[Federalist] After experiencing years of rising crime, Washington, D.C. Democrats appear to have discovered that going soft on criminals in the name of "social justice" isn’t such a good idea.
On Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, introduced legislation overturning several so-called "police reform" measures the city implemented in response to the May 2020 death of George Floyd.
According to DCist, the Addressing Crime Trends (ACT) Now Act would not only walk back "restrictions to use-of-force, vehicular pursuits, and body-worn camera footage requirements," it would also implement new measures designed to crack down on crime. Among these are provisions creating "new penalties for organized retail theft, allow[ing] the police chief to declare certain areas ’drug-free zones,'" and making it once again "illegal to wear a mask for committing a crime."
Bowser’s push for increased policing appears to be in response to the skyrocketing number of homicides and other crimes recorded throughout the nation’s capital. Last month, The Washington Post reported that D.C. recorded its 200th homicide with three months left in 2023, marking the first time the city has documented more than 200 homicides before October since 1997. The number of homicides throughout D.C. had "generally trended downward, staying below 200 from 2004 to 2020," but picked back up again in 2021 with 226 killings.
#2
What policeman in his right mind would work there? As soon as the crisis and/or the elections have passed, the city government will stab you in the back with no compunction.
Posted by: Tom ||
10/25/2023 10:28 Comments ||
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[RedState] There’s a saying among the faithful here in Utah, that we believe in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law – and we do!
Well, sort of.
In May, it was revealed that Utah had become an unofficial sanctuary state by the regional office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – ICE, for anyone who’s been under a rock the last eight years – because “non-detention policies have compromised the Salt Lake City Field Office’s ability to support the U.S. Border Patrol and their efforts to stem the current border surge.”
Usually, sanctuary status is announced proudly by liberal mayors before they go home to their gated communities. But this one slipped under the radar in Utah – known as so reliably conservative for so long that we’re the only state where Bill Clinton came in third.
While the sanctuary status designation is news, our misguided leniency is itself not.
Illegal immigrants have been able to get driver's licenses here since 2005. In 2011, the legislature amended state code to grant work permits to them, and this year the legislature made it easier for companies to hire them by increasing the legal threshold for E-Verify from 15 employees to 150. The children of illegal immigrants have had access to in-state tuition since 2002, and this year state Sen. Luz Escamilla made sure they could get free health care too.
Now although the ICE memo was blasted to many state leaders, none of them responded until Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs brought the issue up earlier this month. Among the (many) problems on which Staggs has raised the alarm is that apparently one or two sexual assaults in Utah are committed every day by illegal immigrants.
But the good news there for sex criminals is that the state lowered the maximum penalty for Class A misdemeanors in 2019, making it harder to deport people whose first encounter with the United States was to break our laws (rather than – again – obey, honor, and sustain them).
Our embarrassingly liberal Gov. Spencer Cox has been quick to claim that “Utah has never been, and under my ‘leadership,’ will never become a sanctuary state for illegal immigration” (quotation marks added). But Cox has been very vocal about wanting to flood Utah with as many immigrants as possible regardless of the fact that under his “leadership,” Utah has become worst in the nation for housing affordability.
And instead of helping, our state’s corrupt, real estate developer-led legislature benefits doubly from the surge in illegal immigrants, on the one hand employing them to cheaply build over-priced, high-density housing projects then again stuff them in as tenants.
While most of Utah is still Utah, the Salt Lake Valley has become an unrecognizable mini-Los Angeles.
Those of us who have been watching from the sidelines were grateful to see Staggs’s leadership on this issue – rather than continue to let bad people exploit our kind-heartedness. He is currently running for the US Senate seat vacated by Mitt Romney, but Utah’s least-favorite son is still doing his best to pollute our elections. If Staggs can win the prominence that comes with a victorious Senate election, he might be able to turn things around.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Mikhail Zakharov
[REGNUM] Exactly 80 years ago, in the last days of October 1943, Soviet troops fought through the “winter line of defense of the Reich.” This is what the Nazis called the line in the Zaporozhye steppe, which covered the Nikopol manganese ore basin, and, more importantly, the gate to Crimea. Continued on Page 49
#1
I think Sweden had more migrants relative to population (it is a pretty small country, after all) than any other European country. So the effects of too much migration from the Third World are being felt more acutely there than in other places. Even the Swedes have finally had enough.
And I see that Germany is following suit. Hope all this is not too late.
