Police Refused to Help ICE Agents Who Called 911

/0 Comments/in , /by

Portland, Oregon, police refused to respond to at least two 911 emergency calls from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees inside their offices where violent protesters held week-long demonstrations.

The National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council, a union representing ICE employees, wrote a cease-and-desist letter to Mayor Ted Wheeler, asking him to ensure the police enforce the law equally and protect innocent people.

“Your current policy forbidding Portland law enforcement agencies from assisting employees of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency who request law enforcement assistance while at or away from work is a violation of the United States Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause,” the letter says.

Demonstrators, some affiliated with the domestic terrorist organization Antifa, set up a city of tents outside the ICE offices. After setting up camp, they became violent and incited violence several times.

“Every person in law enforcement knows there are few things as dangerous or as unpredictable than an angry mob,”said Chris Crane, president of the national union, WWeek reported Monday. “No one could have responded quickly enough to protect our employees who were trapped inside this building. All of this because the Mayor of Portland has a beef with the president of the United States.” (Read more from “Police Refused to Help ICE Agents Who Called 911, Agents Say” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Nunes Sends Ominous Warning About What Was Really Redacted in FISA Documents

/0 Comments/in , , /by

By The Daily Caller. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes claimed Sunday that the American public will be “shocked” when it sees the remaining blacked out portions of the FBI’s applications for spy warrants against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

“We are quite confident that once the American people see these 20 pages, at least for those that will get real reporting on this issue, they will be shocked by what’s in that FISA application,” Nunes said in an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo.

Nunes’ comments raise expectations about what information remains hidden behind 20-plus pages of the FBI’s fourth and final application for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant against Page. . .

Nunes and his fellow Republicans on the Intelligence Committee asked President Donald Trump in a June 14 letter to declassify 21 pages from the final FISA application, which was signed by deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

The unredacted portions of the applications confirmed much of what has already been made public through two memos released earlier this year by Republicans and Democrats on the House Intelligence panel. (Read more from “Nunes Sends Ominous Warning About What Was Really Redacted in FISA Documents” HERE)

__________________________________________________

FBI, DOJ Stalling, Hoping GOP Loses House in Midterms, Rep. Nunes Says

By Fox Business. President Trump’s team is likely reviewing requests to declassify parts of the heavily-redacted Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) application used by the FBI to obtain a warrant to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page during the 2016 election.

“I think his lawyers are looking at this to see if they can declassify it sooner rather than later,” said House Intelligence Committee chair Devin Nunes, R-Calif., during an interview on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “But the sooner this comes out, the better off we all are because what I’ve said is what’s left that’s redacted, the American people really need to know what’s underneath it.”

Nunes, who along with his team sent a letter to the White House in June asking for just 20 pages of the FISA application to be declassified, remarked that he is unsure whether Trump himself has read the committee’s document, but added that Americans “will be shocked by what’s in that FISA application” if they look at the pages that could become declassified. The California Republican said the 20 pages contain the “bulk” of what the committee wants to see, though he wouldn’t be opposed to the release of even more declassified material from the application. (Read more from “FBI, DOJ Stalling, Hoping GOP Loses House in Midterms, Rep. Nunes Says” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

American Society Would Collapse If It Weren’t for These Myths

/0 Comments/in , /by

Shouldn’t there be riots in the streets every day? Shouldn’t it all be collapsing? Look outside. The streets aren’t on fire. No one is running naked and screaming (usually). Does it look like everyone’s going to work at gunpoint? No. We’re all choosing to continue on like this.

Why? Well, it comes down to the myths we’ve been sold. Myths that are ingrained in our social programming from birth, deeply entrenched, like an impacted wisdom tooth. These myths are accepted and basically never questioned.

Myth No. 8—We have a democracy. If you think we still have a democracy or a democratic republic, ask yourself this: When was the last time Congress did something that the people of America supported that did not align with corporate interests? … You probably can’t do it. It’s like trying to think of something that rhymes with “orange.” You feel like an answer exists but then slowly realize it doesn’t. Even the Carter Center and former President Jimmy Carter believe that America has been transformed into an oligarchy: A small, corrupt elite control the country with almost no input from the people. The rulers need the myth that we’re a democracy to give us the illusion of control. . .

