted by: lord garth || 06/19/2019 10:42 Comments || Top||

#7  it is also more common in people with diabetes or persons taking illegal drugs

But hardly anyone in New Jersey takes illegal drugs!

Posted by: Frozen Al || 06/19/2019 11:06 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Rouhani says world 'praises' Iran over US standoff
[DAWN] President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday said the world "praises" 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 a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
over its standoff with Washington, and that the US had broken promises by abandoning a landmark nuclear deal that Tehran had continued to honour.

"Today we are in a faceoff with America in which there is no one in the world that does not praise Iran," Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
"Iran has been loyal to its signature, Iran has been loyal to international agreements, and the one standing against us today is the one that has trampled all pacts, agreements and international accords," he added.

Iran is locked in a tense standoff with the US after Washington withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sweeping sanctions, even as its allies said Tehran had abided by the agreement's terms.

Tensions have escalated ever since, with Washington bolstering its military presence in the region, blacklisting Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization and blaming Tehran for twin attacks on tankers last week in the Gulf of Oman.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  If I were a genius, I would also ratchet up the rhetoric after Trump moved in aircraft carriers and B-52's.
Posted by: Beau || 06/19/2019 6:25 Comments || Top||

#2  Don't say another word to the SOB's. Next time they pull something stupid, destroy an entire city in non-prime news time, say 0300. A port city with lots of small, fast boats. Make the water boil. Let the smoke cloud be seen from Toronto.

Return to saying nothing.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 6:39 Comments || Top||

#3  I like the way you think.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 8:10 Comments || Top||

#4  Cherman sellers of dual use tech cheering loudest...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 9:44 Comments || Top||

#5  Qom, one port, one refinery. Save Tehran for the locals.
Posted by: Beau || 06/19/2019 9:44 Comments || Top||

#6  Vaporise a muzzranian financial center essential to the eurine sanctions busting project. Watch the fun...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 11:09 Comments || Top||

#7  the eurine sanctions busting project.

As European Conservative has commented, and as the sanctions busters are starting to admit aloud, the sanctions busting plan is not working. Queerly enough, having announced their intention, what they subsequently tried to do fooled no one.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 12:51 Comments || Top||

#8  My company has never traded with Iran (and never will as long as the mullahs rule). We have communicated this policy to our U.S. business partners.

We also don't accept orders (or offers) from companies that deal with Iran, directly or indirectly. All our contracts bear this clause.

Many other German companies do the same. They may not talk openly about it, but Iran has become a no go.

Btw we also don't trade with companies that support BDS.
Posted by: European Conservative || 06/19/2019 13:36 Comments || Top||

#9  Return to saying nothing.

In fact, do like the Iranians and deny everything. Surely nobody will be able to figure it out.
Posted by: gorb || 06/19/2019 13:52 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Bernie: No, I don't believe Trump and Pompeo when they say that Iran attacked those oil tankers
[Hot Air] Bernie and Herb agree. All our symps are in agreement. Commie and Islamic
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  That's the plan. Iran starts a fight, the Dems use it as pretext against Trump, and they hope anti-war sentiment sweeps them into office.

Afterwards they pay off the Iranians again, just as Kerry negotiated.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 06/19/2019 7:14 Comments || Top||

#2  All our symps are in agreement. Commie and Islamic

There is a third category.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/19/2019 7:29 Comments || Top||

#3  The "America always bad" crowd in the ZH comments agree also. Tin foil hats for all...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 7:49 Comments || Top||

#4  So, what authority did a prior administration have in acting on Libya? What proof was presented to rationalize/justify that action?

War is not a game. Do or do not. They can cry all they want, but someone who has the will to carry out an overwhelming, definitive, hard destruction of an long time adversary in matter of days/weeks will be seen as a winner by the only people who count.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 8:33 Comments || Top||

#5  For a fraction of what is spent messing around in the ME and Asia we could completely seal the CONUS borders, triple what we spend on missile defense and spend that same amount on Prompt Global Strike and another nice dash of cash for intel platforms. Then sit back and say "Go ahead, try it..."
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 9:56 Comments || Top||

#6  US Navy: Mine used against Japanese tanker similar to Iranian mines

The US Navy on Wednesday displayed fragments of limpet mines it said had been removed from one of two oil tankers that were attacked in the Gulf of Oman – saying the devices bore a “striking resemblance” to Iranian ones.

“The limpet mine that was used in the attack is distinguishable and also strikingly bearing a resemblance to Iranian mines that have already been publicly displayed in Iranian military parades,” said Cmdr. Sean Kido, who leads an explosive ordnance dive and salvage task group in the Naval Forces Central Command.

Kido, who spoke to reporters at a NAVCENT facility near the UAE port of Fujairah, showed small fragments said to have been removed from the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous.

Also on display was a magnet purportedly left by a team from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

The US military previously released images it said showed the IRGC removing an unexploded limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous, which was hit by explosions along with the Norwegian-owned Front Altair ship on June 13.

Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 10:18 Comments || Top||

#7  Despite the similarity between this and the Gulf of Tonkin incident (both involved boats and water), my read is the Iranians done it. A not-very-effective attack to give everyone a taste of what sort of disruption to expect if things went south, combined with some brave rescues at sea to show the world they aren't such bad guys after all.

Unexpectedly, the cheap munitions (Russian export grade or indigenous Iranian?) didn't all go off and someone had to go retrieve the un-exploded evidence least people see thru the ruse.
Posted by: SteveS || 06/19/2019 10:38 Comments || Top||

#8  Bbbbbb but, the peace loving Iranians would leave everybody alone if only the pallets of DoS cash started flying in again. And you can bet there are assholes at Foggy Bottom trying to sell that right now...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 10:58 Comments || Top||

#9  Bernie doesn't believe communism doesn't work despite lots of bloody evidence, or that capitalism works (if left alone by government folks) despite raising standards of living worldwide. Reality really isn't his strong suit.

Love of Bernie serves as a nice weather-vane to judge if someone you are talking to is an idiot or not.
Posted by: ruprecht || 06/19/2019 11:02 Comments || Top||

#10  ^ Amen...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 11:30 Comments || Top||

#11  So, what authority did a prior administration have in acting on Libya?

Hush, now, P2K. That was the Baraq admin which is beyond question.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 06/19/2019 11:44 Comments || Top||

#12  If only the USA didn't have a track record of false flag attacks to start wars with countries that never attacked us, this wouldn't be an issue.

