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Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 28, 2014 7 Comments
Live Video and Twitter feed at bottom of post Last night the United Nations Security Council issued a Presidential Statement (less than a Resolution) demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire. Hamas kept firing missiles, and Israel now is responding. Israel has rejected a ceasefire that does not include security guarantees. A devastating critique of John Kerry's botched ceasefire attempt, from left-wing Israeli author Ari Shavit:
If Israel is forced to ultimately undertake an expanded ground operation in which dozens of young Israelis and hundreds of Palestinian civilians could lose their lives, it would be appropriate to name the offensive after the person who caused it: John Kerry. But if the escalation does not happen, instead we should remember that those who prevented it are three people the Obama administration loathes: Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, Benjamin Netanyahu and Moshe Ya’alon.
There was an explosion at Shifa Hospital (used by Hamas as a safe haven) which immediately was blamed on Israel, but now appears likely to have been a Hamas rocket misfire. We will update as the day goes on.

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Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 28, 2014 8 Comments
Legal Insurrection is truly fortunate to be able to feature the amazing work of talented political cartoonist, A.F. Branco! I have always been a big fan of political cartoons.  In fact, two years ago, I taught my son's class about the history of political cartoons, and had them each create one of their own.  While this was a fun exercise, it proved how challenging it is to covey complex points about the state of the world and the nature of mankind -- all in one small panel. Yet, A.F. Branco's routinely hits the most relevant points impacting current events in fun, poignant, and powerful ways. Being a huge fan of his work, I am thrilled to be able to share an interview of Branco by Alana Marie Burke in  Liberty Voice: Editorial Cartoonist Takes on National Issues With Humor.
Alana Marie Burke (AMB): I admire your lack of cowardice in the current hyper politically correct media environment. In your work, you clearly illustrate your opinions with to the point, well-articulated cartoons that hit hard on national issues affecting Americans. Antonio F. Branco (AFB): I appreciate that, thank you for your perspective. They say every year that we are at a tipping point but I think we are almost beyond the tipping point and it is as though the people in power just don’t seem to have a grip on how serious things are. I think that may come from being insulated in Washington D.C. ... AMB: You are a creative person – a painter and a musician in addition to being a cartoonist. What inspired you to go into the field of cartoons – especially those in an editorial and very political style? AFB: Basically, I just was tired of sitting on the sidelines watching things happen. A lot of people like me were very frustrated around 2010 and that is what instigated the Tea Party and I just could not sit on the sidelines anymore. I had to do something, even if it was just in a small way. I really didn’t consider drawing cartoons as a way to really impact the world or anything – I just thought at least I am doing something and if a few people see it, share it and get the message out there, all the better. I started out with just a few people on my Facebook page, then it turned into a couple of hundred then a few thousand and it has grown. I now have three pages, my personal Facebook page, Freedom’s Battle where I post not only cartoons but other things in the political arena that interest me, or that other people might want to have a discussion on and that is where I get a lot my ideas for cartooning.

Posted by A.F. Branco on July 28, 2014 7 Comments

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 July 27, 2014 161 Comments
Joseph Walker, the New Jersey police officer who shot and killed Joseph Harvey Jr. in a Maryland road-rage incident, took the stand this past Friday to testify in his own defense over a 90 minute period, reports The Baltimore Sun.  Walker is charged with first degree murder in the case, and if convicted faces life in prison.

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Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 27, 2014 25 Comments
Margie in Tel Aviv called attention today to a Christopher Hitchen's quote. I had not heard that before, so I looked it up, here is the clip, from 2010 (transcription):
“And I'll close by saying this. Because anti-Semitism is the godfather of racism and the gateway to tyranny and fascism and war, it is to be regarded not as the enemy of the Jewish people, I learned, but as the common enemy of humanity and of civilisation, and has to be fought against very tenaciously for that reason, most especially in its current, most virulent form of Islamic Jihad.... Our task is to call this filthy thing, this plague, this—this pest, by its right name; to make unceasing resistance to it, knowing all the time that it's probably ultimately ineradicable, and bearing in mind that its hatred towards us is a compliment, and resolving (some of the time, at any rate) to do a bit more to deserve it. Thank you.”
http://youtu.be/SVNcCKeRIlk?t=3m20s What we are seeing is anti-Semitism back in the open in the name of anti-Zionism. You cannot separate the two in the political real world. In addition to all the other videos and images we have protested, here is France, where anti-Semitic pro-Palestinian street rioters wear "Boycott Israel" shirts (which we have seen before): http://youtu.be/YnErARKvIRk?t=21s Here is Paris burning during anti-Semitic riots (more here): It is important to document this widespread, worldwide anti-Semitism which infuses these "pro-Palestinian" protests.

Posted by Bruce Carroll on July 27, 2014 19 Comments
Ten days after Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot from the skies over Ukraine, the situation on the ground in Ukraine has gotten worse. U.S. officials released satellite images today showing proof that Russian forces have been shelling eastern Ukraine from the Russian side of the border.
The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which released the civilian-taken satellite images Sunday, said they show visual evidence that Russia has been firing shells across the border at Ukrainian military forces. Officials also said the images show that Russia-backed separatists have used heavy artillery, provided by Russia, in attacks on Ukrainian forces from inside Ukraine.

