Posts

The Shameful Response of the Left to Attempted GOP Massacre

/0 Comments/in , /by

Maybe I’m just too naïve.

I’d expected that liberals would eventually turn to talk of gun control after Wednesday’s violent, horrible shooting targeting GOP lawmakers.

This was an attack that left House Majority Whip Steve Scalise in critical condition as of Wednesday night, according to the hospital treating him, as well as wounding three others–a lawmaker’s aide, a Capitol Police officer, and a lobbyist. One of them, lobbyist and former Capitol Hill aide Matt Mika, also is in critical condition, according to reports.

I’d thought liberals would at least react with sympathy and sorrow that innocent people had been targeted by former Bernie Sanders volunteer James Hodgkinson, the man police say was the shooter, and allow some time to pass before switching to gun control.

Now, of course, neither Griffin or “Julius Caesar” director Oskar Eustis is at all responsible for the shooter’s decisions—but, just as I would hope no conservative would have done such things to President Barack Obama, it’s reasonable to ask the left to behave better, to not forget that Donald Trump, too, is a person. (And yes, it was inappropriate when a 2012 version of “Julius Caesar” starred an actor resembling Obama.)

And of course some, perhaps even most, on the left have been acting in a respectful way.

But there’s been some glaring exceptions.

The New York Times, rightly, is getting pilloried for its editorial, published Wednesday, that insinuated Sarah Palin’s target map was to blame for the shooting of Gabby Giffords. Here’s the language from the original editorial (via National Review):

Was this attack evidence of how vicious American politics has become? Probably. In 2011, when Jared Lee Loughner opened fire in a supermarket parking lot, grievously wounding Representative Gabby Giffords and killing six people, including a 9-year-old girl, the link to political incitement was clear. Before the shooting, Sarah Palin’s political action committee circulated a map of targeted electoral districts that put Ms. Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized cross hairs.

The New York Times has since corrected the piece, noting: “An earlier version of this editorial incorrectly stated that a link existed between political incitement and the 2011 shooting of Representative Gabby Giffords. In fact, no such link was established.” Indeed.

National Review’s David French dismantled the argument, writing: “In its zeal to create moral equivalencies and maintain a particular narrative about the past, the Times flat-out lied. There is simply no ‘link to political incitement’ in Loughner’s murderous acts. The man was a paranoid schizophrenic who first got angry at Gabby Giffords years before Palin published her map.”

And CNN’s Jake Tapper, no conservative, similarly disputed the Times account:

You know what wasn’t mentioned in that Times editorial, which noted their grief in 2011 at “vicious American politics”? Kathy Griffin wasn’t mentioned nor was the “Julius Caesar” play. Oh, sure, the Times offered a pablum take on civility, writing:

Conservatives and right-wing media were quick on Wednesday to demand forceful condemnation of hate speech and crimes by anti-Trump liberals. They’re right. Liberals should of course be held to the same standard of decency that they ask of the right.

But without naming names or calling out any specific instances, that’s a pretty toothless take.

And when I went to The Slot, an offshoot of my favorite liberal site Jezebel, I found this comment on the article about the Scalise shooting:

Yeah, f— these people. Scalise voted for the AHCA [American Health Care Act] and got a good chunk of change from insurance and pharmaceutical companies and health professionals. [Republican Rep. Mo] Brooks is a Freedom Caucus member, so he can go to hell, too. Worst thing they’ll have is a traumatic memory, but they have insurance that allows them to get PTSD treated. Scalise will probably have a scar on his hip. No sympathy for these people. (Note: Language edited for decency, in both screenshot and quote.)

This comment was liked 156 times.

And while many Democrat politicians seem to be acting with humanity (including the wonderful display of Democrat lawmakers praying at a Washington, D.C. baseball field when they heard about the shooting), some almost immediately brought up gun control after the attack at the baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, had this to say Wednesday: “I think we need to do more to protect all of our citizens. I have long advocated — this is not what today is about — but there are too many guns on the street. We lose 93 million Americans a day to gun violence.”

