Danish drug dealer is arrested carrying 1,000 cannabis joints after getting into a police car he thought was a taxi
By Tariq Tahir
Daily Mail
December 23, 2017
A drug dealer in Denmark is facing prison after getting into a police car with 1000 joints thinking the vehicle was a taxi.
According to police in Copenhagen, the man was in the city's alternative enclave of Christiania and was in such a hurry to get home, he hopped into a police car after mistaking it for a taxi.
He was searched by police who found him to be carrying 1,000 joints, Copenhagen Police wrote on Twitter, thelocal.dk reported.
‘Last night a cannabis dealer from Christiania who wanted to get home quickly got into a taxi. He received a big surprise when he realised it was actually a police car he was sitting in,' police wrote.
'The police officers were happy to see him, since he was carrying around 1,000 joints.'
The force then tweeted a second time to say that the man could face a custodial sentence for the offence.
The arrest came after Copenhagen police increased their presence in Christiana, which was originally set up by hippie squatters in 1971.
Police have carried out several raids and used drones in a clampdown on narcotics dealing in the area.
A raid this week resulted in a number of traders' stands being demolished and several kilos of cannabis confiscated, according to the police Twitter account.
Last year two men in Rexburg, Idaho, carrying more than 20 pounds of pot in their car, gave themselves up to police after mistakenly believing they were being tailed by a patrol car.
In 2009 a 19-year-old drug dealer decided to sell weed by going door-to-door in Brownsville, Texas but one of his clients turned out to be an off-duty police officer.
EDITOR’S NOTE: On two occasions I had a drunk get in my patrol car thinking it was a cab.
Monday, December 25, 2017
PRISON OFFICIALS EVEN DEPRIVED HIM OF THE HOOKS ON HIS STUMPS
Hook-handed hate preacher Abu Hamza says his stumps are infected and wants to leave US super max prison for UK jail
By Josh Robbins
International Business Times
December 17, 2017
Abu Hamza, the hook-handed hate preacher, wants to return to British soil because conditions inside a US "supermax" prison are too "degrading".
The former Finsbury Park imam, who was deported to the US and convicted of 11 terrorism offences, has registered an appeal against his detention at the maximum security ADX Florence prison.
The Egyptian-born extremist, 59, claims his human rights are being breached by the "inhuman" routine of solitary confinement he is subjected to at the Colorado facility.
His 242-page appeal, seen by The Sunday Times, alleges he is "permitted to one hour per day of recreation time outside of his cell... [and] even during that one-hour recreation, however, [he] is still confined within a cell-sized cage" on his own.
The double amputee is also blind in one eye, a diabetic and suffers from a condition which causes him to sweat excessively, meaning that he needs two showers a day.
The appeal claims that when he was in British prison, he received health visits from doctors and nurses on a daily basis.
But now the appeal claims: "The stumps in both arms are subject to regular outbreaks of infection, which have been increasing in severity."
The document also claims he was was able to socialise with other convicts at HMP Belmarsh up until his deportation in 2012, and that he would like to return to a British jail "in a second" if given the opportunity.
His lawyers argue that his treatment in the US is a breach of Article 3 of the Human Rights Act, which prohibits torture, inhuman or degrading treatment.
He is serving a life sentence in the US, with no chance of parole after being found guilty of 11 offences, including hostage taking and setting up a jihadi training camp.
The notorious ADX Florence is also home to some of America's most prolific criminals, including Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber.
Michael Bachrach, one of Hamza's appeal lawyers, said: "We strongly believe that the conditions of his confinement violate the expectations of the European Convention on Human Rights and the promises that were made by the US government to the [British and European] courts as part of the extradition process."
"He would go back to Belmarsh in a second if he could."
Meanwhile, Abu Hamza's son – a convicted armed robber – is now walking the streets of Britain after serving less than half of an 11-year sentence for armed robbery.
