Mexican authorities have detained so-called "affluenza" teen Ethan Couch and his mother near the popular Mexican Pacific beach resort town of Puerto Vallarta, officials briefed on the matter told CNN. Hiding out in plain sight? Maybe he is so affluent, he didn't believe they'd find him. Maybe it's all part of his defense!
Couch went missing earlier this month, two years after he made national news when he was sentenced to probation for a drunken driving crash that killed four people. Couch is expected to be turned over to U.S. Marshals, who have spent weeks searching for him. Last week, a Tarrant County D.A. said if they had a Ten Most Wanted List, Ethan Couch would be on the top of the list.
He is wanted by authorities in Tarrant County, Texas, for allegedly violating probation. Allegedly? He failed to report on time, left the State without notifying his probation officer, and fled the country. I'm pretty sure he violated his probation on three or four counts, even if it was a two-week vacation in sunny Mexico.
His mother was listed by Texas authorities as a missing person after her son's disappearance, and the authorities said they believed she was assisting her son. Allegedly. Allegedly assisted her son. I'm sure it was Mommy who hired the expensive lawyer who concocted the affluenza defense, and found a willing judge to hear the case. Mommy ought to go up the river for ten to twenty.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/29/2015 07:36 ||
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If they're still in Mexico, justice can be bought from any number of cartels and Mexican pols.
A German man was killed when he was smacked in the head by a piece of metal from a condom-vending machine he was trying to blow up in an apparent burglary attempt on Christmas.
The 29-year-old was rushed to the hospital in Schoeppingen severe head injuries that proved fatal, police said Monday.
Two friends he was with initially said the man had fallen down the stairs, but hospital officials were suspicious of their story and called the local police.
Under questioning, one of the dead man’s chums revealed that they had tried to destroy the condom dispenser to get at the cash inside.
Photos of the crime scene show condoms and money strewn on the street near the blown-out condom contraption.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
12/29/2015 00:00 ||
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Photos of the crime scene show condoms and money strewn on the street
That much money? Angela Merkel to the courtesy phone. I think we've found the source of your population problem.
Bear in mind as you read this, this is written by an author who wouldn't know a rifle bolt if he were shot with one.
The criminal-justice system in Waco, Texas, continues to boggle the mind. Last month, a grand jury in McClellan County held a marathon session to consider whether District Attorney Abel Reyna had presented enough evidence to justify indictments in the shootout at a May gathering of bikers where nine people were killed. In the wake of those killings, 177 bikers were arrested. Many proclaimed their innocence, and local authorities faced criticism for jailing so many individuals using fill-in-the-blank paperwork that didn’t differentiate among the jailed.
Still, the November grand jury session returned 106 indictments at the end of one day, some against unknown figures who hadn’t previously been arrested. How many of them were ham sandwiches?
And the citizen jurors would reconvene at a later date to consider the fate of 80 additional bikers. This, despite the fact that leaked surveillance footage certainly seems to depict many bikers who look surprised that bullets are flying and unprepared for a gunfight, not as if they were conspiring to murder a bunch of their rivals: Much more at the link
#1
This whole story stinks to high heaven, and keeps getting worse with each revelation.
On the L.E. side this has the smell of a drug bust (based on bad info) gone horribly wrong. Like a 'wrong number/address' raid.
With the un-ignoreable number of fatalities involved, everyone on the L.E. side felt it necessary to lie to cover up that fact.
I suspect that before all is said and done, there will only be convictions in the single (or low double) digits, and only for previous, outstanding warrants and or b.s. 'process' charges of perjury.
#2
(I also wonder if, when the AP reports that .223-caliber rifles were “the only type of weapon fired by police that day,” that includes ATF agents and all other law-enforcement officials responding to the scene.)
Appears to be at least some precedence for a Waco Federal law enforcement cock-up.
#3
In cities around the country, pressure from media outlets and protesters has forced police departments to acknowledge reports of wrongdoing that would otherwise have been suppressed. The killings of Laquan MacDonald and Noel Aguilar are two recent examples. With nine dead, the likelihood that some died by police bullets, a concerted campaign to suppress evidence, many official screw-ups, and more than 100 people facing charges, the fact that the aftermath of the Waco shootout hasn’t garnered more press attention or spurred more protests is a hugely unfortunate mistake.