McAuliffe, who clarified he meant 93 Americans a day after a reporter asked, said those words just a few hours after the shooting.

And Rep. Don Beyer, the Democrat who represents the district that includes the baseball field (and is, sadly, my House member), sent his constituents an email Wednesday afternoon that concluded with this sentiment: “I believe strongly that our nation should rethink its policies regarding gun violence, and I will have more for you soon on that issue.”

While I’m certainly aware of how fast the news cycle moves, could McAuliffe and Beyer maybe have held on to these hot takes, for oh, a whole 24 hours? After all, as of Wednesday night, Scalise was still in critical condition.

Never let a crisis go to waste, indeed.

Let’s refresh: The shooter was a former Bernie Sanders volunteer, who lawmakers said started shooting after confirming those on the field were Republicans, and whose social media use shows a clear liberal tilt.

Hogkinson’s alleged violent actions are his own responsibility, and nobody else’s.

But would it have been so crazy for the left to have taken a step back and reflected on their overheated rhetoric of the past few months, their willingness to depict Republicans and conservatives as monsters who want to hurt minorities and LGBT Americans and take away everyone’s health care? (Instead of people who have different views on appropriate discrimination policies, religious freedom, and the best way to ensure everyone has access to health care, not just insurance.)

No. It wouldn’t have been crazy.

It would have been refreshing.

But unfortunately, that’s not the America we live in today. (For more from the author of “The Shameful Response of the Left to Attempted GOP Massacre” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

REALLY MSM!? Special Edition: Scalise DESERVED It?

/0 Comments/in , , /by

RUSH TO LINK SCALISE TO “WHITE SUPREMACY” …

After Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., was shot this morning by a man who reportedly loved Bernie and hated the GOP, many in the media wasted little time in trying to link Scalise to white supremacists like David Duke. Ashley Rae Goldenberg noticed the disturbing trend and pegged the number of stories at “almost 1,000 recent results” on .

Here are some of the stories:

NY Post: Steve Scalise once defended himself against links to David Duke

Esquire: Some Background on Steve Scalise, the Republican Congressman Who Was Shot This Morning (Bonus points for calling Scalise a “hard-line conservative.”)

CNN: Who is Steve Scalise?

Washington Post: Who is Steve Scalise, the congressman shot at a baseball practice?

That’s just a small, but disturbing sample.

As Scalise remains in critical condition, news organizations see fit to highlight something Scalise apologized for doing, as if it had anything to do with why he was shot.

How about we take a step back – and not try to push a narrative – when someone is in the hospital?

MORE FROM THE MEDIA IN REACTION …

On the whole, media reaction to this shooting has been surprisingly mild in its overall tone. But, of course, there have been some absurd moments.

It’s the AR-15’s fault ­­… The U.K. Telegraph is quickly focused on a gun, not the person using the gun. They offered an explainer on the AR-15’s “long and bloody history in America.” Here’s more coverage from CR on the Left focusing on the gun.

Humanizing the alleged shooter … Much like after a terrorist attack, the media rushed to humanize the attacker. Multiple cable networks used this bizarre statement from an acquaintance of the shooter to do so.

WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN?

Let me know if you’ve seen something outrageous in the coverage by emailing me at [email protected].

(For more from the author of “REALLY MSM!? Special Edition: Scalise DESERVED It?” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Homeowner’s Son Exchanges Words With Three Burglars, Then Guns Them Down

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A 19-year-old man in Oklahoma gunned down three potential robbers Monday afternoon when they tried to break into his family’s home.

Wagoner County sheriff’s deputies went to the house and found one person dead in the driveway and two other people dead in the kitchen, reports the New York Post . . .

The group of suspects, wearing all black clothing, broke into the house by way of a glass door in the back of the home, according to the sheriff’s spokesman, Deputy Nick Mahoney.

The homeowner’s son maintained he woke up when heard “loud bangs” downstairs. He quickly jumped out of bed and grabbed his AR-15 to protect himself, he told police.

