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July 2016

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on July 09, 2016 6 Comments
The horrific Dallas massacre of peace officers has resulted in an amazing outpouring of support not only from celebrities and politicians but from ordinary people all across America who are reaching out to show their support for and appreciation of their local police departments. In Dallas, crowds gathered to hug and say "thank you" to Dallas PD:
Police Chief David Brown received a long and loud round of a applause before he spoke at a midday, citywide prayer service here. Police work is a job where you seldom hear the words “Thank you,” he said. The hundreds of residents who packed Thanks-Giving Square Park in downtown Dallas responded with a resounding, “THANK YOU!” After the service, which featured remarks from faith and civic leaders, musical tributes and prayers, many of those in attendance stood in line to offer their personal thanks to men and women in uniform. Soon, everyone started hugging.
In Alabama, a "thin blue line" initiative has been picked up by Alabamians eager to show their support and respect for local law enforcement:
A Texan has developed the “Safe Harbor Initiative,” using the “thin blue line” as a signal of support to community police officers, and many Alabamians are participating.

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 09, 2016 3 Comments
The Green Party's Jill Stein has a great idea for Bernie Sanders. She wants him to take her place as the presidential candidate for the party. Sanders isn't likely to take her up on the offer, but it sure is fun to think about. The Guardian reported:
Green party's Jill Stein invites Bernie Sanders to take over ticket Bernie Sanders has been invited to continue his underdog bid for the White House by the Green party’s probable presidential candidate, who has offered to step aside to let him run.

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 09, 2016 33 Comments
Following the horrific violence and murder of police officers in Dallas this week, conservative talk host Rush Limbaugh made a disturbingly plausible prediction on his show. Rush suggested that Dallas might just be the beginning of something and that the next targets could be the Republican National Convention and the Democratic Convention after that. The Washington Free Beacon reported:
After Dallas, Rush Limbaugh Predicts Republican and Democratic Conventions Will Be Attacked Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh predicted Friday that both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions later this month will be the next targets of an attack after the police killings Thursday night in Dallas.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 08, 2016 6 Comments
Rasmea Odeh is the Palestinian terrorist group member convicted of the 1969 supermarket bombing in Jerusalem that killed two Hebrew University students, Edward Joffe and Leon Kanner. She was released in a prisoner exchange in 1979 for an Israeli soldier captured in Lebanon. I visited the graves of Edward and Leon, and met their siblings, during my trip to Israel in 2015, Rasmea Odeh’s victims – then and now. Graves of Edward Joffe and Leon Kanner Jerusalem Rasmea eventually made her way to the U.S., where she lied on both her visa and naturalization applications, by falsely stating that she never was convicted of a crime or served time in prison. She told other lies as well, such as not disclosing the time she spent in Lebanon after release from Israeli prison, or that she was a military member of the terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Rasmea became a U.S. citizen in 2004 on the basis of those lies.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 08, 2016 14 Comments
Here's some change we can all believe in -- an appropriations bill that slices federal funding to the IRS. Passing the House yesterday, the bill trims the IRS' 2017 budget by $236 million and provides a total budget that's $2.7 billion below the budget President Obama requested.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 08, 2016 6 Comments
President Barack Obama wants NATO to "stand firm" against Russia until the Kremlin has fully complied with ceasefire agreements in east Ukraine. He also promised 1,000 troops to Poland for extra security:
"In Warsaw, we must reaffirm our determination — our duty under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty — to defend every NATO ally," Obama said.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 08, 2016 10 Comments
Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and John Cornyn (R-TX) have presented a bill to strip Hillary Clinton and her aides of their security clearances after the FBI recommended she not face prosecution over her emails. Gardner said:
“The FBI’s investigation into Secretary Clinton’s personal email server confirmed what Americans across the country already know: Secretary Clinton recklessly accessed classified information on an insecure system–establishing a vulnerable and highly desirable target for foreign hackers,” Gardner said. “If the FBI won’t recommend action based on its findings, Congress will. At the very least, Secretary Clinton should not have access to classified information, and our bill makes sure of it.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 08, 2016 10 Comments
The State Department has decided to restart their own investigation into how Hillary Clinton and her aides mishandled any classified information. The presumptive Democrat presidential candidate escaped prosecution when the FBI recommended the Department of Justice not bring charges against her.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on July 08, 2016 32 Comments
Morning Joe did a very decent job today of covering the shooting of police officers in Dallas and the issue of police shootings of African-American. The remarks were generally even-handed. Even Al Sharpton was cautious and balanced in his comments. And so it was surprising that of all people, Chuck Todd made the most tendentious remark. Speaking of the shooting of Philando Castile in St. Paul, Minnesota, and discussing the need for better police training, Todd said: "how do you train prejudice and hate out of somebody's heart? That's a tough thing." Is there racism among police? Of course, as there is in every segment of society. Was the Minnesota governor right when he said Castile would be alive if he were white? Quite possibly. But for Todd to focus on police "prejudice and hate" was a gross and unfair overgeneralization. Chuck Todd: please spend a few days in a police cruiser in an inner city. See what the police see and have to deal with every day. Then come back and tell us whether police "prejudice and hate" is the key to the problems facing our society.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 08, 2016 34 Comments
Thursday night, a man shot twelve law enforcement officers, killing five. Two civilians were also shot. Three of the wounded officers and one of the deceased were Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) officers. Mark Hughes was wrongly identified as a suspect, but turned himself in and was quickly released. So far, police have identified four suspects. Three are in custody, one is a woman. According to CBS News, they worked together with the goal of killing as many officers as possible. According to the Dallas Police Chief, at least one suspect told the hostage negotiator he was upset over BlackLivesMatter, was upset about recent police shootings, and was upset at and wanted to kill white people, especially white officers. The suspect also told the hostage negotiator that he was not affiliated with any groups and that he acted alone.