That's because Black Lives Matter, but bikers are all - to the last - a waste of skin.
[A Klingon term of contempt.]
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/29/2015 8:05 Comments ||
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but bikers are all - to the last - a waste of skin.
Bobby, did somebody cut off your Schwinn at the traffic light?
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/29/2015 10:07 Comments ||
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Yes, sarcastic. Bikers, in general, make a lot of people nervous, I think. But I've seen Rolling Thunder in D.C. a couple of times and those guys wandering around the Capitol Mall, and they were not scary then. Odd, maybe... Colorful, certainly! But also proud of their Country.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/29/2015 13:45 Comments ||
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As Jacob Zuma retreats to his rural home in the green hills of KwaZulu-Natal for the holidays, a growing number of South Africans, including some of his own comrades in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), are wishing he would just stay there for good.
The populist Zuma has never been loved by urban, middle class — and in particular, white — South Africans, but for the first time since he took office in 2009 thousands of them took to the streets to showcase their discontent. In Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria, anti-Zuma demonstrators marched on Dec. 16 as part of a campaign dubbed #ZumaMustFall on social media.
Potentially more significant than the protests is the growing dissent Zuma’s missteps have engendered within the party. A number of ANC veterans have broken ranks to publicly criticize Zuma in recent weeks. Some of these party loyalists had been willing to look the other way on previous excesses, like the house in Nkandla (which recently received a controversial $16 million taxpayer-funded upgrade) but the feeling was that Zuma had “crossed a line” by firing Nhlanhla Nene, a respected finance minister who had pushed back against gross overspending, appointing an unknown backbencher in his place. Days later, and clearly under pressure, Zuma reversed course and announced that Pravin Gordhan, who had previously served as finance minister in 2009-2014, would be returning to the post. But the damage was already done: The episode had sunk the rand, South Africa’s currency, to record lows, shaking investors’ faith in the economy — and the ANC’s faith in Zuma.
While Zuma has always had a reputation for nepotism, members of his own party increasingly view him as reckless, the kind of leader who would play musical chairs with a crucial government position without regard for the consequences. And South Africa can ill afford economic turmoil: GDP is expected to expand just 1.4 percent in 2015 and official unemployment stands at around 25 percent (the real number is closer to 35 percent when discouraged jobseekers, who have simply given up looking for work, are taken into account). Meanwhile, South African farmers are grappling with one of the worst draughts in years, and food prices are expected to rise next year as a result.
But the problem is bigger than just Zuma. Zwelinzima Vavi, a former general secretary of Cosatu, the powerful trade union federation allied with the ANC, argues that “corrupt hyenas” close to the president within the party bear some of the blame.
Local elections, due to be held in 2016, will be a major test for Zuma’s leadership of the ANC. Political analysts say the party could even fall below 50 percent support in several major cities, including the capital of Pretoria. Even so, the party that has led South Africa since the end of apartheid is not going anywhere.
“The ANC is not about to lose power, and Jacob Zuma is aware of that fact, which is why he acts with such brazenness,” said Prince Mashele, who runs the Pretoria-based Center for Politics and Research. “We should not be naïve.”
Saudi Arabia announced a record budget deficit and cuts to fuel and utility subsidies on Monday as the oil powerhouse suffers from the drastic fall in crude prices.
Petrol prices in the kingdom are to rise by more than 50 per cent on some products from today, authorities said, after the world's largest crude exporter said it had posted a deficit of $98 billion in 2015. The price of higher-grade unleaded petrol will rise to 0.90 riyals per litre from 0.60 riyals, a hike of 50 per cent, and for lower-grade petrol to 0.75 riyals from 0.45 riyals per litre, a 67 per cent rise.
Riyadh also projected a shortfall of $87 billion in next year's budget. The Finance Ministry said in a statement that revenues in 2015 were estimated at 608 billion riyals ($162 billion), the lowest since 2009 when oil prices dived as a result of the global financial crisis.