Twenty-six-year-old Imran Mostafa was part of a London gang that robbed a Norfolk jewellers with a sledgehammer and a gun in 2012, swiping £70,000 ($94,000) of goods from the provincial store.
A judge described the robbery as "terrifying" and said that staff, who continued to suffer trauma long after the incident, were "praying that they would not be shot".
Details of his release emerged earlier this month.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I haven’t been able to stop crying since I first started reading this report. I’ve already used up half a box of Kleenex. Such inhumane treatment for a Man of God. It looks like the only decent thing his American prison authorities have done is to take away his hooks so he cannot hurt himself.
Hmmm, I wonder if poor ole Abu lost his hands and the sight in one eye when a bomb-making class he was teaching wannabee martyrs didn’t go all that well.
By Josh Robbins
International Business Times
December 17, 2017
Abu Hamza, the hook-handed hate preacher, wants to return to British soil because conditions inside a US "supermax" prison are too "degrading".
The former Finsbury Park imam, who was deported to the US and convicted of 11 terrorism offences, has registered an appeal against his detention at the maximum security ADX Florence prison.
The Egyptian-born extremist, 59, claims his human rights are being breached by the "inhuman" routine of solitary confinement he is subjected to at the Colorado facility.
His 242-page appeal, seen by The Sunday Times, alleges he is "permitted to one hour per day of recreation time outside of his cell... [and] even during that one-hour recreation, however, [he] is still confined within a cell-sized cage" on his own.
The double amputee is also blind in one eye, a diabetic and suffers from a condition which causes him to sweat excessively, meaning that he needs two showers a day.
The appeal claims that when he was in British prison, he received health visits from doctors and nurses on a daily basis.
But now the appeal claims: "The stumps in both arms are subject to regular outbreaks of infection, which have been increasing in severity."
The document also claims he was was able to socialise with other convicts at HMP Belmarsh up until his deportation in 2012, and that he would like to return to a British jail "in a second" if given the opportunity.
His lawyers argue that his treatment in the US is a breach of Article 3 of the Human Rights Act, which prohibits torture, inhuman or degrading treatment.
He is serving a life sentence in the US, with no chance of parole after being found guilty of 11 offences, including hostage taking and setting up a jihadi training camp.
The notorious ADX Florence is also home to some of America's most prolific criminals, including Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber.
Michael Bachrach, one of Hamza's appeal lawyers, said: "We strongly believe that the conditions of his confinement violate the expectations of the European Convention on Human Rights and the promises that were made by the US government to the [British and European] courts as part of the extradition process."
"He would go back to Belmarsh in a second if he could."
Meanwhile, Abu Hamza's son – a convicted armed robber – is now walking the streets of Britain after serving less than half of an 11-year sentence for armed robbery.
Twenty-six-year-old Imran Mostafa was part of a London gang that robbed a Norfolk jewellers with a sledgehammer and a gun in 2012, swiping £70,000 ($94,000) of goods from the provincial store.
A judge described the robbery as "terrifying" and said that staff, who continued to suffer trauma long after the incident, were "praying that they would not be shot".
Details of his release emerged earlier this month.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I haven’t been able to stop crying since I first started reading this report. I’ve already used up half a box of Kleenex. Such inhumane treatment for a Man of God. It looks like the only decent thing his American prison authorities have done is to take away his hooks so he cannot hurt himself.
Hmmm, I wonder if poor ole Abu lost his hands and the sight in one eye when a bomb-making class he was teaching wannabee martyrs didn’t go all that well.
Sunday, December 24, 2017
THE STORY BEHIND THE LITTLE ANGEL ON TOP OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE
When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.
Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.
When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.
Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.
Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum.
When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the liquor.. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.
Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'
And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.
Not a lot of people know this.
Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.
When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.
Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.
Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum.
When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the liquor.. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.
Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'
And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.
Not a lot of people know this.
HOMELESS MAN RESCUES ‘LADY OFFICER’
Homeless Man Assists South Carolina Police Officer
By Clif LeBlanc
The State
December 22, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Cray Turmon — a homeless man going on 50 years old — is accustomed to meeting police who write him up for DUI.