When he went downstairs he exchanged a few words with the would-be robbers before shooting them down. Two of them died in the kitchen, while another crawled to the driveway before dying as well. (Read more from “Homeowner’s Son Exchanges Words With Three Burglars, Then Guns Them Down” HERE)
_______________________________

Woman to Be Charged With Murder in Oklahoma Slayings

RODRIGUEZ, ELIZABETH MARIE_20170328015914679_7627643_ver1.0_640_360Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez [was just] arrested on three complaints of first-degree murder and three complaints of first-degree burglary. . .

In Oklahoma, those believed to be committing a felony that results in a death can face murder charges, even if they did not actually kill anyone.

Rodriguez reportedly knew of the home before the incident, but officials say she had no connection to Peters. A witness reportedly told investigators that Rodriguez had told the other three suspects to burglarize the home while she waited in the driveway. She reportedly drove away when she heard gunshots.

Officials have not named the witness or how that individual may have been involved in the incident. . .

[Rodriguez] reportedly admitted to planning the robbery and driving the vehicle. (Read more about how the deaths of three burglars lead to murder charges HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Rogue California Judge Releases Orlando ISIS Terrorist’s Wife on Bail

/0 Comments/in , /by

A California judge has ignored the government’s pleas to keep Noor Salman — the wife of the Orlando jihadi terrorist who killed 49 people at Pulse nightclub last year — in prison, ordering her release pending bail Wednesday afternoon.

Judge Donna Ryu held the opinion that Salman is not connected to the Islamic State terror group — though her husband killed and injured dozens after swearing allegiance to the group before his onslaught — and did not have radical views, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Ryu also claims that Salman is not a flight risk nor does she threaten public safety.

“I find at this time the weight of the evidence is debatable,” the judge commented.

Prosecutors strongly cautioned against releasing Salman on bail. The government now has two days to appeal the ruling before Salman can be released on a $500,000 bond. If she goes free, Salman will be obligated to wear an electronic ankle monitor.

On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen — Salman’s deceased husband — committed the worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11. The Department of Justice claims that Salman helped her husband commit that massacre. She has been charged with aiding and abetting and provision of material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Salman was involved in several suspicious activities in the run-up to the terrorist attack. For one, she was with her husband when he cased the scene in Orlando. Just days prior to the nightclub assault, Salman helped her husband stock up on ammunition, received access to his bank account, and was added to his life insurance policy.

Additionally, prosecutors claim Salman “knowingly misled” the FBI in their investigation of the attack, which is a federal offense.

Even more evidence has come to light in recent days regarding Salman’s activities prior to the attack. She and her husband racked up tens-of-thousands of dollars in credit card purchases days before the shooting, the Associated Press reported.

Orlando Chief of Police John Mina expressed his extreme disappointment with the unilateral actions taken by the rogue justice in California.

(For more from the author of “Rogue California Judge Releases Orlando ISIS Terrorist’s Wife on Bail” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Ft. Lauderdale Shooter Another ‘Known Wolf’ Let Go by FBI

/0 Comments/in , , /by

It is uncertain the motive or mental state of the man who walked off a plane in the Fort Lauderdale airport, loaded a gun, and murdered five people. What we do know is that he basically turned himself in to the FBI and once again the Bureau did nothing when confronted with the possibility that he had been influenced by radical Islam. This continues a disturbing trend of law enforcement knowing that specific violent jihadis, or known wolves, exist — and not doing anything to prevent attacks.

From Omar Mateen, the jihadi who shot up a gay nightclub, to the jihadi who set off a bomb in Manhattan, to seemingly countless others, the FBI has known about specific terrorists before they carried out attacks. The FBI has time and time again caught and released these jihadis, and yet again that appears to be the case.

It is uncertain if Esteban Santiago, the man in custody for the horrific attack, is a true believer in a radical Islamic ideology, or a severely mentally unstable person who carried out jihad because of the voices in his head. What is undeniable is that he walked into a FBI office in Alaska and told them “voices” were making him do things.

