Rockets Land in Israel, Egypt’s ISIS Affiliate Claims Responsibility

/1 Comment/in , /by

Militants in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula fired rockets into southern Israel on Friday in an incident that caused no casualties but appeared to be linked to fighting between Islamist insurgents and Egyptian security forces.

Islamic State’s Egypt affiliate, Sinai Province, said in a statement posted on Twitter by supporters that it had launched three Grad rockets toward “occupied Palestine”. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the statement.

An Israeli military source earlier said the rockets had been fired from Sinai, which borders Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal.

Israeli police said they had so far found remnants of two rockets in an open area. No damage or casualties were reported.

It was possible the launch was linked to the fighting in Sinai, the military source said, where militants of the Sinai Province group launched their biggest assault in years against Egyptian security forces on Wednesday. (Read more from “Rockets Land in Israel, Egypt’s IS Affiliate Claims Responsibility” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Call for an Assembly of the States in May 2016

/3 Comments/in , /by

It is time for states to undertake specific steps to re-assert their 10th amendment rights against the usurpations of the federal government.

We are, after all, the United States of America, not the United Federal Government of America.

Here’s my proposal for a starting point:

One state legislature can pass an act for it to host an “Assembly of the States” whose purpose will be to identify and share best practices for the assertion by the states of their 10th amendment rights among the several states.

The proposed Assembly of the States is not an Article V Convention of the States as recommended by conservative author Mark Levin, but there would be no restriction upon the Assembly discussing proposed constitutional amendments for the consideration of any future Convention of the States. (Read more from “Call for an Assembly of the States in May 2016” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Man Arrested in Connection With San Francisco Killing Had Been Deported Previously FIVE Times

/3 Comments/in , /by

By Judson Berger. The man arrested in connection with the seemingly random killing of a woman who was out for a stroll with her father along the San Francisco waterfront is an illegal [alien] who previously had been deported five times, federal immigration officials say.

Further, Immigration and Customs Enforcement says San Francisco had him in their custody earlier this year but failed to notify ICE when he was released.

“DHS records indicate ICE lodged an immigration detainer on the subject at that time, requesting notification prior to his release so ICE officers could make arrangements to take custody. The detainer was not honored,” ICE said in a statement Friday afternoon.

Kathryn Steinle was killed Wednesday evening at Pier 14 — one of the busiest tourist destinations in the city.

Police said Thursday they arrested Francisco Sanchez in the shooting an hour after it occurred. (Read more from “Man Arrested in Connection With San Francisco Killing Had Been Deported Several Times” HERE)

________________________________________________________________________________

Immigrant to Sweden Rapes 12-Year-Old Girl, Gets Community Service

By Blake Neff. An 18-year-old Somali immigrant to Sweden who violently raped a 12-year-old girl has been punished with a mere 180 hours of community service.

According to recently released court documents, translated by The Daily Caller News Foundation, on Nov. 10, 2014, Guled Mohamud, a Somali citizen who now resides in Sundsvall, lured to his home an unnamed girl who had just days before turned 12 years old. He apparently was able to draw her into his apartment by having a friend claim to possess intimate photographs of her.

Once the girl was in his home, Mohamud violently raped the preteen, tearing her jacket off and holding her to the ground while repeatedly striking her face . . .

Mohamud tried to claim he had been in a three-month romantic relationship with the girl, and that she had claimed to be 16 years old, and that he therefore had only committed the lesser offense of sexually exploiting a minor (Sweden’s age of consent is 15). The girl denied ever dating Mohamud and the court dismissed his defense as not credible, finding that he fully understood the girl had not consented and was under 15 years of age. He was convicted June 24.

Even in famously lenient Sweden, the punishment for rape is supposed to be between a minimum of two years and a maximum of six (the maximum is bumped up to ten years for aggravated rape). Mohamud, though, will spend no time in prison. Instead, the court used its power to impose non-prison punishments and sentenced him to 180 hours of supervised community service, the equivalent of about 22 days of unpaid work. He will also have to pay his victim damages of about $15,000 for physical and psychological suffering. (Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

President Obama Wants to End Independence Day as We Know It [+videos]

/22 Comments/in , /by

By Drew Johnson. Enjoy Independence Day while you still can. If President Obama gets his way, this could be the last Fourth of July worth celebrating.

New ground-level ozone standards being pushed by Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency would result in widespread bans on fireworks shows, backyard grilling and other Independence Day traditions.

Because the proposed ozone rule is set so low, things as harmless as a few backyard chefs grilling burgers in the same area at the same time, or even festive fireworks being launched during an Independence Day celebration, could cause an area to violate federal ozone standard thresholds. Such a violation of the EPA’s unreasonably low ozone limit would result in fines and other penalties for local governments from federal regulators.

In an attempt to steer clear of punishment, local lawmakers will have to respond to the new EPA rules by enacting municipal grilling bans and canceling fireworks shows from sea to shining sea.