Ashley Hardesty, 27, has been a Columbia police officer for two years and is just earning her chops in uniform.
They met Tuesday by chance in an Elmwood Avenue gas station parking lot, and both emerged better for the encounter. Turmon was even hailed a hero and an online effort has been launched to help him.
Turmon, a welder by profession, was on his way back from a gym workout Tuesday afternoon when his better instincts told him to tackle the burly man wrestling with Hardesty.
“The impulse was, I visualized it was my girlfriend,” said Turmon, who is a resident at Transitions, a downtown center for homeless adults. “I’m not going to stand around and do nothing.”
The suspect, Donald Songster Brown, 39, had slapped away Hardesty’s handcuffs several times. Brown had yanked off tethers to the prongs of her stun gun before the full brunt of the shock could immobilize him. Pepper spray didn’t stop him, either.
“I needed someone to assist me to get him on the ground,” Hardesty said Wednesday, recalling the tense standoff.
“I didn’t see him coming,” she said of Turmon. “I thought, ‘Is that a cop? That’s awesome. Oh, it’s not a cop.’
“He tackled him and actually held him – just like he was playing football,” the officer said of Turmon. “He changed the situation altogether. He, basically, ended it.”
What Turmon didn’t know is that Brown, 39, has a 10-page criminal record that shows largely petty crimes such as trespassing, credit card theft, shoplifting and resisting arrest. Many offenses involve alcohol or drugs.
Until Tuesday, the most serious charge against Brown was an armed robbery case filed in June.
Now, Brown is facing attempted murder and kidnapping among other offenses after police said he threatened people in the gas station store, pulled a knife, wouldn’t let them leave and refused to leave himself.
The confrontation was captured on cellphone video and posted to Facebook. The person who posted the recording joked, “I’m Live PD today.”
Cop’s workday grows intense
Hardesty’s shift on Tuesday had an exciting start even before she answered the call at the BP S-mart. An inmate being treated at a local hospital had escaped, and she was assigned to help lock down the nearby Spirit Communications Park baseball field.
About 1:30 p.m., she was doing paperwork at police headquarters when dispatchers reported a possible shoplifting incident at the BP gas station. That’s pretty common for the site because of its proximity to Calhoun Street, which some call “Homeless Row.”
As Hardesty pulled into the station parking lot, several clerks were agitated.
“There he is,” one shouted. “That’s the guy that punched me.”
The man was shouting, “‘She has my money, or something like that.’ I couldn’t quite understand,” the officer said. “We were walking toward each other.”
Hardesty could see the man was unarmed, but very worked up. His nostrils flared and his shoulders were hunched, she said.
He refused to be handcuffed, slapping away her hands. He wouldn’t get on the ground as Hardesty had commanded him to do. They tussled, her body camera flying from her uniform. She could not subdue him.
Hardesty fired her stun gun, and the man started to go down. But he stopped himself before he hit the ground.
“He ripped the cords off the prongs and threw them on the ground,” the officer said. It usually takes about 5 seconds to get the full force of the electric shock, she said, estimating the prongs stuck for only 2 seconds.
“So we went back to fighting,” Hardesty said.
An unlikely hero arrives
Turmon, who is from Hampton, S.C., and is the youngest of 12 children, has been at Transition several months. He said he’s grateful for its help in returning to sobriety and rebuilding his life. Now, Turmon said, he’s finally decided, “It’s time to put my big-boy pants on and stop running away.”
He has applied to the city’s Homeless Court. If he completes its rigorous requirements, misdemeanor charges on his criminal record would be removed.
On Tuesday, Turmon was walking to the station to get a pack of Newport cigarettes after riding the bus from Planet Fitness in the Dutch Square mall. The workouts there help “me turn negative stuff into positive stuff,” the 6-foot, 222-pounder said.
