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Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 30, 2014 3 Comments
In Egypt, it looks like they have opted to go BIG:
A judge in Egypt on Monday sentenced to death 683 alleged supporters of the country's ousted Islamist president in the latest mass trial that included the Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader, defense lawyers said. But in a surprise reversal, the same judge also reduced most of the death sentences handed to 529 defendants in a similar case in March, commuting the majority of them on Monday to life imprisonment. The judge, Said Youssef, said he was referring his ruling on the 683 death sentences for violence and the killing of policemen to the Grand Mufti, the top Islamic official -- a requirement under Egyptian law, but one that is considered a formality. Both mass trials are linked to deadly riots that erupted in Minya and elsewhere in Egypt after security forces violently disbanded sit-ins held by Brotherhood supporters in Cairo last August.
General Sisi apparently has decided not to win the "hearts and minds" of the Muslim Brotherhood. However, he may be winning the support of his people, who have suffered with enormous civil unrest since "Arab Spring" sprung in 2011.

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Posted by Mandy Nagy on April 29, 2014 9 Comments
The European Union has announced a new round of sanctions that target 15 individuals with a travel ban and assets freeze as the situation in eastern Ukraine has continued to escalate. From CNN:
The European Union has imposed sanctions related to the crisis in Ukraine on another 15 people, bringing the total number targeted to 48. The EU said Monday they are responsible for actions that "undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine." The targets include Dmitry Kozak, Russia's deputy prime minister; Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov; and pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, including Denis Pushilin, the self-declared leader of the "Donetsk People's Republic." EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was alarmed by the worsening security situation in eastern Ukraine, and she called on Russia to take "concrete steps" in support of an international deal signed this month aimed at easing tensions. She warned that if necessary, the European Union "will look at possible additional individual measures" related to the crisis.
The EU’s move comes just on the heels of an announcement from the United States regarding its own expansion of sanctions against Russia. The Department of Treasury indicated Monday it is imposing additional sanctions on “seven Russian government officials, including two members of President Putin's inner circle, who will be subject to an asset freeze and a U.S. visa ban, and 17 companies linked to Putin's inner circle, which will be subject to an asset freeze.” The situation on the ground in eastern Ukraine meanwhile remains tense.

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Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 29, 2014 22 Comments
Professor Jacobson just asked if a Toyota can get from California to Texas on single tank of gas? As a Californian, I would like to answer that question. First, you need to know that California Governor Jerry Brown recently said Rick Perry's efforts to recruit businesses to Texas are "barely a fart." So, if the fuel is blended with those farts, the answer is: Hell, yes! Interestingly,Toyota has had a relatively long-term stay in California.
With its worldwide headquarters in Japan, Toyota's U.S. operation has headquartered in Southern California for more than 50 years. Most employees affected by the move, which begins in 2016, work on a sprawling campus in Torrance. "This is the most significant change we've made to our North American operations in the past 50 years, and we're excited for what the future holds," says Jim Lentz, Toyota's U.S. CEO.
My question is not why Toyota is leaving, but why it took them so long to make the move. The economic advantages to both the company and its employees are quite compelling.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 29, 2014 40 Comments
Andrew Branca wrote the other day about his bet with CNN Legal Analyst Sunny Hostin, recorded on air at the Berkeley Law School Stand Your Ground debate, CNN analyst welches on bet after Andrew Branca wins “Stand-Your-Ground” Debate. The bet was over whether George Zimmerman was told not to leave his car when he was on the phone with 911 prior to the shooting of Trayvon Martin. When a panelist claimed Zimmerman was told not to leave his car, Branca offered a $100 wager that such an order never took place. CNN Legal Analyst Sunny Hostin took Branca up on the bet. It's on video: Of course, as anyone who followed the trial knows, there was no such instruction not to leave the car. The mention by the 911 operator that "we don't need you to do that" was not an order -- by the 911 operator's own testimony -- and in any event, took place after Zimmerman already had exited the car. See my long ago post, In busting Zimmerman myths, Jonathan Capehart perpetuates the greatest myth of all, in which I presented the transcript and video of trial testimony. According to Branca, Hostin has not paid the wager, even though he sent her the audio of the 911 call and has tweeted demands for payment to her. In his post yesterday, Andrew noted that there was an entry on Hostin's Wikipedia page regarding the Berkeley debate mentioning the wager and failure to pay. 