Myth No. 7—We have an accountable and legitimate voting system. Gerrymandering, voter purging, data mining, broken exit polling, push polling, superdelegates, electoral votes, black-box machines, voter ID suppression, provisional ballots, super PACs, dark money, third parties banished from the debates and two corporate parties that stand for the same pile of fetid crap! . . .

Myth No. 6—We have an independent media that keeps the rulers accountable. Our media outlets are funded by weapons contractors, big pharma, big banks, big oil and big, fat hard-on pills. (Sorry to go hard on hard-on pills, but we can’t get anything resembling hard news because it’s funded by d**ks.) The corporate media’s jobs are to rally for war, cheer for Wall Street and froth at the mouth for consumerism. It’s their mission to actually fortify belief in the myths I’m telling you about right now. Anybody who steps outside that paradigm is treated like they’re standing on a playground wearing nothing but a trench coat. . .

Myth No. 5—We have an independent judiciary. The criminal justice system has become a weapon wielded by the corporate state. This is how bankers can foreclose on millions of homes illegally and see no jail time, but activists often serve jail time for nonviolent civil disobedience. Chris Hedges recently noted, “The most basic constitutional rights … have been erased for many. … Our judicial system, as Ralph Nader has pointed out, has legalized secret law, secret courts, secret evidence, secret budgets and secret prisons in the name of national security.”

(Read more from “American Society Would Collapse If It Weren’t for These Myths” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

U.S. Cardinal Steps Down Amid Mushrooming Sex Abuse Scandal

/0 Comments/in , /by

Pope Francis on Saturday accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, one of the U.S. Catholic Church’s most prominent figures who has been at the centre of a widening sexual abuse scandal.

McCarrick, 88, the former archbishop of Washington, D.C., is the first cardinal in living memory to lose his red hat and title. Other cardinals who have been disciplined in sexual abuse scandals kept their membership in the College of Cardinals and their honorific “your eminence”.

The allegations against McCarrick, which first surfaced publicly last month, came with Francis facing an image crisis on a second front, in Chile, where a growing abuse scandal has enveloped the Church in the Latin American country. . .

McCarrick’s sudden fall from grace stunned the American Church because he was a widely respected leader for decades and a confidant of popes and presidents. . .

Since then, another minor has come forward with allegations that McCarrick abused him when he was 11 years old, and several men have come forward to allege that McCarrick forced them to sleep with him at a beach house in New Jersey when they were adult seminarians studying for the priesthood. (Read more from “U.S. Cardinal Steps Down Amid Mushrooming Sex Abuse Scandal” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

British Army Goes to Standby in Prep for “No Deal” Brexit and Ensuing Domestic Crisis

/0 Comments/in , /by

By The Times. Ministers have drawn up plans to send in the army to deliver food, medicines and fuel in the event of shortages if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal.

Blueprints for the armed forces to assist the civilian authorities, usually used only in civil emergencies, have been dusted down as part of the “no deal” planning.

Helicopters and army trucks would be used to ferry supplies to vulnerable people outside the southeast who were struggling to obtain the medicines they needed. (Read more from “British Army Goes to Standby in Prep for “No Deal” Brexit and Ensuing Domestic Crisis” HERE)

________________________________________________

Here’s What a No Deal Brexit Would Mean for the British Economy

By Business Insider. . .Writing this week, Vicky Redwood, global economist at Capital Economics, argued that while “more extreme” warnings about the economic hit of no deal are being “overblown,” a significant impact negative impact could still be expected.

“Although the more extreme warnings about the short-term impact of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit on the economy are overdone, there is little doubt that it could deal a reasonable blow to GDP growth next year,” Redwood wrote to clients.

“Whether a no-deal scenario had a good, bad, or little impact on the economy in the long run would depend on many things, including how successful the UK was at striking new trade deals and whether there was an exodus of financial institutions from the UK. But the short-run effect would surely be bad,” she told clients.