He walked into an escalating situation. The first thing Turmon noticed was that the manager, who he called “the nicest person you’d ever want to meet,” was hysterical and had a black eye.
He knows her as someone with a sweet smile, but also one who puts up with no guff from unruly customers.
“He hit me. He hit me. He pulled a knife on me,” the manager screamed, according to Turmon. Other clerks were upset too.
That’s when Turmon saw a Columbia police car pull in. “It was a lady officer,” he said. “She tried to get him to calm down. He wouldn’t.”
By the time Hardesty sprayed the 6-foot, 210-pounder without success, Turmon charged the man without thinking. “I just dove,” he said, pinning the suspect to the ground. Turmon said he’s never played football.
“It’s kind of ironic,” he said, reflecting on the incident. “I actively helped a police officer even though I’ve been in trouble with them. I don’t know. I just felt like I had to step in.”
Another person hit and kicked Brown in the head as he lay on the ground.
On Wednesday in the Transitions day room, police Chief Skip Holbrook presented the good Samaritan a certificate of appreciation. He called Turmon a hero and handed him two $50 Walmart gift cards just in time for Christmas.
With reporters present, Turmon seemed shy about all the attention. But he let a sly grin creep across his face. Asked if he was enjoying the spotlight, he responded with a twinkle in his eyes, “I like it.”
By Clif LeBlanc
The State
December 22, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Cray Turmon — a homeless man going on 50 years old — is accustomed to meeting police who write him up for DUI.
Ashley Hardesty, 27, has been a Columbia police officer for two years and is just earning her chops in uniform.
They met Tuesday by chance in an Elmwood Avenue gas station parking lot, and both emerged better for the encounter. Turmon was even hailed a hero and an online effort has been launched to help him.
Turmon, a welder by profession, was on his way back from a gym workout Tuesday afternoon when his better instincts told him to tackle the burly man wrestling with Hardesty.
“The impulse was, I visualized it was my girlfriend,” said Turmon, who is a resident at Transitions, a downtown center for homeless adults. “I’m not going to stand around and do nothing.”
The suspect, Donald Songster Brown, 39, had slapped away Hardesty’s handcuffs several times. Brown had yanked off tethers to the prongs of her stun gun before the full brunt of the shock could immobilize him. Pepper spray didn’t stop him, either.
“I needed someone to assist me to get him on the ground,” Hardesty said Wednesday, recalling the tense standoff.
“I didn’t see him coming,” she said of Turmon. “I thought, ‘Is that a cop? That’s awesome. Oh, it’s not a cop.’
“He tackled him and actually held him – just like he was playing football,” the officer said of Turmon. “He changed the situation altogether. He, basically, ended it.”
What Turmon didn’t know is that Brown, 39, has a 10-page criminal record that shows largely petty crimes such as trespassing, credit card theft, shoplifting and resisting arrest. Many offenses involve alcohol or drugs.
Until Tuesday, the most serious charge against Brown was an armed robbery case filed in June.
Now, Brown is facing attempted murder and kidnapping among other offenses after police said he threatened people in the gas station store, pulled a knife, wouldn’t let them leave and refused to leave himself.
The confrontation was captured on cellphone video and posted to Facebook. The person who posted the recording joked, “I’m Live PD today.”
Cop’s workday grows intense
Hardesty’s shift on Tuesday had an exciting start even before she answered the call at the BP S-mart. An inmate being treated at a local hospital had escaped, and she was assigned to help lock down the nearby Spirit Communications Park baseball field.
About 1:30 p.m., she was doing paperwork at police headquarters when dispatchers reported a possible shoplifting incident at the BP gas station. That’s pretty common for the site because of its proximity to Calhoun Street, which some call “Homeless Row.”
As Hardesty pulled into the station parking lot, several clerks were agitated.
“There he is,” one shouted. “That’s the guy that punched me.”
The man was shouting, “‘She has my money, or something like that.’ I couldn’t quite understand,” the officer said. “We were walking toward each other.”