He told officials he was hearing voices in his head, some of which were telling him to join ISIS and watch their videos, and was taken to hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Santiago, who also told the FBI the government controlled his mind, gunned down 13 people at Fort Lauderdale airport today, killing five and injuring eight.

After the evaluation, and after agreeing to seek help for his mental issues, Santiago was freed. It looks as though there was very little monitoring of him afterwards. There also appears to have been no follow up or monitoring of Santiago, nor an attempt to use existing laws and due process to suspend his right to carry a gun, something that is permissible under current law.

Again, it is very much unsure at this stage if Santiago is an actual convert to radical Islam. But he did flash what is known as, for lack of a better term, the ISIS gang sign in a social media photo.

If, in fact, if it turns out that Santiago is mentally unstable and not a true jihadi, that brings another government agency into focus: the VA. It is well known that the VA health system has been letting down our nation’s veterans at an alarming rate, especially the mental well-being of those veterans. It has been reported that Santiago recently spent a tour of duty in Iraq. His family said that he was not the same since coming back.

The suspect’s aunt Maria Ruiz Rivera claimed the alleged shooter “lost his mind” while fighting in Iraq.

When quizzed why Santiago may have opened fire at passengers, her husband, Hernan Rivera, said: “No idea. Only thing I could tell you was when he came out of Iraq, he wasn’t feeling too good.”

No matter if Santiago was a true believing jihadi, radicalized while in Iraq, or a veteran who did not get the health care he deserved from the VA, it is beyond doubt that our government dropped the ball once again. President-elect Trump has promised to revamp both law enforcement’s stance toward jihad and the VA. The attack in Fort Lauderdale proves that new focus cannot come fast enough. (For more from the author of “Ft. Lauderdale Shooter Another ‘Known Wolf’ Let Go by FBI” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Charlotte Releases Police Video of Fatal Shooting of Keith Lamont Scott

/0 Comments/in , /by

The city of Charlotte has released some video of Tuesday’s fatal shooting of Keith Scott by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer.

“What we are releasing are the objective facts,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Saturday, calling the shooting “a complex case.” He said the videos to be released will show Smith had a gun with him when he was shot.

As of Saturday evening, one video had been released.

“The footage itself will not create in anyone’s mind as to what this case represents… the footage only supports the other information” including forensic evidence and witness statements, Putney said.

Putney said that Scott was “absolutely in possession of a handgun.” He said that officers spotted marijuana in Scott’s car, which is what caused them to confront Scott.

Release of the videos had been a point of contention between police and Scott’s family, each of which have offered a differing version of events surrounding Tuesday’s fatal shooting of the 43-year-old father of seven.

In a Facebook post, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory supported the decision.

“I have been assured by the State Bureau of Investigation that the release will have no material impact on the independent investigation since most of the known witnesses have been interviewed,” he wrote.

Release of the video followed another day of protests in which demonstrators gathered in Charlotte’s Marshall Park to demand release of the video.

North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation said Friday the city was free to release the video whenever it chose to do so.

On Friday, Scott’s wife released a cell phone video in which she is heard both trying to dissuade her husband from taking an unspecified action while also pleading with police not to shoot her husband.

Two different narratives of the incident have emerged.

Scott’s family has said that he was sitting in a parked car when confronted by police and that he had been reading a book. The family insists he was obeying police commands and was not acting in an aggressive manner when he was shot and killed by a black police officer.

Police have said Scott was in possession of a gun, and that he was acting in a manner that was threatening to the officers. Police said no book was recovered from the scene. A gun that was recovered reportedly has Scott’s fingerprints and DNA upon it.

Putney, who has said the video supported the police version of events but is not definitive on its own, has said the video “when taken in the totality of all the other evidence … supports what we’ve heard and the version of the truth that we gave about the circumstances that happened that led to the death of Mr. Scott.”

Putney emphasized that although the video was “compelling,” police cannot make their case based solely upon it.

Putney said the officers heard in the videos gave Scott “loud, clear, verbal commands.”

