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May 2015

Posted by Andrew Branca on May 15, 2015 191 Comments
UPDATE:  This post has been updated with a statement from Attorney Mark NeJame, Matthew Apperson's lawyer. It's a good thing I'm not the kind of guy to say "I told you so." :-) Matthew Apperson, the man who claims he fired a .357 Magnum bullet at George Zimmerman's head in purported self-defense, has been arrested by the Lake Mary Police Department (LMPD) following their investigation of the case. This is according to a press release from the LMPD, embedded below. (Hat tip to commenter "Amy in FL," and tweeter "@AmyA1A.") Zimmerman, you will recall, barely missed being hit by the bullet, and suffered minor injuries from shattered glass when the bullet passed through his car window. According to that LMPD press release:

Posted by Amy Miller on May 15, 2015 6 Comments
Nepalese rescuers have found the wreckage of the "Huey" military helicopter that went missing earlier this week during an aid mission. Three bodies were found at the crash site. The helicopter was carrying 2 Nepalese army soldiers and 6 U.S. Marines when it disappeared outside the earthquake-ravaged town of Charikot. Originally, officials were hopeful that the craft had been forced to make an emergency landing in a low-lying area (which would have made the deployment of a rescue beacon or distress signal impossible); however, the discovery of the wreckage and remains has led officials to the conclusion that recovery crews shouldn't expect to find any survivors of the crash. The AP reports:
"The wreckage of the helicopter was found in pieces, and there are no chances of any survivors," Nepal's defense secretary, Iswori Poudyal said. He did not give the nationalities of the three victims, only saying their remains were charred. ... Lt. Gen. John Wissler, commander of the Marine-led joint task force, told reporters in Kathmandu that his team could not immediately identify the cause of the crash or identify the bodies found.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 15, 2015 20 Comments
Sen. Paul made headlines a few weeks ago when he lobbed the abortion gotcha questions back into the Democrat's court. This week, Paul released a video detailing his pro-life stance. On Facebook, Sen. Paul's official campaign account included the following statement:
I strongly believe in the sanctity of life and that an abortion takes the life of an innocent human being. As a physician, one of the first things we learn is to ‘do no harm.’ Since the Roe v. Wade decision, over 50 million children have been killed in abortion procedures. This is a tragedy. We cannot have liberty if we do not first protect life. As President, I will champion an agenda that supports and defends all human life, no matter how defenseless.
"Can a country founded on God-given rights continue to thrive without understanding that life is a precious gift from our Creator?" asks Paul. A bit theatric, but well done nonetheless:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 15, 2015 27 Comments
Jurors finally reached consensus in the sentencing of Boston Marathon Bomber Jahar Tsarnaev. Tsarnaev was sentenced to death. According to the Associated Press:
BOSTON (AP) — A jury sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death Friday for the Boston Marathon bombing, sweeping aside pleas that he was just a "kid" who fell under the influence of his fanatical older brother. Tsarnaev, 21, stood with his hands folded upon learning his fate, decided after 14 hours of deliberations over three days in the nation's most closely watched terrorism trial since the Oklahoma City bombing case two decades ago. The decision sets the stage for what could be the nation's first execution of a terrorist in the post-9/11 era, though the case is likely to go through years of appeals. The execution would be carried out by lethal injection. The 12-member jury had to be unanimous for Tsarnaev to get the death penalty. Otherwise, he would have automatically received a sentence of life in prison without parole. Three people were killed and more than 260 wounded when two pressure-cooker bombs packed with shrapnel exploded near the finish line on April 15, 2013. Tsarnaev was convicted last month of all 30 federal charges against him, including use of a weapon of mass destruction and the killing of an MIT police officer during the Tsarnaev brothers' getaway attempt. Seventeen of those charges carried the possibility of the death penalty.