Posted by: Tom ||
10/25/2023 10:27 Comments ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Petr Akopov
[RIA] The “fifth column of Moscow” in Germany has gone on the offensive—this is what the systemic parties and the press are telling the Germans. “Moscow dark red Sarah” announced the creation of her own party - one of the most popular politicians in Germany, 54-year-old Sarah (in fact, Sahra is her Iranian father) Wagenknecht leaves the Left Party and creates her own - “Sarah Wagenknecht Union - for reason and justice."
Continued on Page 49
[Summit] During a Twitter/X Spaces discussion Monday, owner Elon Musk warned that he believes the West is "sleepwalking our way into world war three," and "putting civilization itself at stake." Who is sleeping?
Musk noted that America is lagging behind both China and Russia in terms of industrial output, and that Western leaders are pushing those two nations closer together "in an axis of immense power against the west, and laying the groundwork for World War Three."
Musk explained "Russia has the raw materials, and China has the industrial capacity," adding "It’s frankly, a perfect match from a war standpoint. So I think we need to stop doing that. It’s unwise, and I think will lead to an immense risk to civilisation."
He continued, "I want to emphasise like that, there’s civilisational risk — there are tragedies on an individual level, tragedies on a community level, and then there’s civilisational risk. We just need to make sure that we’re not putting civilization itself at stake, which is World War Three."
#1
But that is the globalist plan. All must be upended and destroyed, human population reduced in order that 'Air Strip One' can be built and made operational.
'Green biscuit' factories as well. There will be NO unemployment. 'Needs Based' purchasing via global digital currency.
BLUF:
[ZERO] Darya Dugina's killing was one among dozens of high profile killings and sabotage bombings carried out by Ukrainian intelligence - with the supporting help of US counterparts - which has also included two large attacks on the Kerch Strait bridge.
However, as expected the sources speaking to the Post tried to put some distance between the CIA and direct involvement in the assassinations. The officials claim the CIA only served a support role, or what amounts to "bolstering those services’ abilities to gather intelligence on a dangerous adversary." Of course, the Kremlin is not going to see things this way, nor would any country coming within the CIA's crosshairs.
#3
Re "aren't busy enough here"
The issue is so many of the CIA operators are pre trained for Russian, so it just sorta leaks out. It's what they know how to do.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
10/25/2023 11:36 Comments ||
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#4
I remember years ago there was an acute shortage of Serbian speaking/reading analysts. Certain parties threw together an adhoc transition course for Russian analysts. It was called "Turbo-Serbo." Few if any achieved native speaking proficiency, but it reduced the shortage.
[Kruiser @ PJM]
The most polarizing politician of the last 40 years is not, as leftists would have us believe, Donald Trump. For my money, it’s none other than His High Holiness the Lightbringer, Barack Obama.
Seriously, the dude is irritating.
Unfortunately, half the country thinks that he’s the most brilliant man to do brilliant things in the history of brilliance. Anyone who disagrees with that, according to them, is — say it with me — racist.
One day, historians may decide that they are tired of embarrassing themselves and critically assess Obama’s legacy as president, which is especially awful when one is discussing foreign policy. He left messes all over the globe, many of which still getting messier. Remember, this is the guy who thought Russia was no longer a threat.
To anyone.
Obama took a break from vapid celebrityhood to weigh in on the crisis in the Middle East and — predictably — his hot take was unoriginal and wrong. Those are his foreign policy hallmarks, by the way.
Rick has the latest from America’s dictator-in-constitutional-exile:
Former U.S. President Obama expressed his concern that Israel’s blockade of Gaza could “harden Palestinian attitudes for generations,” weaken international support for Israel, and undermine efforts to achieve peace and stability” in the region.
In the fever dream of American progressives, the psychotic Islamic terrorists who behead, blow up, and rape people are never seen as obstacles to peace and stability. It’s the unyielding Israelis who are being beheaded, blown up, and raped who are mucking up the bliss. The insanity is rooted in the insistence that Gaza is awash in saintly “Palestinians” who are suffering from the bad PR being brought upon them by a few bad eggs who kill a whole bunch of people. Never mind the fact that these sweet people keep electing the Hamas savages to be in charge.
Barack Obama has a particular gift for empathizing with the worst of humanity in situations where those in the wrong are incredibly easy to identify. His real legacy can be seen in terrorist sympathizers like congresswomen Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and America’s Dumbest Bartender, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Because he loves the sound of his own voice, Obama has a lot more to say, which Rick shares in the post. Because he hates America, Obama finds a way to disparage it while discussing the situation in the Middle East.