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 08, 2016 10 Comments
Following the now famous "sit in" occupation of Congress, Democrats continued their demands for greater gun control with "Day of Action" protests. Roll Call reported:
'Day of Action' on Gun Violence When Rep. Elijah E. Cummings saw two young black men in wheelchairs, he wanted to know more. "Was it a disease, what happened?" he asked. Both said they'd been shot. And both said they were involved in robberies.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 08, 2016 54 Comments
Snipers shot 11 officers in Dallas, TX, during a protest over the shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. Police have both suspects in custody. https://twitter.com/GaltsGirl/status/751279057409421312 A fourth has passed away. https://twitter.com/DallasPD/status/751267894802079745

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on July 07, 2016 33 Comments
When it comes to hunching over while breathing through the mouth, he surely knows a thing or two. . . If you're the perviest creep in politics, you really shouldn't insult millions of decent Americans in the most denigrating terms. But hey, you're disgraced ex-congressman Anthony Weiner, husband of close Hillary aide Huma Abedin. Appearing on today's With All Due Respect, Weiner, slumped in his chair in T-shirt and jeans, said that Donald Trump "appeals to that mouth-breathing, hunched over, one-tooth person that is the primary voter for Republicans." For good measure, Weiner said "I will eat Heilemann's shoes" if Hillary doesn't win in a blowout. He went on to call Trump "an anti-Semitic, anti-Hispanic, xenophobic ass," stopping just short of adding another syllable to that last word. Weiner clearly hasn't learned a thing. He gives off the same angry, out-of-control, exhibitionist vibe as he did back in the days that his pixelated private parts adorned the front pages.

Posted by Andrew Branca on July 07, 2016 18 Comments
The "Freddie Gray trial" of Lieutenant Brian Rice began today with opening statements and the state's first two witnesses, reports the Baltimore Sun (the tweets embedded below are also provided by Baltimore Sun reporters).  Rice has chosen a bench trial before trial Judge Barry Williams.  The last two "Freddie Gray" defendants, who also chose bench trials, were both acquitted of all charges. Although the state dropped one of the minor charges against Rice--the misconduct charge associated with the arrest in which he was not involved--they continue to pursue charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and a second misconduct in office charge.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 07, 2016 6 Comments
NATO will meet in Warsaw to show unity against Russia and approve a Baltic force, but the Brexit referendum could take center stage as some believe a weaker European Union means a weaker NATO. Poland always wanted a NATO summit, especially since Russia has flexed its muscles. But unfortunately, the Brexit referendum may take a starring role with the leaders along with a possibility of Donald Trump joining them next year:
“Since 1999, when Poland joined NATO, this is the most important summit for us,” said Tomasz Szatkowski, Poland’s deputy minister of defense. “It provides for the actual presence of Western allies in Poland.”
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