“Mr. Scott exited his vehicle armed with a handgun as the officers continued to yell at him to drop it,” Putney has said (For more from the author of “Charlotte Releases Police Video of Fatal Shooting of Keith Lamont Scott” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Charges Filed Against Officer Involved in Deadly Tulsa Shooting

/0 Comments/in , /by

The police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man Sept. 16 has been formally charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection with the shooting.

Officer Betty Shelby fired one shot at 40-year-old Terence Crutcher during a traffic stop in Tulsa, Okla. Dashcam footage from Shelby’s car and aerial footage from a police helicopter showed Crutcher walking away from Shelby with his arms in the air prior to the shooting, although the footage does not offer a clear image of when the shot was fired.

Scott Wood, Shelby’s attorney, said Crutcher did not follow more than two dozen commands and that the officer fired when the man began to reach into the window of his SUV.

Wood said Shelby suspected Crutcher was attempting to retrieve a weapon when he reached into the car. In her interview with homicide detectives, she reportedly said, “I was never so scared in my life as in that moment right then,” according to Wood.

Tulsa police say Crutcher did not have a gun on him, nor was a gun found in his vehicle.

Crutcher’s family maintains the windows to his SUV were closed, saying blood spatters on the glass are proof the windows were up at the time of the shooting.

The Department of Justice is also investigating the incident.

According to Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan, dispatchers received a 911 call Friday evening about an abandoned SUV in the middle of the street, with the engine running and the driver’s door open.

Wood said that when Shelby arrived on the scene, the doors were closed and windows were open. At one point, Crutcher was walking toward her, and he began to put his left hand into his pocket.

Shelby told him to keep his hands out of his pockets. She tried to get Crutcher to talk to her about the vehicle, but she said Crutcher mumbled something unintelligible. He reached into his pocket again, and she again ordered him to keep his hands visible.

She pulled out her gun and another officer pulled out a Taser and ordered Crutcher to the ground. Instead, Shelby said, Crutcher ignored the command and walked toward the SUV with his hands up.

The orders can not be heard in the audio from the dashcam video, which is from another patrol car that arrives on the scene and begins with Crutcher walking toward his SUV.

Shelby said she thought Crutcher was acting like he might be under the influence of PCP, and police said they found the drug in his vehicle after he was shot.

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett said he was appreciative of the investigative work done so far on the case.

“Our Tulsa Police Department worked quickly to provide all the information to the District Attorney. I appreciate their efforts as well as the District Attorney’s usual thorough evaluation of the rules of law for which we are all accountable,” Bartlett said. “These are important steps to ensure that justice and accountability prevails.” (For more from the author of “Charges Filed Against Officer Involved in Deadly Tulsa Shooting” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

At Least Five Police Officers Killed by Snipers During Dallas Protest

/0 Comments/in , , /by

By Fox News. President Barack Obama called the shootings in Dallas that left five police officers dead and several others wounded during a protest against police on Friday a “vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement” . . .

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said earlier Friday that it was ”our assumption” that four suspects were working together with rifles, triangulating at different positions.” He had no information on a possible motive or the identities of any of the suspects. He also noted that police were not completely certain that every suspect was in custody.

Brown also said authorities had earlier taken a woman into custody near the garage. Two men were also being questioned after police pursued their vehicle away from downtown onto Interstate 35.

A fourth man was in an hours-long standoff with police. He was firing at officers and around 2:15 a.m. local time and told police “the end is coming.” He later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to KDFW-TV. Police were sweeping the area for possible explosives.

Late Thursday, Brown confirmed the four fatalities — three Dallas PD officers and one transit officer — and said seven other officers and one civilian were wounded in the shooting. Three of the injured officers reportedly were in critical condition and two others were in surgery. The Dallas Police Association confirmed a fifth officer had died in a Tweet early Friday. (Read more from “At Least Five Police Officers Killed by Snipers During Dallas Protest” HERE)

_____________________________________

Woman Streams Aftermath of Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting

By Eliott C. McLaughlin. As Philando Castile’s head slumps backward while he lies dying next to her, Diamond Reynolds looks into the camera and explains a Minnesota police officer just shot her fiancé four times.