Hardesty could see the man was unarmed, but very worked up. His nostrils flared and his shoulders were hunched, she said.
He refused to be handcuffed, slapping away her hands. He wouldn’t get on the ground as Hardesty had commanded him to do. They tussled, her body camera flying from her uniform. She could not subdue him.
Hardesty fired her stun gun, and the man started to go down. But he stopped himself before he hit the ground.
“He ripped the cords off the prongs and threw them on the ground,” the officer said. It usually takes about 5 seconds to get the full force of the electric shock, she said, estimating the prongs stuck for only 2 seconds.
“So we went back to fighting,” Hardesty said.
An unlikely hero arrives
Turmon, who is from Hampton, S.C., and is the youngest of 12 children, has been at Transition several months. He said he’s grateful for its help in returning to sobriety and rebuilding his life. Now, Turmon said, he’s finally decided, “It’s time to put my big-boy pants on and stop running away.”
He has applied to the city’s Homeless Court. If he completes its rigorous requirements, misdemeanor charges on his criminal record would be removed.
On Tuesday, Turmon was walking to the station to get a pack of Newport cigarettes after riding the bus from Planet Fitness in the Dutch Square mall. The workouts there help “me turn negative stuff into positive stuff,” the 6-foot, 222-pounder said.
He walked into an escalating situation. The first thing Turmon noticed was that the manager, who he called “the nicest person you’d ever want to meet,” was hysterical and had a black eye.
He knows her as someone with a sweet smile, but also one who puts up with no guff from unruly customers.
“He hit me. He hit me. He pulled a knife on me,” the manager screamed, according to Turmon. Other clerks were upset too.
That’s when Turmon saw a Columbia police car pull in. “It was a lady officer,” he said. “She tried to get him to calm down. He wouldn’t.”
By the time Hardesty sprayed the 6-foot, 210-pounder without success, Turmon charged the man without thinking. “I just dove,” he said, pinning the suspect to the ground. Turmon said he’s never played football.
“It’s kind of ironic,” he said, reflecting on the incident. “I actively helped a police officer even though I’ve been in trouble with them. I don’t know. I just felt like I had to step in.”
Another person hit and kicked Brown in the head as he lay on the ground.
On Wednesday in the Transitions day room, police Chief Skip Holbrook presented the good Samaritan a certificate of appreciation. He called Turmon a hero and handed him two $50 Walmart gift cards just in time for Christmas.
With reporters present, Turmon seemed shy about all the attention. But he let a sly grin creep across his face. Asked if he was enjoying the spotlight, he responded with a twinkle in his eyes, “I like it.”
ERDOGAN: A CLEAR INTERNATIONAL REJECTION OF TRUMP’S THUGGISH INTIMIDATION
Netanyahu slams UN's Jerusalem vote as 'theater of the absurd'
News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Israel Hayom
December 22, 2017
Israel on Thursday lambasted a U.N. General Assembly vote declaring U.S. President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as "null and void," calling it "preposterous."
In Thursday's vote, 128 nations voted in favor of a resolution demanding the U.S. rescind its declaration, with nine members voting against it and 35 nations abstaining. Twenty-one nations were absent from the vote.
"Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution. Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be. But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refused to participate in this theater of the absurd," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
"I appreciate that, and especially I want to again express our thanks to President Trump and Ambassador [Nikki] Haley, for their stalwart defense of Israel and their stalwart defense of the truth," he said in a statement issued on Thursday evening.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid also denounced the U.N.'s vote.
"The U.N. lost its last shred of dignity today. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, it always was and it always will be. No hypocritical vote will change that. The decision that was taken today will be wiped from the pages of history," he tweeted.
"I'm saddened to see our European friends bow to pressure and stand alongside supporters of terror and mass murder instead of standing beside the only true democracy in the Middle East."
Yisrael Beytenu leader Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted, "There is nothing new about the U.N. [move]. Thankfully, the U.S. remains a beacon of morality, shining a light in the darkness."