None of what he says about how Israel should go about its business matters, because his central premise is wrong. The killers in Hamas and their terrorist brethren are — and always will be — the only roadblocks to peace in the region. There is no polite or safe way to eliminate the threat.
And, if we’re being honest here, “Palestinian attitudes” can’t really get any more “hardened” than they always have been.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/25/2023 09:23 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[16 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
(JNS) Predictably, world sympathy for Israel is ebbing already. The recent Big Lie that Israel bombed a Gaza hospital only accelerated this sadly familiar process, even as it proved how quick the media is to blame Israel first. Admittedly, the Gaza situation is messy in both moral and military terms, but liberal democrats worldwide must wake up and grow up. If the Constitution is not a suicide pact, civilization cannot be a suicide pact either.
Don’t compare those who harm innocents and delight in their suffering with those who unintentionally harm them, especially when your enemy hides behind civilians.
Don’t confuse totalitarians who start a war with their democratic victims, who must then defend themselves or die.
Israel tried restraint and lost 1,400 lives and counting. Every death, every casualty, in fact, all the harm radiating from Oct. 7, is Hamas’s fault.
What else can Israel do? In 2014, when a reporter interviewed Israel’s legendary leftist Amos Oz about Israel’s Hobson’s choice regarding a ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza, Oz chose to interview the interviewer. Oz said,
"Question 1: What would you do if your neighbor across the street sat down on the balcony, put his little boy on his lap and started shooting machine-gun fire into your nursery?
Question 2: What would you do if your neighbor across the street dug a tunnel from his nursery to your nursery in order to blow up your home or in order to kidnap your family?"
Back then, although obvious to some of us, the Hamas threat was theoretical. Fourteen hundred murders and countless abominations later, the questions are more pointed. The dilemmas remain painful, but the two-pronged moral case that justified Allied actions in World War II justifies Israel’s actions now.
Both cases posed a "supreme emergency" against a supremely evil foe. In Just and Unjust Wars, Michael Walzer explains the philosopher’s "sliding scale" that holds "the more justice, the more right." I would add "and the more might it is moral to unleash."
The Nazis and the Japanese started World War II. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s umbrella symbolized his delusional "appeasement." Many Americans tried dodging the conflict too until Pearl Harbor. Both the Nazis and the Japanese, like Hamas, were totalitarian enemies, violators of civilizational norms who targeted innocents while cowering behind their own.
Faced with such enemies and, like Israel today, having paid dearly for their delusions, the Allies’ campaign was relentless until victorious.
If a democracy can’t finish what its enemy started, it’s finished. But if a democracy starts acting as brutally as the enemy, it’s finished too. Clearly, whenever a "just war" is imposed on you, the most "just" thing you can do is win.
Still, the occasional wrestling over what to do also helps make the war just. Winston Churchill, who replaced Chamberlain in 1940, agonized over civilian deaths. Initially, he explained to an MP demanding unrestricted bombing, "You and others may desire to kill women and children. We desire (and have succeeded in our desire) to destroy German military objectives."
But the Nazis were so vicious and the need to defeat them so obvious that there was no choice. Churchill escalated. By 1945 he deemed "the massive achievement of Bomber Command ... an example of duty nobly done."
Similarly, when American leaders agonized over whether to drop atomic bombs on Japan, Secretary of Defense Henry Stimson returned to the war’s initial rationale, writing in a top secret document in 1945 about the final war aims: "We have great moral superiority through being the victim" of Japan’s "first sneak attack."
President Harry Truman "didn’t have any doubt" about dropping the bombs, mocking the "eggheads" and "Monday morning quarterbacks" for their hand-wringing. His decision, however terrible the destruction that resulted, saved American lives—Truman’s primary obligation—by avoiding the awful task of invading Japan.
Subsequently, especially when President Barack Obama rained thunder from the skies to destroy ISIS, democracies have used awful firepower against awful enemies. Between 9,000 and 11,000 civilians died in the battle to free Mosul from the savage Islamic State. In that case, unlike Gazans and Hamas, Mosul’s civilians opposed the ruling terror organization. Obama tried minimizing civilian casualties, then undercounted the "collateral damage" when the inevitable occurred.
Still, Obama was "very clear," saying, "America’s priorities have to be, number one, keeping the American people safe." He recognized, "We are at war with an organization that right now would kill as many Americans as they could if we did not stop them first. So this is a just war—a war waged proportionally, in last resort and in self-defense." Acknowledging civilian deaths as "heartbreaking tragedies," Obama nevertheless concluded that "to do nothing in the face of terrorist networks would invite far more civilian casualties. ... So doing nothing is not an option."