Hey, who can rattle off a false flag attack that started a war? I'll start: Gulf of Tonkin. Next? Hint: there are a lot of them.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 06/19/2019 14:32 Comments || Top||

#13  FALSE FLAGS START WARS!
Posted by: gorb || 06/19/2019 17:41 Comments || Top||

#14  Herb, other than the Gulf of Tonkin, can you cite some of the "many others"?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 06/19/2019 18:42 Comments || Top||

#15  #12 - you only get to say "Gulf of Tonkin" once, btw
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 18:48 Comments || Top||

#16  Mossadegh had a heckuva nose!
He could smell Kermit Roosevelt's toes
And the web of defeat
That we cast in his street
When he trampled our sweet roamin' rose.

Posted by: Blossom Slomoque1149 || 06/19/2019 19:47 Comments || Top||

#17  I just want to say that #12 is *not* HerbBot, which is still under development. Although admittedly the output is similar.

As for to start wars with countries that never attacked us, we are talking Iran here. Don't make me get out the history book.
Posted by: SteveS || 06/19/2019 19:51 Comments || Top||

#18  For a fraction of what is spent messing around in the ME and Asia we could completely seal the CONUS borders,

The Mad Mullah’s agents have been inside the walls since 1979, M. Murcek, and spying out targets and assembling munitions shortly thereafter. The Muslim Brotherhood predates them here, as I recall. We did clear out a lot of underbrush after 9/11, when they fled — mostly to Canada, as I recall — instead of registering with the government.

And no, we could not completely seal the borders. Only seal them better, enough to discourage most of the amateurs.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 20:01 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
4 Taliban militants killed in Balkh and Ghazni operations
[KhaamaPress] The security forces killed four Talibs during separate operations in Balkh and Ghazni provinces.

The informed military sources said Tuesday that the soldiers of 209th Shaheen Corps killed 3 Taliban
...Arabic for students...
fighters in Balkh province.

The sources further added that the operation was conducted in Dowlatabad district of Balkh.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had thought to pack sun block...
the security forces killed one Taliban fighter by conducting an Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
in Andar district of Ghazni.

The Talibs have not commented regarding the operations so far.

This comes as the security situation in some districts of Balkh and Ghazni provinces has tanked during the recent months.

Talibs are active in some restive districts of the two provinces and often conduct terrorist related activities.

In the meantime, the Afghan forces frequently conduct counter-terrorism operations against the anti-government gangs in the two province.

The U.S. forces also conduct regular airstrikes in restive parts of the country to suppress Taliban and other anti-government murderous Moslems.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Airstrikes kill 14 Taliban militants in Uruzgan province
[KhaamaPress] A series of Arclight airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s killed 14 Talibs in southern Uruzgan province.

The informed military sources said Tuesday that the security forces killed 14 Talibs during the airstrikes in Tarin Kot district of Uruzgan.

The Talibs have not commented regarding the airstrikes so far.

This comes as the security situation in some districts of Uruzgan has tanked during the recent months.

Talibs are active in some restive districts of Uruzgan and often conduct terrorist related activities.

Meanwhile,
...back at the precinct house, Fat Tony demanded his rosco back. He didn't say please...
the Afghan forces are busy conducting counter-terrorism operations against the anti-government gangs in this province.

The U.S. forces also conduct regular airstrikes in restive parts of the country to suppress Taliban
...Arabic for students...
and other anti-government hard boys.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Home Front: Politix
Eric Swalwell Pushes Federal Ban on Armed Teachers
[BREITBART] During a Monday speech near National Rifle Association (NRA) headquarters Democrat presidential hopeful Eric Swalwell (D-CA) pushed a federal ban on armed teachers.
"Pay attention to meeeeee!"
The Washington Examiner reports that the ban on armed teachers was just one of the numerous gun controls Swalwell
"Mr. <1%"
introduced. Other controls included the creation of a national gun registry, a ban on suppressors, and background checks for ammunition sales.

Swalwell’s push to bar states from arming teachers comes just months after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission issued a report calling for teachers to be armed. The head of that commission, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, lamented that no teachers were armed during the February 14, 2018, attack, noting that there were multiple opportunities to take out the gunman.

Breitbart News reported Gualtieri’s emphasis on the fact that the Parkland gunman paused five times to reload his firearm. Each pause represents a time an armed teacher or school staff member could have shot at the attacker.

Gualtieri told the AP, "People need to keep an open mind to it as the reality is that if someone else in that school had a gun it could have saved kids’ lives."
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  All federal staff should be disarmed for a long period of time to prove it is safe for civilians to be disarmed.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 06/19/2019 6:00 Comments || Top||

#2  BP, All federal staff should be disarmed, AND not be allowed to have armed security Secret Service, Police, Private etc......oh, and no walls around their own property.
Posted by: AlanC || 06/19/2019 8:18 Comments || Top||

#3  This is a state issue, not a federal issue, so butt out Swalwell!
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 06/19/2019 9:15 Comments || Top||

#4  So he expects states to follow his Federal laws but looks the other way when Leftist States ignore other Federal laws. SMH.
Posted by: Hellfish || 06/19/2019 12:42 Comments || Top||

#5  I predict that at some point he will be beaten with a flyswatter.
Posted by: Mercutio || 06/19/2019 14:49 Comments || Top||


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Mobster’s son behind dad’s murder at McDonald’s drive-thru
[NYPOST] A wiseguy’s son paid more than $200,000 to have his dad whacked in a McDonald’s drive-thru in The Bronx ‐ and also ordered a botched hit on his own brother, federal authorities in Brooklyn said Tuesday.

Anthony Zottola Sr. , 41, potentially faces a death sentence
...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead...
for the alleged patricide of reputed Bonanno crime family associate Sylvester "Sally Daz" Zottola, 71, who was bumped off while waiting for a take-out cup of coffee last year.

Anthony’s stunning indictment followed the arrests of several reputed Bloods street gang members, including ex-con Bushawn "Shelz" Shelton, who Anthony is accused of hiring to organize the Oct. 4 rub-out.

Court papers say that Anthony began scheming against his dad more than a year before the liquidation, which capped a "series of violent attacks and attempts on his life" and that of Anthony’s older brother.

Salvatore Zottola, 42, was shot and critically maimed outside the family’s sprawling waterfront compound in Locust Point on July 11, during what the feds have previously described as an attempt to "lure out" his dad.

Anthony was charged with murder-for-hire conspiracy, unlawful use and possession of firearms and causing death through use of a firearm.

Prosecutors allege that text messages Anthony sent Shelton, 35, are proof of his "position at the helm of this sinister plot."

One particularly chilling text shows the two men communicating in movie-style code on Nov. 26, 2017, about 45 minutes after Sylvester narrowly escaped death when his car was forced over by a dark van and a man in a mask got out and pointed a gun at him, the feds said.