Income for 2015 was 15 per cent lower than projections and 42 per cent less than in 2014, after oil prices fell by more than 60 per cent since mid-2014 to below $40 a barrel. Spending this year came in at $260 billion, the ministry said, almost equal to 2013 expenditures and down 6.6 per cent from 2014.
The 2015 deficit is the highest in the history of Saudi Arabia, which relies on oil for 90 per cent of public revenues, but was not as big as some expected. The International Monetary Fund had projected the 2015 deficit to be around $130 billion and other reports also put it above $100 billion.
The 2016 budget projects revenues at $137 billion, the lowest since 2009, and spending at $224 billion, slightly below 2015 projections of $229 billion.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/29/2015 00:00 ||
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perhaps a reduction in the number of living Princelings as a budget measure?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/29/2015 11:35 Comments ||
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TW: It didn't just happen, they decided to do it in order to drive those of us in the states out of business. And it is working splendidly. I think they're hoping they can do this for another year and a half and then go to whoever the new president is and say: all your tracking companies are now melting in Chinese furnaces now. How about you do something about Iran and we'll only charge you 150 a barrel, rather than 300?
[Bloomberg] If he declared an outsider presidential bid, the former Democratic candidate could have an outsize effect on the race.
When Jim Webb quit the Democratic presidential race on Oct. 20 amid low poll numbers and a minimal debate presence, the former Virginia senator left open the possibility he'd return for a White House run in a different political guise. Now he appears to be edging closer to making good on it.
On Saturday morning, Webb used Twitter and his Facebook page to attack Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for her handling of Libya during her time as secretary of state.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/29/2015 15:01 Comments ||
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More evidence of a poten "brokered convention" for the DEMOCRATS, + NOT ONLY THE GOP, where it is highly likely, but NOT mandatory, that the Frontrunner + Fronrunner's choice for VPOTUS be the Party's Nominee(s) for November 2016.
ANYTHING GOES, + EVERYONE IS EXPENDABLE - ONLY THE PARTY + PARTY VICTORY MATTERS.
The above being said, GOP or DEM the Frontrunner will likely be kept on BUT SERIOUS UNDER-THE-TABLE OR COVERT CONCESSIONS + COMPROMISE, ETC. WILL OCCUR.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday said energy, communications and elimination of terrorism were top priorities of his government.
So says every Pak government. It's an annual goal that they can renew safely every year without fear of it ever being realized...
"We are determined to end energy shortage by early 2018; building network of motorways for connectivity across Pakistan and uprooting terrorism and extremism completely," the prime minister said while addressing an award giving ceremony of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries in Karachi.
Sharif flew to Karachi for a day-long visit during which he also received a briefing at Port Qasim on two under construction coal-fired power plants at a cost of $1.5 billion with a total generation capacity of 1,320MW.
He said huge reserves of coal, being mined at Thar in Sindh, would be used in four power plants being built at Port Qasim, Jamshoro and Sahiwal. In addition, other energy projects have also been undertaken to produce about 10,000 MW of power to resolve energy problem of the country which was imperative to bolster economy including industry and agriculture. Long-term hydel projects like Bhasha and Dassu have also be launched to meet water and power needs.
So much for global warming. Why should I cut so much as one ounce of CO2 from my output when the Paks, the Chinese and the Indians are building coal-fired generating plants like mad?
The prime minister announced that electricity rates for industry would be reduced by Rs3 per unit from January next.
For connectivity, Sharif said construction of motorways has been resumed from where he had left in 1999 when his government had been toppled.
That again...
Balochistan is being connected with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while work on Karachi-Hyderabad-Sukkur-Multan and Lahore has been initiated.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/29/2015 00:00 ||
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"..building network of motorways for connectivity across Pakistan and uprooting non-State-Approved terrorism and extremism completely"
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/29/2015 11:38 Comments ||
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Islamic State hobgoblins theologians have issued an extremely detailed ruling on when "owners" of women enslaved by the extremist group can have sex with them, in an apparent bid to curb what they called violations in the treatment of captured females.
The ruling or fatwa has the force of law and appears to go beyond the Islamic State's previous known utterances on the subject, a leading Islamic State scholar said. It sheds new light on how the group is trying to reinterpret centuries-old teachings to justify the sexual slavery of women in the swaths of Syria and Iraq it controls.