Posted by Bryan Jacoutot on April 29, 2014 23 Comments
In Manila yesterday, Fox News' Ed Henry asked President Obama to explain the Obama doctrine. As Obama faces increasing criticism from all sides regarding the efficacy of his foreign policy, he first scoffed at the question responding, "Well Ed, I doubt I'll have time to lay out my entire foreign policy doctrine." The President then proceeded to go into a long-winded explanation highlighting several foreign policy endeavors, including Ukraine and Syria. President Obama also took aim at his critics and, true to form, the policies of the Bush administration. [Emphasis Added]
Typically, criticism of our foreign policy has been directed at the failure to use military force. And the question I think I would have is, why is it that everybody is so eager to use military force after we’ve just gone through a decade of war at enormous costs to our troops and to our budget? And what is it exactly that these critics think would have been accomplished?
Despite insinuating that critics of his foreign policy are essentially war-mongers, the President had trouble finding examples where the criticism of his foreign policy centered on a lack of American boots on the ground.

Posted by New Neo on April 29, 2014 11 Comments
I'm recommending the book Destructive Generation: Second Thoughts About the Sixties by David Horowitz and Peter Collier. It's a chilling document, especially because---unlike in 1989, when the book was first written---it's become more and more clear that the left's long Gramscian march through our institutions has been largely successful. The book's first chapter---the story of Fay Stender, is a tale of such sadness it's almost unbearable. Stender was an idealistic leftist lawyer who defended, and had affairs with, black prisoners such as Huey Newton and "Soledad Brother" George Jackson, and was later shot by another black con after her supposed "betrayal" of Jackson. Stender's life trajectory wasn't just sad, of course. It was offensive and outrageous and anger-provoking, and not just for what was done to her but for her own role in it. But it was also sad. It was sad that Stender was so naive in the first place as to dedicate her life to defending a group of socipathic con men who happened to talk a good line of racial victimization, sad that she deceived herself so greatly in her perverted idealism. It was sad that, when she finally realized who and what they really were, it was too late to save herself (or others) from their revenge although she tried her best. Sad (although ultimately good, if it's truth you're after) that she lost her illusions even before her former buddies managed to get her, and sad that, prior to their destroying her physically, she had realized her life's work was a sham and a betrayal of the principles she had thought she was defending. Sad and ironic that, at the trial of the man who had shot her five times and left her in horrific unremitting pain and paralyzed from the waist down as well as handicapped in the use of her arms, his defense (unsuccessful, at least) was based on the sorts of arguments she had formerly used to defend other black activist criminals. You might say that Stender got what she deserved, but I see her story as tragic despite (or perhaps because of?) her own role in her destruction and the destruction of others.