Authorities later found the van, with the mask inside, and used DNA testing to tie it to Shelton, court papers say.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So, no big loss. One member of the 'six families' of NY criminals down. And one incarcerated.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 1:48 Comments || Top||

#2  Hiring the Bloods to whack a made man? Kids got no respect these days.
Posted by: Mercutio || 06/19/2019 7:34 Comments || Top||

#3  Must be a fed rap if the death penalty's in play.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 9:05 Comments || Top||

#4  ...I blame NYC's gun control laws. Reduced the available talent.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 9:06 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran will not wage war against any nation, says Iranian president
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] 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 a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
will not wage war against any nation, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday in a speech broadcast live on state TV.

Fears of a confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf on Thursday, which Washington has blamed on Tehran.

"Iran will not wage war against any nation," Rouhani said.
"Or at least not for long..."
He said: "Those facing us are a group of politicians with little experience."

"Despite all of the Americans’ efforts in the region and their desire to cut off our ties with all of the world and their desire to keep Iran secluded, they have been unsuccessful," Rouhani added.

IRGC chief says Iran’s ballistic missiles capable of hitting ‘carriers in the sea’

Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  IRGC chief says Iran’s ballistic missiles capable of hitting ‘carriers in the sea’.... 'but they won't.' he hastily added.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 2:40 Comments || Top||

#2  Iran will not wage war against any nation, says Iranian president

"...'Cause we wage jihad, not war. There'z a difference."

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 06/19/2019 6:01 Comments || Top||

#3  good point, Mike. Always helps to parse political statements based on where they're coming from
Posted by: Mercutio || 06/19/2019 7:32 Comments || Top||

#4  Netanyahu to Israel's enemies: We have power to destroy, do not test us
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/19/2019 8:09 Comments || Top||

#5  "We will not wage war, that's what proxies are for!"
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 06/19/2019 8:43 Comments || Top||

#6  They've been at war since they seized the embassy.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 9:20 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
'I don't use those words lightly': AOC compares US southern border to the Holocaust
Yet another way this queen bee offends me.
[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Rep. Alexandria Boom Boom Ocasio-Cortez
Dem represntative from da Bronx in Noo Yawk and leader of the Mean Girl Caucus in Congress. One of the Great Minds of the 21st Century, she is known as much for her innaleck as for her dance moves. She is all in favor of socialism, even though she's fuzzy on the details...
accused U.S. immigration officials of running "concentration camps" on the U.S. southern border.

Ocasio-Cortez spoke to her followers on Instagram in another one of her live, unscripted videos on Monday evening. The New York Democrat said current U.S. immigration policy rivals the Nazi’s treatment of Jews and other prisoners in World War II.

"The United States is running concentration camps on our southern border, and that is exactly what they are. They are concentration camps," Ocasio-Cortez said.

"I want to talk to the people that are concerned enough with humanity that 'Never Again' means something," Ocasio-Cortez continued, referencing the slogan adopted after the Holocaust. "The fact that concentration camps are now an institutionalized practice in the home of the free is extraordinarily disturbing and we need to do something about it."

"This is a crisis on if American will remain America ... Or if we are losing to an authoritarian and fascist
...anybody who's not a leftist...
presidency," Ocasio-Cortez said, referring to President Trump. "I don’t use those words lightly. I don’t use those words to just throw bombs. I use that word because that is what an administration that creates concentration camps is."

Related from Twitchy: Auschwitz Museum has some advice for journos and alleged ‘historian’ defending AOC
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This imbecile and her horrifically ignorant constituency are a pox on this nation. The media cover she is afforded is an absolute disgrace.
Posted by: One Eyed Tsar || 06/19/2019 7:09 Comments || Top||

#2  'I don't use those words lightly'

Here’s an excerpt from the novel which describes Ellochka the Cannibal:

[A]ccording to researchers’ calculations, William Shakespeare ’s lexicon comprises twelve thousand words. The lexicon of a Negro from the cannibalistic tribe Mumbo-Jumbo comprises three hundred words. Ellochka Shchukina got by easily and freely with thirty.

Here are the words, phrases, and interjections she judiciously chose out of the entire great, powerful, word-rich Russian language:

So rude.
Ho-ho! (This expresses, depending on the circumstances: irony, amazement, rapture, hatred, joy, disdain, and satisfaction .)
Outstanding.
Dismal. (Said about everything. For example: “dismal Petya came over,” “dismal weather,” “a dismal occasion,” “a dismal tomcat,” and so forth.)
Appalling.
Horror. (Horrible. For example, on running into a dear friend: “a horrible meeting.”)
Little fellow. (Said about all men of her acquaintance, regardless of age or social standing.)
Don’t teach me how to live.
Like . . . a baby. (“It was like taking candy from a baby,” said about a card game. “I smacked him like a baby’s bottom,” said, evidently, during a conversation with the responsible lessee.)
Be-e-e-yootiful!
Fat and handsome. (Used to characterize animate and inanimate objects.)
Let’s take a horse-cab. (Said to her husband.)
Let’s take a taxi-waxi. (To male acquaintances.)
Your back is all white. (A joke.)
Just think.
Ulya. (An affectionate ending for names. For example: Mishulya, Zinulya.)
Oho! (Irony, amazement, rapture, hatred, joy, disdain, and satisfaction.)
The extremely insignificant number of remaining words served as communicative links between Ellochka and salesclerks .
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/19/2019 7:40 Comments || Top||

#3  Ideally, some reporter would ask AOC if she has ever visited a WW II death camp and follow up with a few questions about that time that I'm sure she could not answer. Realistically, nothing like that will ever happen.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 10:06 Comments || Top||

#4  #3 Ideally, some reporter would ask AOC if she has ever visited a WW II death

I wonder if she has ever visited the U.S.-Mexico border.
Posted by: JohnQC || 06/19/2019 11:34 Comments || Top||

#5  'I don't use those words lightly'

Deep thoughts from AOC.

Other deep thoughts from AOC:

'When you close the refrigerator door, does the light turn off? How do you know?'

'Cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny.'

'If a #2 pencil is so popular, why isn't it #1?'

'Should I worry about a false flag starting a war, or what caused the war in the first place?'
Posted by: gorb || 06/19/2019 18:10 Comments || Top||

#6  Oh *SNAP*, on that last line, Gorb
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 19:21 Comments || Top||


Europe
Spain busts gang that helped finance al-Qaeda in Syria
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Spanish police on Tuesday detained 10 nationals of Syrian origin accused of financing "al-Qaeda terrorist militia" in Syria, the interior ministry and a source close to the probe said.

With Europol’s collaboration, more than 350 agents took part in an operation in Madrid, further south in Toledo and the eastern province of Valencia. Fourteen homes and other premises were searched by officers.