Redwood did not go into specific detail in terms of forecasts, but said that a no deal Brexit could “plausibly knock a percentage point or so off growth next year.”

One of the reasons for that, Redwood argued, is that no deal would inevitably have a major negative impact on the price of the pound. (Read more from “Here’s What a No Deal Brexit Would Mean for the British Economy” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Wife’s Shock as Husband, 26, Is Caught Cheating With a 72-Year-Old Lover at Hotel; Another Wife Murders Husband Over Porn

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Mirror. A newly-married man aged 26 was caught romping with a 72-year-old lover at a Premier Inn.

The lothario’s wife, 24, from the Birmingham area, had called in private detectives after becoming suspicious about his behaviour.

Agents from Carter Harris Group Investigation tracked the unlikely couple and presented the evidence to their client, who asked not to be identified.

Carter Harris told the story to Birmingham Live, who refer to her as Lyndsey.

Still coming to terms with the infidelity, she said: “I just didn’t want to believe it.” (Read more from “Wife’s Shock as Husband, 26, Is Caught Cheating With a 72-Year-Old Lover at Hotel; Another Wife Murders Husband Over Porn” HERE)

______________________________________________

Arkansas Woman Accused of Killing Husband

By Arkansas Online. A Jefferson County woman was charged with capital murder Saturday after she admitted shooting her husband after a disagreement over pornography, authorities said.

Patricia Hill, 69, called 911 and reported she had shot her husband, 65-year-old Frank Hill, just before 3 p.m Saturday, Maj. Lafayette Woods Jr. of the Jefferson County sheriff’s office said.

Deputies went to 3801 Donaldson Lane, where they found Patricia Hill in the yard and detained her, according to a news release. Deputies found Frank Hill inside a shed on the property with at least two gunshot wounds, according to the release. . .

Hill told investigators she and her husband had never had any “physical altercations,” but they had a disagreement about video pornography purchased by her husband, according to the release. . .

“Mrs. Hill admitted that she then returned inside the residence, where she armed herself with a .22 caliber pistol,” Woods said in the release. “She went back to the shed a short time later, where she entered and shot her husband twice, striking him once in the leg and once in the head.” (Read more from “Arkansas Woman Accused of Killing Husband” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

First Academy Football Player Declares He’s Homosexual; Military in Complete Support; But Does He Shower Separately?

/0 Comments/in , /by

Bradley Kim, a defensive back at the Air Force Academy, announced on Friday that he is gay. Kim, who shared his story on his Instagram account and through an interview with OutSports, is the first active player at a service academy to publicly come out.

“The biggest reason I want to share this is to be able to reach people who are in similar situations struggling with the same things I have struggled with,” Kim told OutSports. “I want to be that example for kids that you can be gay, you can pursue your dreams, and you can have an athletic career. . .

Jeremiah 29:11🙏🏽 God made me this way for a reason. I did not think this day would ever come, but I’ve finally reached the point where I am comfortable and confident enough with myself to say that I am gay. It’s been a long road to get to this point and I definitely would not be here without the love and support of my amazing family, teammates and coaches here at the academy, and my equally amazing friends. I feel blessed to have such receptive and understanding people in my life. I hope that I can serve as an example to those who are allowing their fear of acceptance to change who they are. I almost gave up my dream of playing division 1 football for fear of not being accepted by everyone, but today I am happy to say that I am a cadet at the Air Force Academy playing the sport I love with amazing people standing behind me and supporting me. If anyone feels like they don’t have a voice or feel like they are alone, just know there are plenty of people out there like you and me, and more that are willing to talk to you about it. God bless all and thank you to everyone who has made me feel comfortable to live my most genuine life.🙏🏽 Twitter/Instagram: @bradleykkim [email protected]

A post shared by Brad (@bradleykkim) on

Before going public with his story, Kim, a safety for the Falcons, informed his fellow defensive backs and received a standing ovation in response.