The fatwa was among a huge trove of documents captured by U.S. Special Operations Forces during a raid targeting a top Islamic State official in Syria in May. Reuters has reviewed some of the documents, which have not been previously published.
Among the religious rulings are bans on a father and son having sex with the same female slave; and the owner of a mother and daughter having sex with both. Joint owners of a female captive are similarly enjoined from intercourse because she is viewed as "part of a joint ownership."
The United Nations and human rights groups have accused the Islamic State of the systematic abduction and rape of thousands of women and girls as young as 12, especially members of the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq. Many have been given to fighters as a reward or sold as sex slaves.
Far from trying to conceal the practice, Islamic State has boasted about it and established a department of "war spoils" to manage slavery. Reuters reported on the existence of the department on Monday.
In an April report, Human Rights Watch interviewed 20 female escapees who recounted how Islamic State fighters separated young women and girls from men and boys and older women. They were moved "in an organized and methodical fashion to various places in Iraq and Syria." They were then sold or given as gifts and repeatedly raped or subjected to sexual violence.
DOS AND DON'TS
Fatwa No. 64, dated Jan. 29, 2015, and issued by Islamic State's Committee of Research and Fatwas, appears to codify sexual relations between IS fighters and their female captives for the first time, going further than a pamphlet issued by the group in 2014 on how to treat slaves.
The fatwa starts with a question: "Some of the brothers have committed violations in the matter of the treatment of the female slaves. These violations are not permitted by Sharia law because these rules have not been dealt with in ages. Are there any warnings pertaining to this matter?"
It then lists 15 injunctions, which in some instances go into explicit detail. For example:
"If the owner of a female captive, who has a daughter suitable for intercourse, has sexual relations with the latter, he is not permitted to have intercourse with her mother and she is permanently off limits to him. Should he have intercourse with her mother then he is not permitted to have intercourse with her daughter and she is to be off limits to him."
Islamic State's sexual exploitation of female captives has been well documented, but a leading IS expert at Princeton University, Cole Bunzel, who has reviewed many of the group's writings, said the fatwa went beyond what has previously been published by the militants on how to treat female slaves.
"It reveals the actual concerns of IS slave owners," he said in an email.
Still, he cautioned that not "everything dealt with in the fatwa is indicative of a relevant violation. It doesn't mean father and son were necessarily sharing a girl. They're at least being 'warned' not to. But I bet some of these violations were being committed."
The fatwa also instructs owners of female slaves to "show compassion towards her, be kind to her, not humiliate her, and not assign her work she is unable to perform." An owner should also not sell her to an individual whom he knows will mistreat her.
Professor Abdel Fattah Alawari, dean of Islamic Theology at Al-Azhar University, a 1,000-year-old Egyptian center for Islamic learning, said Islamic State "has nothing to do with Islam" and was deliberately misreading centuries-old verses and sayings that were originally designed to end, rather than encourage, slavery.
"Islam preaches freedom to slaves, not slavery. Slavery was the status quo when Islam came around," he said. "Judaism, Christianity, Greek, Roman, and Persian civilizations all practiced it and took the females of their enemies as sex slaves. So Islam found this abhorrent practice and worked to gradually remove it."
In September 2014 more than 120 Islamic scholars from around the world issued an open letter to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi refuting the group's religious arguments to justify many of its actions. The scholars noted that the "reintroduction of slavery is forbidden in Islam."
Posted by: gorb ||
12/29/2015 12:38 ||
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So Islam found this abhorrent practice and worked to gradually remove it.
Then his lips fell off and exploded.
After all, Islam worked SO HARD to end slavery, they're still practicing it.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/29/2015 18:18 Comments ||
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Hey, they just redefined it. A practice common among the leader of the free world.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A German man was killed when he was smacked in the head by a piece of metal from a condom-vending machine he was trying to blow up in an apparent burglary attempt on Christmas.
(I also wonder if, when the AP reports that .223-caliber rifles were “the only type of weapon fired by police that day,” that includes ATF agents and all other law-enforcement officials responding to the scene.)
The similarities are indeed striking, and too numerous to list. 
Islamic State 