The source, who refused to be named, said the detainees were Spanish of Syrian origin.

"The organization was led by a family clan that for years allegedly used a legal business structure to hide illicit operations with which they evaded tax authorities and laundered large amounts of money," the ministry said in a statement.

"The detainees allegedly took away money from each legal operation, substituting the real amount of the operation in the receipt with another lower value amount," it said.

A large part of the stash of cash amassed went to the opposition-held province of Idlib in Syria to "give support and financial backing to terrorist militia there." Relatives of the suspects are allegedly al-Qaeda members.

The money was sent via various methods including human couriers and the "hawala" system, an informal method of payment based on trust that is far more difficult to trace than bank transfers.

One of those detained had already been arrested in Syria in 2008 and sentenced for his participation in an attack and for belonging to the group Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred. Mostly eradicated by the Leb army...
The operation comes just weeks after a Syrian man was detained on suspicion of funneling money to Europe
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
an hard boyz linked to the ISIS so that they could return to Europe.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [6 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Emails Show Obama State Department’s Role in Anti-Trump Coup Cabal
[BREITBART] John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, unsuccessful presidential candidate, and utterly failed Secretary of State...
, President Obama’s secretary of state, seems to be having trouble staying within the legal bounds of the Logan Act, so it’s not surprising that his State Department lieutenants were getting their hands dirty in the conspiracy to bring down Donald Trump
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons......
Judicial Watch now has received more evidence of this anti-Trump conspiracy. With The Daily Caller News Foundation, they just released 16 pages of documents revealing senior State Obama officials ‐ Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Special Coordinator for Libya Jonathan Winer ‐ coordinated with incoming House Majority Whip the mealy-mouthed Steny StinkyHoyer
... Nancy San Fran Nan Pelosi's second banana, or plaintain, or mango, or whatever he is...
’s (D-MD) national security advisor, Daniel Silverberg, to work on Russia dossier information provided by Remington Christopher Steele.

Steele was surreptitiously paid by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee to create the infamous anti-Trump dossier used to justify a series of FISA spy warrants targeting Carter Page. Winer is a former Obama State Department deputy assistant secretary who was implicated in working with Steele and Clinton associate Sidney Blumenthal to circulate the anti-Trump dossier.

Judicial Watch obtained the documents in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed on April 25, 2018, on behalf of ourselves and The Daily Caller News Foundation against the State Department after it failed to respond to three separate FOIA requests
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Steele was surreptitiously paid by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee to create the infamous anti-Trump dossier.....

"Clinton campaign and DNC, yea, that's it. That's what the check said anyways, honest Indian.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 1:36 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
New York becomes 13th state to allow driver's licenses for illegal immigrants as Republicans accuse Cuomo of 'watering down citizenship'
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  How many trillions have Americans invested in roads so illegal immgrants can use them for free?!?

Madness.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 06/19/2019 4:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Congratulations, here is your new driver's license. You are now pre-screened for your SNAP electronic debit card. Be sure to register to vote as you leave the building.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 6:34 Comments || Top||

#3  Interesting. Not possible in Germany.
But the real issue is employment.
Posted by: European Conservative || 06/19/2019 7:58 Comments || Top||

#4  Well, when you really don't believe in America or being an American......
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 9:19 Comments || Top||

#5  Every state allowing these is in open rebellion against the Federal government. Send in the military and start hanging the traitors. Or bring back wanted criminals with dead or alive rewards.
Posted by: Silentbrick || 06/19/2019 9:56 Comments || Top||


Africa North
#LNA moving heavy armored equipment as forces prepare for assault on #Tripoli.
[TWITTER]

Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Home Front: Politix
Biden Suggests Starting ‘Physical Revolution’ To Deal With Republicans
Oh? That would prove interesting if he weren’t just mouthing off for effect.
[DAILYWIRE] Democratic presidential candidate Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden
...When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'...
appeared to suggest using violence against Republicans on Monday in response to a question about how he as president would deal with opposition to his agenda in the Senate from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Biden, currently the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, made the remarks at the Moral Action Congress of the Poor People's Campaign in Washington, D.C.

MSNBC's Joy Reid asked Biden: "How would you get past either a majority Republican Senate in which Mitch McConnell was determined to kill all of these ideas or even a Mitch McConnell in the minority who repeated the consistent filibustering when you were vice president and anything that came from the Obama-Biden administration Mitch McConnell considered dead on arrival?"

"Joy, I know you're one of the ones who thinks it's naive to think we have to work together," Biden responded. "The fact of the matter is if we can't get a consensus, nothing happens except the abuse of power by the executive."

"There are certain things where it just takes a brass knuckle fight," Biden continued, later adding: "Let’s start a real physical revolution if you’re talking about it."

Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  At a cost of some 700,000 lives the last time it was attempted.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 7:26 Comments || Top||

#2  Gettin' tired....just sayin'
Posted by: Mercutio || 06/19/2019 7:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Actually, if a congress like the one we have today existed in 1860, the study of whether or not to undergo the Civil War would still be going on today...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 8:47 Comments || Top||

#4  #1, that was before the society was so dependent up its energy infrastructure and grew its own crops locally. Most of those deaths in the last civil war were directly related to military. Today the collateral deaths among the civilian population from failed systems will be enormous. Think south Florida massive hurricane without any outside help to come to restore services and reestablish supplies across the entire country. No power, no hospitals, no water pumps, no sanitation, no delivery at industrial levels for basics of food and goods.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 8:57 Comments || Top||

#5  Try it bucko. I guarantee you ain't as tough as your mouth says you are.
Posted by: DarthVader || 06/19/2019 9:16 Comments || Top||

#6  I'll take my chances in the FL interior over NYC if the electricity, fresh water and food stop "magically" showing up on demand.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 9:47 Comments || Top||

#7  First, Bernie wanted to start a revolution. Now, Biden has signed-on. Revolutionaries? Hardly. IMO, Swamp leeches.
Posted by: JohnQC || 06/19/2019 11:37 Comments || Top||

#8  The coup failed so now he wants a violent revolution? Well, that is the bolshevik way, isn't it? Bring it, you commie bitch.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 06/19/2019 12:01 Comments || Top||

#9  YEAH Baby, bring it!
Let's dance.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 13:55 Comments || Top||

#10 

Trump: I'd love to fight 'tough guy' Biden
PS: Mister President, may I hold your hat.
Posted by: Woodrow || 06/19/2019 14:06 Comments || Top||


Chris Matthews: Trump ready to win voters 'discarded' and mocked by Dems, Hollywood
[WASHINGTONTIMES] MSNBC’s Chris My Thigh is Tingling! Matthews
... the late Tip O'Neill's former gopher who has magazines with centerfolds of Barack Obama in his bathroom...
is worried that Democrats and their Hollywood "buddies" have not learned important lessons from the 2016 presidential election.

