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August 2014

Posted by Bruce Carroll on August 04, 2014 15 Comments
Things just aren't good on any front involving the relationship between the United States and Russia. The nearly-hot war between Russia and Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea and the downing of Malaysian Flight 17 are capturing the main headlines. But there's other grim news as well. First, the landmark arms control agreement signed by Reagan and Gorbachev seems to be falling apart thanks to Russian aggression.
The United States has concluded that Russia violated a landmark arms control treaty by testing a prohibited ground-launched cruise missile, according to senior American officials, a finding that was conveyed by President Obama to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in a letter on Monday. It is the most serious allegation of an arms control treaty violation that the Obama administration has leveled against Russia and adds another dispute to a relationship already burdened by tensions over the Kremlin’s support for separatists in Ukraine and its decision to grant asylum to Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor. At the heart of the issue is the 1987 treaty that bans American and Russian ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles capable of flying 300 to 3,400 miles. That accord, which was signed by President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, helped seal the end of the Cold War and has been regarded as a cornerstone of American-Russian arms control efforts.
And now, even scientific and mutual defense cooperation between Russian and American nuclear scientists is decaying.

Posted by David Gerstman on August 04, 2014 13 Comments
Last week's ceasefire between Israel and Hamas prompted a number of similarly themed observations. https://twitter.com/MsIntervention/status/494995494230171650 Similar tweets appeared here and here and here and here. What did Hamas gain by agreeing to the ceasefire to the terms of Thursday night's ceasefire when it rejected the same terms more than two weeks earlier? What did it gain by continuing to lose fighters and resources? It now appears, as Elder of Ziyon shows, that the reason Hamas agreed initially to the ceasefire was to carry out Friday's attack that killed three Israeli soldiers.
Clearly the ceasefire provided the opportunity Hamas wanted to perform this operation. Their acceptance of the cease-fire - including the terms that IDF soldiers can keep their positions, which Hamas knew were near a hidden tunnel entrance - can only be described as a well-planned ruse for this attack, Hamas' most sought-after prize. These were not conditions that Hamas would normally accept. Hamas' claim that this occurred before the ceasefire is a lie, as the reports of heavy clashes in Rafah all started at 9:30, not 7:30 as Hamas says.

Posted by A.F. Branco on August 04, 2014 1 Comment

Note: You may reprint this cartoon provided you link back to this source.  To see more Legal Insurrection Branco cartoons, click here. Branco’s page is Cartoonist A.F.Branco...

Posted by Andrew Branca on August 03, 2014 23 Comments
Tomorrow marks the start of the third week of the second degree murder trial of Detroit homeowner Theodore Wafer for the front porch shooting death of Renisha McBride in the early morning hours of November 2, 2013.  This past week saw the milestone of the prosecution resting and the start of the defense presenting its case. In preparation for the Court coming back into session tomorrow morning with the continuation of the defense's narrative of innocence to the jury we thought it might be useful to provide a brief recap of what's happened to date, highlighting notable events and observations.

Background

The undisputed facts of the case are that Renisha McBride was driving her car the night of November 1 while under the influence of some multiple of the state's allowable blood-alcohol limit, as as with active marijuana in her system. She crashed her car, disabling it, and apparently striking her head on the windshield.  She abandoned the crash site and essentially disappeared for the next several hours. Around 4:30 a.m. on the morning of November 2 Theodore Wafer was awoken from sleep by McBride banging on his front door.  The defense claims the banging was alarmingly vigorous, and that there were similar sounds coming from other exterior doors and windows of the house.  The state claims McBride was merely knocking on his door in a normal manner in order to seek assistance.  Wafer, unable to immediately find his cell phone, retrieved his home-defense shotgun, a pistol-gripped Mossberg 12 gauge loaded with #4 shot.  He approached the locked front door of his home, unlocked and opened it. He then discharged the shotgun through his locked screen door. The shot struck McBride in the face, mortally wounding her.  Wafer located his cell phone, called 911, and police were on the scene within a few minutes. The state's narrative of guilt presents Wafer as a man who acted unreasonably to the presence of a 19-year-old black woman who was simply seeking assistance after a car accident. The defense's narrative of innocence presents Wafer as a homeowner awoken from sleep by noises reasonably consistent with a possible burglary attempt--his immediate neighborhood experiences some hundreds of burglaries and other violent felonies each year--and who fired in reasonable fear of death or grave bodily harm and from within his "castle" when suddenly confronted by the erratically behaving McBride. Key to the defense's narrative in it's opening statement is that the hole in the screen of the screen door could only be positioned as found if McBride had used so much force on the screen door that the screen was knocked out of position prior to the shot being fired.