Kulanu leader Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said, "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel, with or without the U.N.'s recognition. Thank you to the countries who stood by Israel in today's vote."
Zionist Union leader Avi Gabbay said, "Jerusalem was our capital before the vote and it will remain our capital afterward. I recommend the United Nations focus on things it can change."
Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) tweeted, "Jerusalem is our eternal capital and we need no one's approval to reaffirm that."
Unlike U.N. Security Council resolutions, General Assembly votes are not legally binding, but they do serve as a barometer of international sentiment on key issues. As the assembly chose to denounce Washington's move, it further illustrated the Trump administration's isolation on the issue of Jerusalem.
The international community maintains that the status of the holy city must be determined as part of a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, welcomed the vote as "a victory for Palestine. We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and at all international forums to put an end to this occupation and to establish our Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital."
Palestinian Ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour called the vote a victory not only for the Palestinians but for the United Nations and international law, saying Haley "failed miserably" in persuading only seven countries aside from the U.S. and Israel to oppose the resolution.
"And they used unprecedented tactics, unheard of in the diplomatic work at the U.N., including blackmail and extortion," he said, referring to Trump's threat to cut foreign aid to nations that vote against the U.S.
Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar urged "all Palestinians, in Jerusalem, the West Bank and everywhere else, to stage a day of rage on Friday."
Senior Palestine Liberation Organization member Hanan Ashrawi said she was "extremely encouraged that the vast majority of the members of the United Nations General Assembly did not succumb to American threats and blackmail; they did not accept the Israeli insults being hurled at them, and they stood up for justice and for the rule of law and for what is right. They voted on the basis of principle."
She said that "128 countries told the U.S. and Israel that what they are doing is wrong and unacceptable and they voted for Jerusalem, they voted for the U.N. as an institution of integrity, they voted for the rule of law.
"The PLO will follow up on this, we are going to pursue our full membership in the U.N. We will also pursue membership in other international organizations affiliated with the U.N. and there is always the International Criminal Court that will hold the Israeli occupation accountable in all its manifestations. And, of course, I think that we will begin to look for alternatives in terms of achieving a just solution to this situation."
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said following the vote that he expected the Trump administration to "rescind without delay its unfortunate decision" to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
In comments on Twitter, Erdogan said he welcomed the "overwhelming support" for the resolution in the General Assembly, as it was "a clear international rejection" of the Trump administration's "thuggish intimidation."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif echoed the statement, tweeting, "A resounding global NO to Trump regime's thuggish intimidation at #UN."
EDITOR’S NOTE:I hope thug Trump cuts off all aid to Turkey. That will give Erdogan something really to squawk about.
News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Israel Hayom
December 22, 2017
Israel on Thursday lambasted a U.N. General Assembly vote declaring U.S. President Donald Trump's Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as "null and void," calling it "preposterous."
In Thursday's vote, 128 nations voted in favor of a resolution demanding the U.S. rescind its declaration, with nine members voting against it and 35 nations abstaining. Twenty-one nations were absent from the vote.
"Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution. Jerusalem is our capital. Always was, always will be. But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refused to participate in this theater of the absurd," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
"I appreciate that, and especially I want to again express our thanks to President Trump and Ambassador [Nikki] Haley, for their stalwart defense of Israel and their stalwart defense of the truth," he said in a statement issued on Thursday evening.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid also denounced the U.N.'s vote.
"The U.N. lost its last shred of dignity today. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, it always was and it always will be. No hypocritical vote will change that. The decision that was taken today will be wiped from the pages of history," he tweeted.
"I'm saddened to see our European friends bow to pressure and stand alongside supporters of terror and mass murder instead of standing beside the only true democracy in the Middle East."
Yisrael Beytenu leader Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted, "There is nothing new about the U.N. [move]. Thankfully, the U.S. remains a beacon of morality, shining a light in the darkness."