The "Hardball" host told network colleagues on "Morning Joe" that President Trump is primed to once again win votes in Pennsylvania and key states due to the hubris of the "liberal elite."

"[Voters in 2016] knew there was a great party going on among the liberal elite with all their Hollywood buddies, and they weren’t invited," Mr. Matthews said Monday. "Nobody wants to go to a party if they haven’t been invited. ... A friend of mine once said ‐ he said this about relationships with men and women ‐ he said: ’People don’t mind being used, but they mind being discarded.’ The Democrats have a lot of people out there who feel discarded by them and they’re not too happy about it."

Mr. Matthews added that too many Democrats "look down their nose" at religious Americans.

"It’s one thing about abortion rights," he added. "We all have our own personal views and nuance ‐ a lot of nuance on that fight. But don’t make fun of the other side. Don’t make fun of the pro-life people. Don’t think they’re lowbrows because they’re not as ’sophisticated’ as you are. I think there’s a lot of that attitude. This creeps into the voting. ’Oh, not only they disagree with me, they look down on me for caring about life. Oh, I get it. I’m not one of them. I know that.’ And that’s the attitude. Look, Trump played the [pro-life] vote brilliantly in Pennsylvania last time. He’ll probably do it again. You’ve got to be careful about whose feelings you are definitely hurting."
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  He's right, but they won't listen. The elites have taken over the Demos and their loathing of the rest of the country has been on display for way to long to change now. Only a drubbing at the election will change things, and then the corrupt but semi-practical faction of the Dems will take over again to keep the graft train running.
Posted by: ruprecht || 06/19/2019 10:22 Comments || Top||

#2  OK, So I know FOX and someone on the Trump staff read this rag, this oh so wonderful rag, so listen up.
As Trump campaigns across America he needs to rename the demographics to go with his slogan about keeping America great. For starters the term "the rust belt", its negative, shows the area in decline. Its a Democrat term, let it go! They can call it a rust bucket and all the implications that go with rust, bad, decay, decline. Trump needs to call the area Steel country! Pittsburg calls their team the Steelers, not the red rust buckets.. Now for the Democrats prized possession that turned on them and swung the election. They lovingly called it the Blue wall. The dems ignored this area of mostly Blue Dogs, Obama hated them, called the clingers with a bible and gun. They went against 50 years of voting blue, you can only insult a Southern man once, and voted for a New Yorker at that! Trump needs to embrace them and go back to the Bible Belt, American values, American principles. The flyover states are America's heartland! Not flyover states to be ignored. And, best for last, The West coast is the land of the forgotten man! The Dems have crucified the working class in Washington, Oregon, and Ca. I would reach out to the homeless and down trodden there, reminding them that illegals have more rights than a working class man going through hard times. They are the forgotten man in America right now.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 06/19/2019 10:39 Comments || Top||

#3  You've got some points there 49 Pan. Maybe Trump should link the positive change in direction to MAGA.
Posted by: JohnQC || 06/19/2019 11:42 Comments || Top||

#4  Good thinking, 49 Pan.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 12:09 Comments || Top||

#5  I believe his ascension is also due the prayers of real Christians mostly from the 'bible belt'. So he should remember that.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 12:27 Comments || Top||

#6  #2 Well written. Many around the world and here know who Trump really is. Here from the beginning Then across the pond;
Posted by: Dale || 06/19/2019 18:47 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Egypt’s Morsi, dead at 67, never had a chance
[IsraelTimes] Why the revolutionaries of the Arab Spring failed their followers, and other lessons from the blunder of a democracy in a society not set up for it.

Mohammed Morsi represented the Egypt’s Moslem Brüderbund, and they’re fundamentalist Islamist terrorists. Everyone "knows" that.

But Morsi was the first freely, democratically elected president of Egypt in 7,000 years. And so far, the only one. Morsi died after fainting in court, where he was on trial for his life on many charges, including espionage and murder.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Wouldn't muzz fundamentalist types lean toward "allan struck him down" as an explanation for going from "animated" to "inanimate" in an instant?
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 7:36 Comments || Top||

#2  Wouldn't muzz fundamentalist types lean toward "allan struck him down" as an explanation for going from "animated" to "inanimate" in an instant?

Nope. Muzz fundamentalist types lean toward "Yehud done it".
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/19/2019 7:43 Comments || Top||

#3  Unmentioned is the fact that Morsi opened the prisons and Islamist terrorists took off. Many settled in Sinai where the results continue to be felt today.
Posted by: Chereting Pelosi1889 || 06/19/2019 9:26 Comments || Top||

#4  Morsi may be the first elected Egyptian Prez in millennia, but al Sisi is doing better than expected. Certainly better than if the MosBro were running the show.

I have a vague recollection of the voting being a bit hinky, but that may just be the ME in general. Saddam did well in Iraqi elections, IIRC.
Posted by: SteveS || 06/19/2019 9:30 Comments || Top||

#5  opened the prisons

Isn't that a dem platform item too?
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 10:02 Comments || Top||

#6  "..Morsi and democracy". Riiiiiiiight
Posted by: Rex Mundi || 06/19/2019 15:11 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Democrat Presidential Hopeful Amy Klobuchar Releases First 100 Days Plan
[BREITBART] Democrat presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Senatrix from Minnesota, candidate for the Dem presidential 2020 nomination. You can tell the kind of husband a boy will make by the way he treats his mother. You can tell the kind of leader a politician will make by the way he treats his staff. Klobuchar is reportedly overbearing, snide, and dictatorial with her people. She see this as merely getting the best from them. Her name spelled backward in the Russian alphabet would be "Rachubolk," which sounds pretty daggone suspicious...
(D-MN) has released an outline of the more than 100 ideas she hopes to implement in the first few months of her presidency, should she be elected.

On social media, Klobuchar shared a link to her plan Tuesday and said, "The urgent problems our country is facing require immediate action and bold solutions, and I plan to get to work delivering results on Day One."
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Who?
Posted by: Beau || 06/19/2019 6:10 Comments || Top||

#2  IMA not voting for her until she starts wearing that DNC Logo tongue ring in public. Come on Amy, lets see some balls !
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/19/2019 6:50 Comments || Top||

#3  "...and rebuild our crumbling school infrastructure.”