Live feed is here:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 15, 2015 14 Comments
After spending months building a solid support base in straw poll states and assembling a rock star-laden team, Governor Perry has finally set a date. An email from his wife, Anita Perry, said the Perry's would be making a "special announcement" in Dallas on June 4th:
America is facing a time of testing, and it's clear that we need principled leadership and an optimistic vision to see us through after eight years of the Obama Administration. Rick and I have been talking a lot about what the future holds for our great country, and the role our family can play in creating an America of unlimited opportunity for our children and grandchildren. We are so excited to share our decision with you, and hope you will join us on June 4th in Dallas for a major announcement! In case you missed it, you can find more details here. Rick and I look forward to seeing you in Dallas on June 4th! Thanks for all you do, Anita Perry
The announcement was also sent via the former First Lady of Texas' Twitter account:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 15, 2015 14 Comments
The movement to boycott those who support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is gaining steam, particularly at the legislative level. We previously highlighted federal legislation aimed at the European boycott movement, and the apoplectic reaction, Breaking! Anti-Israel boycotters don’t like being boycotted!:
The vicious anti-Israel boycotters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement don’t like it when the tables are turned on them. That’s why, when faculty pass their anti-Israel boycott resolutions, they include in the resolutions the demand that their right to boycott be protected. In other words, boycotters claim the right to boycott others, but deny others the right to boycott them.
In addition to federal legislation, Illinois is on the verge of passing legislation which effectively causes the State to boycott the boycotters. The Washington Free Beacon reports, Anti-BDS Bill Poised for Passage in Illinois Legislature:
A milestone bill meant to combat international boycotts of Israel cleared a major procedural hurdle in the Illinois House this week, paving the way for the state to become among the first to divest funds from any company supporting the anti-Israel Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment (BDS) movement. The bill, which would force Illinois’ five state pension funds to divest from any company supporting boycotts of Israel, passed by a 10-0 vote through a key executive committee on Wednesday and is now on its way to a full vote in the state’s legislature, where it is expected to garner widespread support.... If passed, Illinois would become the first state in nation to divest from companies abroad that support Israel boycotts.
The anti-Israel movement issued urgent alerts to try to stop the legislation in committee.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 15, 2015 31 Comments
On May 3, 2015, we started the ball rolling down the hill on the subject, Columbia Multicultural Advisors: Put Trigger Warning on Ovid’s Metamorphoses:
I think we have the 2015 Phrase of the Year: Trigger Warning. But now they’ve gone too far.... Not all is well with The Metamorphoses at Columbia University. In an Op-Ed in The Columbia Spectator, Our identities matter in Core classrooms, four members of the Columbia Multicultural Affairs Advisory Board complain that the study of classic works of Western civilization in general, and The Metamorphoses specifically, are “triggering,” insensitive, and make some students feel “unsafe” .... The solution? First, a rewrite of the Core curriculum.... Then, Trigger Warnings.... And of course, the mandatory re-education training....
The topic has been percolating around the intertubes since our May 3 post. We got a special shout out yesterday from Jerry A. Coyne at The New Republic, Life Is "Triggering." The Best Literature Should Be, Too:

Posted by Mike LaChance on May 15, 2015 22 Comments
I don't know what should be done with refugees from Syria but this proposal from Stanford professor David Laitin seems like cruel and unusual punishment. CBS News of Detroit:
Stanford Professor: Let Refugees From War-Torn Syria Settle In Detroit What to do with refugees from war-torn Syria? Send them to Detroit! That’s the message Thursday from a Stanford University political science professor in the New York Times. David Laitin writes in an opinion piece titled “Let Syrians Settle Detroit” that refugees traumatized by war usually turn out to be good citizens. “Suppose these two social and humanitarian disasters were conjoined to produce something positive,” Laitin says. Laitin notes that Syrians have set up thousands of shops at a refugee camp in Jordan and writes that Detroit’s large American Arab population would help them assimilate.