Outlandish environmental regulations are nothing new for Obama’s EPA, but the proposed ozone limit is likely the most costly and oppressive regulation yet. Besides ending Independence Day as we know it in many places, the lower ozone limit would stall construction projects and prevent job-creating manufacturing facilities from being built in hundreds of cities across the United States. (Read more from “President Obama Wants to End Independence Day as We Know It” HERE)


______________________________________________________________

Guy Playing National Anthem With His Rifle Is as Patriotic as It Gets

By Christian Datoc. QUESTION: What’s the only thing more patriotic that “The Star-Spangled Banner?”

ANSWER: “The Star-Spangled Banner” being played on a custom, internally-suppressed Ruger 10/22.

(Read more from “Guy Playing National Anthem With His Rifle Is as Patriotic as It Gets” HERE)

_______________________________________________________________

Inside The Fight To Save A Beloved World War I Memorial From Demolition

By Alex Quade. As America celebrates the 4th of July, and the world commemorates the centennial of World War I, one U.S. state is in danger of losing a memorial to its veterans killed in action.

The city of Honolulu is considering demolishing its official memorial to the fallen of World War I and moving a portion of the memorial across the street to the site of a separate remembrance plaque. Ten thousand service members from the then-Hawaiian territories fought in the Great War; 101 were killed.

Descendants of those killed are fighting the city over the fate of the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium. First opened in 1927, the salt water swimming pool fell into disrepair after years of neglect and was closed in 1979. (Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Iran Nuclear Talks in Endgame, Negotiators Push World Toward Apocalypse

/2 Comments/in , /by

By John Irish and Louis Charbonneau. A year and half of nuclear talks between Iran and major powers were creeping toward the finish line on Friday as negotiators wrestled with sticking points including questions about Tehran’s past atomic research.

Iran is in talks with the United States and five other powers – Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – on an agreement to curtail its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

“We are coming to the end,” said a senior Western diplomat, who added there was no plan to carry on for long past next Tuesday. “Either we get an agreement or we don’t.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said a deal was close.

“We are ready to strike a balanced and good deal and open new horizons to address important common challenges,” he said in a statement broadcast on YouTube, referring to the rise of Islamist militancy. (Read more from “Iran Nuclear Talks in Endgame, Negotiators Push on Sticking Points” HERE)

______________________________________________________________________

U.S. Stockpiles Powerful Bunker-Buster Bombs in Case Iran Nuclear Talks Fail

By W.J. Hennigan. As diplomats rush to reach an agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program, the U.S. military is stockpiling conventional bombs so powerful that strategists say they could cripple Tehran’s most heavily fortified nuclear complexes, including one deep underground.

The bunker-busting bombs are America’s most destructive munitions short of atomic weapons. At 15 tons, each is 5 tons heavier than any other bomb in the U.S. arsenal.

In development for more than a decade, the latest iteration of the MOP — massive ordnance penetrator — was successfully tested on a deeply buried target this year at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The test followed upgrades to the bomb’s guidance system and electronics to stop jammers from sending it off course.

U.S. officials say the huge bombs, which have never been used in combat, are a crucial element in the White House deterrent strategy and contingency planning should diplomacy go awry and Iran seek to develop a nuclear bomb.

Obama has made it clear that he has no desire to order an attack, warning that U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s air defense network and nuclear facilities would spark a destabilizing new war in the Middle East, and would only delay Iran by several years should it choose to build a bomb. (Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Obama to Girl Scouts: ‘What Are You Doing in MY Yard?’; Since When Was the White House Is His Property?

/5 Comments/in , /by

President Obama’s disturbing habit of treating the White House like his own personal property was on full display again this week — and social media watchers were waiting.

On Tuesday, the president greeted a gathering of Girl Scouts, who were camping on the South Lawn of his majesty’s house as part of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, as only he could can.

“What are you guys doing in my yard?” he asked the girls according to USA Today. “When did you guys show up?”

Even liberals like Melissa Harris-Perry are getting tired of it, slamming the language Obama used when he shouted down a heckler by calling the White House “my house.” Normally an Obama fan, she sounded like Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly when he denounced Obama for lighting up the White House with rainbow after the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage last week. (Read more from “Obama to Girl Scouts: ‘What Are You Doing in MY Yard?’: Since When Was the White House Is His Property?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

In Some U.S. Churches, Guns Are the Answer to a Prayer

/6 Comments/in , /by

The Sunday service was winding down, but before it ended, Bishop Ira Combs led the congregation of 300 at the Greater Bible Way Temple in prayer. The shootings that killed nine people in a Charleston church could not happen here, he reassured his flock.

“If they had security, the assailant would not have been able to reload,” Combs declared. “All of us here are not going to turn the other cheek while you shoot us.”

As he preached, Combs was flanked by a man on each side of the pulpit, each armed with handguns beneath their suit coats. Other members of the church’s security team were scattered among the crowd. Congregants did not know who was armed and who was not – an undercover approach that is part of the security plan.