Right out of the DNC playbook.
Posted by: Raj || 06/19/2019 7:44 Comments || Top||

#4  "...and rebuild reinforce our crumbling school infrastructure the teachers' union members, iron rice bowls.”
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 9:02 Comments || Top||

#5  100 ideas. 100 days. No clue.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 9:08 Comments || Top||

#6  I'll wait for the Bern's glorious five year one.
Posted by: charger || 06/19/2019 22:58 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Hezbollah could be a fatal ally for future Lebanese presidential candidates
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] In the murky world of Lebanese politics it is sometimes difficult to find rhyme or reason. But it is increasingly evident that the name of the game in Beirut today is an aggressive early bid for the Lebanese presidency.

The few apparent candidates are fully aware of the importance of local alliances, but also realize that local players are eventually swayed by their regional sponsors and allies. Candidates who are quick to dismiss the influence of the United States in the selection of Lebanese presidents do so at their own peril. The leading candidates realize that a newly resurgent and assertive US policy to contain Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria will cast a long shadow over the next presidential election.

Arab rapprochement with the Syrian regime seemed initially to have benefitted the pro-Syrian candidate Suleiman Franjieh. However,
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah

#1  Lie down with scum, maybe just stay down...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 9:35 Comments || Top||


Britain
Boris Johnson wins most second round votes on path to become UK PM
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May, won the most votes cast in the second round of voting for Conservative Party leader on Tuesday, with four other candidates also getting through.

Johnson, a former London mayor, and foreign minister won 126 votes, with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in second place on 46 votes and environment minister Michael Gove third with 41 votes.

The international development minister Rory Stewart was fourth on 37 votes and the interior minister Sajid Javid was fifth on 33 votes.

One candidate ‐ former Brexit minister Dominic Raab ‐ was eliminated after he failed to receive the required minimum of 33 votes.

Now the remaining candidates will face further votes to whittle down the contest to two when Conservative members will decide who will become the leader and Britannia’s next prime minister.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I don't think there's any real conservative leader in the UK that will deliver brexit, put the islamists back in their place or even fulfill their oath of protecting British citizens from colonists. They're all the same brand of liar.

"Insofar as my words have given offence over the last 20 or 30 years and people have taken those words out of my articles and escalated them, then of course I'm sorry for the offence that they have caused,” said Mr Johnson, previously foreign secretary and mayor of London.

He was keen to emphasise that his great-grandfather, Ali Kemal, was a Muslim.



Mustapha Ali Kemal Bey, an Ottoman politician who became a liberal journalist and later was a leading member of the Ottoman Freedom and Accord Party. He fell foul of the Sultan Mehmed V (yechh!) and fled to England. Kemal returned to the Ottoman a widower (His first wife was Winifred Brun) and married the daughter of an Ottoman pasha. After Kemal's brutal murder at the hands of Ottoman thug Nureddin pasha, Kemal's son and daughter living in England adopted their maternal grandmother's maiden name of Johnson. His son Osman became 'Wilfred Johnson' and later married Irene Williams of Kent. Their son was Stanley Johnson, member (EUP) and father of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 8:00 Comments || Top||

#2 

Rowan Atkinson defends Boris Johnson over burka comments. Rowan Atkinson has defended Boris Johnson over his comments on women wearing burkas and said the former Foreign Secretary's remarks were funny.

Mr Johnson is facing an investigation and could be disciplined by Conservative party bosses after saying women in burkas looked like 'letterboxes' and 'bank robbers'.
Posted by: Woodrow || 06/19/2019 8:53 Comments || Top||

#3  The anti-Brexit crowd has taken Billy Jeff Cigar's mantra to heart "Then we've just got to win." If they go all out to sink Boris before he becomes PM that tells you all you have to know. If they let him become PM, that tells you all you have to know.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 11:49 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
UK pledges £170 million in fresh aid to Afghanistan
[KhaamaPress] The government of the United Kingdom pledged a fresh aid package of £170 million to Afghanistan.

UK’s International Development Secretary Rory Stewart announced the fresh aid package following his meeting with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money...
.

The funds will be spent over the span of five years to provide urgent aid to flood and drought affected people by providing food, water and medicines.

Following his meeting with President Ghani, Stewart said "The humanitarian need in Afghanistan is severe."

The Afghan Red Islamic Thingy Society, the International Federation of Red Thingy and Red Islamic Thingy Societies had earlier warned that 10 million people face severe food insecurity and require urgent help.

This comes as devastating flash floods hit certain parts of the country followed by severe drought.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Brits could use help with their own flooding.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 8:09 Comments || Top||

#2  That won't even take a day to steal...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 9:43 Comments || Top||


Taliban militants set two oil tankers on fire in the outskirts of Pul-e-Khumri city
[KhaamaPress] The Talibs have set on fire two oil tankers in Baghlan province.

Local officials confirmed that Talibs torched the two oil tankers on Pul-e-Khumri and Mazar-e-Sharif highway.

The incident took place in Bagh Shamal are of Pul-e-Khumri city earlier today.

Talibs also engaged in a shootout after setting two oil tankers on fire.

The officials further added that the two oil tankers were on their way from Mazar-e-Sharif city to Kabul when Talibs set them on fire.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Taliban militants suffer heavy casualties in Ghor operations
[KhaamaPress] The security forces killed 15 Talibs during the joint military operations in Ghor province.

the 207th Zafar Corps in a statement said the security forces conducted the operation in Aahangara, Shotor Khan and Amrutak villages of Dolina district.

The statement further added that the Air Forces and Artillery Units also provided support to the security forces during the operation.

The 207th Zafar Corps also added that two commanders of Taliban
...Arabic for students...
Mullah Dad and Mustafa Amrutak were among those killed.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch clutched at his shoulder. Ow! he exclaimed, with feeling......
the security forces maimed 13 Talibs during the operation and arrested six others.

The 207th Zafar Corps also added that the security forces confiscated two PKM machine guns, 2 rocket launchers, 3 Ak-47 rifles, 2 Land Cruiser Vehicles, a Toyota Prado vehicle, cycle of violences and some other equipment.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


-Short Attention Span Theater-
America's infrastructure is crumbling and these people are suffering because of it
(CNN)The fabric of America is crumbling. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gives the nation's infrastructure a D+ grade -- that's the roads and bridges we drive on every day, the airports we use for business and vacation travel, and the schools where we send our children to learn. And newer networks critical to modern life, like broadband internet, haven't even reached many areas yet.

President Donald Trump declared at his inauguration, "We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation." At least seven times, his White House has declared that the chosen theme of a week would be infrastructure, but each time the issue has become lost in other events, often generated by the President himself.