Posted by Amy Miller on May 14, 2015 32 Comments
Earlier this week we reported on the NFL's verdict in the "deflategate" scandal involving the Indianapolis Colts, the New England Patriots, and a sack of deflated footballs. Following an investigation, the Patriots were fined $1 million and lost their first round draft pick for 2016 and fourth round pick for 2017. Additionally, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016-2017 season, and locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski were both suspended without pay, and cannot return to their jobs without the permission of the NFL. The punishments were rendered based on the contents of the now-famous "Wells report", which was issued last week and revealed the results of an independent investigation into the footballs used in this year's AFC Championship game. Brady today announced that he is appealing the suspension, and the Patriots issued a blow-by-blow response to the Wells report. "The Wells Report in Context" asserts that the findings of the Wells report are "at best, incomplete, incorrect and lack context," and seeks to "provide additional context for balance and consideration."

Posted by Amy Miller on May 14, 2015 11 Comments
A bill ensuring Congressional oversight on any proposed nuclear deal with Iran is headed to the President's desk. The bill passed through the House 400-25 after a hard-fought battle in the Senate earlier this month. It imposes a 30 day buffer preventing the President from waiving any congressional sanctions against Iran while Congress reviews the deal; additionally, if Congress disapproves of the deal, the President will be unable to waive certain congressionally-imposed sanctions. Opponents of the bill maintained that its provisions were not strong enough to provide an adequate buffer between the Obama Administration and a nuclear Iran; its supporters, however, argued that the bill would be the best chance for the American people to weigh in on the controversial impending nuclear deal. The legislation eventually passed the Senate 98-1, with only Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton objecting. President Obama is expected to sign the bill, giving Congress the power of initial rejection but ushering in a new round of contentious negotiations over the nuclear deal itself. The House vote came as Obama met with the leadership (though not necessarily the figureheads) of leading Persian Gulf states in a series of meetings "designed to narrow differences" over the impending nuclear deal:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on May 14, 2015 21 Comments
The last time we checked in with Pope Francis, he was preparing an encyclical addressing "the moral cause of climate change." A group from the Heartland Institute, which promotes free-market solutions to social and economic problems, was on its way to Rome to present data that would give the pontiff a more science-based perspective than the faith-based theories of climate change activists. Sadly, the team did not obtain an audience with the Pope. However, they did hold a "Environmental Workshop" in an attempt to formally present information to the public in hopes that it will eventually been seen by the Holy Father. There were many wonderful talks, but perhaps the most poignant was given by Christopher Monckton, British peer and chief policy advisor to the Science and Public Policy Institute (SPPI).

Posted by Miriam Elman on May 14, 2015 5 Comments
This Sunday is Yom Yerushalayim—Jerusalem Day—the newest holiday on the Jewish calendar, celebrating the reunification of Israel’s capital. This Sunday’s festivities are expected to attract tens of thousands of Israelis from across the country for the annual march from Jerusalem’s center of town to the Western Wall, and the popular Dance of Flags celebration (Rikudegalim). The parade traditionally enters the Old City via the Muslim Quarter en route to the Western Wall (the Kotel). What could be wrong with that? Apparently, plenty.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 14, 2015 19 Comments
For Democrats the solution to every.single.problem is simple: make it rain dollar bills democrats funding throw money Infrastructure needs updating? Raise the gas tax. Some don't have health insurance? Use someone else's money to give it them. And why should women have to pay for birth control? Toss some taxpayer money at them too! The list goes on... Most recently, Democrats decided the tragic Amtrak derailment was the perfect opportunity to shamelessly push for more funding. People died? Well, this wouldn't have happened if Amtrak had MORE FUNDING. Harumpf. Democrats, essentially.

Posted by Andrew Branca on May 14, 2015 80 Comments

The Daily Mail has dug up some pure gold on Matthew Apperson, the man who two days ago apparently tried to shoot George Zimmerman through the head with a .357 Magnum revolver. (Apperson appears with his wife, Liza, in the photo above.)

(As an aside, thank you, again, UK news media, for doing the reporting that US news media can't be bothered to do.)

I've previously reported on Apperson's multiple arrests, and occasional convictions, for crimes such as DUI and drug possession, but most of those had taken place about 15 years ago.  (See: Zimmerman Shooter Claims Self-Defense.)

What, one wonders, has Apperson been up to more recently?  It turns out, the Daily Mail reports, that "Apperson is also well known to police in several Florida police districts."

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