Kulanu leader Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said, "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel, with or without the U.N.'s recognition. Thank you to the countries who stood by Israel in today's vote."
Zionist Union leader Avi Gabbay said, "Jerusalem was our capital before the vote and it will remain our capital afterward. I recommend the United Nations focus on things it can change."
Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) tweeted, "Jerusalem is our eternal capital and we need no one's approval to reaffirm that."
Unlike U.N. Security Council resolutions, General Assembly votes are not legally binding, but they do serve as a barometer of international sentiment on key issues. As the assembly chose to denounce Washington's move, it further illustrated the Trump administration's isolation on the issue of Jerusalem.
The international community maintains that the status of the holy city must be determined as part of a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, welcomed the vote as "a victory for Palestine. We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and at all international forums to put an end to this occupation and to establish our Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital."
Palestinian Ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour called the vote a victory not only for the Palestinians but for the United Nations and international law, saying Haley "failed miserably" in persuading only seven countries aside from the U.S. and Israel to oppose the resolution.
"And they used unprecedented tactics, unheard of in the diplomatic work at the U.N., including blackmail and extortion," he said, referring to Trump's threat to cut foreign aid to nations that vote against the U.S.
Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar urged "all Palestinians, in Jerusalem, the West Bank and everywhere else, to stage a day of rage on Friday."
Senior Palestine Liberation Organization member Hanan Ashrawi said she was "extremely encouraged that the vast majority of the members of the United Nations General Assembly did not succumb to American threats and blackmail; they did not accept the Israeli insults being hurled at them, and they stood up for justice and for the rule of law and for what is right. They voted on the basis of principle."
She said that "128 countries told the U.S. and Israel that what they are doing is wrong and unacceptable and they voted for Jerusalem, they voted for the U.N. as an institution of integrity, they voted for the rule of law.
"The PLO will follow up on this, we are going to pursue our full membership in the U.N. We will also pursue membership in other international organizations affiliated with the U.N. and there is always the International Criminal Court that will hold the Israeli occupation accountable in all its manifestations. And, of course, I think that we will begin to look for alternatives in terms of achieving a just solution to this situation."
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said following the vote that he expected the Trump administration to "rescind without delay its unfortunate decision" to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
In comments on Twitter, Erdogan said he welcomed the "overwhelming support" for the resolution in the General Assembly, as it was "a clear international rejection" of the Trump administration's "thuggish intimidation."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif echoed the statement, tweeting, "A resounding global NO to Trump regime's thuggish intimidation at #UN."
EDITOR’S NOTE:I hope thug Trump cuts off all aid to Turkey. That will give Erdogan something really to squawk about.
Saturday, December 23, 2017
PATRIOTISM IS PUNISHED, DISREESPECT FOR FLAG AND COUNTRY IS HONORED
Papa John’s founder is forced to step down as CEO for criticizing Roger Goodell in his failure to stop the NFL player protests during the National Anthem
By Howie Katz
Big Jolly Times
December 22, 2017
John Schnatter, founder of Papa John’s Pizza, is a patriotic American who is being punished for his patriotism. He dared to criticize the disrespect shown our flag and country by NFL players.
On November 1, 2017, Schnatter made a conference call to Papa John’s shareholders in which he blamed the NFL player protests during the National Anthem for sagging pizza sales and falling Papa John’s stock prices. He blamed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for letting the protests get out of hand. Here, in part, is what Schnatter said:
“The NFL has hurt us by not resolving the current debacle to the players’ and owners’ satisfaction. NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders. Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership. This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago.”
There was an immediate backlash on social media as Schnatter’s remarks became public. The company was accused of being racist. That forced Papa John’s to issue an apology.
Schnatter said he is stepping down as CEO effective January 1. He will remain as chairman of the board. There is little doubt that Schnatter was forced to step down as CEO.
After he slammed Goodell and the NFL player protests, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called Schnatter a “great American.” But because the protesting NFL players are black, the Papa John’s founder and his company were battered on social media with accusations of racism.