Posted by Bruce Carroll on July 27, 2014 15 Comments
Add Libya to the list of places around the world that are on fire. Over the weekend, U.S. embassy personnel -- including the U.S. Ambassador -- were quickly evacuated from the country amidst growing instability caused by militias battling the Libyan government.
Heavy clashes in Libya between army troops loyal to a renegade general and Islamist-led militias have killed 38 people—including civilians—in the country's restive east, health officials said Sunday. A security official said the fighting involved forces loyal to Gen. Khalifa Hifter and militias in the eastern city of Benghazi. The clashes started Saturday and continued through early Sunday morning. The official said commando forces regained control of four military camps captured by Islamist militias in the past few days. Health officials said rockets fired during the fighting hit civilian homes, causing casualties and wounding dozens of people.
Secretary of State John Kerry announced during an overseas trip on Saturday that the United States is temporarily suspending its diplomatic activities in Libya. Diplomats were quickly moved to locations in nearby Tunisia after the militias attacks had struck Tripoli's airport which is close to the U.S. embassy:

Posted by David Gerstman on July 27, 2014 3 Comments
My father just told me about this song by Peter Himmelman, "Maximum Restraint." Himmelman, in addition to being a singer-songwriter in his own right is also Bob Dylan's son-in-law. In the song, Himmelman mocks calls for Israel to exercise "maximum restraint" in response to rocket attacks. Here's a taste of the lyrics:
They’re shooting grads and quassams, from hospitals, mosques and schools When they photograph their dead and dying Hamas just sits and drools Another photo op to take, take straight to CNN they paint Israel as the aggressor – and then it all begins again When someone comes to kill you In the middle of the night Don’t try to defend yourself Don’t use an ounce of might Just sit there quietly and try hard not to faint As the world calls out for – maximum restraint
Himmelman like his father-in-law is a folk rocker from Minnesota. His defense of Israel and criticism of the world's hypocrisy echoes Dylan's 1980's release "Neighborhood Bully" which included this lyric:

Posted by Andrew Branca on July 27, 2014 72 Comments
I just came across some brief TV news coverage with additional details on the case of 80-year-old CA native Tom Greer pursuing and shooting in the back 28-year-old Andrea Miller. We covered the case the other day, Pro-Tip: Shooting Fleeing Women in the Back is NOT Self-Defense. Miller and 26-year-old Gus Adams had invaded Greer's home and began to ransack the residence. When confronted by Greer, they attacked him, breaking his collar bone. Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell reports in a television interview (video embedded after break) that at that point Adams went to try to break into Greer's safe, while Miller continued to assault Greer. They both Miller and Adams believed Greer to no longer be a threat and left him alone to continue to ransack his home.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 26, 2014 28 Comments
When I heard parts of John Kerry's news conference today, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was talking as if he's trying to create a way to bolster Hamas when the fighting is over. Sure enough, Barak Ravid, a well-regarded reporter for the left-wing Israeli Haaretz newspaper presents a chilling tale of John Kerry's complete incompetence in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Kerry's latest cease-fire plan: What was he thinking?
The draft Kerry passed to Israel on Friday shocked the cabinet ministers not only because it was the opposite of what Kerry told them less than 24 hours earlier, but mostly because it might as well have been penned by Khaled Meshal [the political head of Hamas who lives in Qatar]. It was everything Hamas could have hoped for. The document recognized Hamas' position in the Gaza Strip, promised the organization billions in donation funds and demanded no dismantling of rockets, tunnels or other heavy weaponry at Hamas' disposal. The document placed Israel and Hamas on the same level, as if the first is not a primary U.S. ally and as if the second isn't a terror group which overtook part of the Palestinian Authority in a military coup and fired thousands of rockets at Israel.
It gets worse, as I suspected Kerry is seeking to make Hamas a post-war power, Ravid reports:

Posted by Bruce Carroll on July 26, 2014 13 Comments
The news comes as no surprise to the citizens of America. "Dad" is out golfing again today. This got me thinking. If the First Family is akin to America's Mom and Dad, then Dad has become an absent father. When he's not golfing, he is out partying to raise political donations. Mom stays at home raising the girls and -- to her credit -- staying focused on her passion to help the rest of us eat more healthy. But Dad, oh Dad, where have you gone? Dad? Dad? The Telegraph in Britain has picked up on our nation's absent father as well.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 26, 2014 9 Comments
We've documented many times the open anti-Semitism that infuses many "pro-Palestinian" anti-Israel rallies around the world, including the United States. In Paris, scene of vicious anti-Jewish protests, another protest today Thousands protest Gaza operation in Paris, some with Nazi-like 'quenelle' salute:
Several thousand gathered in Place de la République in Paris, France to protest the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, defying a state ban on the demonstration. Protesters chanted "Israel is an assassin, Holland is an accomplice" and "we are all Palestinians," and some were seen gesturing the quenelle, a reverse Nazi-salute, AFP reported. Tension mounted as hundreds of protesters, some masked, began throwing stones and projectiles at police who responded with tear gas. "This event is illegal, but for us it is more than legitimate. This is to show our solidarity with people who are now being massacred," Hugo, a New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA) activist, told AFP. The NPA decided to defy the ban and hold the protest as planned in an assertion of the party's "solidarity with the Palestinian people," NPA leader Olivier Besancenot said. Earlier, France's interior minister called on the protest's organizers to observe the order, fearing anti-Semitic violence.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/1.607300?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter In The Hague, Netherlands, meanwhile, Dutch News reports, The Hague mayor urged to get tough after anti-Jewish chanting at rally(via Jihad Watch):
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