Money -- whether through taxes, tolls or private investment -- is the only way to fix the problem. The ASCE says $4.6 trillion is needed for improvements in the next decade. The Democrats said they and Trump had agreed on a $2 trillion price tag for an infrastructure plan -- which would only be part of a national solution that could also include state, local and private action -- but precious little has been achieved.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


#2  the ASCE report is one they do every year

in the guts of the report the details come out and the problem with American infrastructure is not the physical structures but the capacity

that is, roads are not crumbling but they are very crowded

airports are not crumbling but there is a shortage of space frequently

etc.
Posted by: lord garth || 06/19/2019 3:20 Comments || Top||

#3  Giving illegals driver's licenses isn't going to help that then!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 06/19/2019 4:13 Comments || Top||

#4  the ASCE report is one they do every year

I was going to make a similar observation that, like various media attacks against Trump, this theme's in the rotation / playbook every year, like the flea-flicker and the naked bootleg. Sometimes it works, more often it doesn't.
Posted by: Raj || 06/19/2019 7:35 Comments || Top||

#5  As a retired ASCE member, allow me to point out that a lot of infrastructure spending passes through Civil Engineers.

If we somehow found enough cash to get the grades up to "A", there wouldn't be enough civil engineers to design and build the projects. Plus I am pretty sure the 'goalposts' would've moved by then. I suppose I am cynical.
Posted by: Bobby || 06/19/2019 8:04 Comments || Top||


#7  Solar flare, aging infrastructure or Russia: Who gets blamed when the US has a massive power outage?

If the fascists commies progressives keep the pressure up, it will be visited upon them by their own acts. Not counting the self inflicted type like brown outs in Northern California.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/19/2019 9:04 Comments || Top||

#8  I'm an ASCE member, and the guy in charge of our local bridge building/integrity/maintenance. I got called to the Grand Jury after the report card came out a couple years ago and they were worried about the grade our State's bridges got. I assured them that none were in immediate danger of collapse, or anywhere near. They asked why the grade was so low and ASCE demanding more funding. I let them know that that was one of the reasons why I was a dues-paying member, and if they didn't ask for more funding I wouldn't be a member much longer. Meeting over.
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 9:33 Comments || Top||

#9  Frank! That's even more cynical than me! Keepitup!
Posted by: Bobby || 06/19/2019 9:53 Comments || Top||

#10  frank g

as I recall the long term trend in highway bridges is a decrease in the number that are structurally deficient and an increase in the number that are functionally obsolescent (typically because they aren't wide enough or don't have enough lanes)

Posted by: lord garth || 06/19/2019 15:49 Comments || Top||

#11  The new ASSHTO rating criteria has eliminated the Functionally Obsolete criteria in the Sufficiency Rating as that skewed the results against older bridges that didn't have current standard widths, sidewalks, bike lanes, etc., that have been added on for vociferous constituencies. Currently they are all being rated under the LRFD criteria, which is a big chore. Structurally Deficient is the big driver now for priority work/$. Our bridges are inspected bi-annually by the State DOT SM&I crews with "snooper" trucks that articulate underside and around members
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 19:01 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
50 Die In Fighting Terror In Afghanistan Each Day: Mohib
[ToloNews] The National Security Advisor, Hamdullah Mohib, who addressed a conference in Russia on Tuesday, said that the nature of hybrid threats in the region are complex, and multi-faceted that and it requires serious and collective action to fight them.

Mohib said that counterterrorism efforts need to remain a top priority for countries in the region. in order to ensure the national security of countries in the region and improve regional socio-economic development.

"At least 50 people pay the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against terrorism on a daily basis, which makes Afghanistan as the country at the frontlines of the fight against terrorism. But this menace threatens all of our countries," he said.

He said that narcotics is known as the main source of revenue for terrorism that generates billions of dollars every year. "Joint and coordinated action is required to fight this evil phenomenon," he added.

"Similarly, countering financial crimes is key to ensuring the national security of our states; fight against money laundering, illegal money transactions through unregistered hawala systems, fundraising for terrorism through unmonitored charities in the region are a must," he said.

He pointed out that to border cooperation and said that "thousands cross borders in our region illegally to join terrorist groups, receive training, and target our citizens".

He said that joint cooperation to manage our borders in the region, share information in real time, and equip border forces with the required technology is important to fight hybrid threats.

Mohib mentioned that cybercrimes are another means of hybrid warfare which is threatening the countries in the region.

"Afghanistan stands ready to enter into bilateral and regional partnerships through MoUs to limit and eliminate the use of the cyberspace by destructive elements that create terror in our societies and prevent us from development," he said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under:


-Lurid Crime Tales-
Feds seize $1 billion worth of cocaine in massive Philadelphia drug bust
[NYPOST] Federal authorities discovered 16.5 tons of cocaine on a ship in a Philadelphia port and arrested members of the crew in one of the largest drug busts in the area’s history, authorities said Tuesday.

The large haul of coke ‐ with a street value of approximately $1 billion ‐ was seized from a large ship at the Packer Marine Terminal in Philadelphia, said the US Attorney’s office.

"This is the largest drug seizure in the history of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania," the US Attorney’s office tweeted.

Those on the ship were arrested and federally charged, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing.

Earlier this year, $77 million in cocaine was seized in Newark when Sherlocks cracked open a shipping container.

Inspectors from Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration at the Port of New York/Newark searched the container on Feb. 28 after noticing that its lock appeared to have been tampered with, law enforcement sources said.

When they opened the container, they found 60 burlap sacks packed to the brim with wrapped bricks of cocaine nestled among several containers of dried fruit, the sources said.
Posted by: Fred || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [1 views] Top|| File under: Narcos

#1  The City of Brothers on Drugs...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 11:01 Comments || Top||

#2  That is a serioycbu k or worldwide product , there will be a lot of dead guys, and some may have badges. This much concentrated volume would only arrive if there was some assurance of protection by locals. There will interesting backstory on this. Too bad we will likely never see it.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 06/19/2019 12:24 Comments || Top||

#3  Serious chunk of...
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 06/19/2019 12:25 Comments || Top||

#4  The DNC convention this weekend might be a low energy event.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/19/2019 13:31 Comments || Top||

#5  The 'MSC' rang a bell, so here. The complex nature of the enterprise is mind-boggling, but understand that it must have grown 'organically' over decades, helped along by almost every govt. and every authority involved.

The MSC Gayane is owned and operated by MSC. Mediterranean Shipping Company (based in Europe) has 54 ships in its fleet. It is not Swiss. The Gayane's previous stops included Freeport (Bahamas) on June 13, Cristobal(Panama) on June 9 and till May 24 and Buenaventura (Colombia) on May 19. At least twice while the ship was en route between stops in Chile and Panama, numerous smaller boats approached the Gayane at sea to hand off large bundles of cocaine.