Posted by Bruce Carroll on August 03, 2014 26 Comments
It's happening again. Just when you think he's gone into the sunset -- the 'Romney in 2016' wave of hysteria sweeps across pundit land. So here we are again this weekend asking ourselves -- Will Mitt be the GOP nominee in 2016? From the FRONT PAGE of The Washington Post today:
“Democrats don’t want to be associated with Barack Obama right now, but Republicans are dying to be associated with Mitt Romney,” said Spencer Zwick, a longtime Romney confidant who chaired his national finance council. He added: “Candidates, campaigns and donors in competitive races are calling saying, ‘Can we get Mitt here?’ They say, ‘We’ve looked at the polling, and Mitt Romney moves the needle for us.’ That’s somewhat unexpected for someone who lost the election.” For a party without a consensus leader — nor a popular elder statesman like Democratic former president Bill Clinton — Romney is stepping forward in both red and blue states to fill that role for the GOP. “There’s a pretty big void in the party right now for national leaders, and Romney’s in a unique position, having been around the track, to help fill that void,” said Scott Reed, a veteran GOP strategist who oversees the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s political operation.
There is nothing wrong -- factually -- with any of the comments made about Romney's current positive profile. But should that (and would it) translate into a successful 2016 run for the two-time loser for President? (McCain beat him in 2008, Obama in 2012) I've been arguing for many months that the total Democratic fixation on Hillary Clinton bodes ill for the bench strength of that party. Yet this constant reanimation of Mitt seems to be set in an opposite environment -- the GOP bench is very strong, especially for 2016 prospects. U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) fueled this current round of Mitt in 2016 talk in July.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 03, 2014 19 Comments
You can add this to the growing list of grossly anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi outbursts around the world, as we noted in Just more “pro-Palestinian” protests: Nazi salutes in Paris, “death to all Jews” in the Hague In Calgary, pro-Palestinian protesters confronted pro-Israel protesters. After some shouting back and forth, the pro-Palestinian protesters started chanting (at 0:40) "Heil, Heil Hitler." (h/t @EzraLevant) More on the protest at Sun News. This is part of an extensive pattern in which neo-Nazi symbolism, chants and other anti-Semitic slogans are used. It's not isolated, but pervasive. And it is something, we have noted, that anti-Israel activists have tried to blame on Zionism itself: Twitter - @SteveSalaita - Zionists partly responsible for antisemitic shit Yet the anti-Semitism reflects ages-old blood libels, actively being pushed by top Hamas leaders:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 03, 2014 21 Comments
We reported on the Finnish reporter who disclosed that there was rocket fire from just behind Gaza's main hospital, Hamas hides in, under and around Gaza’s main hospital, and the media covers it up (Video):
Also, a rocket attack was conducted from the “backyard” of the hospital at 2 o’clock in the morning. It (the rocket launch), in fact, happened somewhere close by because the noise right here at the hospital area was really loud. Indeed, these rockets launched here from the Gazan side (of the border) are headed into Israel.
Now, as reported by Sharona Schwartz at The Blaze, the reporter (name Aishi Zidan) has taken to Facebook to complain her words are being used as pro-Israel propaganda. She doesn't deny, however, the accuracy of her report: Aishi Zidan Facebook Banner
Don’t use me as your propaganda weapon I spent a night at the Shifa hospital in Gaza two weeks ago. I was covering the situation in Gaza for my newspaper. My story was about the Palestinian civilians who were victims of war. My article started with a story of four little boys who were killed on the beach the same day. They were playing on the beach when Israeli army hit them without any clear reason or warning. I interviewed a boy who survived from the attack. The Shifa hospital was full of women and children who were victims of this ugly war. I described their stories in detail. During the night someone launched a rocket somewhere behind the hospital. Now this sentence from my article is spreading in the pro-Israeli medias. I mentioned this in my article because I’m a professional journalist. I try to cover the events truthfully as I see them and I strongly condemn these kind of actions.