Since withdrawing from Gaza 18 years ago, Israel has acted with restraint, tolerating the intolerable, as Hamas built its arsenal and bombarded Israel. Now, finally, without demagoguery, without denying the complexity, Israel should admit that war is ugly but act decisively.
IMO, Hamas attack signals phase II of WOT. Having successfully defeated NATO invasion - in particular planting millions of Muslems in the West - Dar begins to counter attack.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective ||
10/25/2023 03:16 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Civilization is not at suicide pact
But Marxism is. Its goal is to destroy Western Civilization.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Artemy Sharapov
[REGNUM] More than two weeks have passed since Hamas militants began invading Israel, but the Israeli military is still delaying the date of the retaliation strike.
Top officials of the Israeli government, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , almost immediately after the events of October 7 promised the speedy elimination of all militants involved in the invasion and announced a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip with the aim of finally eliminating Hamas. However, so far the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have limited themselves to calling up 300 thousand reservists and launching a large-scale campaign to destroy the infrastructure of militants in the sector.
The IDF command explains: the airstrikes should prepare the start of a ground operation, depriving Palestinian groups of the ability to conduct combat operations in dense urban areas.
“We attack very, very hard, we kill senior commanders, we kill rank-and-file fighters, we destroy infrastructure and we act with great determination. This is the path of a decisive offensive aimed at destroying Hamas, wherever it is. Preparations for the ground maneuver in the south have been carried out well,” assured the Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Army, Lieutenant General Herzi Ha-Levi at a meeting with officers.
At the same time, as mentioned above, the Israeli authorities do not give specific dates for the operation, which is being postponed every day.
Times of Israel notes: the IDF command has completed all the necessary preparations and insists on launching the offensive as soon as possible, but Netanyahu’s office may postpone the operation indefinitely.
Opportunities are running out
An opinion has been expressed: the position of the authorities is influenced by the situation with foreign hostages in Gaza.
The day before, Hamas released two hostages as a gesture of goodwill. According to some media reports, the group, through the mediation of the Egyptian authorities, is negotiating the release of all non-Israelis or all civilian hostages.
In response, the group expects the opening of the Rafah checkpoint on the border of the Gaza Strip with Egypt and the start of humanitarian aid deliveries.
In addition, the Israeli government fears that the ground operation in Gaza could drag on for several months and lead to heavy losses, both military and image. This version appears in the publication of Vice . The assumption is reasonable, because there are still tens of thousands of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other groups in Gaza who are preparing for urban battles.
The Israeli authorities are also concerned about the possible entry into the conflict of the Lebanese Hezbollah group and Palestinian factions operating in the West Bank (which are under the control of the official authorities of the Palestinian Authority, led by the leader of the Fatah group, Mahmoud Abbas).
In this situation, Israel is “at the limit of its capabilities” and that is why the invasion of Gaza is being postponed, Western experts believe.
However, according to military expert Yuri Lyamin, the mobilization capabilities of the IDF are far from exhausted.
After the mobilization of reservists, the strength of the Israeli army approached 550–600 thousand people. Quantitatively, the IDF is superior to all Palestinian groups combined, not to mention the total superiority in artillery, armored vehicles and aviation, which the Palestinians simply do not have.
But the situation could be changed by the entry of other regional players into the conflict.
Hezbollah goes beyond standard escalation
“The problem for Israel could be the escalation of the current limited conflict with the Lebanese Hezbollah to a full-scale war,” Lyamin points out.
Conducting a simultaneous offensive in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon may prove difficult for Israel. Especially considering that Shiite volunteers from Iraq, Syria and other countries can come to Hezbollah’s aid, the expert notes.
Earlier, Hezbollah admitted the death of forty members of the group in border clashes with the Israelis. Hezbollah artillery and drones attack IDF positions, destroying observation posts and armored vehicles. However, so far the conflict does not go beyond the “standard” escalation between Lebanon and Israel.
If the IDF nevertheless decides to carry out an operation in Gaza, Hezbollah could mobilize tens or even hundreds of thousands of its supporters. Many of them have real combat experience gained during the war in Syria, where the group supported the government of President Bashar al-Assad .