According to OutSports, Kim had previously come out to his parents and various other Air Force teammates and coaches, all to responses of complete support. The Air Force Academy provided a statement to the Colorado Springs Gazette that said, “The academy strives to foster a culture where everyone gives and receives dignity and respect so that each individual has the opportunity to fulfill their potential.” (Read more from “First Academy Football Player Declares He’s Homosexual; Military in Complete Support; But Does He Shower Separately?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

9/11 Victim Identified, Nearly 17 Years Later

/0 Comments/in , /by

His name was Scott Michael Johnson, and he was 26 years old when a plane flew into the World Trade Center tower he worked in on Sept. 11, 2001.

His remains have now been identified, nearly 17 years later after the attack. . .

“In 2001, we made a commitment to the families of victims that we would do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to identify their loved ones,” Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson said in a statement. “This identification is the result of the tireless dedication of our staff to this ongoing mission.” . . .

There were 21,905 remains recovered from the World Trade Center, he said. And most of those samples were bone, which is difficult to extract DNA from. The samples had also degraded from exposure to fire, jet fuel, water, mold, bacteria and even sunlight at Ground Zero.

For years, the team had struggled to extract enough DNA from Johnson’s bone fragment. So it tried a new technique called “ultrasonic ball bearings.” It’s a process where the bone is pulverized with a piece of metal. Once the fragment became a fine powder, researchers then treated it with chemicals, extracted DNA and generated a forensic profile. (Read more from “9/11 Victim Identified, Nearly 17 Years Later” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Video: California Wildfires Are so Big They Are Creating Massive Fire Tornadoes

/0 Comments/in , /by

By The Daily Caller. A wildfire that led to the evacuation of nearly 40,000 people in Northern California is creating massive fire tornadoes as emergency crews struggle to contain the flames.

Skip Murphy of Redding, California, posted a video on social media of a heat vortex, or a fire whirl that occurs when intense rising heat and blustery wind conditions combine to form whirling eddies of air.

“No audio, but it sounds like a freight train, punctuated with explosions. Never seen anything like it,” Murphy wrote Friday on a Facebook post that also included a video of the fiery twister. . .

The fire has already destroyed nearly 500 structures, damaged 75 others and could demolish 5,000 homes and buildings, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) spokesman Scott Kenney told CNN Saturday. . .

More than 800 soldiers and airmen are on the ground or en route to help, according to the California National Guard. The Carr Fire — which started Friday, rumbled through Redding, and has already killed two people — doubled in size Saturday to 80,906 acres, almost the size of Philadelphia. (Read more from “Video: California Wildfires Are so Big They Are Creating Massive Fire Tornadoes” HERE)

________________________________________________

Parry Sound 33 Grows Again, Affected Residents Remain on Standby

By CBC. There were no new fires reported by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry on Sunday, but crews continue to battle 39 active forest fires across northeastern Ontario.

Twelve of those fires are not yet under control, including Parry Sound 33, which has caused the evacuation of Key Harbour and Henvey Inlet First Nation.

Ontario’s forest fire information map showed Sunday morning the fire had grown to about 8,224 hectares in size.

Winds blowing from the southwest kept crews busy along the portion closest to Highway 69. The ministry said the fire was still about seven kilometres from the highway early Sunday morning.

(Read more from “Parry Sound 33 Grows Again, Affected Residents Remain on Standby” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Homeless Web Developer Made Sign Asking for Job, Not Handouts, and the Results Were Fantastic

/0 Comments/in , /by

. . .After sleeping on a park bench in Mountain View, California, [David] Casarez decided to wear his best shirt and tie Friday morning and begin begging — for a job.

He put together a stack of resumes and made a sign that read: “HOMELESS. HUNGRY 4 SUCCESS. TAKE A RESUME.” . . .

A passing driver, Jasmine Scofield, stopped and asked Casarez if she could take his photo and post it on Twitter. . .

“Google reached out to me,” Casarez, 26, told the New York Post. “So many other companies. Pandora. A bunch of startups.”

“A product manager from Bitcoin.com was wondering if I could work remotely of if I want to relocate to Tokyo,” he added. “But tonight, I’ll be back on my bench in Rengstorff Park.” (Read more from “Homeless Web Developer Made Sign Asking for Job, Not Handouts, and the Results Were Fantastic” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.