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 03, 2014 11 Comments
Pennsylvania Republican Tom Marino sent a panicked Nancy Pelosi running across the house floor last night after speaking the truth about the Democratic Party and our current border crisis. John Parkinson of ABC News reported:
Pelosi Chases Republican Tom Marino Across House Chamber In an unusual breach of decorum, even for the divided Congress, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi chased Rep. Tom Marino across the House floor, taking offense at comments by the Pennsylvania Republican during debate on the border funding bill Friday night. "We don't have law and order," Marino began as he wrapped up his comments on the border supplemental. "My colleagues on the other side don't want to do anything about it." "You know something that I find quite interesting about the other side? Under the leadership of the former Speaker [Pelosi], and under the leadership of their former leader [Rep. Steny Hoyer], when in 2009 and 2010, they had the House, the Senate and the White House, and they knew this problem existed," he continued. "They didn't have the strength to go after it back then. But now are trying to make a political issue out of it now." Off-mic, Pelosi then approached Marino, crossing the aisle in view of cameras, and apparently challenged Marino's assertion that Democrats did not do anything about the issue when they had majority control. "Yes it is true," Marino replied directly to Pelosi, who was House speaker in those years. "I did the research on it. You might want to try it. You might want to try it, Madam Leader. Do the research on it. Do the research. I did it. That's one thing that you don't do." Marino then urged lawmakers to support the border supplemental "because apparently I hit the right nerve." After Marino concluded his remarks and as many Republicans applauded their colleague, Pelosi crossed the chamber again in view of cameras, enraged, pointing and sticking her finger at Marino. She then followed Marino up a Republican aisle, gesturing and arguing with him. Lawmakers on the GOP side gathered in dismay as one spoke out to tell the chair that the House was not in order, in an effort to halt the bickering.
Here's the video, via Scott Johnson of Powerline:
ABC News | More ABC News Videos John Parkinson's story has an entertaining update.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on August 02, 2014 3 Comments
Stoking racial tension against Israel has been a foundation of the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement in the U.S. One pro-Israel student is having none of it. Chloé Simone Valdary is an outspoken pro-Israel student, who is a shining star in the fight against BDS on campus. She is so effective that, during a recent pro-Israel rally in Boston, Chloé was physically assaulted by a woman carrying a pro-BDS poster, who insisted that Jerusalem would be cleansed of Jews: It seems the example of leftist "tolerance" has not dampened Chloé's pro-Israel activism in the slightest. Chloé has  a brilliant and devastating piece in Tablet, which decries the misuse and distortions of the real, historical racism experienced by blacks in this country by pro-Palestinian student groups (via Tammy Bruce).
To the Students for Justice in Palestine, a Letter From an Angry Black Woman The student organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is prominent on many college campuses, preaching a mantra of “Freeing Palestine.” It masquerades as though it were a civil rights group when it is not. Indeed, as an African-American, I am highly insulted that my people’s legacy is being pilfered for such a repugnant agenda. It is thus high time to expose its agenda and lay bare some of the fallacies they peddle.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 02, 2014 5 Comments
The IDF has declared kidnapped soldier Hadar Goldin dead. Haaretz reports:
A special panel headed by Chief Military Rabbi Brig. Gen. Rafi Peretz announced the death of Goldin, an infantry officer in the Givati Brigade. The conclusion was based on forensic evidence from the scene of the attack,a statement by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said. It added that prior to the decision, religious, medical and other relevant issues were taken under consideration. Goldin's family was notified of the decision by the Head of the IDF Personnel Directorate Maj. Gen. Orna Barbivai, and the Chief Military Rabbi Brig. Gen. Rafi Peretz. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon accompanied the two officers.

Posted by Bruce Carroll on August 02, 2014 24 Comments
Former Democratic Congressman and outspoken liberal Barney Frank has some surprisingly harsh words for President Barack Obama. Frank was interviewed recently by The Huffington Post:
"The rollout was so bad, and I was appalled -- I don't understand how the president could have sat there and not been checking on that on a weekly basis," Frank told HuffPost during a July interview. "But frankly, he should never have said as much as he did, that if you like your current health care plan, you can keep it. That wasn't true. And you shouldn't lie to people. And they just lied to people." "He should have said, 'Look, in some cases the health care plans that you've got are really inadequate, and in your own interests, we're going to change them,'" Frank said. "But that's not what he said."
Frank was a 16th term Congressman from Massachusetts who retired from career politics in 2012. But he has always been an outspoken supporter of Obama and the Obamacare law itself. In fact, just four years ago, Frank equated Obamacare opponents to bullies that drive teenagers to suicide.:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on August 02, 2014 54 Comments
As an environmental health and safety professional who has written a book about "bloodborne pathogens," such as the Ebola virus, I read with both interest and alarm Bruce Carrol's post, No concerns here: Ebola patients headed to Georgia. Shortly after writing that book, I was hired by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta to present a safety training program. While I was there, I was privileged to tour their containment facilities, which were highly impressive. The personnel in charge of running those facilities were also (and remain), highly trained, very professional, and have well placed pride in their innovative and protective measures. I would like to give you an idea of what goes into a BioSafety Level 4 Containment Facility, to which the Ebola-infected Americans are being sent:
  • The use of a positive pressure personnel suit, with a segregated air supply, is mandated.
  • Entrances and exits  contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard.
  • Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors from opening at the same time.
  • Members of the laboratory staff have extremely thorough training in handling extremely hazardous infectious agents, and have already had much experience in handling lower hazard biological agents.
  • The containment facility is either in a separate building or in a controlled area within a building, which is completely isolated from all other areas of the building.
For the very interested Legal Insurrection fan, more information is given here. In other words, if I were an American infected with Ebola, this is where I would want to be sent. The most knowledgeable medical experts on exotic infectious diseases are there and this facility is best equipped to stop the spread of the pathogen to anyone else.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 02, 2014 6 Comments
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just gave a major speech. It was predicted that he would announce an end to operations, but his actual speech was much less clear on that point. Repeatedly Netanyahu said that the operation would continue as needed.
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