Hypothetically, Israel could focus on the situation in Gaza, moving to a tight defense on its northern borders. That is, not to take any action “on the ground”, but to concentrate on delivering retaliatory strikes.
However, in this case, the exchange of fire could reach a completely different level.
“A prolonged exchange of missile and air strikes is fraught with serious destruction not only for Lebanon, but also for Israel. Hezbollah’s strike potential is simply incomparably higher than anything the Palestinians had,” notes Yuri Lyamin.
The armor is strong, but it’s difficult without shells
A war “on two fronts” is obviously fraught with exhaustion of internal resources for Israel. The IDF can still support a medium-intensity conflict using its own resources, but if the operation drags on, Israel will have to seek help.
Jerusalem has already asked the United States to provide tens of thousands of 155-mm artillery shells, which were previously seized from IDF mobilization warehouses in favor of Ukraine. Washington granted Israel's request, but this delivery may be only the first of many to follow.
The Israeli defense industry is closely connected with the American military-industrial complex and will not be able to independently meet the needs of an army waging a full-scale war, points out military expert Alexander Mikhailovsky .
“The escalation of the conflict will primarily lead to the depletion of reserves of air defense missiles and aircraft ammunition. Then it will be the turn of artillery shells and 120-mm tank shells. And then supplies of more technologically advanced things will be required, such as guidance systems, components for drones, and so on ad infinitum ,” the expert listed.
Israel is still considering the possibility of a ground operation in Gaza, Mikhailovsky believes. This is evidenced, in particular, by the “armoring” of Merkava tanks, which were deployed to the border with the Gaza Strip. The vehicles received a so-called visor - a metal protective structure designed to protect against drones. Israeli Puma armored personnel carriers and other armored vehicles received similar protection systems.
However, the military's readiness does not mean that the Israeli government will be as decisive.
The US is afraid of getting drawn into the conflict
The Israeli authorities may be influenced by the US position. The White House is concerned that the goals set by the Israeli army are unattainable and the IDF does not have a working plan for the operation. This version was spread by the New York Times, citing sources in the Joe Biden administration.
Other circumstances also influence the mood of the White House. On Wednesday, October 18, the so-called “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” began striking US Army bases in the Middle East. On the night of October 23-24, the Syrian Al-Omar field, where the Americans are illegally extracting oil, came under attack.
On Saturday, October 21, US Navy warships operating in the Red Sea repelled a missile launch from Yemen by the Ansarallah group, whose members are known as the Houthis. The head of the Houthi government, Abdul Aziz bin Saleh Habtoor , confirmed that the missiles were fired into Israel for demonstration purposes. In the future, the Houthis may begin to launch regular attacks on Israeli territory.
US Navy ships and American military bases in Saudi Arabia and the UAE may also come under attack. The Houthis’ statement should not be viewed as bravado: the group previously demonstrated the Quds (Arabic name for Jerusalem) missiles in its arsenal with a range of up to 2,000 km. The Houthis are also armed with Wa'id-2 kamikaze drones (a version of the Iranian Shahed 136 drones), which have a maximum range of up to 2,500 km.
In the current circumstances, the United States is actually being drawn into a conflict that does not promise a quick victory (or perhaps even victory as such).
“We should not forget that the election cycle is beginning in the United States. Any mistake by Biden, the arrival of a ballistic missile at a US Army base, will be used by the Republicans for their own purposes. Therefore, the United States will try to help Israel find a non-military way out of the situation while saving face,” notes Mikhailovsky.
On the other hand, a possible delay in starting the operation in Gaza could lead to the start of proceedings in Israel itself. The local press is increasingly criticizing the country's civilian and military leadership for allowing militants to break out of Gaza. Therefore, the Israeli authorities may ultimately decide on a military operation.
Experts agree that Israel will ultimately be able to resolve the Hamas situation on its own. However, the expansion of the conflict and possible image losses may offset any local military successes.
Maneuvering between Scylla and Charybdis, the Israeli authorities are trying to find the optimal solution that would resolve the Gaza issue while minimizing possible consequences. But so far no such solution is in sight.
#19
I love the smell of FAEs in the morning! I'm expecting to see a lot of those cute little drones they use for closed space inspections, along with bomb disposal robots. And maybe some dogs when things have settled down and they are rounding up any stragglers.
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.
[Federalist] After experiencing years of rising crime, Washington, D.C. Democrats appear to have discovered that going soft on criminals in the name of "social justice" isn’t such a good idea.
[Summit] Call for violent jihad: No problem.
[Kruiser @ PJM]