While the company's papers say it is abstractly European, it's owned by none other than Diego Aponte, son of late Gian Luigi Aponte - patriarch of the Aponte family. Gianluigi Aponte was awarded the Neapolitan Excellence in the World title in 2009 by the former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (yupp!)

From humble beginnings in the late 80s, a fleet of twelve barely seaworthy carriers, it was given port in Baltimore Marine first by Mayor William Donald Schaefer (D), later Guvnor of Maryland and occasional voice of America's passive war on drugs. Anyway, twelve years on, MSC had become the world's second largest cargo carrier with ships in every port. The Apontes are said to practically rule over Italian port authorities and there have been some 'closed' investigations into MSC and mafia activity at Gioia Tauro. A port where 119 kilos of cocaine were caught by Italian police in Jan, from which 90 kilos later disappeared from custody. Searching for data on any Aponte linked criminal activity won't find you anything on google. Another co. owned by the Aponte family, the finance arm of MSC is Marinvest.

In 2006, an agency in Asia was faced with a dire case. A disappeared Indian coast guard officer. It was thought it was some kind of personal thing, that he'd ran off or was on a jaunt with a female but it soon became apparent that he was being hounded through Bombay and lived on the road for ten days before disappearing altogether. His name was A. Dinesh. A DOC file was obtained from his personal laptop during investigation, which was ordered closed by someone high up in New Delhi.

This is part of what it said.

MSC as it well known in the shipping company is a well known shipping company in the maritime industry which is run by an Italian mafia known by the name of Aponthe . They are a container ship company , have a large fleet of mostly junk ships over 95 % of their fleet of 300 ships comprises of 25 to 40 years old ships . They mostly buy old ships which are supposed to be scrapped and convert them to container ships and run the ships to support their own illegal businesses namely , drug ,illegal arms & ammunition , human trafficking , bombs and nuclear weapons , tranportation and distribution around the world to various countries of the world which most surprisingly includes some of the ,most developed countries with very stricty laws as the USA , Australia , France , Germany , UK , Belgium , Denmark , Norway , Japan , Singapore etc. They have got full support of their shore based staff including their agents in various ports , the customs at various ports , the Port state control officers which includes some of the most advanced nations , political support , all of which can be bought very easily with their money , political connections and of course threats from local mafias .
Almost 90 % of their ships do not follow any IMO , ILO or National & local regulations , are sub -standard so much below standard which cannot be described , most of the crew being incompetent,officers get very fast promotion . Senior masters and chief engineers become part of handsome bonuses if they pass PSC inspections and other special inspections at various ports and if they are carrying "special" illegal cargoes on board "unscathed" . The rest of the crew including even the chief officer doesn't have the knowledge of such special cargoes onboard and sometimes even the master doesn't know about it . MSC is popularly known as the MAFIA SHIPPING COMPANY in the maritime industry main business is not transportation of cargo , but supporting their drug business . So , even after 10 millions in fine given to the USCG for the MSC Elena case where their Master Capt. Menon and Chief Engineer Mani Singh were fined and imprisoned ,company got a prohibition of 5 years. A drug search has never been conducted on any of their vessels . I'm 100 % sure that if this kind of search is conducted then at least 1 of the containers on their every ship will be found to carry either illegal drugs , arms , ammunitions , bombs or involvewd in human trafficking. Besides you always a soft target if you are one of the types who believes in "safer shipping cleaner seas" or the like , because if u create too much of "noise" or suspect that you might "blow" the "whistle" then you might be eliminated as well either onboard at sea or at port while you are on a shore leave or after your sign off during your transit to your home town which includes your hotel stay at the port/country where you have signed off (sic)


The original text is too long and rambles into investigations conducted and details of interruptions, coercion by Indian coast guard officials and what to do in case of his death.

Also see:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-04/macron-s-chief-of-staff-probed-over-links-to-shipping-firm-msc

Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 14:51 Comments || Top||

#6  I wonder if the European cruise line MSC is part of the portfolio
Posted by: Capsu 78 || 06/19/2019 17:21 Comments || Top||

#7  For some reason rantburg doesn't allow me to post live links in posts so copy and paste. But do see all three.

https://gcaptain.com/msc-master-in-hot-water-for-allegedly-smuggling-drugs-inside-container/

https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2019/25905/22-tons-cocaine-found-neopanamax-container-ship-so/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/01/i-am-the-victim-of-a-cocaine-smuggling-scam-says-aristocrat/
Posted by: Dron66046 || 06/19/2019 17:21 Comments || Top||

#8  #5 - Given all that, how are the Clintons NOT involved? This is right in their wheelhouse
Posted by: Frank G || 06/19/2019 18:55 Comments || Top||

#9 
Posted by: Phaick Uneretle6310 || 06/19/2019 20:07 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Egypt's Former President Morsi Quietly Buried in Cairo
[AnNahar] Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi was buried Tuesday as calls mounted for an independent investigation into the causes of his death after he collapsed in a Cairo courtroom.

The Islamist leader, who was tossed in 2013 after a year of divisive
...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled...
rule and later charged with espionage, was buried at a cemetery in eastern Cairo's Medinat Nasr, one of his lawyers said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/19/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Unlike Khomeini's funeral where he got knocked out of the box a time or two by the surging mob...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/19/2019 8:51 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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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.
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In no particular order...
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Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2019-06-19
  Spain busts gang that helped finance al-Qaeda in Syria
Tue 2019-06-18
  Iran says it dismantled a U.S. cyber espionage network
Mon 2019-06-17
  Mohammed Morsi titzup
Sun 2019-06-16
  Maldives seek foreign help to deal with IS fighters
Sat 2019-06-15
  Iranian boat fired missile at US drone prior to tanker attack, US official says
Fri 2019-06-14
  Tanker Front Altair is on fire according to Bloomberg
Thu 2019-06-13
  Middle East on alert as two oil tankers are hit by explosions and one 'sinks' in suspected 'torpedo attack' in Gulf of Oman
Wed 2019-06-12
  Boko Haram kills at least 26 people in Cameroon
Tue 2019-06-11
  At least 95 killed in central Mali village attack
Mon 2019-06-10
  Iran ammonium-nitrate stash in London and around the world ignored for 2015 Iran deal
Sun 2019-06-09
  Tunisian-German couple in court over ‘ricin attack plot’
Sat 2019-06-08
  U.S., Mexico: Trump Announces Deal With Mexico, Suspends Tariff Threat
Fri 2019-06-07
  Houthis kill imam, 9 worshippers for following Saudi Eid al-Fitr moon sighting
Thu 2019-06-06
  ISIS claiming to exterminate a Pakistani Intel agent
Wed 2019-06-05
  Nanagarhar: Senior ISIS leader hailing from India killed in Afghanistan airstrike

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