On the other hand, Colin Kaepernick, who started the NFL player protests at the beginning of last season, has been honored with a number of awards. He was named “Citizen of the Year” by GQ Magazine. Sports Illustrated honored Kaepernick with the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award during which police-hater Beyoncé thanked him for his “personal sacrifice.” The ACLU of Southern California honored him with the Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award. And Time had Kaepernivk on the short list for “Person of the Year.”
The only award Kaepernick should have received is “Ungrateful Bastard of the Decade.”
What in the world are we coming to when patriotism is punished and disrespect for flag and country is honored?
This is not the America I came to in 1936 from Germany. This is not the America of 1941 when hundreds of thousands volunteered to fight the Nazis and the Japs. This is more like the America of the Viet Nam War era when thousands fled the country to escape being drafted and when soldiers were spit at and called baby killers.
What a shame that my beloved country has sunk to such a low.
By Howie Katz
Big Jolly Times
December 22, 2017
John Schnatter, founder of Papa John’s Pizza, is a patriotic American who is being punished for his patriotism. He dared to criticize the disrespect shown our flag and country by NFL players.
On November 1, 2017, Schnatter made a conference call to Papa John’s shareholders in which he blamed the NFL player protests during the National Anthem for sagging pizza sales and falling Papa John’s stock prices. He blamed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for letting the protests get out of hand. Here, in part, is what Schnatter said:
“The NFL has hurt us by not resolving the current debacle to the players’ and owners’ satisfaction. NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders. Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership. This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago.”
There was an immediate backlash on social media as Schnatter’s remarks became public. The company was accused of being racist. That forced Papa John’s to issue an apology.
Schnatter said he is stepping down as CEO effective January 1. He will remain as chairman of the board. There is little doubt that Schnatter was forced to step down as CEO.
After he slammed Goodell and the NFL player protests, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called Schnatter a “great American.” But because the protesting NFL players are black, the Papa John’s founder and his company were battered on social media with accusations of racism.
On the other hand, Colin Kaepernick, who started the NFL player protests at the beginning of last season, has been honored with a number of awards. He was named “Citizen of the Year” by GQ Magazine. Sports Illustrated honored Kaepernick with the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award during which police-hater Beyoncé thanked him for his “personal sacrifice.” The ACLU of Southern California honored him with the Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award. And Time had Kaepernivk on the short list for “Person of the Year.”
The only award Kaepernick should have received is “Ungrateful Bastard of the Decade.”
What in the world are we coming to when patriotism is punished and disrespect for flag and country is honored?
This is not the America I came to in 1936 from Germany. This is not the America of 1941 when hundreds of thousands volunteered to fight the Nazis and the Japs. This is more like the America of the Viet Nam War era when thousands fled the country to escape being drafted and when soldiers were spit at and called baby killers.
What a shame that my beloved country has sunk to such a low.
NOTABLE DEATH---PEANUTS JOHNSON
by Bob Walsh
Peanuts Johnson has recently died at the age of 82. What is notable about her life is that she was a professional baseball pitcher, playing for the negro league in the 1950s. There were other female players in the league but she was the only pitcher, throwing for the Indianapolis Clowns. She tried to enter the Women's Professional Baseball League during WWII but they refused to even consider black players.
She was a small woman, standing only 5-3 and weighing about 120 pounds in her playing days, but she could pitch very well and held her own against the male batters of the time. Her record with the Clowns was 33-8 over three seasons.
Peanuts Johnson has recently died at the age of 82. What is notable about her life is that she was a professional baseball pitcher, playing for the negro league in the 1950s. There were other female players in the league but she was the only pitcher, throwing for the Indianapolis Clowns. She tried to enter the Women's Professional Baseball League during WWII but they refused to even consider black players.
She was a small woman, standing only 5-3 and weighing about 120 pounds in her playing days, but she could pitch very well and held her own against the male batters of the time. Her record with the Clowns was 33-8 over three seasons.
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