Posted by edgeofthesandbox on April 29, 2014 29 Comments

1. Federalization

In Ukraine, parties on the losing end of the electoral process take turns demanding federalization or even secession. The idea's been floating around for years; The Svoboda party, formerly known as the Social Nationalist Party of Ukraine, includes decentralization in their official platform.  After Viktor Yanukovich, whose power base is located in Ukraine's Russian- speaking south-west won presidential elections in 2008, the Svoboda stronghold of Galicia was talking secession.  Their head, Oleh Tyahnybok, is currently against federalization, however:
Regarding the idea of federalization, this structure suits Russia, where in some regions ethnic minorities make up a majority of the population such as Tatarstan, Kalmykia, Ingushetia, Buryatia and others. The idea of Ukrainian federalization is nothing more than another underhanded attempt to weaken Ukrainian statehood and subordinate Ukraine to Putin's geopolitical ambitions.
That Ukraine is a homogeneous society would be news to people mildly familiar with the country. The current push for federalization is spearheaded by, among others, Ukrainian Communists as well as Vladimir Putin, who, while massing his troops on Ukraine's border, continues the talk of extending self-rule of Ukraine's regions, something that Russia does not allow.  Federalization is a frequent demand of separatists in the south-east. Mikhail Dobkin, the former Kharkiv mayor and gubernatorial appointee of the deposed Yanukovich, is running for president on the platform of federalization. Dobkin, however, is not a serious candidate because a) his Party of Regions is all but dead; b) he's a bona fide Jew in a country where politicians go out of their way to hide their Jewish roots and c) he doesn't appear to have support outside of Kharkiv. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="529"] [Ukrainian GDP by region. Dnipropetrovsk governor and second richest person in the country Ihor Kolomoisky had formed his own security force in the wake of Maidan's victory][/caption]To be sure,  federalization is not a popular idea, and Ukrainians view centralized government as the perfect expression of the nation-state. And yet it continues to be tossed around by all sorts of politicians, among them the mayor of the western-most city of Lviv, Andriy Sadovy.  Proponents of federalization include high profile Western figures, most notably, Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics Roger Meyerson.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 28, 2014 13 Comments
We have addressed J Street multiple times before. J Street is the progressive lobbying and political action group created as an alternative to AIPAC and other mainstream pro-Israel groups. J Street was co-founded by Jeremy Ben-Ami, with major early funding from George Soros and a mysterious Hong Kong financier.  J Street initially denied the Soros funding, but that was exposed, as we wrote in 2010, Yup, Soros Is Behind J-Street. J Street has grown rapidly, and is on the verge of being accepted into the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. J Street's critics argue that J Street is nothing more than a Trojan horse, meant to weaken American support for Israel. The J Street Challenge, a movie being screened now, presents the case against J Street. Under the guise of supporting Israel's right to exist, J Street allegedly relentlessly criticizes Israel, and plays into the anti-Israel narrative behind the BDS and other movements, even if it doesn't support such movements openly. Gullible liberals, particularly liberal students, it is argued, fall for the J Street line, and thereby legitimize the demonization and delegitimization of Israel.  J Street calls many of the accusations Myths. Part of the drama between AIPAC and more traditional pro-Israel groups, on the one hand, and J Street, on the other hand, plays out on college campuses, where J Street U -- the very active college division of J Street -- routinely hosts anti-Israel speakers and fails to push back against anti-Israel agitation. Brandeis University is one place where that tension has been sharp the past academic year, as Daniel Mael, a religious Jew who writes for pro-Israel websites like TruthRevolt.com, has exposed and criticized J Street. Mael has been a relentless critic of J Street and its college chapters, authoring at least the following articles (these were pulled from Mael's Twitter feed, where he has been tweeting the links):

Posted by Andrew Branca on April 28, 2014 75 Comments
Yesterday I promised an update on the key self-defense trials coming our way over the course of this summer, and so here I am to keep that promise. Before I get into that, however, I'd like to share a couple of items that have been brought to my attention in the last 24 hours.

"Law of Self Defense" Ranked #1 by Amazon in Sports Shooting Category

"The Law of Self Defense, 2nd Edition," has been ranked by Amazon.com as it's #1 seller in the Sports Shooting category. Law of Self Defense #1 in Amazon Sport Shooting Category Now, I'm not sure how self-defense has much to do with sports shooting, but you take the #1's where you find them. Two critical keys to achieving this #1 status have certainly been the Twitter campaign launched against me by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and the uproarious kerfuffle generated by the antics of CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin. So, before proceeding to substantive matters, I'd like to thank @CSGV, @SunnyHostin, and the UC Berkeley School of Law--I couldn't have done it without you guys.