“We aren’t looking to engage people in violence, but we are going to practice law enforcement,” Combs told Reuters before the service. “And we are going to interdict if someone comes in with a weapon.”

The June 17 church shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, have ignited fierce debates across the country over hate crimes, the Confederate flag, and gun control. (Read more from “In Some U.S. Churches, Guns Are the Answer to a Prayer” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Parents Confront School Board, Demand ‘Opt-Out’ for Controversial Lessons – See Why the Room Erupted at End of Meeting [+video]

/12 Comments/in , /by

Angry over a controversial curriculum that teaches young students about same-sex marriage and “gender identity,” several parents in Fairfax County, Virginia, confronted school board members during a regular meeting on June 25. The parents in question argued they should have the choice to “opt-out” of the controversial lessons.

“Parents, do you want your children in Kindergarten to hear about same-sex marriage under the guise of families?” Andrea Lafferty, a Fairfax County parent and president of the Traditional Values Coalition, asked parents at the meeting.

“No!” parents in attendance shouted.

“Parents, do you want your children in fifth grade to hear about Gonorrhea and Syphilis? No! We want opt outs and we want to keep them safe,” she continued. “Do you want gender identity to be introduced to seventh grade? No! We want opt outs to remain.”

Lafferty went on to accuse officials on the “recommendation committee” of going on record as saying they wanted to remove the opt outs for parents. (Read more from “Parents Confront School Board, Demand ‘Opt-Out’ for Controversial Lessons — See Why the Room Erupted at End of Meeting” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Legal Experts: NYC Mayor Action Against Trump ‘Not the American Way’

/4 Comments/in , /by

Civil liberty advocates are jumping all over New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s order to “review” all of Donald Trump’s city contracts because of his recent comments on Mexican immigrants.

“This is not the American Way,” observed Alan Dershowitz, Harvard’s most distinguished civil liberties law professor, about the chilling effect de Blasio’s action could have on freedom of speech . . .

At his presidential campaign kickoff, Trump said immigrants from Mexico are “bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume, are good people” . . .

“The city says, ‘We don’t want to renew it because we don’t like your speech.’ That would presumptively violate the First Amendment,” noted UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh in a DCNF interview. “The statement by the Mayor is a real danger to public debate,” he said, charging it would set dubious precedent for all city contractors, big and small.

The law professor, who also posts the “Volokh Conspiracy” blog on the Washington Post, explained that the First Amendment rights for government contractors were long ago resolved in the Umbehr case. In a 7 to 2 majority written by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s, the court declared that the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech shielded government contractors from facing the revocation of existing contracts due to things they said in public. (Read more from “Legal Experts: NYC Mayor Action Against Trump ‘Not the American Way'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Greeks Take to the Streets for Dueling Rallies That Reflect a Divided Nation

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Griff Witte and Michael Birnbaum. Dueling rallies of tens of thousands of people apiece took over central Athens on Friday evening, with demonstrators making their final push before a referendum on Sunday that has passionately divided this flailing nation between those terrified Greece will lose its place in Europe and others determined to transform the continent at all costs.

With Greece’s 19th-century Olympic stadium as a backdrop, “yes” supporters shouted their contempt for the government and demanded an end to the brinkmanship that has characterized the country’s relationship with Europe for the past five months.

Across town, in the shadow of the neo­classical Parliament building, those siding with Greece’s leaders in urging a “no” vote on European bailout proposals swayed to the tunes of revolutionary anthems and pledged not to bend to creditors’ “blackmail.”

“Here in the place where democracy was born,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told an energized crowd that stretched for blocks in every direction, “we will start to rebuild European democracy.”

But beneath the bravado was an emerging recognition within Greece’s radical leftist government that regardless of how Sunday’s referendum turns out, the country may be on the verge of defeat in its epic standoff with European heavyweights over the terms of the country’s bailouts. (Read more from “Greeks Take to the Streets for Dueling Rallies That Reflect a Divided Nation” HERE)


_________________________________________________________________________

Greek Bank Closures May Deplete Supermarket Shelves

By Martinne Geller and Lefteris Karagiannopoulos. A halt to international payments from Greek bank accounts is hurting Greek businesses and their foreign partners and threatening supplies of vital goods like food and clothing into the debt-crippled country.

With banks closed, people limited to withdrawing 60 euros ($66.62) per day and Greece’s future in the euro possibly hinging on a referendum on Sunday, Greek shoppers have been stocking up on essentials like sugar, flour, pasta, rice, beans, canned and paper goods.

Shelves remain full for now as retailers have inventories in storage. But capital controls put in place after Greece defaulted on a loan to international creditors have essentially frozen companies’ cash flows and credit.

This has severely hampered production and shipping, meaning that goods are in finite supply. With this week’s rush to supermarkets, shortages could be around the corner although budget limits are providing some cushion.

“At this stage there is no problem of shortages. There is sufficient stock in our warehouses and we renew it frequently,” said Melina Varoutsikou, spokeswoman for Sklavenitis, one of Greece’s largest supermarket chains. (Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.