The nation is, by now, accustomed to grainy cell phone videos of officer-involved shootings, but this footage from Falcon Heights, outside Minneapolis, is something different, more visceral: a woman live-streaming a shooting’s aftermath with the police officer a few feet away, his gun still trained on her bloody fiancé.

“He let the officer know that he had a firearm and he was reaching for his wallet and the officer just shot him in his arm,” Reynolds said as she broadcast the details of Wednesday’s evening shooting on Facebook. (Read more from “Woman Streams Aftermath of Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

New Details Reveal UCLA Shooting Could Have Been Much Worse

/0 Comments/in , /by

It’s just been revealed that quick thinking by a UCLA professor during the shooting potentially saved more lives during the recent tragedy.

Ajit Mal is an engineering professor at UCLA. On Wednesday, he was prepping for his 10 a.m. engineering class when gunshots erupted down the hall.

Mal met his colleague, Christopher Lynch, in the hallway outside of his office.

“What was that?” Mal asked.

“That’s a gunshot,” Lynch said.

The popping noise they heard sounded like it came from a fellow professor’s room. William Klug worked right down the hall from both Mal and Lynch.

Lynch knew Klug well, and he knew that his friend would probably not be taking his own life. Lynch assumed the worst and figured that a gunman was inside terrorizing the place.

Lynch acted quickly, not knowing much about the situation. He went to Klug’s office and held the door shut while he yelled for other people to leave the building.

“If he had stepped out,” Lynch said, “we’d all be in trouble.”

Eventually he heard a third shot and assumed that the killer had taken his own life. Soon police arrived and cleared out the remaining civilians. Lynch handed them the key to Klug’s office and left — not wanting to peek inside and see what happened.

The killer, Mainak Sarkar, was armed with two semi-automatic pistols with backup magazines. Sarkar was a formal doctoral student at UCLA.

His apparent motive for killing had to do with a computer code that he accused Klug of stealing. Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck said it definitely looked as though Sarkar was “certainly prepared to engage multiple victims.”

Mal praised Lynch’s actions. “If he (Sarkar) had come out with a loaded gun, I don’t think I’d be alive,” Mal said. “Chris Lynch’s presence of mind and quick action saved us.” (For more from the author of “New Details Reveal UCLA Shooting Could Have Been Much Worse” please click HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

7-Eleven Customer Shoots, Kills Hatchet-Wielding Attacker

/3 Comments/in , /by

By Catherine E. Shoichet and Carma Hassan. A customer drinking coffee at a Seattle 7-Eleven Sunday morning drew a pistol and shot dead a hatchet-wielding man who went after him and the store clerk, authorities said.

Investigators haven’t yet identified the suspect, who’s believed to be in his 40s and was wearing a mask when he entered the store early Sunday, the King County Sheriff’s Office said.

“The suspect did not make any statements but swung the hatchet at the customer and then went behind the counter and attacked the clerk,” the sheriff’s office said. (Read more from “7-Eleven Customer Shoots, Kills Hatchet-Wielding Attacker” HERE)

_________________________________

Hatchet-Swinging Attacker Shot and Killed by Customer at 7-11

By Lucas Combos. A customer with a concealed carry permit shot and killed a masked man wielding a hatchet inside a convenience store Sunday morning, according to investigators.

The King County Sheriff’s Office was called to a 7-Eleven on 8th Avenue South, near White Center, at 5:45 a.m.

The store clerk says the masked man entered the store and immediately started swinging a hatchet toward a customer — then he turned his sights on the clerk.

Witnesses told deputies the attacker remained silent during the entire ordeal.

The clerk suffered minor injuries to his stomach, but before more damage could be done, the customer fired his pistol and hit the suspect. (Read more from “Hatchet-Swinging Attacker Shot and Killed by Customer at 7-11” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.