CNN Legal Analyst Sunny Hostin has Wikipedia Page Updated to Reflect Reality

Last night somebody brought to my attention that the Wikipedia page for CNN Legal Analyst Sunny Hostin had been updated to reflect her losing debate performance as well as her welshing on our wager. I feel obliged to note that I had nothing whatever to do with this entry, but also that it is entirely factually correct. Sunny Hostin Wiki with debate welch OK, now onto the self-defense cases coming up in 2014.

Posted by Bryan Jacoutot on April 28, 2014 33 Comments
Yesterday, Chris Wallace featured two panelists to debate the outcome of a recent United States Supreme Court ruling on Affirmative Action and the use of race in the admissions process. The case upheld a Michigan voter referendum banning the use of race or gender based Affirmative Action programs in the public university admissions process, among other things. One panelist was a successful litigant from a prior Affirmative Action Supreme Court case, Jennifer Gratz. Gratz is also the CEO of XIV Foundation, an organization "dedicated to the principle that equal treatment is the essence of civil rights and that all people are entitled to civil rights." The other panelist was civil rights attorney, Shanta Driver. As I watched the debate unfold, one thing I could not help but notice was the use of the word "equality," in each opposing side's rationale for their position. Gratz, who advocated for upholding the Michigan referendum to end race preferences cited "equal treatment under law," regardless of race. Likewise Driver, advocated for the continuation of federally protected race preferences in the admissions, also citing the need for equality. In fact, Driver went so far as to compare this decision by the Supreme Court as a revival of Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 Supreme Court case that brought about the concept of "separate but equal" segregation.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 28, 2014 14 Comments
We have written about Mark Witaschek many times before. Witashek was aggressively prosecuted the same D.C. Office of Attorney General that refused to prosecute David Gregory for a clear gun law violation, all because Witaschek was found in possession of an inoperable shotgun shell and "muzzle loader" bullets, Someone who’s not David Gregory convicted of stupid DC gun law violation:
Yesterday, a D.C. Judge found Mark Witaschek guilty of “attempted possession of unlawful ammunition” for possessing an antique replica muzzleloader bullet. Emily Miller at the Washington Times has thoroughly chronicled Mr. Witaschek’s court proceedings, which to date have spanned nearly two years and now appear likely to continue into the appellate stage. In brief, the case centered on a single inert piece of ammunition, which rested on Mr. Witascheck’s desk in the District, and which he did not know was illegal.
William F. Vanderpool, a retired supervisory special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, [explained] to the judge that the saboted lead balls have no powder or propellant attached, so are not “live…” The primer on the shotgun shell had already been struck by the firing pin. Mr. Witaschek kept the misfired shell on his home office desk as a memento from a hunt.
Ultimately, Mr. Witaschek was sentenced to time served, a $50 fine, and is required to enroll with the Metropolitan Police Department’s firearm offenders’ registry within 48 hours.
That wasn't the end of the story. As Emily Miller further writes, the D.C. Office of Tax and Reveue now is investigating Witashek's employment payroll records:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 28, 2014 17 Comments
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. A two minute siren is sounded in Israel and everything comes to a stop. On this day we remember not only the 6 million Jews, but the millions of non-Jews killed by the Nazis, the "righteous gentiles" who risked their lives and the lives of their families to hide and shelter Jews, and the soldiers who liberated the camps. Like Vernon Tott and others, about whom we wrote in 2009:
When I think of the exceptional nature of this country, I also think of the rows upon rows of white crosses in cemetaries above the beaches of Normandy, of thousands of mostly Christian soldiers floating on the shores of islands in the Pacific, and the mostly Christian American soldiers who liberated numerous concentration camps. I think of Christian Americans like Vernon Tott of Iowa who not only liberated concentration camps, but took the time thereafter to bear witness to what he saw (and decades later to reunite with one of the prisoners he liberated):

Posted by A.F. Branco on April 28, 2014 2 Comments

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